Consultancy firms win nearly $1bn in Australian contracts in past year despite new outsourcing rules, research shows

Late last year the finance department set new rules for departments, advising them not to engage consultants for ‘core work’. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

The federal government signed contracts worth almost $1bn with consultants last financial year – a 48% increase on the previous one – despite committing to slash their use, according to research conducted by the parliamentary library.

The analysis, commissioned by the Greens, shows that while the value of contracts with the big four consultancy firms fell from $138m to $114m, contracts with all firms increased from $653m to $968m.