Cost appals Mr O’Flynn

Press, 28 January 1986, Page 1

Cost appals Mr O’Flynn

It cost almost $lOO,OOO to send an Army colonel and his family to Canada for a training course lasting months.

The Minister of Defence, Mr O’Flynn, revealed this yesterday in explaining why he refused to approve the posting last August. Consent was subsequently given by the Prime Minister, Mr Lange. The cost was on top of the. salary of the officer

involved, Colonel M. J. Dudman, who was formerly commander of Burnham Military Camp. Mr O’Flynn said he had earlier been appalled at the cost of training overseas for two officers who attended the Defence College in London for 11 months.

In addition to salaries, the cost then had been $209,723, which included allowances for the officers’ wives and fami-

lies and “location" allowances to pay living expenses.

Mr O’Flynn said he was given no details of the course the two officers would attend or its benefits to them and the Armed Services. He had only given approval because it was sought just before the officers were due to leave. The Minister said in spite of his requirement that requests be accom-

panied by detailed information, his approval for posting Colonel Dudman had been taken for granted by the Ministry. Mr O’Flynn favoured sending more officers of lower rank on courses rather than the existing system which was restricted to not more than two or three officers of colonel or equivalent rank each year. After defence chiefs had taken their concern about Mr O’Flynn’s refusal of Colonel Dudman’s Canadian course to the Prime Minister, Mr Lange directed Mr O’Flynn to allow the posting because of “foreign policy” considerations concerning New Zealand ' relations with Canada.

The former Minister of Defence, Mr David Thomson, told “The Press” yesterday he was not surprised at the high cost now involved in sending

senior officers to courses in Britain and Canada, which had been a longstanding practice. “It was accepted in the past, and should be more so now, that our senior advisers of the future be men qualified at those institutions.”

People sent on the courses were those on short lists from which future chiefs of the services were appointed, Mr Thomson said. He suggested the quality of their training should be even more important now that New Zealand was adopting an independent defence stance. The cost could be lamented but the training of senior officers overseas was very necessary. New Zealand and Australia were expected to pay their way in sending people to the top institutions, he said.