17 October 2011 in Media
ANDREW MOORE:
You might just contemplate whether or not last night you had a good night’s sleep. I certainly hope the staff at the Department of Parliamentary Services did because it has been revealed taxpayers, that’s you and I, forked out for public servants to take lessons in how to get a good night’s sleep, can you believe it. The Shadow Minister for government waste is Jamie Briggs, he is on the line. Jamie I’m not sure anything has summed up this portfolio better than this story. How are you going?
JAMIE BRIGGS:
Well mate I am good and with three kids five and under, it has been a long time since we’ve had anything quite like a good night’s sleep.
MOORE:
Yes, well I have two four and three, so I understand. But did taxpayers really foot the bill for lessons in sleep?
BRIGGS:
Well it’s amazing, I’ve seen the report. I’m not in Canberra this week. It’s the Senators having their go with estimates with the departmental staff, and it does seem to be quite ridiculous. Look, we want our public servants to do a job. We ask them to do a job and running Parliament House is an important job to ensure that we are able do what the general public expects elected officials to do.
MOORE:
This is a gee-up though Jamie. Seriously, public servants and we are paying for them to get courses on how to sleep. This is why the public throws their hat in the air and thinks you’re kidding.
BRIGGS:
I can understand why people would look at this and think this a bit over the top. It does seem to be something which needs some explaining and Gary Gray who is the Special Minister for State, I’m sure he will be willing to explain why it is that these services are a good idea.
MOORE:
The Government or the department isn’t saying, are they, exactly how much these classes cost?
BRIGGS:
Well look at the end of the day, they are so busy trying to catch their tail when it comes to waste that they are forever trying to answer these questions. I mean we’ve had in the last few weeks story after story of government expenditure gone wrong and I can understand why people get quite angry about this. This is their money, your listeners’ money that we use and we are meant to use in a prudent fashion to ensure that Australia is run properly. I mean no one likes paying tax and we pay tax for a purpose and that is to provide services to the general public and where there are examples of waste and mismanagement, we should crack down on them and make sure that they don’t occur.
MOORE:
For sure.
BRIGGS:
This is one that we should be looking at, no doubt.
MOORE:
Well there does seem to be a particularly huge amount of waste in this government. Another Senate estimates hearing has heard the Government has spent more than $270,000 fighting the Malaysian solution in the High Court – never got off the ground. Taxpayers have spent about $5 million on so called operational arrangements. I mean the figures we keep hearing about what things cost are staggering.
BRIGGS:
Well it will be interesting to see how much the Government is going to spend on investigating itself on where these leaks came from. There was a report yesterday in the Sunday Telegraph, and the Sunday papers around the country that said that following the Cabinet sprung, looks like multiple leaks, more leaks than the Titanic last Friday, that the Government was seeking those who had leaked against. I suspect Chris Bowen and a few others are now going to ask the AFP to investigate, so of course that will cost money as well. So this Government is now finding ways to waste money on itself.
MOORE:
Well now we have heard today as well the Gillard Government has spent more than half a million dollars on market research for its gambling reforms, it just doesn’t end Jamie. I appreciate your time.
BRIGGS:
Good on you, Andrew. Thanks for your time.
ENDS