Paragraph 11.1(ba) of the Legal Services Directions 2017 provides:
"The accountable authority of a non-corporate Commonwealth entity is responsible for ensuring that:
(ba) the entity's legal services purchasing, including expenditure, is appropriately recorded and monitored and that by 30 October each year, the entity makes publicly available records of its legal services expenditure for the previous financial year"
This is a statement of legal services expenditure by the Australian Public Service Commission for the period 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015, published in compliance with paragraph 11.1(ba) of the Directions.
The Commission's total legal services expenditure (internal and external) for 2014-15 was $794412.99.
The Commission's external legal services expenditure for 2014-15 was $456771.99 excluding GST.
The Commission's internal legal services expenditure for 2014-15 was $337641.00 (excluding GST where relevant). This expenditure includes the following items:
direct overhead (cost of desks, computer, stationery);
indirect overhead (apportioned rent, electricity, etc); and
legal section overhead (specialist software licences, cost of law library).
Explanatory notes
The two employees in the Commission's legal section performed a variety of duties, some legal and some non-legal (such as administration of Freedom of Information requests). Identification of the time spent by these employees on providing legal services has not been undertaken. The cost above assumes they are performing legal roles at all times.
