Ministerial Staff Travel

129 The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (28 February 2019).

1. Has any officer from either SATC or the Department for Trade, Tourism and Investment ever met with CEO of QBT and federal treasurer of the Liberal Party Andrew Burnes, or any other representative from either QBT or HelloWorld?

2. What was discussed at any of the meetings the departmental staff may have had, and did the departmental staff inform DTF or DPC of the content of those conversations?

3. Was a government probity officer present at any of those meetings, and did a government probity officer approve that any of those meetings occur?

4. Have departmental officers ever received any travel benefit, upgrade or airfare at no or reduced cost from either QBT or HelloWorld?

5. Have DPC or DTF sought an assurance from departmental officers that they have never received any travel benefit, upgrade or airfare from either QBT or HelloWorld?

6. Have any officers from either SATC or the Department for Trade, Tourism and Investment ever met with CEO of QBT and federal treasurer of the Liberal Party Andrew Burnes, or any other representative from either QBT or HelloWorld?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment): I have been advised:

1. DTTI:

The senior procurement officer, Department for Trade, Tourism and Investment (DTTI), has held one face to face meeting and two conference calls with the lead implementation coordinator of QBT.

SATC:

Members of the South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) marketing team have held face to face meetings and conference calls with the marketing team at HelloWorld to discuss joint cooperative marketing campaigns, which promote South Australia as a holiday destination.

The SATC's Finance Unit have also held two conference calls with the customer implementation coordinator of QBT.

The chief executive (CE) of SATC, Mr Rodney Harrex, attended and presented at the three-day HelloWorld Travel Owners Managers Conference in May 2018 where he spoke to the CE of QBT, Mr Andrew Burnes, as part of this conference.

2. DTTI:

The purpose of these meetings was to provide information on the set up of DTTI as a client under the new travel management services contract with the South Australian government

SATC:

The purpose of the marketing meetings was to discuss cooperative marketing campaigns which the SATC and HelloWorld are jointly undertaking. The SATC and HelloWorld have had an ongoing relationship and have met on numerous occasions since the HelloWorld brand was launched in 2013.

The purpose of the conference calls was to discuss the practical implementation of the online travel booking system. The initial meeting was arranged by the senior procurement adviser of the Department of Treasury and Finance.

The CE of the SATC spoke to Mr Burnes in passing at the HelloWorld Travel Owners Managers Conference. There was no formal meeting.

3. A government probity officer is only required when there are potential probity issues identified during the procurement process (ie acquisition planning, market approach, evaluation and recommendation). This is to ensure the procurement decisions are fair and transparent.

A government probity officer was not required to be present as the meetings were to discuss cooperative marketing activities and the practical implementation of the online travel booking system respectively.

4. No departmental officers have received any travel benefits, upgrade or airfare at no or reduced cost from either QBT or HelloWorld.

5. Government services within the Department of Treasury and Finance (DTF) (previously part of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet) is responsible for the across government travel management services contract.

All staff involved in the procurement process, which resulted in QBT being appointed as the new provider, were required to sign declarations that they had no conflicts of interest relating to any of the bidders. No conflicts were declared at the time or subsequently.

An independent probity advisor was engaged to oversee the procurement process. The view of the probity advisor is that the evaluation of bids followed its documented plan, was fair and equitable to all bidders and that confidentiality was maintained throughout the process.

More generally, consistent with the public sector code of conduct and the Office of the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment Gifts and Benefits Guideline, a departmental officer must disclose any gifts or benefits received in the course of their employment through agency-specific registers. There is nothing recorded on the registers for DTF or DPC to suggest that any departmental officer has received a travel benefit, upgrade, airfare, or any other benefit from QBT or HelloWorld.

6. Refer to response 1.