The National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) has been singled out for 144 answers it tabled on the night before its estimates appearance in February.
The finance and public administration report said agencies within the Finance and Prime Minister and Cabinet portfolios had overdue questions but the NIAA stood out because it submitted much of its homework late.
“The provision of answers so close to the hearing inhibited the committee’s efforts to examine the operations of the NIAA and several Indigenous portfolio bodies,” the report says.
“The committee encourages the NIAA to provide answers to questions on notice in line with the due date set by the committee.”
The NIAA told The Mandarin that it takes the senate estimates process seriously and that all questions are tabled under the relevant standing order before the hearing period.
“From the November 2023 hearing, 90% of questions on notice were prepared by the due date,” the NIAA said.
“From the most recent hearing held in February 2024, 90% were lodged or will be lodged by the due date.”
Committee members also noted some of the answers did not carry enough detail. PM&C received a special mention.
“The committee is also concerned with the content of some answers to questions on notice from the PM&C portfolio. Several answers referenced hyperlinks that were broken or blank and did not contain useful information,” the report says.
“The committee considers incomplete answers not conducive to the transparency and accountability of government expenditure and departmental administration.
“The committee encourages portfolio departments and agencies to provide answers that do not unnecessarily reference hyperlinks or external online material.”
PM&C seems to be a serial offender with late answers to questions from estimates with the report for Budget estimates hearings that took place on May 22 and 23 last year noting a similar trend.
“Some answers from the Finance portfolio and the PM&C portfolio were provided after the due date,” according to the finance and public administration estimates report.
“However, the committee is particularly concerned with the late provision of answers to questions on notice from the PM&C portfolio during the 2023–24 Budget estimates hearings on 22 and 24 May 2023.”
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