Officials gamble $218k on casinos
STATE Government fat cats have burned through hundreds of thousands of dollars flying around the world and staying in luxury resorts in the name of developing casinos in Queensland.
A Government report on overseas travel reveals taxpayers have been hit with a bill of $217,230 so Department of State Development bureaucrats could look at casino resorts in the US and Asia.
Many of the trips were to consult with casino bosses for potential integrated resort developments including the failed ASF multi-billion dollar cruise ship terminal proposal for the Gold Coast and the massive $3.6 billion Queen’s Wharf development in Brisbane, which is well under way.
Department of State Development bureaucrats flew to resorts in Singapore, Las Vegas, Macau and Hong Kong in the four years between financial years 2013/14 and 2016/17.
The Government would not say whether the officers flew first or business class.
Almost three times more public money was spent looking at casino-related resorts than on travel intended to help develop Queensland’s defence industry ($85,848). The casino trips made up almost half of all overseas travel by the department over the four years. The cost of all trips was $495,434.
However, no public servants have taken trips for casino-related business in 2017/18.
Save Our Spit Alliance president Dr Steven Gration said the costs seemed excessive.
“It’s disturbing that neither the previous LNP government nor the current Labor Government has ever asked the Gold Coast community for their consent or a social licence to impose a second casino on the Gold Coast,” Dr Gration said.
“Therefore, the overseas travel expenditure ... seems inappropriate and exorbitant.”
LNP deputy leader Tim Mander said the previous LNP government had delivered the Queen’s Wharf project while Labor spending had “delivered absolutely nothing”.
A State Government spokesman told the Bulletin the travel was justified.
He said public servants under the LNP Newman government made one more trip overseas than under the Labor Palaszczuk Government.
“Given global tourism hubs require companies to make multibillion-dollar investments in Queensland, it’s critical that we have face-to-face negotiations,” he said.
“In 2013, the LNP created three new casino licences including one for the Queen’s Wharf development.
“In 2017, the Palaszczuk Government announced that the two remaining licences would only be available for Cairns and the Gold Coast. Public servants from this department logged five overseas trips in 2013-2014 in comparison to four trips between 2014 and 2017.”