Thursday, 16 June 2022
Statement by the Hon. Ann Vanstone
Commissioner, Independent Commission Against Corruption
Today the Commission’s report, ‘Received or Deceived? Managing and monitoring the conduct of government contractors’ was tabled in Parliament.
The report was prompted by a completed Commission investigation into a registered training organisation contracted to the Department for Innovation and Skills. The organisation was alleged to have manipulated the subsidies it was paid for delivering vocational education and training services.
This was not the first time that the Commission has investigated allegations of suppliers or contractors improperly manipulating their contracts with government and seeking to conceal the dishonest conduct. It is the Commission’s experience that such conduct is facilitated by inadequate scrutiny and poor contract management practices of public authorities.
Because of recent legislative changes which removed deception and other dishonesty from the Commission’s jurisdiction, it may be that such conduct cannot be investigated by the Commission in the future.
This makes it all the more important for public authorities to take steps to ensure they have adequate controls in place to prevent dishonest conduct on the part of contractors.
The Commission encourages all public authorities and public officers working in contract management roles to consider the report, which is published on the Commission’s website.
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The publication of this information has been authorised by the Commission under section 54 of the Independent Commission Against Corruption Act 2012.
