Has the Biometric Capability Upgrade exceeded its funding appropriation; if so, by how much?

Answer

I am advised by MBIE that the total cost of the project was $33.36m. However, the independent review that I received on 12 June has raised concerns that this may not be an accurate reflection of the actual costs of the project and that MBIE may have undertaken "creative accounting" in 2024 and 2025 to keep the project below its whole of life costs of $35 million that was approved by the previous Minister of Immigration, Hon Andrew Little, on 23 July 2023. From the information available to me it also appears that in 2021 and 2022 MBIE also did not advise previous Ministers that they needed to seek the agreement of Cabinet to the project proceeding as whole of life costs escalated. Under the relevant Cabinet Circular at that time they should have. These are some of the matters that I expect a substantive review of the project's failure to investigate.