23 September 2015

Mr Tim Watts MP
Member for Gellibrand
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600

Dear Mr Watts

Request regarding allegations of misuse of Parliamentarians’ printing entitlement

Thank you for your letter of 28 August 2015 in which you referred to allegations of the misappropriation of funds from the printing entitlements of Federal Liberal Parliamentarians by the former Director of the Victorian Liberal Party. In your letter you requested that the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) conduct an audit of payments made in relation to the printing entitlements of Victorian Liberal Senators and Members in order to identify all funds that may have been misappropriated through the alleged fraudulent activity.

The role of the ANAO is to undertake performance and financial statement audits of Commonwealth public sector bodies with the aim of improving Commonwealth public sector administration and accountability. Matters involving specific allegations of fraudulent or other potentially criminal activity are more appropriately referred to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) for possible investigation. That is also the approach to be followed in relation to any such matters that may be identified in the course of the ANAO’s audit work. Similarly, a process for considering whether a particular matter warrants referral to the AFP for possible investigation is set out in the administrative protocol for responding to allegations of potential misuse of Parliamentarians’ entitlements that is administered by the Department of Finance.

On this basis, the ANAO does not propose to undertake an audit of the matters requested by you at this time.

Yours sincerely

Rona Mellor PSM
Acting Auditor-General