Zoe Daniel (Goldstein, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Australians are rightly concerned at the evident lack of integrity that's become apparent in the relationship between the Commonwealth and the consulting firm PwC. My question is twofold. Will the government suspend all current contracts with PwC while this situation is fully investigated? Will the government trigger an integrity review of Commonwealth relationships with all large private consultancy companies?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Goldstein for the question, and I refer to my previous answer to the member for Melbourne, in which I outlined the government's position on this. The breaches in confidentiality by PwC are indeed extraordinary, outrageous and deserving of complete condemnation, not just by the government but by all Australians, I believe. To have a brief that is then turned into an opportunity is what occurred here, and, of course, the Treasury has referred the matter to the Australian Federal Police.

The PwC breach did not arise, I repeat, as a result of an active procurement or Commonwealth contract, which we have. I'm very concerned about it. I repeat: prior to the election, one of the things which we spoke about and which there has been some criticism of is an increase in the use of the Public Service, but one of the things I want to do as Prime Minister is restore the Public Service to the primacy that it should be in. The Public Service should be the body that provides the primary advice to government, not the private sector and not any other interest, be it industrial or community groups. Everyone can have input into government policy through the political process and that's important, but the fact that—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Prime Minister will pause for a moment, and I will hear from the member for Goldstein on a point of order.

Zoe Daniel (Goldstein, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's on relevance. The question went to an integrity review of all private companies consulting to the government.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister is answering the question. He has a minute to continue with his answer.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

One of the things I said before was that secretaries have been reminded that ethical behaviour must be taken into account as part of the value-for-money assessments which underpin any decisions under the procurement framework. What we've been about is restoring the Public Service through the work that Gordon de Brouwer did and the work that we've done in reassessing the Public Service and how important it is—

Honourable members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Moncrieff, the member for New England and the Minister for Social Services will cease having a conversation across the chamber. The Prime Minister, in continuation, will be heard in silence.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks, Mr Speaker. I take these issues very seriously indeed. Anything that we do, though, will not interfere with AFP investigations, as is appropriate. It is important that people be held to account, and sometimes you need to take a step back and allow those processes to occur. That is what the government is doing here. This is, rightly, troubling, but the government has taken very swift action— (Time expired)