Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Murray Darling Basin) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister representing the Prime Minister, upon notice, on 15 February 2012:

(1) Can details be provided of all resources committed by the department, as well as known contributions from other agencies, towards the return to Australia of three protesters who boarded the Japanese vessel Shonan Maru No. 2 in January 2012.

(2) What was the departments total expenditure on this exercise.

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

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

I am advised that the answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:

(1) My department did not allocate any additional resources to the return of the three anti-whaling protestors to Australia. My department responded to the incident within its existing resources.

Questions regarding expenditure by other agencies are best answered by those agencies.

(2) My department responded to the incident within existing resources. No additional expenditure was required.