❓ The questioner seeks clarification on the lack of automated extraction of specific expenditure data (e.g., restaurant bills) from government credit card transactions, while the Treasurer responds by highlighting updates to guidelines and the implementation of an Expense Management System designed to improve transparency and monitoring.
AnsweredQoN 5740Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
(1) In view of the guidelines, why has no action been taken to ensure the automated extraction of expenditure on specific items such as ‘restaurant bills’ from credit card transactions?
(2) How can such transactions be accountable and transparent if there are no such facilities for this simple extraction?
(3) What inquiries have been carried out to determine the process and cost involved in providing for such ‘automated extraction?’
(4) If none, why not?
(5) Does the Treasurer believe that the people of Western Australia are not entitled to such information?
(2) How can such transactions be accountable and transparent if there are no such facilities for this simple extraction?
(3) What inquiries have been carried out to determine the process and cost involved in providing for such ‘automated extraction?’
(4) If none, why not?
(5) Does the Treasurer believe that the people of Western Australia are not entitled to such information?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
18 March 2008
Responded by
Parliamentary Secretary representing the Treasurer
Response time
28 days
(1) to (5). I am pleased to report that since 2003, the guidelines referred to have been regularly updated. The latest version of the guidelines is available on the Department of Treasury and Finance (DTF) website. The DTF website also outlines the procurement reform initiative aimed an expanding the use of purchasing cards across the public sector.
The current guidelines refer to an online Expense Management System (Flexi-Purchase) that is now available to Government agencies.
All purchases using a purchasing card are required to be monitored by the nominated agency approver. Individual agencies have their own specific arrangements in place to monitor card usage and are ultimately responsible for managing this information. The Expense Management System has been introduced to help make this monitoring process more efficient. In the Flexi-Purchase system, each individual transaction must be coded, and the description of the purchase recorded by the cardholder. This must then be approved before it is posted into the financial system. The cardholder also records whether a tax invoice is available.
This new system has enhanced transparency and efficiently addresses the principles that you have highlighted about the need for care to be taken in the recording and retention of all transaction details for purchasing card transactions.
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The current guidelines refer to an online Expense Management System (Flexi-Purchase) that is now available to Government agencies.
All purchases using a purchasing card are required to be monitored by the nominated agency approver. Individual agencies have their own specific arrangements in place to monitor card usage and are ultimately responsible for managing this information. The Expense Management System has been introduced to help make this monitoring process more efficient. In the Flexi-Purchase system, each individual transaction must be coded, and the description of the purchase recorded by the cardholder. This must then be approved before it is posted into the financial system. The cardholder also records whether a tax invoice is available.
This new system has enhanced transparency and efficiently addresses the principles that you have highlighted about the need for care to be taken in the recording and retention of all transaction details for purchasing card transactions.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
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