Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee, , 30:04 to 34:08
Senator McGrath queries the timing and administrative delays associated with the finalization and tabling of the Department of the Senate's annual report.
Topics: Integrity, Government spending
Speakers: Mr Henry Pike, Hon James McGrath, Speaker 3, Unknown Speaker, John Begley
>> thank you, Chair. I'm sure you're devastated that it's going to be your last estimates. Um,
>> you know me so well, Senator.
>> So, I'd like to draw your attention to the Department of Senate's 202526 annual can you confirm the date your department's annual report was
>> It was um the 15th I think of October.
>> So you provided the completed report
>> provided to the the president
>> on the 15th
>> on the 14th or 15th.
So are you aware the report was tabled outside of um the sittings on the 21st of October uh which was only a few business days before this estimates hearing?
>> Yes, I am aware of that certainly.
>> President, were there any administrative or other impediments preventing its earlier publication?
>> Um I think the report rested with me for quite some weeks because I was away um and didn't have the chance to look at it. Um,
>> I think you had a draft, but I don't think you had the the final the
>> I think it was several weeks with my office because I just physically wasn't around. I think >> um >> I'm happy to check that.
>> That that may be the case, Senator. Um, the report was completed except for my overview of the report. Um and uh then I had um some personal matters that came up and prevented the report from being finalized. Held it back for about a week. Um so that's the that that's where the final delay on putting it down was.
>> Yeah. And if I can clarify, Senator McGrath, I was thinking of another report. So we received it on the 15th and we approved it that day.
So what you president you received it on the 15th and it then was
>> the draft report and we responded to say all good with us.
>> So then it was tabled on the 21st though wasn't
>> which was the Tuesday we had to send it to print. >> So it was tabled out of session on the Tuesday the 21st.
>> Okay. So I just want to the the draft report was provided to the president on the 15th. The president approved it on that same day. >> Then what why was it like a six day difference between the approval and it being
>> I think it was just that it was over the >> six days a six day weekend. No. Um the uh I I think we got the okay to um to table it on so the the president's approval of it on the Thursday night and on the Friday I believe it was sent to print. We received it on the Monday which was the 20th and um put it with the bundle of other things to be tabled on the 21st because the the um table office bundles up all of the annual reports that are being tabled um on
>> Okay. And I'm not sure, I'm happy to be corrected, but um daylight saving is a significant problem in Western Australia because by the time even if I looked at it at 2 p.m. by the time it got that would be close to business. So that might have impacted as well, but that would put it out a day. But I don't know. I can't recall when daylight saving.
>> But you you'd agree it be it would be good practice for senators to give senators sufficient time before estimates to to examine the annual
report. That is good practice from