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Evolving Oversight - The Australian Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit. Shane Armstrong Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit Shane.Armstrong.Reps@aph.gov.au. Contents. Introduction New oversight activities Reports of the Committee Other Australian jurisdictions
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Evolving Oversight - The Australian Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit Shane Armstrong Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit Shane.Armstrong.Reps@aph.gov.au
Contents • Introduction • New oversight activities • Reports of the Committee • Other Australian jurisdictions • Conclusions
Introduction • Committee’s centenary year • Committee role has evolved • Monitoring receipts and expenditure • Oversight of the Auditor-General • New oversight roles have developed • Primarily driven by inquiries • Also given by Government • Varied role of Auditor-General in these hearings
New oversight activities • Annual Public Hearing with Commissioner of Taxation • Arisen out of Committee inquiry • Purpose • Format • Defence Materiel Organisation Major Projects Report • Arisen out of Committee inquiry • Annual item, but an evolving process • Public sector governance and administration • Driven by Committee • Originally private • Purpose • Latest hearing involving fourth arm of government bodies • Parliamentary Budget Office • Oversight conferred by Government through legislation • Based on oversight of Auditor-General • Other oversight roles • Driven by Committee
Reports of the Committee • Don’t tell the full story of what a Committee does • Best publicly available indication • Categorised into: • Inquiries • Administrative • Audit Reports • Bills • Auditor-General • Oversight • Findings
Other Australian jurisdictions • No comparable increase in other jurisdictions • Reasons • Other oversight Committees • Use of Select Committees • Powers under the Public Accounts and Audit Committee Act 1953 (Cth)
Conclusions • Clear trend, accounting for a consistent amount of JCPAA output (approx. 30 per cent over the last 3 Parliaments) • May not continue to be the case • No comparable trend in other jurisdictions • However, no loss of accountability • JCPAA’s oversight role, while remaining true to the Act has evolved