Appointments — Deputy Controller and Auditor-General 
Appointments — Deputy Controller and Auditor-General 
[Volume:664;Page:11830] 
Appointments 
Deputy Controller and Auditor-General 
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Attorney-General) 
: 
 I move  
That pursuant to section 11(2) of the Public Audit Act 2001 this House recommend His Excellency the Governor-General re-appoint Ms Phillippa Catherine Smith of Wellington as the Deputy Controller and Auditor-General for a period of five years with effect from 8 August 2010. 
The House is being asked to recommend the reappointment of Phillippa Smith following a report from the Officers of Parliament Committee. Officers of Parliament are unusual in that they are appointed by the Governor-General on a recommendation of the House. The Deputy Controller and Auditor-General is appointed under the Public Audit Act 2001 in the same way that the Controller and Auditor-General is appointed and is also an Officer of Parliament. The deputy has the same responsibilities under the Act as the Auditor-General but they are carried out obviously subject to the Auditor-General’s control. 
The roles of the Auditor-General and Deputy Auditor-General are not easy ones. Parliament seeks independent assurance that public sector organisations are operating in accordance with Parliament’s intentions and are accounting properly for their performance. There is also a need for independent assurance of local government. As Officers of Parliament the Auditor-General and her deputy provide this independent assurance both to Parliament and to the public. The Deputy Controller and Auditor-General is responsible for the operational side of the office. She coordinates the work of parliamentary local government performance audit and research and development teams. She also acts for the Auditor-General in her absence. It is a demanding role and one that Ms Smith has performed very well. She was first appointed as Deputy Controller and Auditor-General in August 2005. Prior to that she had been the chief legal adviser at the State Services Commission. 
As is customary with appointments of Officers of Parliament all political parties in this House were consulted over the reappointment and they unanimously agreed to it. The appointment is for 5 years. Unlike the Auditor-General the Deputy Auditor-General may be reappointed for further terms of office. I am pleased to move Phillippa Smith’s reappointment as Deputy Controller and Auditor-General. I am sure that she will continue to play a key role in an office that is essential to the effective functioning of our system of government. 
Hon DARREN HUGHES (Labour) 
: 
 The Labour Opposition wishes to associate itself with the remarks of the Acting Leader of the House in respect of the motion to reappoint Phillippa Smith of Wellington as the Deputy Controller and Auditor-General for a further 5-year period starting later this year. This office is a particularly important one for the scrutiny of spending by Parliament through the Government and the office has an important relationship with the House of Representatives and with the Officers of Parliament Committee. 
That Phillippa Smith has worked diligently and with integrity is evident by the fact that she has been recommended for reappointment to this position by the Officers of Parliament Committee which operates on a basis of cooperation and consensus in order to ensure that all parties and therefore the public whom the parties represent can have confidence in the independence of the people who hold this office. 
As I have already said we associate ourselves with the remarks made by Mr Finlayson and we wish Phillippa Smith all the very best for the stewardship of her important office in the next 5 years. 
Motion agreed to.