The federal aged care services minister has been accused of "arrogant complacency" for attending the Ashes cricket on the same day he declined to appear at a COVID-19 committee hearing on the government's handling of its pandemic response.
Senator Richard Colbeck, who also holds the sport portfolio, said he and department officials wouldn't attend the hearing on January 14 because diverting officials' time and resources away from the outbreak response would "impact the urgent and critical work the department is undertaking".
The Tasmanian senator's register of interests shows he accepted tickets to the Ashes test in Hobart on January 14, 15 and 16.