Martin Ferguson (Batman, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Transport, Roads and Tourism) Share this | Hansard source

With regard to the involvement of the Minister for Small Business and Tourism in the G’day USA Australia Week 2007 promotion, what was the minister’s total expenditure on the trip on airfares, travel advances, accommodation, ground transport, entertainment and incidentals? Did any of her staff accompany her on the trip? If so, how many staff attended and what was the total expenditure for staff participation in the trip on airfares, travel advances, accommodation, ground transport, entertainment and incidentals? What was Tourism Australia’s budget resource allocation for the program for the years 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08? What proportion of the program’s cost was recouped through cost recovery measures, including sponsorship deals for the G’day USA Australia Week promotion? Lastly, is what the industry telling me true—namely, that the minister complained about the quality of her accommodation in LA? Is there any truth to the rumour that an average of over $1,000 per day was spent by the minister on ground transport during her trip?

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