Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw has rubbished claims he should have declared a conflict of interest over his friendship with a senior PwC partner with whom he discussed a contract for the consulting firm.
Key points:
- The AFP commissioner says his relationship with a senior PwC partner is collegiate and professional
- The AFP has been questioned over a contract signed with PwC's Mick Fuller without tender
- The agency maintains proper processes were followed, and Mr Fuller's expertise was essential
Commissioner Kershaw told a Senate estimates hearing that PwC partner Mick Fuller was chosen to head a $794,000 review of ACT policing services because of his experience as a former NSW police commissioner.
The commissioner said he would describe Mr Fuller as a friend, but that the pair had a "collegial, professional" relationship.
"My familiarity with Mr Fuller is from years of working together, including through the COVID pandemic, but it is not from socialising together," he said.
"It is important that our professional relationship is not mis-characterised."
Commissioner Kershaw was questioned in Senate estimates on a meeting he had with Mr Fuller before PwC was awarded the contract without public tender, as well as several after.
He told Senate estimates the meeting before the contract was to ensure PwC had the capability to undertake the $794,000 review.
"I make no apologies for undertaking [the PwC] review," Commissioner Kershaw said.
He noted that other former police commissioners had been considered for the review.
The commissioner also confirmed the AFP in June mutually agreed with PwC to terminate all contracts with the firm.
AFP further questioned over contract with PwC
Greens senator David Shoebridge has challenged Commissioner Kershaw over why he did not declare a conflict of interest before meeting with Mr Fuller, saying text exchanges released under freedom of information laws had further raised his concern over the issue.
Commissioner Kershaw told senators in May he had received just one message from Mr Fuller "since the PwC scandal broke", but SMS conversations between the pair show regular contact since January, when former PwC partner Peter John Collins was first banned as a tax agent after sharing confidential Treasury briefings with PwC clients in order to help them get around a planned new tax.
Those exchanges included plans to catch up over beer, texts referring to "terrible leaks" and jokes, which Senator Shoebridge said provided a new insight into the nature of their relationship.
Commissioner Kershaw told Senate estimates he did not have a beer with Mr Fuller this year.
He agreed to "respond carefully" to a reference by Mr Fuller to "terrible leaks" in a Whatsapp message, which he said referred to a sensitive matter involving NSW Police and the AFP.
AFP chief operating officer Charlotte Tressler previously told senators that while Commissioner Kershaw had commissioned the review, he did not conduct the procurement process that chose Mr Fuller.
Senator Shoebridge used Senate estimates to challenge Ms Tressler on why she did not tell senators in May that prior to joining the public service, she was employed by PwC for 13 years until 2009.
Ms Tressler told estimates she did not believe there had been any line of questioning that necessitated raising her previous employment, and that she had declared her employment history to the AFP anyway.
The AFP confirmed Ms Tressler, who conducted the procurement and signed the contract with PwC, had filed a conflict of interest declaration before dealing with the contract, consistent with AFP guidelines.
"As a mitigation, Ms Tressler was supported by an evaluation committee," an AFP official told Senate estimates.
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMicGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIzLTA4LTA0L3BvbGljZS1jb21taXNzaW9uZXIta2Vyc2hhdy1yZWplY3RzLWNvbmZsaWN0LWludGVyZXN0LXB3Yy1jbGFpbS8xMDI2ODc0OTLSAShodHRwczovL2FtcC5hYmMubmV0LmF1L2FydGljbGUvMTAyNjg3NDky?oc=5
2023-08-04 00:27:28Z
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