Qld Transport Dinner for Riverfire will cost $24k

The original price was $30k.

The dinner was to woo QR-Freight customers.

QR was planning to host clients of its freight division last weekend in Brisbane at a $30,000 function.

Transport Minister John Mickel ordered QR to call it off, but it has to pay most of the bill anyway.

QR chief executive Lance Hockridge says the company has reached a commercial arrangement with the restaurant to pay $24,500, taking into account the late cancellation and the fact that food had been purchased and prepared.

Great. So taxpayers are still out of pocket - I'm not saying that the restaurant should not be compensated, but jeez, shouldn't taxpayer's money be better managed?

Apparently the dinner was for some of the customers who contribute to the $6M/week in freight charges which roll into Q-Rail's freight division coffers.