Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

I am advised that the general ongoing practice is that Ministers' letters in the portfolio are printed on plain paper with the 'letterhead' being part of the electronic document. There is however a requirement for some letters from the Prime Minister to be printed on pre-printed letterhead. No expenditure on pre-printed letterhead paper was incurred in the period covered by this question as paper is ordered in bulk and used over an extended period.

The following Ministers use 'Stephen Swiss White' 115gsm A4 paper and matching DL envelopes for ministerial correspondence:

the Prime Minister, the Honourable Julia Gillard MP;

the Minister for the Arts, the Honourable Simon Crean MP;

the Cabinet Secretary, the Honourable Mark Dreyfus MP, and

the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, Senator the Honourable Kate Lundy.

The cost of the Stephen Swiss White paper and envelopes are:

one ream (500 sheets) is $32.87 or $26.40 per ream if bulk orders (50 reams or more) are placed; and

DL envelopes are $76.50 per box of 500.

As at 29 November 2010, standard white paper (A4 80gsm) and 'Stephen Swiss White' envelopes were used for ministerial correspondence for the other Ministers in the portfolio, i.e:

The cost of one ream (500 sheets) of standard white paper is $4.90.

The 'Stephen Swiss White' product is carbon neutral. The standard white paper used more generally for ministers is not carbon neutral.

The total cost for stationary used by each minister over the period since 14 September 2010 cannot be identified as stationery is ordered in bulk, sometimes for several ministers, and then used over an extended period. The costs have therefore been presented as an amount per ream or batch of stationary.