You may have heard about the recent Daily Telegraph story alleging Parramatta City Council as the most extravagant and wasteful when it comes to catering expenses for Councillors and their staff, at the expense of the taxpayer. “… pastry cups filled with smoked chicken, fresh mango and coriander salsa and berry tarts: $106,075,” as quoted by the Daily Telegraph’s Vicki Campion. 

Yet despite serving 10 years on Council, I have never seen such items, honest! So where did the Daily Telegraph’s Vicki Campion get such ideas? We are lead to believe that everything published in the news must be true, right?

Based on the very Freedom of Information document sought by the Daily Telegraph, Parramatta City Council revealed that in 2008, the then Labor led Council spent $52,053 on catering for Councillors, and $30,350 for staff. This totals $82,402 for the calendar year 2008. Note that the Labor majority ended in late September 2008 after the local government election.

In the calendar year 2009 until July 2009, the Liberal/Independent majority Council expended $11,994 for Councillors and $11,679 for staff. This totals $23,673 for the 7 months of 2009. If extrapolated, this theoretically represents $40,582 for the entire 2009. This would show a 52% drop in expenditure thanks to the new Liberal/Independent majority.

Given that this significant saving and complementary facts were all ignored by the Daily Telegraph, Vicki Campion appears to be implying in Parramatta’s case is why there needs to be catering at all. After all, as a society, we should pay nothing at all for elected members and staff of any government. That appears to be the inference from the Daily Telegraph’s Vicki Campion’s article.