Victoria’s state governor, Linda Dessau, has said she will pay the taxpayer back for the posh lunches enjoyed during an official visit to London.
Ms Dessau says she was unaware of the full cost of the lavish meals until they were revealed this week by The Herald Sun.
According to the report, in November 2015 the governor enjoyed a high class meal with her husband and two staff at Gordon Ramsay restaurant Petrus. The bills for over $800 (£400) included Champaign at over $50 (£25) per glass.
The two staffers apparently enjoyed a meal to themselves at Harrods which included oysters and wine and cost over $300 (£150).
In a statement release by Government House following the revelations, Ms Dessau said she had only become “aware for the first time of the full cost incurred” of the lunches following the Herald Sun report.
“The governor does not believe these costs should be met by the Victorian taxpayer and has reimbursed them in full,” the statement said.
“The governor and her spouse while on the official visit to London paid privately for a number of meals,” it pointed out.
The governor also denied knowlege of the staffers’ Harrod’s meal.
The affair has shon a spotlight on Government House which has reportedly exceeded it’s budget by up to $1.8million a year over the last four years.
MAIN IMAGE: (Queen Elizabeth receives the Governor of Victoria, Linda Dessau and her husband Judge Anthony Howard during an audience at Buckingham Palace during their visit to London in November last year. (Photo by Philip Toscano / WPA Pool / Getty Images)by Philip Toscano)