Integrity Agency Funding: The case of Australasian Auditors General
There have been calls for greater financial independence for integrity agencies, and this paper seeks to advance understanding of the options available to achieve this by assessing the legislation and issues for Australasian Auditors General. Audit offices are the oldest form of integrity agency...
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Australian Study of Parliament Group
2022
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| Online Access: | https://www.aspg.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Integrity-Agency-Funding.pdf)%20I http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/88798 |
| Summary: | There have been calls for greater financial independence for
integrity agencies, and this paper seeks to advance understanding of the
options available to achieve this by assessing the legislation and issues for
Australasian Auditors General. Audit offices are the oldest form of integrity
agency and have the most detailed previous consideration of their financial
independence. The paper identifies four characteristics: control,
transparency, adequacy and certainty and key features for each. Analysis
indicates that in four jurisdictions the Executive keeps a tight rein, in three
there is a recognition for a significant role for the Parliament and in the
remaining two this role is dominant. As there isn’t a consistent approach
to funding and there are many differences of detail, the paper develops a
checklist of key provisions to inform decisions regarding the funding of
audit offices and integrity agencies more generally. The paper observes
that an increased role for Parliament in funding can raise new challenges
for independence including the tensions between the interests of
Government and Opposition MPs and the ability of committees to function
effectively. |
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