‘Utopia’: Treasury pays KPMG consultancy $170k for report on cutting ... consultants
Despite vowing to save money on consultants, the Minns government has racked up another $170k for KPMG to write a report - in scenes the Opposition says are reminiscent of ABC comedy Utopia.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
NSW Treasury has slugged taxpayers more than $170,000 for a consultancy to write up the findings of a government review into how to save money on consultants, in a move likened to ABC comedy Utopia.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal that KPMG is being paid $176,000 to “assist” the government with a review into procurement, which has collected data “on the size, skill-set, distribution, and capabilities of Public Sector Workforce”.
The Telegraph understands that KPMG is being paid to write up the findings of the “NSW Government Operational Review” into a final report.
The review is designed to overhaul procurement practices, including by finding ways to spend less money on consultants.
NSW Treasury refused to say what KPMG was doing to earn its $176,000, but said the Operational Review would “assess the current operating environment for NSW Government procurement, to ensure that it continues to support delivery of outcomes for the people of NSW”.
Opposition Leader Mark Speakman called the spending a “farce”.
“Labor spending $176,000 on consultants for a report on consultants is like a scene out of Utopia - yet sadly this farce is real life at the expense of taxpayers, not fiction,” he said.
The contract is for about six-and-a-half weeks of work.
The KPMG contract is the latest example of the government paying external consultants hundreds of thousands of dollars, for things like reports, consultation papers, and advice.
The Telegraph has previously revealed that the government paid consultancy firm Elumni $200,000 for a consultation process on the future of the Moore Park Golf Course, which Premier Chris Minns has largely ignored.
Labor went to the election vowing to save taxpayers’ money on labour hire, after the Auditor General found the Coalition had spent more than $1 billion on consultants without having appropriate procurement policies in place.
In an attempt to reach that goal, Finance Minister Courtney Houssos will on Monday launch an in-house advisory body, which will put bureaucrats to work doing jobs which have previously been outsourced.
The “Expert Advisory Network” has created a list of 30 existing bureaucratic teams that will be asked to act as in-house consultants across portfolio areas.
That came as Ms Houssos said that the Minns government cut $450 million in consultant spending last financial year.
She fired a warning to bureaucrats in parliament last week, issuing an “expectation” that work needed to be brought “in-house”.
“We are not going to outsource to unnecessary consultants.
“We have been clear that we need to spend our money smarter and spend more money on essential services,” she said.
Ms Houssos said her advisory network, based in the Premier’s Department, will help save public money.
“We need to deliver value-for-money for taxpayers by spending more money on essential services and less money on unnecessary consultants,” she said.
Do you have a story for The Daily Telegraph? Message 0481 056 618 or email tips@dailytelegraph.com.au
More Coverage
Originally published as ‘Utopia’: Treasury pays KPMG consultancy $170k for report on cutting ... consultants
Caravan park win overshadowed by ‘racist’ comments
Residents facing eviction from a caravan park have won a 12-month reprieve, but celebrations were marred after a councillor described Indigenous community members as “flame throwers” and “boomerangs”.
Union claims victory for doctors, psychs despite ‘no action’ order
NSW doctors and psychiatrists will not strike for three months after the union agreed to comply with earlier orders to stop industrial action, after thousands of doctors walking off the job this week for better wages and conditions.