Public servants repay hundreds of thousands of dollars in personal charges
Some public servants were required to repay thousands of dollars in inadvertent charges on their work credit cards, including food delivery orders, in the past financial year.
Public servants across various departments and agencies have unwittingly incurred hundreds of thousands of dollars in personal charges on credit cards provided for work use, according to recent figures from the Senate. Finance Minister Katy Gallagher expressed confidence in the systems and processes in place to manage credit card usage, noting that all accidental expenses must be repaid. The majority of these charges have already been returned.
At the Home Affairs Department, employees had to repay 477 purchases worth $28,400, with Uber Eats orders being a significant contributor to these inadvertent charges. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) recorded roughly $151,000 in personal charges, with the largest single transaction being over $3,000. At the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, 81 inadvertent purchases totaling about $2,400 were made, mostly related to Uber.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher stated that she is confident in the processes to manage credit card usage in departments and agencies, emphasizing that inappropriate use is identified and paid back. However, Deputy Opposition Leader Jane Hume raised concerns, noting the thousands of inappropriate transactions across government and questioning the effectiveness of existing controls.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) also recorded 987 erroneous personal transactions on corporate credit cards, valued at over $42,000. Employees at the Health Department accumulated about $5,370 in accidental personal purchases, all of which were repaid. At the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, $8,688 in inadvertent personal purchases were recorded and subsequently paid back.
The Department of Social Services noted a repayment of $2,250 in accidental personal purchases. The Department of Defence recorded 3,276 purchases valued at about $240,000, which were contrary to Defence policy, with at least $213,672 of this amount repaid. Defence maintains a strong compliance and control framework to ensure these inadvertent personal purchases are identified and addressed.
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