The ACT Government has flagged possible cuts to the public service travel budget next year as it seeks to bring the territory's bottom line back into the black.
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This financial year the annual ACT Government travel budget is $15 million. But Chief Minister Katy Gallagher said the Government would be looking at the figure closely in the coming months despite agencies already being asked to rein in travel bills by 5 per cent this year.
Ms Gallagher said improvements in technology including video-conferencing made it less necessary for public servants to travel.
The scrutiny comes as new figures show the ACT Justice and Community Safety Directorate spent more than $125,000 on business-class travel last financial year while Treasury spent $54,000 of its $302,000 travel budget on luxury airline seats for overseas flights and trips around Australia.
In October The Canberra Times revealed that ACT Health spent $773,000 of its $1.43 million travel budget on premier travel last financial year. ACT public servants are permitted to travel business class for Australian flights over four hours in Australia and for overseas travel.
Ms Gallagher said some officers of the courts were entitled to travel business class under their awards.
The new figures were revealed in an answer to a question on notice by Canberra Liberals.
Correction
This report has been changed. The original report said the Territory and Municipal Services Directorate spent $54,000 of its $302,000 public service travel budget on business-class travel last financial year. This has been corrected to Treasury. A reporter made the error.