Games travel budget triples in a year
TRAVEL costs for Gold Coast Commonwealth Games Corporation staff and officials have tripled in just a year.
The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC) annual report shows the organisation’s travel and accommodation expenses jumped to $1.4 million last financial year, from $455,000 in 2015-16.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she was unconcerned about the increase in the travel budget because the Games was an international event.
“I made it very clear to the chairman Peter Beattie that I need GOLDOC out there engaging, not just on a national level, but an level,” she said.
“We are promoting the Gold Coast and Queensland to the rest of the world.
“The flow-on impacts that international we are going to see after the Commonwealth Games are going to be tremendous.”
Mr Beattie said the travel budget had been kept “under tight control” but an increase was necessary due to the baton relay and other events in the lead up to the Games.
“In the last year (before the Games), when you have a baton going around the world, you’ve got a whole lot of upbeat things to do, of course, the budget is going to increase,” he said.
An LNP spokeswoman said the Opposition supported the Games but taxpayers’ money needed to be spent wisely.
“The Government needs to focus more on transport planning, instead of taxpayer funded jaunts,” she said.
“The excitement and hype around the event can never be an excuse for failing to deliver value for money.”