TRAINING courses for Premier Will Hodgman’s department cost the government more than $130,000 within six months of coming to office.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Documents show the Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPAC) spent $133,940.78 for training, including travel, meals and accommodation, between April and October this year.
But the government says the figure pales in comparison against Labor’s final months in office.
The Liberals spent almost $8000 to send a staff member to Sydney for a five-day computer course, while DPAC also shelled out $1100 in flights and accommodation for one person to attend a single-day business forum, the entrance for which cost $20.
The documents, obtained by Labor under Right to Information laws, show the department spent $1880 on driving courses and $250 on body language seminars.
DPAC’s climate change division spent more than $13,000 in that period, including $4627 for a Gold Coast summit and $3218 for a Sydney conference.
A government spokesman said the total figure was much lower than the previous government’s spend.
‘‘Bryan Green should check his facts,’’ the spokesman said.
‘‘In their last seven months in office, Labor spent $260,000 on staff training in DPAC.
‘‘In our first seven months in government we’ve spent half that amount.
‘‘We’re getting on with the job of reining in spending and getting the budget back on track after Labor and the Greens trashed the state’s finances.
‘‘This RTI shows that we are far better managers of taxpayers’ money than the Labor-Green government.’’