❓ A WA parliamentary question seeks details on government spending on major consultancy firms and expresses concerns about potential conflicts of interest, particularly in light of the PwC scandal. The response refers to existing transparency measures and contractual safeguards.
AnsweredQoN 631Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
CONSULTANCY
FIRMS
631. Hon JAMES HAYWARD to the Minister for Finance:
I refer to engagement of major consultancy firms by the WA
government.
(1) What is the total amount paid by the WA government
to the following companies in the 2022 calendar year —
(a) PricewaterhouseCoopers;
(b) Deloitte Australia;
(c) Ernst and Young;
(d) Accenture;
(e) KPMG;
(f) Boston Consulting Group; and
(g) McKinsey and Company?
(2) Does the Treasurer have full confidence that the
consulting firms referred to in (1) are acting in the interests of Western
Australia?
(3) If yes to
(2), is the minister aware that the core legal responsibility of these firms is
to maximise shareholder value?
(4) Considering
the revelations regarding PricewaterhouseCoopers at the federal level, will the
Treasurer order a public inquiry to ascertain whether consultancy firms have
been acting in the interests of Western Australia?
FIRMS
631. Hon JAMES HAYWARD to the Minister for Finance:
I refer to engagement of major consultancy firms by the WA
government.
(1) What is the total amount paid by the WA government
to the following companies in the 2022 calendar year —
(a) PricewaterhouseCoopers;
(b) Deloitte Australia;
(c) Ernst and Young;
(d) Accenture;
(e) KPMG;
(f) Boston Consulting Group; and
(g) McKinsey and Company?
(2) Does the Treasurer have full confidence that the
consulting firms referred to in (1) are acting in the interests of Western
Australia?
(3) If yes to
(2), is the minister aware that the core legal responsibility of these firms is
to maximise shareholder value?
(4) Considering
the revelations regarding PricewaterhouseCoopers at the federal level, will the
Treasurer order a public inquiry to ascertain whether consultancy firms have
been acting in the interests of Western Australia?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice
of the question. The following response has been provided by the Minister for
Finance and I answer on her behalf.
(1)–(4) As
part of the government's ongoing commitment to accountability and
transparency, and in accordance with Premier's Circular 2021-17, a six-monthly
report on consultants engaged by the government is tabled in both houses of
Parliament regularly. Each report details the name of the consultants engaged,
the purpose of the engagement, the period of engagement and the costs.
Confidentiality is an important consideration in the state's
procurement frameworks and policies. The Department of Finance administers the
state's procurement framework, which has robust contractual conditions
to mitigate the risk of confidential information being shared publicly. The
state government has a set of standard terms and conditions to engage
contractors that include provisions to protect the state's interests.
Importantly, this includes protection of the
state's confidential information. If a confidentiality breach were to
occur in WA , there are clearly stated contractual remedies to manage the
issue.
of the question. The following response has been provided by the Minister for
Finance and I answer on her behalf.
(1)–(4) As
part of the government's ongoing commitment to accountability and
transparency, and in accordance with Premier's Circular 2021-17, a six-monthly
report on consultants engaged by the government is tabled in both houses of
Parliament regularly. Each report details the name of the consultants engaged,
the purpose of the engagement, the period of engagement and the costs.
Confidentiality is an important consideration in the state's
procurement frameworks and policies. The Department of Finance administers the
state's procurement framework, which has robust contractual conditions
to mitigate the risk of confidential information being shared publicly. The
state government has a set of standard terms and conditions to engage
contractors that include provisions to protect the state's interests.
Importantly, this includes protection of the
state's confidential information. If a confidentiality breach were to
occur in WA , there are clearly stated contractual remedies to manage the
issue.
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