Opposition MP questions the removal of a line item regarding WATC bonds from the WA Future Fund's quarterly reports, suggesting it was done to avoid embarrassment. The government denies any deliberate removal, attributing it to human error.

AnsweredQoN 5082Legislative Assembly
Asked
24 February 2016
Portfolio
Treasurer

QuestionView source ↗

I
refer to the removal of the line item in the Western Australian Future Fund’s quarterly report showing
Western Australian Treasury Corporation (WATC) bonds held by the Fund for the June, September and December 2014 reports,
after the Fund first began purchasing WATC bonds, and the Government’s
attribution of this line item’s removal to “human error”, and I ask: (a) was
there an investigation into the decision to remove the line item; (b) if
yes to (a), when will a full report into this investigation be provided; (c) if
no to (a), why not; and (d) does
the government accept that the removal of this line item appears to have been done
to avoid embarrassment to the Government and the Fund's administrators?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered
23 March 2016
Response time
28 days
(a) No. There was no decision to remove the line item in question.  Rather, it was inadvertently left out of the reports in question.  When this omission was identified within Treasury, it was rectified immediately.
(b) Not applicable.
(c) See answer to (a). It is also noted that quarterly Future Fund reporting is not a legislative requirement – this reporting was implemented to maximise transparency.
(d) No.

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