As Australia's financial year ends Sunday (June 30), a recent audit found that the country's Treasury department apparently spent around A$34,000 ($22,577.36) on food, alcohol, and venues for its budget night functions, which allegedly breached its own probity laws and internal policies.
According to the Australian National Audit Office, the amount was spent on four non-compliant budget events, two of which were for departmental staff on budget night in March and October 2022, with the total amount clocking in at A$9,630.85 ($6,399.60).
The audit office added that the Treasury failed to pick up on any of the issues because its monitoring policy was too narrow and mainly focused on corporate credit cards and serious fraud.
Auditors Claim 'Budget Night' Events Violate Treasury Rules
Public broadcaster ABC reported that the overspending trend was part of a longstanding budget night tradition called "budget binge," where staff celebrate after a busy period of budget preparation.
The audit office found that the department breached its own policies on the provision of hospitality,
The other two functions were hosted at Parliament House in Canberra on budget night, which was also another longstanding tradition but with the attendance of lawmakers, staffers, and lobbyists. One of the functions happened in March 2022 hosted by then-Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, while the other happened in May 2023 under current Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers.
The Canberra Times added that auditors also uncovered four instances where Treasury Secretary Steven Kennedy's acceptance of corporate hospitality was not publicly disclosed as per protocol.
In this regard, the audit office recommended for the Treasury to re-evaluate its approach. In response, the Treasury said that it would do so, however, it would not change its approach and would continue to rely on staff to self-declare.
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