Brumby spends $78k on US trip

The great thing about being a politician is that you can tell people how they should run their lives in this post-climate change world, safe in the knowledge that it will have no effect whatsoever on your own life. John Brumby has already revealed himself as pretty clueless when it comes to matters climate, and he doesn't exactly come out of this covered in glory. Glaring Hypocrisy Alert, as the Victorian Premier spends big and leaves a carbon footprint the size of the MCG during a trip to the US:

PREMIER John Brumby and his entourage kept a limousine waiting while they dined on a "high-level business dinner" 600m from their hotel on a recent overseas trip.

Mr Brumby and his team spent more than $17,600 on chauffeur-driven sedans, vans and sports utility vehicles on their nine-day US tour that cost taxpayers $78,905.

The extravagant spending was part of a whirlwind Brumby Government US expedition that cost taxpayers almost $9000 a day.

Wow - seventeen and a half big ones on SUVs - the enemy of the environment - I hope there isn't anything to do with climate change in this story, or it could be really embarrassing...

[A spokesman] said Mr Brumby held talks on climate change and biotechnology with Californian Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger...

Ouch. No comment required. Read it here.