Back

Audit Committee requests an external review of the Parliamentary Budget Office

Parliament of Australia

The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) has requested that an independent post-election review of the operations of the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) be undertaken and that this should be conducted externally.

Committee Chair Josh Burns MP stated that ‘one of the JCPAA’s legislative responsibilities is to consider whether the operations of the PBO should be reviewed following a Federal Election, and to determine the scope and nature of that review. The Committee agrees that an external review of the PBO’s effectiveness would be timely.’

The Committee has directed that Dr Martin Parkinson AC PSM be engaged to conduct this work. The terms of reference include the effectiveness and efficiency of the PBO, the appropriateness of its mandate, resourcing and service demand levels, stakeholder feedback, and the impact of PBO’s outputs in public policy debates.

Mr Burns further commented that ‘the PBO performs vital costings and budgetary analysis, among other services, to Parliamentarians and thereby the Australian public. The Committee wishes to ensure that the PBO can continue to effectively fulfil this important mandate into the future’.

The report is to be provided to the Committee no later than 3 February 2026.

Media inquiries

Kitty Middleton, Office of Josh Burns MP

0429 044 218

For background information

Committee Secretariat
02 6277 4615
[email protected]