Final Senate Estimates Week Begins with Unfinished Business
So, today marks the beginning of the final round of Senate estimates hearings for the year, and it’s already shaping up to be a pretty eventful morning. The finance and public administration committee has kicked off day one, and things are moving quickly. First on the agenda is the Department of the Senate, and shortly after, attention shifts to the Department of Parliamentary Services. That’s where a lot of eyes are currently focused, because DPS secretary Jaala Hinchcliffe is expected to face some tough questioning.
Her appearance is drawing particular interest due to a decision she made back in 2023 when she was deputy secretary. She had ordered the transfer of a significant batch of internal emails while an investigation into former secretary Rob Stefanic was underway. That move has raised eyebrows, and senators are unlikely to let the opportunity pass without digging into why it happened and whether the process followed was appropriate. Given the scrutiny DPS has attracted over the past year, this session was always going to be closely watched.
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Alongside DPS, several other major departments are also stepping up this morning. The Attorney-General’s Department, the Department of Climate Change, and the Department of Infrastructure are all scheduled to face questions. Even though this is the final week of hearings, it’s clear the workload from earlier rounds is far from complete. In fact, it’s been revealed that more than 8000 questions on notice from the October estimates round remain unanswered. That figure alone gives you an idea of how much ground still needs to be covered before the year wraps up.
All of this is contributing to a sense that the Senate wants to finish strong, ensuring nothing gets quietly pushed into the new year without proper scrutiny. There’s a lot of public interest in these hearings, especially given the significance of the agencies involved and the broader questions about transparency and accountability across the public service.
As the hearing rooms fill and officials settle in for what will likely be long, intense sessions, the live coverage is rolling. Updates are being provided throughout the day for anyone following the process closely. And with unresolved matters still lingering from previous rounds, the expectation is that today’s discussions will not only revisit old concerns but also reveal new points of tension.
It’s the last run-through of estimates for the year, but it definitely doesn’t feel like things are winding down. If anything, today’s start suggests there’s still plenty to unpack before the committees finally sign off for 2025.
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