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We're at the halfway mark now for this round of Senate estimates, and we're taking a moment to pause and reflect on the week that was before we take you through what to expect for the week ahead - read on for that.
AKA Canberra Fashion Week
It's an event known by many names. The Canberra nerd Olympics, is one. Senate "esties", another. But is estimates Canberra's very own fashion week?
As agency heads and officials donned their best suits for their time in the spotlight, the fashion police spotted a crime. Liberal senator Sarah Henderson couldn't help but notice Department of Infrastructure secretary Jim Betts was not wearing a tie on Wednesday, leading her to ask whether a dress code was in place at the department.
Mr Betts responded, "No ... I ask people to use their skill and judgement," adding that he'd spotted senators Matt Canavan and David Pocock without ties during estimates hearings.
Public Eye would like to put it on the record that Mr Betts was wearing a funky rainbow lanyard during this exchange.
- with Justine Landis-Hanley
'Incorrect' reports
"Reports that the AFP Commissioner believes different generations require different levels of praise are incorrect," the federal police said in a statement on Friday. "The Commissioner was referring to information recently presented to a policing forum."
Commissioner Reece Kershaw told Senate estimates he'd heard Gen Z "need three-times-a-week praise from their supervisors, the next generation only need three times a year and my generation only need once a year." (A reminder that your Public Eye authors will accept praise via the email below.)
Senator sick of 'CRRAP' acronyms
If there's a list of things public servants are known for outside of Canberra, terrible acronym choices would be up there. One notable addition to the ever-increasing dictionary of APS acronyms is now "BCRRAP" - presumably pronounced "be crap" - as Liberal senator Hollie Hughes noted one estimates morning.
The Liberal senator, keen to spill bureaucratic blood on the committee room floors, quizzed officials about Infrastructure's oddly-named connectivity program.
"Is the Better Connectivity Plan for Regional and Rural Australia referred to as BCRRAP within the government?" Senator Hughes asked. "Is that this government's view towards rural and regional Australians wanting to get connectivity issues resolved? It's very dismissive ... and it's quite denigrating."
READ MORE:
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- AFP top cop received text from PwC 'friend' after scandal broke
- 'Unethical behaviour not tolerated': How the govt will engage with PwC from now
- Porter had access to privileged info in Palmer dispute
- 'Shame on you': Heated exchange between senators in estimates
The reference was included in a senior staffer's notes to the minister in a recently answered question on notice.
"It's simply an acronym based on the title of the program," deputy secretary Richard Windeyer responded, adding he didn't think there was any suggestion of a joke in its naming.
Senator Hughes was on a bit of a warpath that morning, earlier wondering why the minister's briefing notes had to remind her to pronounce the Tassie town, Lon-cess-ton, not Lawn-cess-ton.
"It's a little bit embarrassing," she said.
Grim outlook for human rights
Budget woes were, fittingly, a big aspect of estimates this week but one example, in particular, stood out.
The Human Rights Commission fronted senators on Tuesday night on a range of hot topics but it was Greens senator David Shoebridge's questioning of Age Discrimination Commissioner Kay Patterson that sealed its place in Public Eye's column this week.
The questions revealed the commissioners get a measly support budget of just $20,000 to do their jobs after it was slashed from $34,000 two years ago. That's meant to cover travel, accommodation and office expenses. The senator asked Dr Patterson whether she could do her job with that reduced budget.
"Well, even with $34,000 it was difficult," she responded. "And again, you have to ask people, if they ask you to speak, could they pay for you to come and every time you do that and every time you rely on money coming in for projects, you're giving ... a bit away of your independence."
National Children's Commissioner Anne Hollonds came to the table to tell the hearing she has 1.8 policy staff and an administration assistant, less than what the role had a decade ago.
"It is not possible to perform the statutory functions under the act," she said. "All the work that I've done in my - I'm halfway through my term - all of the work has been externally funded." Grim.
Senate estimates week two: a preview
We've paused, we've reflected, now it's time to get stuck into the week ahead.
Community Affairs, Economics, Education and Employment and Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade will play out this week.
We asked a handful of senators what the hot topics will be, and here's what they told us.
Liberal senator Anne Ruston will be asking about new aged care regulations for 24/7 nurses and the reduction of places in residential aged care for the next three years.
Meanwhile Liberal senator Jane Hume has questions about energy bill relief, taxes and the Reserve Bank of Australia's view of the federal budget.
Greens senator Jordon Steele-John will be asking the Treasury and National Disability Insurance Agency about capping the growth of the NDIS at 8 per cent. He'll also have questions about how the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is helping Australians trying to flee the war in Sudan.
Labor senator Deborah O'Neill has more questions for the Australian Taxation Office about the PwC matter, the timeline and who was involved.
And independent senator David Pocock will be asking the Department of Social Services about housing and the single parenting payment, as well as the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations about the impacts of Industrial Relations reforms.
Gordon de Brouwer steps up
Two weeks into the job, newly appointed Australian Public Service Commissioner Gordon de Brouwer faced his first Senate estimates hearing.
"I'm sure you're across every brief," Senator Hume joked to the new commissioner.
Mr de Brouwer was previously the APS secretary for Public Service Reform, a role that won't be filled, we learned in estimates.
There will still be a deputy secretary for Public Service Reform though, with Rachel Bacon retaining that position.
"Bringing that role into the commission was a natural step," Mr de Brouwer said of the APS reform agenda.
Over to you
- Did your boss have an estimates moment?
- ps@canberratimes.com.au