$3,000 China-Made Teddy Bears for Politicians a Waste of Money: Senator

Independent Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie has criticised the Albanese government’s use of over $3,000 (US$2,000) of taxpayer money to distribute made-in-China teddy bears to all federal MPs. In a video posted on social media on Feb. 27, Ms. Lambie was seen holding a small brown teddy bear that wears a t-shirt bearing the logo “Medicare Urgent Care Clinic.” “You wouldn’t have guessed what our parliamentarians got this week,” she said. “The Urgent Medicare Clinic bear.” “This is over $3,000 of your taxpayer money.” The bears, costing $16 each, were sent to politicians as part of a campaign to celebrate Medicare’s 40-year anniversary and call for the opening of 58 urgent care clinics....