❓ A WA parliamentary question sought information on whether government agencies within specific portfolios fell victim to scams and what preventative measures were in place. The responses indicated no agencies were affected, and detailed existing financial controls.
AnsweredQoN 5846Legislative Assembly
Asked
14 September 2016
Member
Portfolio
Emergency Services; Fisheries; Corrective Services; Veterans
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the online news article published by the ABC online on 17 August 2016 in relation to scammers stealing $500,000 from West Australian businesses over the past two years as reported by the Department of Consumer Protection, and I ask: (a) have any WA Government agencies within the Minister’s
portfolio of responsibility fallen victim to these scams over the past two
years; (b) if
so which agencies have been impacted; (c) for each agency impacted, what was the nature of, and the
dollar amount lost in connection to each scam; (d) have
criminal charges been laid against any persons or entities in connection to
these scams; and (e) what
measures have you taken to ensure that public funds are not lost to scammers
via WA Government agencies?
portfolio of responsibility fallen victim to these scams over the past two
years; (b) if
so which agencies have been impacted; (c) for each agency impacted, what was the nature of, and the
dollar amount lost in connection to each scam; (d) have
criminal charges been laid against any persons or entities in connection to
these scams; and (e) what
measures have you taken to ensure that public funds are not lost to scammers
via WA Government agencies?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
12 October 2016
Responded by
Minister for Emergency Services; Fisheries; Corrective Services; Veterans
Response time
28 days
The Department of Corrective Services
The Department of Corrective Services advises:
(a) No
(b) –(d) Not Applicable
(e) The Department has rigorous approval processes in relation to procuring goods and services.
Department of Fire and Emergency Services
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) advises:
(a) No.
(b) – (d) Not applicable
(e) DFES has a number of controls and practices in compliance with the Treasurer’s Instructions to provide management confidence that the risk of paying a fraudulent invoice or funds transfer is mitigated. These controls are listed below however, it is important to note that no payment is released by DFES unless the request for payment is supported by an invoice or contractual document and physically authorised by a delegated incurring officer within the Department.
1. The Finance Branch has significant awareness of financial fraud and is the custodian of the incurring register. Departmental policy is to restrict the amount an officer can incur based on seniority and responsibility within the agency.
2. All incurring officers are made aware that they must be satisfied that all conditions contained in TI 304(4) have been met before an invoice is incurred.
3. DFES is proactive in reporting and notifying all staff via email of any suspicious activity.
4. Various other fraud risk reduction strategies are documented and made available to all staff through the Departmental Financial Management Manual.
State Emergency Management Committee
The State Emergency Management Committee advises:
(a) No
(b) –(d) Not Applicable
(e) The agency has a number of financial and purchasing controls and assurance mechanisms in place to manage the risks associated with potential scammers.
Department of Fisheries
The Department of Fisheries advises:
(a) No.
(b)- (d) Not applicable
(e) The Department of Fisheries provides regular email updates to all staff regarding potential and current scams and ensures all finance staff are briefed about how to identify potential scams at all training sessions.
Veterans
The Department of the Premier and Cabinet, on behalf of the Veterans portfolio advises:
(a) – (e) Not Applicable
The Department of Corrective Services advises:
(a) No
(b) –(d) Not Applicable
(e) The Department has rigorous approval processes in relation to procuring goods and services.
Department of Fire and Emergency Services
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) advises:
(a) No.
(b) – (d) Not applicable
(e) DFES has a number of controls and practices in compliance with the Treasurer’s Instructions to provide management confidence that the risk of paying a fraudulent invoice or funds transfer is mitigated. These controls are listed below however, it is important to note that no payment is released by DFES unless the request for payment is supported by an invoice or contractual document and physically authorised by a delegated incurring officer within the Department.
1. The Finance Branch has significant awareness of financial fraud and is the custodian of the incurring register. Departmental policy is to restrict the amount an officer can incur based on seniority and responsibility within the agency.
2. All incurring officers are made aware that they must be satisfied that all conditions contained in TI 304(4) have been met before an invoice is incurred.
3. DFES is proactive in reporting and notifying all staff via email of any suspicious activity.
4. Various other fraud risk reduction strategies are documented and made available to all staff through the Departmental Financial Management Manual.
State Emergency Management Committee
The State Emergency Management Committee advises:
(a) No
(b) –(d) Not Applicable
(e) The agency has a number of financial and purchasing controls and assurance mechanisms in place to manage the risks associated with potential scammers.
Department of Fisheries
The Department of Fisheries advises:
(a) No.
(b)- (d) Not applicable
(e) The Department of Fisheries provides regular email updates to all staff regarding potential and current scams and ensures all finance staff are briefed about how to identify potential scams at all training sessions.
Veterans
The Department of the Premier and Cabinet, on behalf of the Veterans portfolio advises:
(a) – (e) Not Applicable
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