Defence Sustainment Expenditure

Any items, matters or circumstances relating to the financial affairs of the Department of Defence with regard to sustainment expenditure.

Background

On Wednesday 30 November 2016 the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit resolved to investigate Defence Sustainment expenditure, readopting an inquiry that had lapsed following the prorogation of the 44th Parliament. Having considered Auditor-General Reports 45-58 (2016-17) on 21 June 2017, the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit resolved to conduct an inquiry into Auditor-General Report No. 2 (2017-18) Defence's Management of Materiel Sustainment.

Under section 8(1) of the legislation establishing the JCPAA, the Public Accounts and Audit Committee Act 1951, one of the duties of the Committee is to ‘examine the financial affairs of authorities of the Commonwealth to which this Act applies’ and ‘report to both Houses of the Parliament, with any comment it thinks fit, on any items or matters … or any circumstances connected with them, that the Committee thinks should be drawn to the attention of the Parliament’.

The inquiry will be considered in parallel to the Committee's inquiry of the 2015-16 Defence Major Projects Report, and will examine matters of both finance and public administration.

Submissions to the previous committee’s lapsed inquiry into this matter last Parliament can be found here.