Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister representing the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, upon notice, on 19 April 2012:

(1) Who prepares the ministerial press clippings for each minister.

(2) What is the cost of providing press clippings to each minister.

(3) How many people receive each set of press clippings in:

  (a) the department;

  (b) the Minister's office; and

  (c) any other area.

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

(1) The department's media and speechwriting team prepares the clips for the department and the ministers. There is no separate clips service for the Minister.

(2) The DEEWR media and speechwriting team member selects clips from the newscentre service and prepares a report which is emailed out. The cost of the newscentre service is for the one set of clips only (used across the Department and by over 2000 users as indicated at (3) below)- a total of $41 250 per month. (This cost includes some transcription services, but excludes copyright fees which vary, depending on the number of articles that month).

(3) The clips are delivered in electronic form (email with links/PDF) to around 1970 departmental staff, 34 ministerial staff and 14 external parties (including board members of Skills Australia, various areas of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the departmental spokesman at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and Excelior, the company that manages the department's contact centre).