❓ Ms. Davies questions the Premier about unresolved control weaknesses identified by the Auditor General. The Premier defends his government's actions, highlighting uncovering past corruption and implementing new governance measures, while accusing the opposition of obstructing anti-corruption efforts.
AnsweredQoN 844Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PUBLIC SECTOR — AUDITOR GENERAL'S REPORT
844. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Premier:
I would first like to acknowledge
the commencement today of 16 Days in WA and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women—an
important opportunity to stand together to work towards the elimination of violence against women. There is lots of orange around the chamber. I just
wanted to acknowledge that.
I
refer to the Auditor General's audit results report for 2020–21
that identifies 120 control weaknesses at 41 government entities that remain unresolved from 2019–20
and is still climbing. Why is the Premier ignoring the Auditor General's recommendations and failing to ensure that all departments have robust control
frameworks in place to prevent and detect fraud, error and service
interruptions?
844. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Premier:
I would first like to acknowledge
the commencement today of 16 Days in WA and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women—an
important opportunity to stand together to work towards the elimination of violence against women. There is lots of orange around the chamber. I just
wanted to acknowledge that.
I
refer to the Auditor General's audit results report for 2020–21
that identifies 120 control weaknesses at 41 government entities that remain unresolved from 2019–20
and is still climbing. Why is the Premier ignoring the Auditor General's recommendations and failing to ensure that all departments have robust control
frameworks in place to prevent and detect fraud, error and service
interruptions?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the
question. Obviously, we are putting in place measures to deal with it. Mr Paul
Whyte got away with these activities for years before this government uncovered
it. That is what happened. We uncovered what he was doing. He stole millions of
dollars while the Liberal–National government was in office and he was
never caught. He was caught while we were in office, so our processes work.
I
might also add that we had to go through a period in which we could not
reappoint the head of the Corruption and Crime Commission, because the
opposition was blocking the reappointment of its commissioner. That is what
happened. Our number one accountability agency and the person described by the
Commissioner of Police as the finest corruption fighter in the history of Western
Australia, John McKechnie, was blocked by the Liberals and Nationals! Why did
they block him? They blocked him because he was investigating Liberal and
National corruption. That is what happened. We had to pass legislation to
reappoint him because the opposition was supporting corrupt Liberal members in
the upper house. That is what happened. The reason they were supported is that
they had the numbers. That is the reason why.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Apart from the
opposition, I have got so many members of the Labor Party calling out that I can
barely hear what the Premier is saying.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Obviously,
subsequent to the Paul Whyte corruption scandal, we put in place a range of
internal governance and audit arrangements that improved the situation
across the public sector, as I outlined yesterday, ensuring the segregation of
duties between the officer issuing an invoice and that officer paying the
invoice, which was obviously a pretty
important measure to put in place; the regular rotation of accounting firms
conducting internal audits; mandating
that agencies have independently chaired audit committees by a person external
to the agency; and we have better resourced the Auditor General to
uncover these matters.
question. Obviously, we are putting in place measures to deal with it. Mr Paul
Whyte got away with these activities for years before this government uncovered
it. That is what happened. We uncovered what he was doing. He stole millions of
dollars while the Liberal–National government was in office and he was
never caught. He was caught while we were in office, so our processes work.
I
might also add that we had to go through a period in which we could not
reappoint the head of the Corruption and Crime Commission, because the
opposition was blocking the reappointment of its commissioner. That is what
happened. Our number one accountability agency and the person described by the
Commissioner of Police as the finest corruption fighter in the history of Western
Australia, John McKechnie, was blocked by the Liberals and Nationals! Why did
they block him? They blocked him because he was investigating Liberal and
National corruption. That is what happened. We had to pass legislation to
reappoint him because the opposition was supporting corrupt Liberal members in
the upper house. That is what happened. The reason they were supported is that
they had the numbers. That is the reason why.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Apart from the
opposition, I have got so many members of the Labor Party calling out that I can
barely hear what the Premier is saying.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Obviously,
subsequent to the Paul Whyte corruption scandal, we put in place a range of
internal governance and audit arrangements that improved the situation
across the public sector, as I outlined yesterday, ensuring the segregation of
duties between the officer issuing an invoice and that officer paying the
invoice, which was obviously a pretty
important measure to put in place; the regular rotation of accounting firms
conducting internal audits; mandating
that agencies have independently chaired audit committees by a person external
to the agency; and we have better resourced the Auditor General to
uncover these matters.
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