The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit will hear from Government entities and private sector organisations on Wednesday 4 December as part of its inquiries into Government contract management frameworks and the use of artificial intelligence systems by public sector entities.

Media release issue date: Monday, 2 December 2024

The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) will hear from Government entities and private sector organisations on Wednesday 4 December for its inquiries into Government contract management frameworks and the use of artificial intelligence systems by public sector entities. JCPAA Chair, the Hon Linda Burney MP, said that ‘the Committee looks forward to continuing to explore best practices in contract management, including discussions with the Department of Finance which administers the Australian Government Contract Management Guide.’ Ms Burney further commented in relation to the public sector AI inquiry that ‘further discussions with Government entities that have specific and relevant oversight functions, in addition to non-government stakeholders, will provide valuable additional insights to the Committee on how this rapidly developing technology should be managed.’ The hearing program is as follows: Wednesday 4 December 2024 Committee Room 2R1 Parliament House Inquiry into the contract management frameworks operated by Commonwealth entities 10.30am         ACTA (Australian Council of TESOL [Teaching English to speakers of other languages] Associations)   11.00am         Department of Finance   Inquiry into the use and governance of artificial intelligence systems by public sector entities 12.30pm         National Archives of Australia 1:10pm           Australian Human Rights Commission 2:00pm           Community and Public Sector Union 2:30pm           Workday Further details of the inquiries – including the submissions received and public hearings – are available on the inquiry websites (contract management; artificial intelligence). Media inquiries Hon Linda Burney MP, Chair of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit Electorate office: (02) 9587 1555 For background information Committee Secretariat 02 6277 4615 jcpaa@aph.gov.au For more information about this Committee, you can visit its website. On the site, you can make a submission to an inquiry, read other submissions, and get details for upcoming public hearings. You can also track the Committee and receive email updates by clicking on the blue ‘Track Committee’ button in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.

The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) will hear from various agencies this coming Wednesday 13 November as part of its inquiry into the contract management frameworks operated by Commonwealth entities.

Media release issue date: Monday, 11 November 2024

The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) will hear from various agencies this coming Wednesday 13 November as part of its inquiry into the contract management frameworks operated by Commonwealth entities. The Chair of the JCPAA, the Hon Linda Burney MP, said that ‘effective contract management is crucial for delivering the best possible outcomes from government procurements that are expending significant taxpayer funds. Recent Auditor-General reports on a range of different programs and projects have identified some deficiencies and departures from best practices in this regard.’ Ms Burney further commented that ‘the Committee looks forward to exploring the issues raised in these reports with the audited entities and evaluating whether the current frameworks require adjustment.’ The hearing program is as follows: Wednesday 13 November 2024| Committee Room 1S4 Parliament House The Australian National Audit Office will also appear at each session 9.30am - Australian War Memorial- Development Project 10.30am - Australian Digital Health Agency- My Health Record 11.30am - Department of Home Affairs- Adult Migrant English Program 12.30pm - Break 1.30pm - Department of Defence- supply of munitions 2.30pm - Department of Defence- myClearance System 3.15pm - Close Further details of the inquiry – including the submissions received and public hearings – are available on the inquiry website. Media inquiries Hon Linda Burney MP, Chair of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit Electorate office: (02) 9587 1555 For background information Committee Secretariat 02 6277 4615 jcpaa@aph.gov.au For more information about this Committee, you can visit its website. On the site, you can make a submission to an inquiry, read other submissions, and get details for upcoming public hearings. You can also track the Committee and receive email updates by clicking on the blue ‘Track Committee’ button in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.

The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) has commenced an inquiry into the contract management frameworks operated by Commonwealth entities.

Media release issue date: Friday, 5 July 2024

The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) has commenced an inquiry into the contract management frameworks operated by Commonwealth entities. The Chair of the JCPAA, Mr Julian Hill MP, said that “recent major inquiries into Commonwealth Procurement and Probity and Ethics revealed serious failings. Recent audit reports have highlighted similar issues ‘downstream’ of procurement in how agencies manage contracts once executed. The Committee will examine whether the frameworks supporting contract management by various Commonwealth entities are fit for purpose to ensure project delivery.” Mr Hill noted in this regard that “successful outcomes are very unlikely to be achieved from Government procurement activities without effective contract management. This is therefore a vital capability for public sector agencies but one that commonly goes under the radar and is often lacking for a number of reasons.” He further commented that “we will be carefully evaluating the levels of expertise, governance arrangements, record-keeping, performance measures, and policies and guidelines of a number of recently audited agencies with respect to their external contracts. There are also ongoing probity issues which arise during the management of a contract and the Committee will consider whether current frameworks and practices are fit for purpose.” The inquiry will have particular regard to any matters contained in or connected to the following Auditor-General Reports: Auditor-General Report No. 21 2023–24 Management of the Australian War Memorial’s Development Project  Auditor-General Report No. 36 2023–24 Procurement of My Health Record  Auditor-General Report No. 37 2023–24 Administration of the Adult Migrant English Program contracts  Auditor-General Report No.47 Defence's management of contracts for the supply of munitions: Part 1 [This audit has been conducted in two parts and Part 2 is currently expected to be tabled in the Parliament in November 2024]  Defence’s procurement and implementation of the myClearance system (due to table in July 2024)  Submissions to the inquiry addressing the above terms of reference are invited by Thursday, 15 August 2024. Details of this inquiry – including the submissions received and public hearings – will be available on the inquiry website. Media inquiries Mr Julian Hill MP, Chair of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit on (03) 9791 7770 (Electorate Office) or via Laura Hooper 0422 85 1127. For background information Committee Secretariat 02 6277 4615 jcpaa@aph.gov.au For more information about this Committee, you can visit its website. On the site, you can make a submission to an inquiry, read other submissions, and get details for upcoming public hearings. You can also track the Committee and receive email updates by clicking on the blue ‘Track Committee’ button in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.