Parliamentarians are provided with a range of support services and allowances to assist them to carry out their duties, including office accommodation and facilities, support staff, and travel. Parliamentary work expenses, particularly those related to travel, have been the subject of multiple reviews and ANAO performance audits over a number of years.

The audit objective was to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority’s (IPEA’s) administration of parliamentary expenses.

Key findings:

• The IPEA’s administration of parliamentary expenses has been largely effective. While the IPEA’s administration of travel claims is heavily reliant on parliamentarians upholding their obligations and certifying that their travel expenses are compliant, the IPEA’s assurance and reporting functions improved the accountability and transparency of parliamentary expenses — key objectives of the 2017–18 reforms.
• Governance oversight arrangements to support its administration of parliamentary expenses are largely appropriate. The IPEA has provided advice and processed claims effectively, and in a timely manner. Business risk management requires improvement, and the IPEA has not established efficiency measures for its service delivery functions.
• The IPEA has not implemented a risk-based assurance framework for parliamentary expense payments. While the IPEA is implementing its planned assurance activities and appropriately undertakes remedial actions and recoveries, the assurance framework is not based on risk and there is no strategy for its implementation.