The $1M annual travel fund for members of the major political parties and trade unionists - paid for by you
Monday, 29 February 2016
You may not have known about your gift of about $1M per year to fund overseas travels for young political apparatchiks.
Welcome to another special privilege available only to members of the major political parties and of course their trade union mates.
http://www.polexchange.org.au/index.html
Here are the people who decide who gets paid to go where.
Organisation of the Council
The Principals
The Principals of the Council are the Parliamentary Leaders of the four main political parties in the Federal Parliament. The Principals are:
- The Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP, Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia;
- The Hon Bill Shorten MP, Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Australian Labor Party;
- The Hon Warren Truss MP, Leader of The Nationals; and
- Senator Richard Di Natale, Leader of the Australian Greens.
Council Membership
Chairman
The Hon Alan Ferguson Chairman of the Australian Political Exchange Council (appointed March 2014) |
Members (in order of appointment)
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Mr Brian Loughnane Federal Director of the Liberal Party of Australia (appointed February 2003) |
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Mr George Wright National Secretary of the Australian Labor Party (appointed June 2011) |
The Hon Tony Smith MP Member for Casey (appointed June 2014) |
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The Hon John Cobb MP Member for Calare (appointed June 2014) |
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The Hon Gary Gray AO MP Member for Brand (appointed August 2015) |
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Senator Sarah Hanson-Young Senator for South Australia (appointed August 2015) |
Past Chairs and Council Members
Minister
The Minister with portfolio responsibility for the political exchange programme is the Special Minister of State, The Hon Mal Brough MP.
The Hon Mal Brough MP Special Minister of State, Minister for Defence Materiel and Science |
And who gets to use your $1M to fund their travel wish-list?
Council Activities
Outgoing Delegations
Each year the Council considers delegate nominations put forward by the parties of the Principals. Nominees are young Australians considered by their respective parties to have the potential to make a significant contribution to political life.
Delegates are required to be party members, Australian citizens and if possible, between the ages of 25 and 40 (with the exception of the exchange programme with the United States of America where the age limit must be 40). To maximise developmental opportunities, delegations comprise a representative, broadly-based group of young Australian political leaders. Delegates are selected from a range of political backgrounds including:
- members of federal and state parliaments;
- party organisations, both professional and voluntary;
- industry associations;
- trade unions;
- members of ministerial and electorate staffs; and
- local government representatives.
Nominations must be forwarded to the Council through political parties’ secretariats / nominated offices.