Coalition sharpens attacks on Treasury's Steven Kennedy over lunch costings
Independent experts want the rules tightened to prevent public servants from becoming collateral damage in debates over policy costings.
Fiscal experts are pushing for a tightening of the rules around official auditing of policies amid concerns the political debate is becoming too focused on Steven Kennedy’s role in the tax-free lunch costings saga.
During Senate estimates on Wednesday, amid questions about revelations the government had cherry-picked how it used the costings, shadow finance minister Jane Hume implied that the Treasury secretary’s stint as an adviser to former prime minister Kevin Rudd could undermine his impartiality.
Such secondments are routine in the public service, and Kennedy noted that his acting deputy secretary held a similar role with former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.
“It would be a shame if government officials chose not to go and work in ministers' offices,” he said.
