Ms O’CONNOR – Thank you, Mr Jacobi. Minister, how much did the Tasmanian Walking Company charge the Tasmanian Government – Parks – for the cost of its marketing the Three Capes Track in the 2022 calendar year and the 2022-23 financial year? Could you please provide the itemised account? We have been here before with your predecessor, Mrs Petrusma.
Mr JAENSCH – I am not entirely sure I want to appear to be accepting your premise.
Ms O’CONNOR – Hang on here, a precedent was set by your predecessor because the public purse is funding a private company’s promotions. There’s no excuse when your predecessor was open about providing this information.
Mr JAENSCH – Mr Jacobi will provide you with some details.
Mr JACOBI – I am advised that in the 2021-22 financial year the total lease fees payable to the PWS by Three Capes Lodge Walk Inc was $234 599, excluding GST-
Ms O’CONNOR – Can I check: this is a lease, this is not the promotions budget?
Mr JACOBI – I will come to the marketing piece. The total amount reimbursed to the Three Capes Lodge Walk Inc in accordance with the agreement, and this was for marketing, for the 2021-22 financial year was $127 473. Therefor the PWS received $107 126 in revenue overall.
Ms O’CONNOR – If you could just answer the question. First of all I did not ask for the 2021-22 financial year but I did ask for the calendar year and I am happy with this number. Could we have the information for the 2022-23 financial year to date.
Mr JACOBI – I am advised that the agreement is reimbursed at the end of the financial year it doesn’t operate across the calendar year. I also believe that we enter into negotiations every year with TWC about what the marketing costs will include. That is a genuine negotiation. It is worth reminding the committee that the PWS receives significant marketing benefit from the agreement. All of the collateral is jointly badged. It is promoted internationally as the Three Capes Track. That brings significant revenue and bookings to the Parks and Wildlife Service, which is directly returned back into the management of national parks and reserves.
Ms O’CONNOR – Thank you, Mr Jacobi. Is it okay if I name you at the table by the way?
Mr JACOBI – Yes.
Ms O’CONNOR – Just checking. Minister, to update you, we have a Parks lease agreement here that talks about the importance of released area, keeping the area free from vermin and noxious weeds. It might just be something to follow up a bit later. There is a clear obligation on Tas Walking Company to keep their properties free from vermin.
Mr JAENSCH – I think that the point that Mr Jacobi made in answering that previous question, Ms O’Connor, was that that may not have been a clause that was included in lease agreements of this type at the time when –
Ms O’CONNOR – That is their lease agreement, just to be clear. That’s their lease agreement.
Mr JAENSCH – For this same –
Ms O’CONNOR – Absolutely. Thank you. Can I ask, minister, how much is being spent refurbishing the recently completed Three Capes Track. We’ve had reports of helicopters delivering very large loads of soil and boulders. Tas Walking Company receives the benefit of that public funding. How much? That will do me, Rebecca, for now. It was only three questions.
Mr JAENSCH – I’m happy to take that on notice, Ms O’Connor.
Ms O’CONNOR – Thank you.
Ms WHITE – Minister, it was reported that there was an international search to appoint the secretary of the department, who ended up being right here. Can you explain to the Committee what the cost of that process was, please?
Mr JAENSCH – I’m very happy to have Mr Jacobi as our secretary. I’m really proud that a search of the breadth and the range of applicants that we had confirmed that we have people of a very high calibre working for us already.
Ms O’CONNOR – I understand you wanted to appoint him without a process.
Mr JAENSCH – I didn’t hear that, Ms O’Connor. I’m very glad to have him as our secretary. Congratulations to Mr Jacobi on securing the role. The employment process is not one that I was directly involved with. The Premier is the employer. I don’t have information on the costs of the recruitment process so I’m not able to answer that question for you.
