A Queensland Audit Office report also found more than 23,500 “unused” mobile devices and phones across 20 departments.
Lacklustre data, monitoring and communication of Queensland government procurement practices has led to major cost discrepancies across departments, with one paying 2½ times more per mobile phone than another.
The report estimated that between 40 per cent and 50 per cent of those had “no legitimate reason for the lack of use”, unlike emergency phones on the side of highways or security lines in case of fires. The audit office said the report was sparked by the status of the state budget, with borrowings expected to reach $76.9 billion by the 2024-25 financial year and a pandemic-era plan to carve out a $3 billion saving from the bottom line over four years “in a time of significant fiscal constraint”.
Five recommendations were made to drive collaboration on whole-of-government procurement, improving classification systems for expenditure, data sharing, and the monitoring of existing arrangements.
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