Senate debates

Wednesday, 20 June 2012

Questions on Notice

Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (Question No. 1822)

Photo of David BushbyDavid Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

asked the Minister representing the Treasurer, upon notice, on 23 April 2012:

With reference to the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) and overseas travel:

(1) What is the approval process for

(a) authority members;

(b) the Chair; and

(c) staff.

(2) What records are kept.

(3) Are reports completed following each overseas travel event.

(4) How many overseas travel applications were approved over the past 3 years.

(5) Can details be provided in tabulated form, by officer name, date, approving delegate, destination, purpose and cost, for each approved travel application over the past 3 years.

Photo of Penny WongPenny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | | Hansard source

The Treasurer has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

(1) (a) (b)(c) Travel by the Chairman of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), other APRA members and APRA staff is undertaken pursuant to APRA's policy on Official Travel, set out in the Chairman's Finance Instructions. Under the policy, all proposals for overseas travel require the approval of either an APRA Member or an Executive General Manager. Travel by the Chairman or APRA Members is approved by another APRA Member in line with the relevant Determination of the Remuneration Tribunal. In the case of overseas conferences, proposals for staff participation as an attendee also require the initial approval of the People and Engagement Steering Group, chaired by the Deputy Chairman; proposals for staff participation as a presenter require the initial approval of the Management Group.

(2) All expenditure must be adequately explained and substantiated in accordance with the Chairman's Finance Instructions and APRA Financial Procedures. APRA retains records that evidence all aspects of the travel process including but not limited to the approval and payment processes and travel diaries. Substantiation of expenditure typically takes the form of tax invoices i.e. vouchers, dockets, point of sale receipts etc and credit card statements.

(3) APRA's policy and procedures require staff to complete a travel diary for business trips that exceed five consecutive nights including travel time. Travel diaries are retained by APRA's Finance section. Staff report on the outcomes of overseas travel and attendances through a variety of internal mechanisms, including briefings to APRA's industry groups, for accountability and information sharing purposes.

(4) 2009/10 – 203

2010/11 – 206

2011/12 (to date) - 145

(5) The table below records details of travel for the APRA Members and Executive General Managers by name and purpose. Other staff overseas travel has been aggregated. Extracting the name of the approving delegate and the specific costs of each trip for each of the approvals would require a substantial diversion of APRA's resources.

Travel information for FY 2009/10

APRA Members

* Speaker

APRA Executive General Managers

* Speaker

Other APRA staff

Travel information for FY 2010/11

APRA Members

* Speaker

APRA Executive General Managers

Other APRA staff

Travel information for FY 2011/12 (to date)

APRA Members

* Speaker

APRA Executive General Managers

* Speaker

Other APRA staff