Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee, , 1:55:15 to 1:59:59
The department provides a breakdown of travel and business-class flight costs for the Youth Climate Champion, Sally Higgins, across multiple international trips.
Topics: Climate change, Travel and event costs, Orders for documents
Speakers: Sally Box, Hon Sarah Henderson, Hon Tim Ayres, Ms. Sally Box
>> Okay. Look, I want to just quickly turn to the travel arrangements of Miss Sally Higgins whom Minister Bowen appointed as the youth climate champion for COP 31. An FOI request LEX83603 was submitted for her travel, but it was rejected in part because she is not a public servant. But confusingly, invoices relating to Miss Higgins travel were filed by the department. So, can I just ask if Miss Higgins travel and that's accommodation and flights was paid for by the government, the taxpayer in any way?
>> Hi, Sally Box of the International Climate Negotiations Division. Uh yes uh Sally Higgins uh travel and accommodation in her capacity as the presidency youth climate champion is paid for by the department.
>> And how much were those costs?
>> Um do you have a particular trip you're asking about, Senator?
>> Um well, I'm asking uh she attended Fiji. Yes,
>> she did attend the Fiji preop. Um the costs of her travel for that are $1,477 are her travel and accommodation costs.
>> And what about her total costs paid for by the department?
>> Uh so I don't have a total but I'm happy to answer questions about individual trips.
>> Could you run through the individual trips then please?
>> Certainly. So, um, from in April, uh, this year, she traveled to the Republic of Korea for the UNF C climate week. Uh, her flight costs were $8,874 and her accommodation costs $1,285. In uh May and June uh she traveled to Denmark for the Copenhagen ministerial meeting uh to Germany for planning meetings with the UNFC secretariat to Kenya for uh Nairobi project dandelion and to engage with the Mary Robinson Foundation. She traveled to Germany for the blonde bond climate meetings the June international meetings then to Turkey for the zero waste forum and then to England for London climate action week. So, she did all of those activities as part of a single trip. Uh, the flight costs uh in total uh were $28,920 and the accommodation costs for the whole trip were $13,340.
>> 28,000.
>> Yes. Noting that she went to six destinations as part of that trip.
>> And why was that? >> Why was Why were those flights so expensive?
>> Well, she traveled to six destinations, Senator >> Business class. Yes, as is as per departmental policy. I'd have to I would have to confirm whether all were business class senator. I don't have those details in front of
me. >> All right. If you could provide any further details uh on notice. So we there was an FOI about this matter. Why why why was the information denied in the Freedom of Information request?
So I so senator I think um the freedom of information request was for documents um and a lot of those documents went to receipts um which went to sort of deep travel details um that we wouldn't normally uh release for a person who's not a public servant. However, I have the information here which summarizes that. But at the time of the FOI request, I didn't have that information
Well, um, that sounds very, very confusing to me, Miss Box. I have to say, >> that sounds like there's been a non-compliance with the FOI request. I mean, personal matters can be redacted, but if you have not provided those travel costs, the department, then I would say that that is a concerning
matter. I think that the official's answer was that the FOI, if I was listening um correctly, uh asked for documents. Uh documents could not be provided. She she's given you a summary uh and uh uh invited, I think, um a discussion about the summary and taking you through that in some detail. There's no non-compliance issue. Um
>> Miss Minister, Miss Box is very capable of answering this question herself. So when you say you couldn't provide the documents, you did have documents in your possession though, didn't you?
>> I didn't have a document with a summary of the travel information as you've requested now, Senator.
>> No, but the FOI request didn't request a summary. It requested the documents if