Group on a trip to the USA

Instead of Harris election party, SPÖ Tirol saw Trump victory

Tyrol's ÖGB head Philip Wohlgemuth in front of the Capitol in Washington DC

(Bild: zvg)

An educational trip took the Tyrolean SPÖ parliamentary group to the USA during election campaign times. But the highlight would have been different.  

They are keen travelers, the members of the black-red coalition in Tyrol. A year ago, LH Anton Mattle and LR Education Cornelia Hagele explored the Finnish education system on site in Helsinki. Later, Mattle visited the port of Hamburg to see the slot system for trucks there.

Dornauer's EM trip causes a stir
Georg Dornauer, Tyrolean State Councillor for Sport, wanted to attend the European Championship match between Austria and the Netherlands live in June - with tickets provided by the Tyrolean Football Association. After a public shitstorm, Dornauer then paid for the tickets out of his own pocket. Provincial Councillor for Social Affairs Eva Pawlata (SPÖ) went to Scotland, while Councillor for Economic Affairs Mario Gerber visited major tourist events such as ITB in Berlin and the Olympics.

The costs of the six-day educational trip were largely paid for by the MPs themselves.

Lukas Matt, SPÖ-Landesgeschäftsführer

Democrats' election party canceled
The SPÖ parliamentary party has now chosen a particularly spectacular destination: The United States, which is dominated by the election campaign. In the capital Washington DC, however, the Tyrolean elected representatives did not experience a Democratic victory as they had hoped. But that didn't dampen their spirits: ÖGB head LA Philip Wohlgemuth and Zams mayor LA Benedikt Lentsch posted photos of themselves with the Capitol in the background on Facebook.

No costs for the taxpayer
"This is the first trip by the SPÖ provincial parliamentary club in more than six years," said provincial CEO Lukas Matt when asked by the "Krone". Members of the government were not included. "The costs of the six-day educational trip are largely paid for by the MPs themselves. The rest is financed by club funds - and all MPs also pay their so-called club contribution to these funds each month. The bottom line is that the trip does not cost the taxpayer anything," explains Matt.

Opposition: No envy, but...
For the opposition, the black-red coalition is a little too travel-friendly overall. In September, it initiated an audit by the State Court of Auditors. "Who travels with everyone, how do they travel and stay overnight and who pays for it all and out of what pocket?" is the key question. The audit is intended to improve transparency and control. "Because up to now, the content, handling and costs of business trips and trips at state expense have remained hidden from the public," say the FP, Greens, Neos and Liste Fritz.