Auditor General investigation into Australia Network tender
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
The Coalition welcomes the decision of the Auditor General to conduct an investigation into the Government’s mishandling of the $223 million Australia Network tender.There are serious questions about whether the probity of the tender process has been compromised by Government interference.
In particular, the Government must provide the Auditor General with a clear explanation as to why responsibility for the original tender was stripped from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and handed to the Minister for Communications, who has a long track record of bungling tenders involving the National Broadband Network.
The Coalition welcomes the decision of the Auditor General that:
“The audit will examine the administration of the tender processes, including: planning; conduct of the tender; and managing the change in tender conditions. The audit will consider the advice provided to government and the manner in which government decisions were implemented, including compliance with procurement requirements.”
I wrote to the Auditor General on 14 September and again on 8 November, requesting that he conduct a full investigation into the deeply questionable process undertaken by the Government.
The Australia Network is an important aspect of Australia’s diplomatic outreach into our region and it is unacceptable for the Government to first intervene in the tender process and then allow it to collapse.
The Prime Minister and Minister for Communications are complicit in this bungling and must explain their actions at every step of the process.
