Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Treasury Department chief Ken Henry was allowed to take five weeks’ leave to look after endangered hairy nosed wombats amid claims it would leave the economy vulnerable.
Henry will be without a cellphone and miss a Reserve Bank of Australia policy-setting meeting in August during his leave to look after the Australian native marsupials, the Daily Telegraph reported yesterday.
“His individual leave arrangements are a matter for him,” Rudd told Radio 3AW in Melbourne yesterday. “For any individual to remain effective throughout the course of a year needs a break.”
Rudd, 50, said Henry hadn’t been able to take a holiday since the government was elected in November and delivered its first budget last month. Rudd said the economy had been under significant pressure in the past six months. The northern hairy nosed wombat is the largest of three species of the marsupial and is the most endangered mammal living in Queensland state.
A spokeswoman from Henry’s office said the details were correct and would make no further comment.
“The economy has been under significant international pressure and challenges since the day the government was elected,” Rudd said. “Since we formed the government the secretary of the Treasury has not been on any leave that I’m aware.”
Australian consumer confidence slumped to the lowest level in almost 16 years this month after oil prices climbed to a record and the central bank signaled it may increase interest rates.
Australia’s central bank left its benchmark rate at a 12-year high of 7.25 percent on June 3 to gauge whether the economy is slowing enough to cool the fastest inflation since 1991.
Henry, who will go to Epping Forest National Park in Queensland, received an Order of Australia Medal last year for economic management and his contribution to the community by looking after native wildlife. There are only 115 northern hairy nosed wombats in Australia, all of which reside in Epping Forest, the Queensland government says.
“He worked around the clock on the budget and now is the time for him to take some leave,” Treasurer Wayne Swan said yesterday. “It’s appropriate he takes a break now and comes back recharged.”
The three species of wombat live in burrows in the forest and bushland areas of Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland states.
They have strong claws and muscular legs to enable them to dig. The wombat has no natural enemies and can even survive smaller bush fires in its underground burrow.
Henry will be accompanied by his wife on the holiday.
“These guys are on death row,” Henry told Sydney’s the Daily Telegraph newspaper. “There are 10 times as many giant pandas in the world as there are these guys.”
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