The aged care minister has been forced to explain an email he sent about how busy he was with Covid – before he went to the cricket.
The aged care minister has come under fire for attending The Ashes on the same day he had advised he was too busy to front up to a Senate committee investigating the country’s Covid response.
Richard Colbeck, who is also the minister for sport, sent an email to the committee’s chair Labor senator Katy Gallagher on January 9, telling her it was too critical a time in the Omicron outbreak for him to appear at the hearing proposed for January 14.
“Diverting time and resources … to give evidence before the committee at this crucial time would impact the urgent and critical work the department is undertaking with other government agencies, states and territories to manage these outbreaks,” the Tasmanian senator’s email said.
But he has now been criticised by Senator Gallagher after an update to his register of interests showed he received “sponsored travel or hospitality” to attend The Ashes 5th Test in Hobart for three days from January 14.
“On this time, on this date, and we’d been trying to organise one for the whole of January … he told us on that day it was too busy and it would divert resources away from dealing with the Omicron outbreak,” she told Sky News.
“We took him from his word on that … and now we find out the minister was enjoying sponsored hospitality for three days at the cricket.”
She said that it was “completely unacceptable”.
However in a statement, a spokesman for Senator Colbeck said that his commitment and dedication to his role had never been greater.
“He is in daily contact with department officials and weekly contact with aged care stakeholders, often engaging directly with providers affected by outbreaks,” the spokesman said.
The spokesman said that on January 14, Senator Colbeck had attended a Covid vaccine response meeting led by Covid Commander John Frewen.
He also had a second meeting with the deputy chief medical officer and a third with the aged care quality and safety commissioner.
“Minister Colbeck also attended to a number of aged care business-related matters,” the spokesman said.
“The decision for Minister Colbeck to attend the Ashes Test in Hobart was made as part of his commitments as Minister for Sport and Senator for Tasmania.
“It should also be noted, play for the day/night match did not start until late afternoon.”
Correspondence shows that Senator Gallagher wrote to Senator Colbeck on January 7, inviting him to appear between 10am and 12.45pm at the public hearing.
“The committee is of the view that, given the fast-evolving Covid-19 Omicron situation, the proposed hearing is central to the Senate’s ability to scrutinise the Australian government’s Covid-19 response,” she wrote.
“The committee considers that your attendance at the hearing would facilitate the Senate’s scrutiny role.”
Senator Colbeck wrote back two days later: “I am concerned about the impact of the timing of this hearing”.
“The Covid-19 pandemic is at a critical point with the onset of numerous Omicron outbreaks,” the email said.
He instead proposed a one-hour briefing to the committee via video conference.
Senator Colbeck had agreed to attend a public hearing at another date this week but was unable to due to a death in his family.
Originally published as Aged Care Minister forced to explain why he went to cricket
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