SENATOR THE HON KRISTINA KENEALLY
DEPUTY LABOR LEADER IN THE SENATE
SHADOW MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS
SHADOW MINISTER FOR IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP
SENATOR FOR NEW SOUTH WALES
ANDREW GILES MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS
SHADOW MINISTER ASSISTING FOR IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP
MEMBER FOR SCULLIN
JULIAN HILL MP
DEPUTY CHAIR OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS AND AUDIT
MEMBER FOR BRUCE
Another report by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) highlights the failures that are consuming Peter Dutton's Department of Home Affairs - this time slamming his management of the Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP).
Peter Dutton's Department took over the $130 million program from the Department of Social Services in July - with more than $19 million being spent trying to fix the broken IT system that oversees the delivery of services to some 16,000 clients each year.
While Peter Dutton is nowhere to be seen, the Auditor General warned that the management and delivery of these important services had only been "partially effective".
Furthermore, only some of the intended benefits of moving the scheme to the Department of Home Affairs have been realised whilst the program performance management was of even more concern.
"HSP program performance has not been appropriately managed or reported, and the department was not able to determine if the objective of the HSP is being met. Client outcome data is not being tracked and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in the contracts have not been effectively implemented." - Auditor-General's report
Peter Dutton's incompetence and mismanagement means newly-arrived refugees are missing out on the opportunities and vital services which are meant to ensure they can become active members of the Australian community.
This latest audit adds to Peter Dutton's dismal performance in managing his Department of Home Affairs.
How many more reports are required before something is done to help the hapless and incompetent Minister do his day job?
Peter Dutton is a Minister that will head into his Christmas holidays with his feet up while his Department struggles to keep its IT systems operating - whether it be for the HSP or at our borders.
As crises unfold inside his Home Affairs Department, Peter Dutton is still persisting with the privatisation Australia's visa system, which is set to cut 2,000 Australian jobs and undermine the integrity of our country's sovereign visa system.
As with many previous ANAO audits critical of Home Affairs, Labor would like to see the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit examine the issue further in 2020.