TREASURER Joe Hockey wined and dined world financial leaders at the G20 conference in Washington in April, at a celebration that cost taxpayers $50,000 for the services of celebrity chef Shane Delia.
A spokesman for Mr Hockey said the $50,000 dinner represented “excellent value for money’’.
The cost of the lavish G20 dinner has been revealed just days after Mr Hockey handed down a brutal Budget that could cost some families up to $5000 a year as a result of cuts to family payments and increased medical costs.
On the menu at his Washington dinner was barramundi, Victorian Wagyu beef, WA truffles and a “eucalyptus ice” dressed with Tasmanian leatherwood honey.
Despite declaring “the age of entitlement is over’’ in his Budget speech, Mr Hockey’s own Treasury department paid the TV chef to fly business class and airlift truffles from Australia to Washington DC last month.
Chef Shane Delia was flown to Washington to cook for the lavish event. Source: Supplied
“Shane Delia was engaged by the Treasury to deliver a working dinner for the finance ministers and central bank governors at the April Washington G20 meeting. His contract included costs of the dinner, travel to Washington and accommodation,” a spokesman for Mr Hockey said.
“Shane’s menu incorporated produce sourced from locations across Australia and the US and showed off just how good Australian cuisine can be. Feedback from all of the ministers and governors … was extremely positive and many commented that they hadn’t realised Australia had such talented and innovative chefs.
“We believe Shane’s involvement in the Washington meeting provided excellent value for money, given he created a long-lasting impression in the minds of a group of global economic leaders.”
Contacted yesterday, Mr Delia said: “I am a taxpayer like everyone else. Whether it was me or another chef, it was a great representation of what we’re doing. It was an intimate opportunity to showcase what we are about. We’re a world leader.’’
After the dinner, Mr Hockey wrote a personal thank-you letter.
The $50,000 tender for the event, posted publicly, simply referred to “provide professional chef for Washington event.’’
Mr Delia is an award-winning chef who also has a SBS cooking program, Shane Delia’s Spice Journey.
The April 10 invitation-only dinner was attended by about 60 financial ministers and central bank governors.
It followed a session on global economy and growth strategies.
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