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Australia Says Free Plane Ride for ‘Survivor‘ Wrong
Tuesday March 27 7:22 AM EST
CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia‘s air force was reprimanded on Tuesday for giving contestants on the hit U.S. television show "Survivor" a free ride to the outback.
Defense Minister Peter Reith said he had not approved the A$300,000 ($150,000) trip. "I‘m not too happy about it. It‘s a waste of taxpayer‘s money," he told reporters.
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) sent a Caribou transport aircraft to fly contestants on the CBS reality series "Survivor: The Australian Outback" from Townsville in Australia‘s northeast to the country‘s arid center.
But the publicity stunt came under fire after news that a flight to mark the 100th anniversary of the RAAF‘s first overseas flight had been cancelled for lack of funding.
Australia‘s defense budget was boosted in December by about A$360 million a year for the next 10 years, but the nation‘s military capability remains strained by two decades of cuts.
Tuesday March 27 7:22 AM EST
CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia‘s air force was reprimanded on Tuesday for giving contestants on the hit U.S. television show "Survivor" a free ride to the outback.
Defense Minister Peter Reith said he had not approved the A$300,000 ($150,000) trip. "I‘m not too happy about it. It‘s a waste of taxpayer‘s money," he told reporters.
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) sent a Caribou transport aircraft to fly contestants on the CBS reality series "Survivor: The Australian Outback" from Townsville in Australia‘s northeast to the country‘s arid center.
But the publicity stunt came under fire after news that a flight to mark the 100th anniversary of the RAAF‘s first overseas flight had been cancelled for lack of funding.
Australia‘s defense budget was boosted in December by about A$360 million a year for the next 10 years, but the nation‘s military capability remains strained by two decades of cuts.
