The revelation that Hydro Tasmania paid almost $76,000 in air fares and accommodation for a Melbourne-based manager has been labelled by Labor as "outrageous".
Hydro Tasmania has confirmed that between 2017 and 2020 its Chief People Officer, Robert Tanti, cost Hydro Tasmania thousands of dollars for flights, accommodation, transport and meals.
In 2017, $1640 was paid out, rising to $42,476 in 2018, $27,035 in 2019 and $4619 last year.
Labor's treasury spokesman David O'Byrne said the bulk of Hydro staff lived in Tasmania and it was a waste of taxpayers' money to employ a human resources manager based in Melbourne.
"He headed a team but it seems extraordinary to use an organisations' money to facilitate travel to and from Tasmania," Mr O'Byrne said.
"This is taxpayers' money after all and this is not in the best interests of the Tasmanian people.
"It is outrageous.
"This is not a specialised role that a Tasmanian couldn't do."
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A spokesman for Energy Minister Guy Barnett said: "The details of Mr Tanti's employment contract with Hydro Tasmania are a matter for Hydro Tasmania and Mr Tanti."
A Hydro Tasmania spokesman confirmed Mr Tanti has left Hydro Tasmania.
"Mr Tanti left the business in November 2020 and his role has not been replaced," he said.
The spokesman said Hydro Tasmania employed about 1300 people including 800 Tasmanians and operated around Australia and the world, through its engineering consultancy Entura and Melbourne-based energy retailer, Momentum Energy.
"Former Chief People Officer Rob Tanti worked for us for nearly three years, as part of our Leadership Team overseeing all of our businesses, including our Melbourne operations, and travelled as required."
At government business enterprise hearings in December last year new Hydro chief executive Evangelista Albertini said he expected the equivalent role of Chief People Officer "going forward will be Tasmanian domiciled".
Mr O'Byrne said government business enterprises in Tasmania had a history of big payouts to executives who quit and whose positions were not redundant and they had not been unfairly dismissed.
"This might be acceptable in the private sector but our government businesses need to set high standards and not throw away taxpayers' money," he said.
Sue Bailey
Sue works two days a week for The Examiner and The Advocate newspapers and and is based in Hobart. Loves any human interest stories!
Sue works two days a week for The Examiner and The Advocate newspapers and and is based in Hobart. Loves any human interest stories!
