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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Daniel Hurst Foreign affairs and defence correspondent

Australian government spent $42,000 on Sydney-themed Quad merchandise for event that didn’t go ahead

United States Joe Biden Quad Sydney Australia Anthony Albanese PMC Japan Fumio Kishida G7
Anthony Albanese and Narendra Modi
Anthony Albanese and Indian PM Narendra Modi in Sydney in May. The pair met Joe Biden and Japan PM Fumio Kishida in Hiroshima after the Sydney Quad event hastily moved. Photograph: Getty Images

The Australian government spent more than $42,000 on Sydney-themed merchandise for the ill-fated 2023 Quad leaders’ summit before the event was hastily moved to Japan.

Guardian Australia can reveal the government’s planning taskforce also spent more than $6m in preparation for the event to be hosted at the Sydney Opera House.

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