Public Accounts Committee

Legislative Assembly

Title & summary	Status
No inquiries

Report No	Title	Date tabled	Related documents
18	Budget Briefing 2020-2021	12 Nov 2020
17	More than just a game; The use of State funds by the WA Football Commission	12 Nov 2020	More...
16	Review of Auditor General Reports - Selected report 2015-2018	10 Sep 2020
15	Annual Report 2019-20	10 Sep 2020
14	Building Slowly; Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety’s regulation of builders and building surveyors	18 Jun 2020
13	Knowing what good looks like: Challenges in managing major public sector contracts	28 Nov 2019	More...
12	Annual Report 2018-19	26 Sep 2019
11	Budget Briefing 2019-20	27 Jun 2019
10	Report on investigative travel to London and Edinburgh	27 Jun 2019
9	Where to from here? The status of the Ord-East Kimberley Development Plan (Follow-up of agency response to Auditor General's Report No. 20 of 2016)	21 Mar 2019	More...
8	Setting the stage for improvement; Department of Education’s management of student attendance	29 Nov 2018	More...
7	Further along the path; The development and implementation of the Western Australian Bicycle Network Plan	1 Nov 2018	More...
6	No (more) time to waste; The ongoing implementation of Western Australia's Waste Strategy	11 Oct 2018	More...
5	Annual Report 2017-18	20 Sep 2018
4	Budget Briefing 2018-19	28 Jun 2018
3	PCH - A Long Waiting Period A critique of the State's management and oversight of the Perth Children's Hospital project	22 Mar 2018	More...
2	Annual Report 2016-17	22 Nov 2017
1	Budget Briefing 2017-18	12 Oct 2017

Title & summary	Status
Inquiry into public sector contract management practices	Past
Inquiry into the management and oversight of the Perth Children’s Hospital project	Past
Inquiry into use of State funding by the Western Australian Football Commission	Past

Purpose of undertakings

When the Committee finds an issue in delegated legislation, it may request an undertaking from the relevant local government or Minister to fix the issue (for example, by amending the delegated legislation).

A person or body giving an undertaking commits to do certain actions within a certain timeframe, for example to:

amend delegated legislation within a certain timeframe (usually 6 months) and not enforce it in the meantime;
provide a copy of the undertakings wherever the delegated legislation is publically available (such as at a local government office or on a website);
provide a copy of the minutes of the meeting at which the council of a local government resolved to provide an undertaking.

Giving an undertaking to a Parliamentary Committee is a serious matter. A failure to comply with an undertaking may be reported to the Legislative Council for further action.

Title & summary	Status
Hearings in review of agency responses to Auditor General Reports	Current
Other Hearings	Past

Committee members

Chairman:	Hon. Dr Tony Buti MLA
Deputy Chairman:	Mr Dean Nalder MLA
Members:	Mr Vincent Catania MLA Mr Simon Millman MLA Mrs Lisa O'Malley MLA
Staff:	Dr Sam Hutchinson, PhD (Research Officer) Dr Alan Charlton, PhD (Principal Research Officer)

Terms of Reference

At the commencement of the 40^th Parliament in May 2017, the Speaker determined and tabled a schedule showing the portfolio responsibilities of the Public Accounts Committee as being those of:

�

The Premier;

� The Treasurer;

� The Minister for Finance;

� The Minister for Public Sector Management; and

� The Minister for Federal-State Relations

Annual reports of government departments and authorities tabled in the Assembly will stand referred to the relevant committee for any inquiry the committee may make.

Whenever the Public Accounts Committee receives or determines for itself fresh or amended terms of reference, the committee will forward them to each standing and select committee of the Assembly and Joint Committee of the Assembly and Council. The Speaker will announce them to the Assembly at the next opportunity and arrange for them to be place on the notice boards of the Assembly.

Establishment
At the commencement of every Parliament the Assembly will appoint a Public Accounts Committee to inquire into and report to the Assembly on any proposal, matter or thing it considers necessary, connected with the receipt and expenditure of public moneys, including moneys allocated under the annual Appropriation bills and Loan Fund.

Powers of committee
The Committee may -

1. Examine the financial affairs and accounts of government agencies of the State which includes any statutory board, commission, authority, committee, or trust established or appointed pursuant to any rule, regulation, by-law, order, order in Council, proclamation, ministerial direction or any other like means.

2. Inquire into and report to the Assembly on any question which -
(a) it deems necessary to investigate;

(b) is referred to it by a Minister; or

3. Consider any papers on public expenditure presented to the Assembly and such of the expenditure as it sees fit to examine.

4. Consider whether the objectives of public expenditure are being achieved, or may be achieved more economically.

5. The Committee will investigate any matter which is referred to it by resolution of the Legislative Assembly.