Auditor-General Reviews Federal Court Legal Spending

Auditor-General scrutiny is aimed at improving transparency in legal expenses, though growing concerns about accuracy and accountability may further impact public trust.

The Australian National Audit Office is reviewing the Federal Court's legal expense reporting following repeated revisions that have raised concerns over its financial disclosures. The court has revised its internal legal expense figures three times over the past year, beginning with $0, then increasing to $706,897 and most recently reporting a final cost of $933,409 for the last financial year.

This issue gained attention amid rising political scrutiny, particularly from the Greens. The Federal Court originally reported no internal legal expenditure but later updated the figure twice after questioning in Parliament. These inconsistencies have led some observers to suggest there may be deeper structural or governance problems within the court.

The court said the changes were due to a new method of accounting for staff costs related to the Office of General Counsel and integrity leadership, rolling these broader responsibilities into internal legal services. Critics argue that such reclassification does not fully explain the large discrepancies. The Federal Court has declined to provide additional comment.

This case follows earlier incidents. The court was previously forced to revise costs linked to judges' ceremonies, eventually disclosing $160,000 in expenses after initially stating there were none. It also drew criticism over $34,000 in bottle shop charges and has faced ongoing concerns about staff dissatisfaction, slow technology upgrades and issues with media relations. The ANAO audit is expected to clarify whether these instances are isolated errors in reporting or signs of broader mismanagement.

Source: Australian National Audit Office, Parliament of Australia, Lawyers Weekly