Durrant Pate/Contributor

Financial Secretary Darlene Morrison is under the microscope concerning cases of surcharge reported to her by Auditor General Pamela Monroe-Ellis under Section 20 of the Financial Administration and Audit (FAA) Act.

The Auditor General submitted six cases totalling $1.8 billion to the Financial Secretary between 2021 and 2024. However, no recoveries have been reported by Morrison to the Auditor General to date. 

A surcharge may be levied on public officers, enabling the government to recoup funds from individuals deemed negligent in their duties, which led to a financial loss for the government. The Financial Administration and Audit (FAA) Act specifies the actions that can result in a surcharge.

As such, Monroe-Ellis has highlighted this fact in her 2024 Annual Report to Parliament, which was tabled last week. In her report, Monroe-Ellis admitted to receiving notifications, which indicated that the Financial Secretary withdrew three of the cases. 

In withdrawing, these three cases, Morrison cited that the issues were no longer legally enforceable due to the expiration of the three-year period for imposing a surcharge. 

Surcharge Review Committee

In 2024, the Surcharge Review Committee (SRC) received two cases for review. The first involves a damaged television set assigned to the Western Regional Office (WRO) of the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM). 

The SRC has recommended the termination of this matter due to the inability to definitively link the damage or loss to any specific individual, as there was insufficient presentation of information to reach a conclusion. 

The second issue involves an overpayment of travel allowances and mileage to a former councillor at the St Ann Municipal Corporation, which is currently under review by the SRC. In addition to monitoring activities that could result in surcharges, the SRC is tasked with tracking surcharge notifications from the Financial Secretary concerning cases reported by the Auditor General under Section 20 of the FAA Act. 

The remaining cases relate to the Overseas Examinations Commission, which came in February 2020 for a surcharge of $1.6 million; the Firearm Licencing Authority, which came in February 2022 for just over $1 million in surcharge and the National Environment & Planning Agency for just under $300,000 and was received by the SRC in October 2022.