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- TIMOR HYDROCARBONS -
So Upside (Downer) finally got around to submitting to the inevitable, and gave the Timorese 90% of the money coming from their offshore natural Gas field. If newspaper reports can be believed, that will be about AU$300 million a year for 20 years. In Australia that might be enough to pay the annual cost of Federal Politicians' travel arrangements, or about a half of the (total) annual cost of the Senate, or buy 30% of a house of parliament.
Our parliament is extremely frugal about money, except
when it is expended for their own comfort, or when an election is in the
offing.
Post Script on 13 August 2001: The Senate Federal Accounts Committee
has found that Federal parliament costs "not less than $360 million per
annum" for Parliamentary expenses, or over $1.5 million per representative.
This was reportedly higher than in any other democratic country.