Hundreds of Australian Taxation Office top brass soaked up $100,000 of five-star luxury at Canberra's Realm Hotel in March while thousands of ATO foot-soldiers prepared to have their jobs sacrificed to a cost-cutting drive.
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The federal opposition says holding the conference for 250 senior Taxation Office executives from around the nation at a luxury hotel shows the Abbott government has "twisted priorities".
But the ATO says it was “appropriate” and “cost effective” to hold the conference at The Realm.
About 250 of the ATO’s Senior Executive Service gathered at the Realm on March 18 and 19, for its first forum under the ATO’s new management group led by Commissioner of Taxation Chris Jordan.
The bill for the venue hire, audio visual hire, catering and parking came to $101,000 with another $37,000 spent on hotel rooms for delegates who flew in from around the country.
The ATO would not confirm the travel bill for the 168 executives who flew to Canberra for the event, but said that each of the managers who made the trip found other work to do in the capital to offset their travel costs.
But Labor’s leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Penny Wong, said the cost of the conference was inappropriate at a time when the ATO was looking to shed up to 3800 public servants in a bid to cut costs.
“(Treasurer) Joe Hockey might say the “age of entitlement is over”, but the “age of austerity” hasn’t arrived in his portfolio with a one-day function for senior executives at a five-star hotel costing taxpayers $100,000,” Senator Wong said.
“How can Mr Hockey justify spending $100,000 on a single staff function when his cuts mean the axe hangs over the head of 3800 workers in the same agency. This is another example of the Abbott Government’s twisted priorities.”
An ATO spokeswoman said The Realm was the right choice for the conference.
“This was chosen as the venue because it was one of the few available, had appropriate facilities, was cost effective and convenient,” she said.
“The cost for accommodation was negotiated at $228 per night per traveller, which is the same as the allowance rate for SES staying overnight in Canberra. Canberra-based SES did not stay overnight at the venue.
“Those SES travelling from interstate took the opportunity to attend business meetings, resulting in travel costs being used for multiple business purposes.”
