Sunday, August 31, 2008

Money well spent?

QUEENSLAND Rail has been forced to cancel a controversial $30,000 Riverfire function tonight at a ritzy Brisbane restaurant but taxpayers may still have to foot the bill.

Guests and 60 executives of the State Government transport company Queensland Rail were to dine at Asian restaurant Siana, enjoying one of best vantage points in Brisbane to watch the annual fireworks display.

An embarrassed Queensland Transport Minister John Mickel, who was not invited to the event, was first notified of the function by a Courier-Mail journalist yesterday.

Today he acted as QR's party pooper and pressured chief Lance Hockridge to cancel the event.
If they want to get together to see Riverfire from an expensive restaurant on the river that's fine. They should shell out for it themselves.

Because the cancellation was made so late in the piece the restaurant couldn't open, many people would already have made their plans for Riverfire and the restaurant wouldn't be able to sell all the pre-prepared food or pay the staff hired for the night.

Then again, what do corporate boxes cost at sporting venues?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This happens when government departments dabble outside of the public sphere and consider themselves part of the private enterprise world. Government departments should never be able to spend taxpayer's money on corporate sponsorships.

Such campaigns exist with feel good bureaucracies supporting AFL and Rugby. Did they ask you, me or anyone if they could spend our money supporting sport?

Queensland Rail is such an example. This is only the event we heard about from one department. Rest assured it's happening all the time at a great cost to the public. Mehaul