Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee, , 1:26:40 to 1:29:05
Discussion regarding the requirement for Prime Ministerial approval for international travel by the Minister and the practice of making preliminary flight bookings for international events.
Topics: Travel and event costs, Prime Minister and Cabinet
Speakers: Mr Jim Betts, Senator Dean Smith, Unknown Speaker, Senator Nita Green
What future international travel is anticipated for the Minister?
Any international travel by the Minister would require approval from the Prime Minister. I'm not aware of her having notwithstanding her participation in the recent event in um Papua New Guinea, I'm not aware of the Minister having any approved forward international travel, but we will need to just check that.
So the formal mechanism for seeking the Prime Minister's approval for international travel, is that handled by the Department or by the Minister's Office? Handled by the Minister's Office?
So approval letter or document is produced and then it's approved by the Prime Minister?
And does the Department provide any input into that letter?
It's worth saying just for the complete avoidance of doubt, there may be um events which are forthcoming in the international calendar, for instance the International Telecommunications Union, where uh we may um prospectively and in a preliminary preliminary way book flights, um, for instance, in case the Minister chose to travel, but that would be um subject to the Prime Minister's approval, and if that approval wasn't forthcoming, then those bookings would be um withdrawn. Um sometimes on a precautionary basis we'll make a tentative booking. Um but the travel is not locked in until it's approved by the Prime Minister. We can provide you with a bit more detail around that property.
Does the Prime Minister have to approve the booking of preliminary flights?
Uh no, but he does have to approve the actual travel itself.
Uh has the department booked any preliminary flights for Minister's international travel?
I'd have to check that. There are a number of international events which ministers have attended in the past. For instance, the ITU I know was attended by Minister Fifefield, and I think Minister Turnbull when they were communications minister at the time, so but I don't think Minister Wells has taken a final decision or secured final approval on whether she might be travelling there. That would be a future.
On notice, can you provide a list of those forthcoming events where the Minister may be encouraged to attend or invited to attend?