This Month
Debelle interviews AOFM officials as review deadline nears
Former central banker Guy Debelle has been interviewing officials and financial market participants over the past few weeks, with more interviews expected this month.
February
1 per cent: Failure to track efficiency on $856b government spending
The auditor-general found that only one per cent of measures used to monitor the performance of 21 government departments focused on spending “efficiency”.
January
The $5b pension error: Audit blasts ‘poor stewardship’
The government agency responsible for administering the age pension has been slammed for failing to properly monitor the major risks for overpayment.
November 2025
Decision on $9.3b for Melbourne rail loop to be made in May budget
Concern within the federal government about the Victorian government’s request for another $9.3 billion in funding for its Suburban Rail Loop project appears to be waning.
October 2025
$10b Housing Australia Future Fund faces audit
The Albanese government’s design and delivery of the Housing Australia Future Fund will be probed amid “chaos” and huge cost blowouts on new homes.
June 2025
Auditor-General flags scrutiny of Federal Court’s legal expenses
The Australian National Audit Office said it would consider discrepancies in the court’s disclosures in its performance reviews over the next financial year.
Federal Court faces audit prospect over legal expenses
The court is again dealing with criticism it is failing to properly disclose spending.
February 2025
Victoria’s value capture claims a hurdle to further SRL money: King
Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said she had approved the release of federal Labor’s $2.2 billion pledge for the first phase of the rail loop, known as SRL East.
September 2024
Minister claims ‘not appropriate’ to hand over rail loop documents
Danny Pearson says it wouldn’t have been right to give SRL documents to the federal government during an audit.
Victorian Labor gets into spin mode on delayed rail-loop details
Victorian minister Danny Pearson’s reasons to justify the failure to hand over information about the Suburban Rail Loop East project for more than two years just don’t add up.
Labor was warned Suburban Rail Loop ‘not a reasonable investment’
Bureaucrats shared advice with Labor that showed the business case for Victoria’s $35 billion Suburban Rail Loop did not stack up.
March 2024
PwC and the ‘asbestos mulch’ still scoring government contracts
Despite being subjected to a full-scale government review, PwC recently won a fat audit contract with the NBN.
February 2024
At least 150 ATO staff implicated in TikTok GST fraud
At least 150 Tax Office officials have been investigated over a far-reaching GST fraud, with some sacked and others facing criminal investigations.
Federal auditor to probe Labor’s $2.2b Suburban Rail Loop commitment
The auditor-general will examine whether the approval of Commonwealth funding for the $125 billion project was “informed by appropriate departmental advice”.
August 2023
The public service still needs consultants – but far fewer of them
The use of external contractors has gone too far, but reform shouldn’t wind back the clock for answers. The challenge is to get the balance right.
July 2023
Big four get name-and-shame reprieve on audit quality
The corporate watchdog has scrapped its annual report card on the big four accounting firms’ audit quality.
June 2023
Audit finds Morrison government’s health grants breached federal rules
Health minister Mark Butler said a new auditor-general’s report was scathing, detailing ‘waste, rorts and captain’s picks’ in the $2 billion program.
February 2023
Gallagher’s bid to slash $3b consultant spend in doubt
The British government’s internal consultancy hub, which the Albanese government hoped to copy in a bid to cut spending, has been closed.
January 2023
Commonwealth IT buyers ‘lambs to the slaughter’
Federal government procurement lags the private sector by decades, with poor data practices, lack of supply management and antiquated systems stymying reforms.
September 2022
New inquiry to scrutinise Morrison-era grant programs
The Coalition’s controversial $660 million commuter car parks program is one of the six funds that will face fresh scrutiny as part of the Labor-led inquiry.
