Acting CIT boss Christine Robertson has potential to be in role for another two years

The institute will continue to pay the salaries for two chief executives as the investigation is ongoing.

The commission this week revealed it was finalising a draft submission as part of its investigation and it intends to release an interim report but this would not happen until, at the earliest, the end of the year.

The commission is investigating contracts awarded to companies owned by "complexity and systems thinker" Patrick Hollingworth.

CIT chief executive Leanne Cover has been stood down by the institute since June 2022, following the commission's announcement of an investigation. She will remain "on paid leave on a month-to-month basis to ensure procedural fairness".

The CIT chief executive is paid a total annual package worth $373,061, with the position attracting a 3.5 per cent pay rise this year.

Acting chief executive Christine Robertson is paid an additional allowance to allow her to travel from her home in Melbourne to Canberra.

The Canberra Times asked how many days the acting chief executive had been in Canberra this year. A CIT spokesman said she visited the capital weekly but did not provide an exact figure.

CIT also did not answer a question about how much has been spent on travel costs this year, only that Ms Robertson was entitled to a $55,000 allowance for travel and accommodation costs as part of the role.

"Ms Robertson is employed by the ACT government under flexible working arrangements and conditions. She is currently based in Melbourne and travels for Canberra each week, attending CIT's multiple campuses as part of regular business," the spokesman said.

"Ms Robertson is entitled to a relocation allowance of up to $55,000. This allowance is being used for travel and accommodation."

MORE A.C.T. POLITICS NEWS:

Ms Robertson's contract is available to be extended until July 2025, which was communicated to CIT staff last week.

The acting chief executive was praised by CIT board chair Kate Lundy, who said she had joined the institute in a temporary role during a difficult period.

"Ms Robertson joined the CIT during a difficult period, with limited security of tenure, and has been influential in leading positive organisational change over the past 12 months," Ms Lundy said.

"The CIT board is thankful for our dedicated executive, teachers and staff who remain focused on our most important role - supporting our students and continuing to deliver essential, high-quality training that will advance our workforce of the future."

An Auditor-General's report, also released this week, showed the territory's government procurement board was not "optimally effective" and not assertive enough in its advice around three of the contracts.

The procurement board presented the same advice on each occasion, saying the proposals "lacked clarity, specificity, measurability and simplicity" and there were "missed opportunities" from the board for better procurement outcomes.

The audit also revealed CIT was offered a discount by Mr Hollingworth's company if it paid him up front for a contract worth nearly $5 million.

This was despite the offer from Patrick Hollingworth's company being more than $2 million higher than any other offer.

The board released a statement this week following the release of the audit, saying over the past year the institute had "been actively improving processes" around internal governance, procurement and financial procedures.

The statement said the institute had expanded executive roles to allow for greater insourcing capacity, had imposed spending limits on the chief executive, had established procurement guidelines and had updated a fraud and corruption framework.

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.