Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee, , 12:51 to 17:18
Officials provide a breakdown of the $20 million event management contract and the $2 million spent on broadcasting and media center infrastructure.
Topics: Government spending, Procurement
Speakers: David Higgins, Hon Sarah Henderson, Hon Murray Watt, Unknown Speaker, Mr. David Higgins
>> Certainly. So for accommodation and venues, the the outer bound is $8.4 million.
>> Is this in Fiji or? No, this is
Australian dollars, Senator.
>> No, no, accommodation in Fiji.
>> Oh, sorry. I missed your question. That That's correct. That's across a range of venues. I could give you the list of of venues if that
>> So, the 34.6 million refers only to Fiji.
>> That's that's correct, Senator. Yes.
>> Can Senator um you may wish to get Mr. Higgins to elaborate on this, but he made an important point there in describing these costs as out of bounds.
>> I know. I appreciate that.
>> My my understanding, which Mr. Higgins could perhaps fill in is that some of those costs will be recouped from other countries that attended the conference and so the final amount may not be as high as $8.4 million once those reimbursements from other companies. So the money has been paid out and a portion of it will be recouped.
>> No, I did hear that, Minister. Thank you. So Mr. Higgins, if you could just continue 8.4 million in accommodation costs. >> Yes. noting noting the the um that some of this may be recouped.
>> That that's that's indeed right. Um as uh as the secretary said um around $20 million for the event management company um which is um uh the the essentially the the the basis on which the the the sort of hub around which we we designed the delivery of the event. So that's um the the event management company supported all of the aspects of the operational planning and delivery of the event. So that's the the structural build. Um so things like the physical infrastructure needed to host the meeting, the fitting out of venues, um setting up of security infrastructure and then specialist services like simultaneous translation um audiovisisual hardware and and uh technical production media facilities um and the technical workforce um necessary to to put on the uh the event. Um the uh that also includes some transport um services but the the transport uh program was delivered in partnership with the government of of Fiji. Um similarly with security again um delivered in partnership with the government of of Fiji. Um there uh the the uh the 34.6 Six also includes $2 million to put on host broadcaster services which was a a necessary component component to ensure that the the proceedings were um were made uh publicly available the the screening of the of the meetings. Um and there were also some additional costs associated with procurement support, commercial advice, uh uh readiness support, property, those those kinds of um technical matters. Senator,
>> could you give me a breakdown for those costs as well, please?
>> A big pardon.
>> Could you please give me a breakdown for those costs as well
>> of the of that other line I mentioned? Um, I don't have uh a fine uh breakdown of of those costs in in front of me. I can get that for you though, Senator.
>> Okay. Uh just on the $2 million for broadcasting expenditure, how many people viewed the broadcast, do you
>> I don't have that information, Senator. Um it was widely available. I'm not sure whether we indeed know that because it was it was publicly available. Um I I can seek to to find out but I don't I don't have that information.
>> Thank you. If you could take that on notice. How were the proceedings broadcast?
>> Sorry.
>> How were the proceedings?
>> Available online, Senator.
>> So that was an online streaming live streaming only.
>> Uh no live streaming and recording.
>> And why did it cost $2 million to do
>> There's that also includes the establishment of a media center. Um, and there's there's quite a lot of infrastructure associated with the establishment of of of the broadcasting services and then then all of the elements that make up supporting the the media component of the of the event. Um, there were quite a significant number of journalists who participated and so it was supporting that that effort as well.
Senator, if I could just give you some context, uh, when the then Howard government hosted the APEC conference in Australia in 2007, >> Senator, what I'm sorry million was