The anti-corruption wind has also hit Australia! Prime Minister Morrison personally ordered all government departments to open large companies to entertain the secret records of senior officials, which requires that civil servants who receive more than 50 Australian dollars worth of gifts must be open to see what the most civil servants in Australia receive. Right?
The Daily Telegraph reported that the Federal Ministry of Health had previously tried to conceal who gave a large number of gifts to their officials and staff, including a $1,000 shopping voucher for David Jones Mall, a business class ticket to overseas meetings, wine and Tickets for sports events. The department even listed “international relations” as one of the reasons why it is impossible to disclose who is the gift giver.
News Corp. disclosed that only one federal department plans to open a gift record from next year, and the other 13 departments deliberately ignored the auditor’s recommendation that each department should make public records online. After the investigation of News Corp., Prime Minister Morrison ordered the head of public service to direct all departments to publicly record, so now 150,500 public servants across the country will face additional censorship. “I asked the Australian Public Service Commissioner to investigate all departments’ public gifts and benefits to ensure they meet the expectations of the people,” Morrison said. Prior to the issuance of this directive, only the Ministry of the Interior was reviewing the gift registration policy for disclosure in 2020. Other departments have kept the registration of gifts confidential and refused to disclose them. A special investigation by News Corp. found a culture of secrecy, especially in the Federal Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Health initially wanted to charge more than $2,300 to publish documents in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, saying it took time to solicit opinions from gift givers. Several other government departments and regulatory agencies have published the documents free of charge. News Corp. has compiled these documents, ranging from $4 for a cup of coffee to $13,000 for overseas travel.
An excuse for the name of the individual, company or organization that the Ministry of Health uses to conceal gifts or benefits is that this may have a negative impact on Australia’s international relations. Other departments are happy to disclose gifts received from foreign delegations, and one department even reported receiving a bottle of wine worth 80 Australian dollars from the Chinese Embassy in Canberra. The Ministry of Health also argued that the removal of the company from the list was due to the disclosure of their name “may be unfavorable for their continued and potential business relationship with the Ministry of Health.” After News Corp. stated that the public documents were in the public interest, the Ministry of Health cancelled the charge of 2343.47 Australian dollars. The compiled records show that an organization wants to give the Ministry of Health officials a $1,000 David Jones shopping voucher as a “thank you”. The record indicates that this is considered a conflict of interest and has been returned.
An official was sponsored by a “non-political research institution” for a trip of up to $13,000, including a business class ticket to a steering committee and a speech, three nights of accommodation and meals. A senior officer in the sports department also filed a $200 worthy ticket to watch Prime Minister’s XI and the South African cricket match, including a stakeholder-sponsored dinner. The Ministry of Health even sorted out the names of organizations and individuals who presented small gifts, including a $20 umbrella, Christmas cupcakes, wine, chocolate, cheese knives and plates, scarves and fresh-keeping cups. Before Morrison ordered all departments to publicly record their gifts, he said that he would carry out more extensive reforms of public services and focus more on serving “quiet Australians.” Public gift records will allow government agencies to accept the same supervision as federal parliamentarians, who have previously been asked to report gifts or hospitality on the benefit registration page that the public can see.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health said that the department has “complete and powerful” gift and welfare provisions, “employees must avoid any actual or perceived conflict of interest arising from the acceptance of gifts or benefits”. Employees must declare all gifts over $50, and gifts over $100 will be registered.