THE Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) has commenced two inquiries into important areas of public sector accountability as part of its examination of Auditor-General’s reports.

The Auditor-General's reports on Defence Major Projects and on Commonwealth Financial Statements are critical accountability mechanisms for the expenditure of public funds.

Committee Chair Lucy Wicks MP said the Major Projects Report inquiry was an important opportunity for Parliament to review the cost, progress and technical attributes of major Defence acquisitions, and the review of financial statements gives the committee the chance to examine Federal Government agencies' expenditure.

"The JCPAA scrutinises the governance, performance and accountability of Commonwealth agencies, to examine whether public money is used in an efficient, effective, economical and ethical manner," Ms Wicks said. "The committee has an important role holding Commonwealth agencies to account."

The Committee invites submissions to the inquiries which address the terms of reference. Public hearings will be held in the second half of 2021.

For more information about this Committee, visit its website.

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NSW Fair Trading is investigating ticket reseller Viagogo as consumer complaints against the company spike in line with the reintroduction of ticketed events. 

There have been 36 complaints received about Viagogo in 2021 so far, 16 relating to ticket scalping, 11 relating to the cancellation of events that were not refunded, 5 relating to misleading customers that they are the authorised seller, 3 for tickets not being delivered in a timely manner and 1 for not providing age restriction advice. 

NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Rose Webb said with the arts and entertainment already struggling, ticket scalpers and especially Viagogo "should not get away with ripping off consumers".

“It was big news in 2018 when NSW Fair Trading made ticket scalping illegal by making it an offence for ticket resellers such as Viagogo to charge more than 10 percent extra on the original ticket price and transactions costs,” Ms Webb said. 

“We did briefly see a drop off in complaints but then we saw a spike at the end of 2019. When the pandemic hit complaints obviously dropped off again as events were not able to go ahead.

“However now that events are back on the agenda, we have seen a spike again and despite Viagogo being explicitly warned and receiving a $7 million fine from the ACCC in 2020, they continue to flout the rules.

“Those within the entertainment and arts industry have been vocal about the obliteration of their industry due to COVID and they do not need the additional stress of ticket resellers scalping well-meaning fans. 

“We will be investigating and using our powers to stop any unlawful behaviour.”

In 2021 the most common complaints related to tickets for the musical Hamilton exceeding the 110 percent cap.

Ms Webb urged anyone who had witnessed or experienced ticket scalping to report the incident at the Fair Trading website: Make a complaint | NSW Fair Trading 

For more information about consumer rights and ticket reselling go to Tickets, parties and events | NSW Fair Trading.

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THE Waanyi Native Title Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC will discuss their experience with New Century Resources at a public hearing tomorrow.

Committee Chair, Warren Entsch MP, noted that it was unfortunate the committee was unable to visit the Waanyi PBC in person due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Mr Entsch said, "The discussion via teleconference will be valuable to this inquiry. We will be interested to hear about the decision-making process that led to the agreement to the Cultural Heritage Management Plan for Magazine Hill."

The Waanyi Native Title Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC, in their submission, conveyed that the Waanyi People’s final decision to consent to the excavation of Magazine Hill was taken with considerable sadness, but it was an informed decision.

A program for the public hearing is available on the committee’s website.

Public hearing details

Date: Thursday, 8 July 2021
Time: 10am to 11am AEST
Location: by video/teleconference

The hearings will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live.

Further details of the inquiry, including terms of reference, can be found on the Committee’s website.

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AUSTRALIAN health and social care software organisation, Health Metrics, has acquired Uniti Software from Integrated Living.

This is a strategic acquisition for Health Metrics as it provides further pathways into the health and social care sector by adding another 73 customers to its portfolio.

Health Metrics is a well-established supplier of leading solutions for the residential aged care, retirement village, home care, disability care and primary health care sectors ('health and social care') in Australia and New Zealand. Uniti Software’s capabilities in primary healthcare and home and community health complements the existing Health Metrics suite.

“This is an important piece of the strategy puzzle that enables Health Metrics to provide a care continuum to consumers,” Health Metrics CEO Steven Strange said. “We’re very excited to have the folk from Uniti as part of the Health Metrics family.”

Uniti Software was born from the Ballarat District Nursing Society Inc, ater Ballarat and District Nursing and Healthcare, which identified the need to better manage the patient journey, information and improve their reporting. They decided to create a new system, “…by healthcare workers for healthcare workers…”.

Uniti offers one client record that can handle multiple funding sources, powerful scheduling tools, detailed reporting, as well as both online and offline mobile capabilities for critical information input and tracking at the point of care.

“The real winners from this transaction are the Uniti customers. They will now be part of a larger technology group with a broad-based offering," Mr Strange said.

"Uniti’s 'one client record' aligns well with Health Metrics’ eCase. The design principals have commonality. That is, a single client record architecture (SCRA) that allows clients’ records to move with them across the care continuum. It enables providers to make better, data-driven decisions which ultimately lead to significantly better care outcomes for our most vulnerable citizens.

"The additional 73 customers to the Health Metrics portfolio means that Health Metrics now provides solutions for more than 245 customers across Australia and New Zealand in what is quickly becoming the technology provider of choice for health and social care organisations," he said

www.uniti.com.au

www.healthmetrics.com.au

About Health Metrics:

Established in 2008, Health Metrics is a leading provider of software solutions to the aged care sector. Health Metrics’ enterprise software solution, eCase, supports the functions of Residential Aged Care, Retirement Villages, Home Care, Disability Care and Primary Health Care for customers of any size.

Health Metrics is majority-owned by Tanarra Capital, an Australian alternative asset manager with over $1.7 bn in funds under management.  Founders, Steven Strange and Lisa Papettas, who own a significant minority stake, have extensive knowledge of IT, aged care metrics and clinical care. eCase is fast becoming the number one choice of leading providers of care in the Australian and New Zealand markets.

Health Metrics Company Website: