Auditor-General Andrew Richardson recommends public agencies do not use taxpayer money for personal food or drinks

Alcohol, coffee and lunch at off-site meetings for public servants are not proper uses of public money, the Auditor-General has ruled.

Auditor-General Andrew Richardson pointed out alcohol, coffee and lunch at off-site meetings between agency staff and refreshments for celebratory events were not proper uses of public money.

Taxpayer money should not be used for booze, lunches or coffee, the state’s public-sector watchdog recommends.

As part of an audit of 106 state government agencies, Auditor-General Andrew Richardson has called for better spending guidelines and record keeping.

“Agencies must ensure they give public-sector employees sufficient guidance to adequately inform their spending decisions,” he said in the report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday.

Mr Richardson said agencies needed to demonstrate that expenditure was for a proper purpose, for the public benefit and that it met community expectations.

Mr Richardson pointed out alcohol, coffee and lunch at off-site meetings between agency staff and refreshments for celebratory events were not proper uses of public money.

He said agencies should review their practices for sensitive expenditure, such as travel and accommodation, entertainment and hospitality, gifts and staff support and rewards, and create new practices or adjust existing ones.