The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit will hold public hearings on 14 and 16 December for its inquiries into Commonwealth procurement and into overseas crisis management by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
The procurement inquiry is considering audits of policies and practices at Commonwealth agencies including the Department of Industry, Science and Resources, the Department of Home Affairs, Defence, the Digital Transformation Agency and the National Capital Authority.
Committee Chair Mr Julian Hill MP noted that the audits by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) have shown that the Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs) set by the Minister for Finance are not being followed.
'The key principle of the CPRs is that agencies should get good value for money when spending taxpayers money on goods and services,' Mr Hill said. 'Yet the Auditor-General found a disturbing level of consistent non-compliance. Of particular concern is the number of audits where ethical concerns were raised.
'The Committee will interrogate what changes these agencies are making to address the problems uncovered by the audit office and what else needs to be done'.
The inquiry into overseas crisis management looks at DFAT's efforts to facilitate the return of Australian citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on Auditor-General Report No. 39 (2021-22).
'The Auditor-General found weaknesses in DFAT's response to the pandemic including a lack of preparation,' Mr Hill said. 'The Committee is keen to hear about changes DFAT is making to ensure it is well placed to respond to large-scale international crises in the future'.
Details for the public hearings are:
Wednesday 14 December 2022
Time: 11.00am – 4.30pm AEDT
Venue: Committee Room 1R3, Parliament House, Canberra
Inquiry into Commonwealth Procurement
Friday 16 December 2022
Time: 8.30am – 1.00pm AEDT
Venue: Committee Room 1R3, Parliament House, Canberra
Inquiry into Commonwealth Procurement (continued)
Inquiry into the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's crisis management arrangements
Further information about the inquiries is available on the Committee website.
