SENATOR KATY GALLAGHER
SHADOW MINISTER FOR FINANCE
SHADOW MINISTER FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE
SENATOR FOR THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
 
JULIAN HILL MP
DEPUTY CHAIR OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ACCOUNTS AND AUDIT

Labor welcomes advice from the Australian National Audit Office’s (ANAO) that work will commence on an audit program of the Government’s response to COVID-19, and that the Auditor-General has decided to conduct regular assurance reviews of the unprecedented $40 billion Advance provided by the Parliament to the Finance Minister.

This decision follows a request from Labor last month to the Auditor-General for the ANAO to instigate an audit program to scrutinise government spending in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Auditor-General has responded to Labor’s request, confirming that an audit program of the Government’s COVID-19 response will be developed and published. This will provide the Parliament and the Australian people with greater transparency and assurance on management of the response that the Government had proposed.

Regular assurance reviews of the Advance to the Finance Minister will be tabled on a monthly basis. This is an important independent transparency check to monitor what the Finance Minister is doing with an enormous sum of taxpayer funds during this crisis.

To-date the Australian Government has spent in excess of $300 billion in the response to the coronavirus.

Labor supported the appropriation of money to enable support Australians during this challenging time, but scrutiny by the independent Auditor-General is needed to ensure the highest levels of accountability and ongoing examination of how the Government is using this money.

Labor welcomes the Auditor-General’s decision to examine the Government’s response, which will add to public scrutiny alongside the work of the Senate Select Committee on COVID-19.

MONDAY 27 APRIL, 2020