[Peetwo]

ATP's fund bureaucratic obfuscation in Estimates - UDB..

Via the Oz:

Defence pays PR firm $2m to dodge Senator’s questions

• Rory Callinan
  
• The Australian
  
• 12:00AM May 31, 2017
  

The Defence Department has paid more than $2 million to a public relations company that gives bureaucrats acting lessons to perform well at Senate estimates hearings.

The Victorian-based company, Media Manoeuvres, has even been featuring a testimonial purportedly from a top-level bureaucrat in the Defence’s Maritime Systems Division, spruiking the training on its website as “a must for all involved in Senate estimates process”.

The bureaucrat is not named but is described as the “chief of staff” for Defence’s Maritime Systems Division.

The division oversees navy and army maritime capability, including the amphibious ships that have been at the centre of major controversy over defective propulsion problems that have taken both vessels out of action for months.

This week in estimates, Defence bureaucrats were required to field questions about problems with the ships, HMAS Canberra and HMAS Adelaide, which cost $1.5 billion each.

Since 2004, Media Manoeuvres has received a regular stream of the Defence contracts totalling just more than $2.1 million. The latest contract was to run from October last year to March 28 and was worth $29,647, according to the government tenders website.

The company says its senate estimates course includes theory, performance skills for answering questions, simulations and role-plays, comprehensive playback, trainer review and analysis, individual written reports and a digital download of performances.

A Defence spokesman said some Defence personnel undertook media training to support them in their engagements from time to time with media, and in their appearances at public ­forums. Training is provided through another department.

The department’s expenditure on coaching has shocked senator Derryn Hinch, who on Monday questioned Defence bureaucrats in the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade estimates hearing about consultant expenditure. “I’m gobsmacked. This is Noddy Land,’’ he said.

“Estimates is designed to show the Australian people some transparency, where their money is going and here we have the Defence Department spending more than $2 million to teach themselves how to avoid questions.”

Senator Hinch, a former journalist, said he would seek more information about the situation.

Expenditure detailed on the government tenders website shows Defence listed the contracts mostly as “media awareness training”. The spending ranged from $1.03 million in April 2012 to $10,842 in November the same year.

Two other government entities — the Australian Fisheries Management Authority and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority — were listed in the tenders website as having contracts with Media Manoeuvres.

The Media Manoeuvres’ website prominently features testimony advertising the estimates training.

“The balance of practical and theory was good and the feedback was valuable. This course is a must for all who are involved in the senate estimates process,’’ says the undated testimonial from the Defence staffer.

Late yesterday, following questions from The Australian to Defence and the company, the testimonial was removed from the company’s website

Media Manoeuvres is directed by former Crown Casino public relations manager Sam Elam, whose articles are promoted on the company website, including such titles as “Off the Record”, “What does it really Mean” and “Declining media requests — How to minimise the damage”.

No comment -


MTF...P2