Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee, , 48:44 to 50:59
The department explains the two-year gap since internal charging guidelines were withdrawn for updates. Officials clarify that they continue to comply with the broader Commonwealth charging framework while finalizing new internal policy documents.
Topics: Export cost recovery, Government spending
Speakers: Matthew Geysen, Senator Ross Cadell, Senator Glenn Sterle, Hon Richard Colbeck, Unknown Speaker
you finished here. Any follow? >> Did you have some questions or
>> Yeah, we're still on the same point. Not sure if you got
>> I'm just checking my instructions.
>> we've all got them. >> Senator Cadell, do you want to follow up on some questions on the same topic while Senator the
>> I think Senator Hwick might be doing exactly the same thing as I'm about to it. I'll go there. The charging guidelines were withdrawn on the 1 July Uh what framework has governed pricing since and who approves the charges?
So Senator, that's a an internal advisory document. We still comply with the comm charging framework which is the
even though it's withdrawn.
>> No, no, that that I think the document that you might be referring to from the ANAO report, that's an internally prepared policy document
>> and you still apply that.
>> Uh Senator, that document just provides I guess additional guidance for staff. Um it was uh withdrawn to be updated and we are in the process of finalizing that update for that document.
>> It was withdrawn two years ago. >> So how is why do you withdraw something two years before you've updated its
>> Uh Senator primarily to make sure that where we are putting a policy document to reflect um the requirements of a broader whole of government document. We need to make sure that's legally sound um to do that. So, it does require methodically working through it. It I will admit it probably has taken longer than expected to get that back out there, but we wanted to make sure that it was as accurate as possible for our staff to have.
>> And I understand that, but when Tarzan swinging through trees, he doesn't let go of one vine till he's got another vine in his hands. Why have we freestyled it for 2 years?
>> I wouldn't say we we're freestyling it, Senator. We we we still comply with the charging framework. Um it's just an additional guidance document.