Just $4.7 million of the $9.3 million in invoices issued to travellers to Tasmania forced into hotel quarantine has been collected.
The state's Auditor-General on Tuesday released its report on financial arrangements regarding the hotel quarantine system and community support grants associated with COVID-19.
Auditor-General Rod Whitehead (pictured) in his report said there had been $36.7 million budgeted for hotel quarantine from the start of the pandemic up to April 30 this year, but actual expenditure was $52.8 million.
READ MORE: Reckless rider caused his own death
There had been more than 10,000 people placed into hotel quarantine at 14 locations around the state by April 30, 2021.
One-fifth of these people were in hotel quarantine in July 2020.
The cost of hotel quarantine was $38.8 million for domestic travellers, $10.7 million for seasonal workers, and $3.2 million in relation to repatriation flights, frontline staff, and quarantine requirements for Antarctic expeditions.
The average daily room rate was $147 per night of accommodation and $114 per day for meals.
In his report, Mr Whitehead noted $4.7 million of the $9.3 million in hotel quarantine invoices had been collected.
He said not all of the outstanding $4.6 million outstanding would be collected as exemptions or variations may have been approved for a portion of that amount.
READ MORE: Your guide to the Junction Arts Festival
The quarantine fee per day ranged from $200 for a single adult to $343 for a family of four. This equated to $2800 over 14 days for the adult and $4800 for the four-member family.
Communities Tasmania released $3.5 million through funding agreements with community service providers, $200,000 for a food relief program, and $500,000 for a veterans support program.
Mr Whitehead said the department was not involved in the selection of funding recipients and would often be notified of these decisions by ministerial press releases.
He said his review identified opportunities for the department to improve administration of grant programs, but found it generally effective nevertheless.
What do you think? Send us a letter to the editor:
Political reporter for Australian Community Media, based in Hobart.
Political reporter for Australian Community Media, based in Hobart.
