Bob Carr's $9755 overseas mobile phone bill

His latest telephone bill has doubled.

Since exiting the foreign minister's role, Professor Carr has been made director of the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology, Sydney. He was in China this week on business.

Professor Carr is entitled to maintain an office funded by NSW taxpayers, who also pay his telephone expenses.

But the gravy train stops short of overseas mobile phone calls.

The Department of Premier and Cabinet said it routinely alerted former premiers of any expenses they are personally responsible for, requesting they repay the money, and this had occurred on more than one occasion for Professor Carr last year.

The $9755 bill published on the department's website didn't take into account money later reimbursed by Professor Carr for his overseas mobile phone calls, because it was not credited before December 31.

Professor Carr's spokeswoman said he reimbursed the Premier's Department for all overseas calls, and instead blamed a new telephone contract for the ballooning telephone costs.

"His office goes through each monthly telephone invoice to separate out all overseas calls, the total cost of which Professor Carr then repays the Department," she said.

Professor Carr's office said the cost of installing and maintaining a new telephone system "mandated by the Premier's Department" had caused the bill to blow out to $9755.

"These costs were beyond Professor Carr's control. The Premier's Department have advised they will update their website with a note confirming as such," she said.

"The service and equipment rental costs of the new telephone system seem to be higher than those of the old system. Professor Carr has asked the Premier's Department to renegotiate or to give advice on renegotiating the costs for the telephone system in his office."