Shadow Assistant Treasurer Peter Cain has called on the Minister responsible for Venues ACT to look into the efficiency of its maintenance.

In response to questions from Mr Cain last week about the effectiveness and value for money of maintenance at Venues ACT, Minister Steel said he had no ability to gauge whether value for money will be delivered.

It was disclosed in Annual Reports Hearings that Venues ACT does not undergo regular auditing of its property services work allocation, nor is there auditing of the list of gifts declared by staff each year.

Mr Cain said there is a concerning culture of poor money management that has gone unchecked for too long under this Labor-Greens 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 naivety,” 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 Cain concluded.