Tourism Australia (TA) is engulfed in a deepening scandal over the alleged misuse of taxpayer funds — this week, it was revealed the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) had been called in to investigate.
Lots has happened since Crikey revealed in April that three Tourism Australia employees — a senior employee and two staffers in China — had been fired for going on private holidays using $137,441 of taxpayer funds. Here is a timeline of the facts that have been uncovered about the incident so far.
October 20, 2023
Tourism Australia employees discover three employees had breached the agency’s travel policy. “The breach … was immediately reported and escalated in accordance with Tourism Australia policies,” managing director Phillipa Harrison told Senate estimates this week.
In the following months, several things happened, although it’s not clear exactly when or in what order:
- The chair of the Tourism Australia board, and the chair of the agency’s audit and risk committee, were verbally notified of the breach.
- Trade Minister Don Farrell’s office was “verbally notified soon after the issue was discovered”.
- The consultancy firm Deloitte was engaged to “carry out a thorough forensic audit stretching back to 2021”. No further breaches were identified.
- External legal advice was sought “in Australia and overseas”.
December 7, 2023
Tourism Australia holds an all-staff meeting where it was announced one of the three people, a senior employee, had departed the agency. Sources with knowledge of the meeting have told Crikey there was a mention of a “breach of policies” and “all TA staff were reminded of their obligations under TA policies”.
Late December, 2023
Minister Farrell receives written communication from Tourism Australia about the breach of policy. The letter was written “once the breach of policy [had been] externally reviewed and rectified”, Harrison told the Senate. It also outlined “the steps that had been undertaken to address the policy breach”.
By December, the three fired employees had paid back the money they allegedly misappropriated, according to Tourism Australia.
January 25, 2024
Tourism Australia notifies the NACC about the breach.
April 3
Crikey reaches out to Tourism Australia, asking questions about the policy breach for the first time.
April 9
Tourism Australia responds with a statement confirming the breach, saying it was discovered in October and that the three employees had left the agency and paid back the money.
April 12
Tourism Australia furnishes more information in response to follow-up questions from Crikey, including the exact amount of money involved and some more specific information about when the breach was discovered.
April 18
In response to further questions from Crikey, including about whether Tourism Australia had referred the matter to the NACC, the agency says it had no further information to provide.
Crikey publishes the first story on the breach the same day.
June 4
Harrison fronts Senate estimates where she is grilled on the breach. She reveals the NACC has been contacted, and claims immunity from the majority of the questions, saying advice from the corruption watchdog prevents her from revealing many of the details sought.
Minister Farrell tells the hearing the immunity claim based on NACC advice was a “first” and says the situation “present some significant issues which I myself would like to get clarified”. He adds that he would seek “more information on what the government’s responsibilities, and the department’s responsibilities” are in instances where NACC advice would prevent the Senate from asking questions.
In the same hearing, Harrison appears to inadvertently confirm the breach is connected to the agency’s China office.
June 5
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus appears on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing program where he acknowledges there is a “tension” between the ability for government to examine officials and the NACC’s investigatory needs. “Parliamentary processes may need to give way for a time, not permanently, but for a time on an investigation that’s being carried out by the National Anti-Corruption Commission,” he says.
Do you know more? Contact Anton Nilsson securely on Signal via the username anilsson.33 — download the app, create a new chat via the pencil symbol and type the exact username into the search bar to get in touch. Or send him an email at anilsson@crikey.com.au. Anonymity guaranteed.
