Senate Estimates today revealed just how much of a debacle Malcolm Turnbull’s handpicked Windfarm Commissioner has been.
The Windfarm Commissioner was appointed back in October 2015, but neither the Commissioner, the Department, nor the Minister were able to answer how much the Windfarm Commissioner and his office will cost taxpayers.
The Commissioner stated that an ‘interim’ website was launched two-three weeks ago. That means for at least 3 months the Commissioner has not been easily accessible to the public when a key part of his role is taking complaints from the public.
The ‘interim’ website still sits within the Department of Environment and isn’t easy to find. Neither the Commissioner nor the Department were able to set a date for the launch of an independent website.
The Windfarm Commissioner was set up specifically to take complaints from the public, so the lack of accessibility begs the question: what has the Windfarm Commissioner been spending taxpayers’ money on since he was appointed last year?
Despite travelling to meet stakeholders and complainants, the Windfarm Commissioner had no idea what his travel budget was. The Department couldn’t give us a figure either.
The only thing that was confirmed during the Commissioners appearance was his salary: $205, 000 per year, the role was confirmed as being part-time but again neither the department or the Minister had any idea how many days or hours they were paying the commissioner for.
Australians have every right to be appalled with the Turnbull Liberal Government for proceeding with this ridiculous waste of money.