Wednesday, 31 May 2023

PwC

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (17:50): (261) My matter for the adjournment tonight is for the attention of the Assistant Treasurer. I, like many, have watched with concern the developing issues with PwC. Around the world there have been people concerned at what we are hearing. PwC is a large and traditionally respected firm, but the revelations that have come out of Canberra from the material tabled in the Senate clearly indicate that the tax lead was involved in a series of steps in advising a previous government and that other parts of the company were aware of this and used it as a marketing approach to make money out of steps to defeat the very same provisions that had been put in place. Clearly there are a whole range of ethical issues here, but there are a number of practical issues as well. I notice the New South Wales Parliament has ordered an inquiry I think today, and I note that federal ministers have taken steps to ensure that tendering arrangements and other arrangements reflect some of the concerns. And I know that there are still outstanding matters.

My point here is that the Assistant Treasurer has responsibility for a number of these areas. He has got some oversight of the tendering and procurement arrangements across government. Obviously each and every government department that procures consultancy services or contracting services of the type provided by PwC has responsibilities. But at the same time the overall direction, the overall tone and the procurement rules are set centrally and it is a matter for the Assistant Treasurer.

What I am seeking from him today is for him to make a public statement about what steps he and the state government are taking to address these clear issues. He needs to step forward and indicate what changes in procurement practices and procurement rules are going to be put in place and what steps the government will take, given what are clearly very serious matters indeed. If I can be blunt here, waste is a hallmark of this government. We know that more than $30 billion has been wasted in cost overruns on major projects. We know that shadow and ghost funding of rorts are a part of it. We know that international organisations say that somewhere between 3 and 10 per cent of spending on large contracts is actually rorted or wasted in some way, so bringing that down means more money is available for services. I say we cannot be too careful here, and the Assistant Treasurer needs to make an urgent statement.