According to the Canberra Liberals, the ACT Government cannot determine whether maintenance by Venues Canberra delivers value for money.
Peter Cain MLA, Shadow Assistant Treasurer, states that in Annual Reports Hearings last week, he questioned Chris Steel, the ACT minister responsible for Venues Canberra, about the effectiveness and value for money of maintenance at Values ACT, and that Mr Steel told him that he had no ability to gauge whether value for money will be delivered.
Mr Cain also said that the Hearings revealed that Venues Canberra does not regularly audit its property services work allocation, or the list of gifts declared by staff.
Mr Steel, however, defended Venues Canberra from the Liberals’ “baseless attacks”.
“Our venues teams deliver great events and sporting experiences for Canberrans and tourists,” the minister said. “They deserve our support, especially at a time when our tourism sector is recovering from the impacts of the pandemic.”
Venues Canberra manages and operates ACT Government venues. It rents out community centres and halls, as well as the Albert Hall, Yarralumla Woodshed, Fitter’s Workshop, and the Former Transport Depot. It also hosts events and sporting matches at Exhibition Park in Canberra, GIO Stadium, Manuka Oval, the National Arboretum Canberra, and Stromlo Forest Park.
Mr Cain called upon Mr Steel to look into the efficiency of its maintenance. He said a concerning culture of poor money management had gone unchecked for too long under the government.
“We have heard recently from the Auditor General that the poor culture of procurement in the ACT public service was due to lack of expertise, unawareness, and in some cases naïveté,” Mr Cain said.
“Culture starts and stops with the Minister, and Venues ACT is under the same ministerial direction as procurement policy.
“The ACT has a massive structural deficit, and Minister Steel has demonstrated he cannot provide any insight into whether value for money is being delivered. Perhaps this is an insight into why the ACT is in such an appalling position.
“Proper governance and auditing of performance and procurements are essential to a well-managed budget.”
Mr Steel said: “It’s disappointing that Mr Cain and the Canberra Liberals continue to launch baseless attacks on hardworking public servants who are just doing their jobs.
“It is not the fault of Venues Canberra staff if Mr Cain cannot understand the Budget papers or make effective use of his own time in annual report hearings.”
