Opened the debate
Pocock argued that the government's responses were inadequate and failed to address the need for meaningful reform following the PwC tax scandal. Pocock contended that the Commonwealth currently lacks the legal authority to prohibit suppliers found guilty of corruption, bribery, or fraud from obtaining public funds, a gap she described as astonishing. Pocock noted that PwC retained government contracts worth at least $11 million during the mutual agreement period, highlighting the absence of a government-wide exclusion framework. Pocock stated that the Greens had introduced a bill to close this legal loophole and establish a debarment regime at the Commonwealth level. Additionally, Pocock criticised the government for spending almost $1 billion on outsourced work in the last financial year, arguing this exceeded spending under the previous administration and undermined the Public Service.