The Albanese government’s Ambassador for Gender Equality spent more than $335,000 of taxpayer money on airfares and hotels in just under two years.
Stephanie Copus-Campbell has flown to 24 countries since she was appointed to the role in December 2022 by foreign affairs minister Penny Wong, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade documents obtained by the federal Opposition show.
Opposition government waste spokesman James Stevens said the documents, obtained under Freedom of Information laws, portrayed a lavish use of taxpayer funds.
‘There is important progress to be made on gender equality,’ Mr Stevens told the Daily Telegraph.
‘But this role seems to involve a lot of time sitting in airport lounges and on international business class flights, at great cost to the taxpayer.’
Ms Copus-Campbell’s role was previously called the ‘women and girls ambassador’ and was created by former Labor prime minister Julia Gillard in 2011 to advance the rights of women and girls, ‘particularly in the Indo-Pacific region’.
While some of Ms Copus-Campbell’s trips have been to that region five of the most expensive jaunts were to the US with four to New York.
The first was to attend a Commission on the Status of Women session in New York City and a bilateral visit to Washington in March last year, which cost $23,442, including more than $13,800 in airfares and $6425 for accommodation.
The following June, Ms Copus-Campbell, who is an an experienced aid worker and former senior executive, attended the Australia-US Strategic Dialogue on Gender Equality in Washington and spent $21,600, including more than $20,000 on flights.
A couple of months later in September American-born Ms Copus-Campbell spent $23,244, including more than $20,000 on flights to attend a ‘global gathering on countering the gender equality pushback’ in New York.
Ms Copus-Campbell went back to New York in March of this year as well as to Mexico and Chile for talks at a cost of more than $37,000, including paying over $28,000 for flights.
In June Ms Copus-Campbell combined a trip to New York with one to Mexico to attend talks including the ‘global dialogue on technology’ at a cost of $21,154.
A Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman said Ms Copus-Campbell’s trips had been within the scope of her role and advanced Australia’s interests and standing in the world.
‘That’s why an Ambassadorial role promoting women’s empowerment and gender equality has been in place for more than thirteen years – and many of Australia’s closest allies and partners have equivalent ambassadors, for the same reasons,’ he said.
Mr Stevens asked what Australian ambassadors posted abroad, particularly Kevin Rudd in the US, were doing to need such regular bolstering by Ms Copus-Campbell.
‘If Anthony Albanese is so confident that our Ambassador to America is doing his job, he must explain why his gender ambassador has been to America fives times in 15 months,’ he said.
‘Labor has spent $335,000 flying someone around the globe to do exactly what the more than 100 ambassadors we already have should be doing.
‘Together, the ambassadors for climate change, First Nations people and gender have spent almost $750,000 of taxpayers’ funds on international travel alone.’
Out of that sum the ‘climate change ambassador’ has clocked up around $260,000 on travel while the’ambassador for First Nations Peoples’ has spend $145,000.
Daily Mail Australia contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for comment.
