❓ Mr. Cook questions the Minister for Health regarding the Department's failure to implement recommendations from a 2012 Auditor General's report on ICT procurement, specifically concerning a patient administration system. He implies the Minister should resign due to this failure.
AnsweredQoN 33Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH — AUDITOR GENERAL'S
REPORT
33. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for
Health:
I refer to the Auditor General's report of October 2012, ''ICT
Procurement in Health and Training'', which heavily criticised the Department
of Health for its lack of controls, accountability, performance management,
record keeping and business case preparation in the procurement of the patient
administration system, and to the department's response —
Mr I.C. Blayney : This is a long preamble.
The SPEAKER : Member for Wanneroo, I call you to order for the first time.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Who was it? Sorry, it was the member for Geraldton. I am so used to
the same culprits! I do not want to hear anybody else.
Mr R.H. COOK : For the minister's clarity, I will
start again.
I refer to the Auditor General's report of October 2012, ''ICT
Procurement in Health and Training'', which heavily criticised the
Department of Health for its lack of controls, accountability, performance
management, record keeping and business case preparation in the procurement of
the patient administration system, and to the department's response at
that time, which was —
WA
Health has also strengthened the ICT project management and governance framework
ensuring suitable protocols for reporting, recordkeeping, controls and
accountability.
(1) Given the Auditor General's
report tabled yesterday, is it not now obvious that the Department of Health
did none of these things?
(2) What did the minister do at the time to satisfy himself that these
things were in fact undertaken?
(3) Is it not clear that the minister, having
failed in his duties as a minister, should accept responsibility for this
failure, and, under our system of government, resign?
REPORT
33. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for
Health:
I refer to the Auditor General's report of October 2012, ''ICT
Procurement in Health and Training'', which heavily criticised the Department
of Health for its lack of controls, accountability, performance management,
record keeping and business case preparation in the procurement of the patient
administration system, and to the department's response —
Mr I.C. Blayney : This is a long preamble.
The SPEAKER : Member for Wanneroo, I call you to order for the first time.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Who was it? Sorry, it was the member for Geraldton. I am so used to
the same culprits! I do not want to hear anybody else.
Mr R.H. COOK : For the minister's clarity, I will
start again.
I refer to the Auditor General's report of October 2012, ''ICT
Procurement in Health and Training'', which heavily criticised the
Department of Health for its lack of controls, accountability, performance
management, record keeping and business case preparation in the procurement of
the patient administration system, and to the department's response at
that time, which was —
WA
Health has also strengthened the ICT project management and governance framework
ensuring suitable protocols for reporting, recordkeeping, controls and
accountability.
(1) Given the Auditor General's
report tabled yesterday, is it not now obvious that the Department of Health
did none of these things?
(2) What did the minister do at the time to satisfy himself that these
things were in fact undertaken?
(3) Is it not clear that the minister, having
failed in his duties as a minister, should accept responsibility for this
failure, and, under our system of government, resign?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3) As the member would know, we
went through all this just before the lunchbreak. I went through and provided a
detailed explanation and defence. There is no defence for what people do. When
people do something that is found by the Auditor General to be highly improper
and totally contrary to the requirements set out in their contract and in the
Public Sector Management Act, it is impossible for any minister to have direct
control of that. In terms of the recommendations made, significant changes were
put in place through the information technology management system through the
Department of Health. Unfortunately, they failed to pick up someone who was
doing something that was totally contrary to the requirements of his contract.
went through all this just before the lunchbreak. I went through and provided a
detailed explanation and defence. There is no defence for what people do. When
people do something that is found by the Auditor General to be highly improper
and totally contrary to the requirements set out in their contract and in the
Public Sector Management Act, it is impossible for any minister to have direct
control of that. In terms of the recommendations made, significant changes were
put in place through the information technology management system through the
Department of Health. Unfortunately, they failed to pick up someone who was
doing something that was totally contrary to the requirements of his contract.
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