Assurance Review Memorandum – 2021/03 - Senator Pauline Hanson - staff use of ground transport 2020, 2021

This Assurance Review examined the use of car transport by a member of Senator Pauline Hanson's staff between 26 September 2016 and 30 June 2021. IPEA identified 71 instances in this period where the staff member used car transport at Commonwealth expense that required information from Senator Hanson to confirm consistency with the framework. Following responses from Senator Hanson, detailing each of the relevant trips and her reasons for approving each charge, IPEA sought policy advice from Ministerial and Parliamentary Services within the Department of Finance to determine if the trips were consistent with the framework. On the basis of this policy advice and Senator Hanson's responses, there was no information available to IPEA suggesting the staff member's use of car transport was inconsistent with the framework.