Date
At the request of Ms Jenny Wilkinson PSM, Secretary of the Department of Finance, Mr Michael Manthorpe PSM, former Commonwealth Ombudsman, conducted an independent review on the inadvertent data release of MAS Panel details.
The review focused on the circumstances that led to the unauthorised disclosure of the information, as well as the department’s systems and processes.
Ms Wilkinson has received and considered the final report of the review and has accepted its nine recommendations.
Immediate measures have already been put in place to address some of the recommendations, including:
- Excel spreadsheets will not be used in the sharing or dissemination of any commercial-in-confidence information (including pricing information) relating to Whole of Australian Government panels.
- The Department is expediting work on the development of the GovPanels system that will deliver a step-change improvement in the management of panels across the Commonwealth. GovPanels will provide Finance with a more secure platform to engage with suppliers, and strengthen our market intelligence by capturing more data in relation to suppliers approached for all requests for quote.
The report is published in full on the Finance website.
