Senior public servants face a new requirement to personally sign off on contract amendments that significantly alter the value or scope of government agreements under rules taking effect in July 2026.
The Finance Department directive introduces a higher level of internal oversight to address a multiyear trend where $42.6 billion had been added to active agreements through contract amendments and variations over the past four financial years.
A Canberra Times analysis of AusTender between the 2022-23 and 2025-26 financial years showed the multibillion-dollar surge was concentrated across 15,210 contracts that exceeded the 100 per cent growth mark.
