Bureaucrat flies from Darwin to answer no questions
Cathy Alexander
AAP
A bureaucrat flew all the way from Darwin to Canberra to appear before a budget estimates hearing - only to find there was not a single question ready for him.
But when members realised he had flown six hours for nothing, they came up with a question: how long had he lived in Darwin?
The debacle prompted a stern lecture from federal Climate Change Minister Penny Wong, who instructed opposition senators to work out ahead of time who they wanted to hear from.
A return Darwin to Canberra airfare starts at $1,000.
The patient Darwin-based bureaucrat, Alan Hughes from the Office of Supervising Scientist, sat quietly before the environment estimates committee as it became clear some senators did not know what his office did.
But chastened by Senator Wong's lecture, Liberal senator David Johnston came up with a question.
"I have some questions for Mr Hughes now on the basis that he lives in Darwin," Senator Johnston said.
"Mr Hughes, can you just give me a brief overview of what the supervising scientist does in this portfolio, and how long have you lived in Darwin, and is that a handicap to doing the work?"
Mr Hughes replied: "I personally have been in Darwin for approximately 10 years, I have not been in this position for that period of time, though," he said.
He then told the committee about his work supervising uranium projects, which prompted a series of questions.
Various senators then apologised for bringing him down from Darwin.
In the spirit of budget estimates hearings, the parties used Mr Hughes' wasted trip as fodder to attack each other.
Labor accused opposition members of wasting Mr Hughes' time, while the Liberals said Labor had been just as poorly organised when in opposition.
But when members realised he had flown six hours for nothing, they came up with a question: how long had he lived in Darwin?
The debacle prompted a stern lecture from federal Climate Change Minister Penny Wong, who instructed opposition senators to work out ahead of time who they wanted to hear from.
A return Darwin to Canberra airfare starts at $1,000.
The patient Darwin-based bureaucrat, Alan Hughes from the Office of Supervising Scientist, sat quietly before the environment estimates committee as it became clear some senators did not know what his office did.
But chastened by Senator Wong's lecture, Liberal senator David Johnston came up with a question.
"I have some questions for Mr Hughes now on the basis that he lives in Darwin," Senator Johnston said.
"Mr Hughes, can you just give me a brief overview of what the supervising scientist does in this portfolio, and how long have you lived in Darwin, and is that a handicap to doing the work?"
Mr Hughes replied: "I personally have been in Darwin for approximately 10 years, I have not been in this position for that period of time, though," he said.
He then told the committee about his work supervising uranium projects, which prompted a series of questions.
Various senators then apologised for bringing him down from Darwin.
In the spirit of budget estimates hearings, the parties used Mr Hughes' wasted trip as fodder to attack each other.
Labor accused opposition members of wasting Mr Hughes' time, while the Liberals said Labor had been just as poorly organised when in opposition.