Senator Russell Trood (Liberal Queensland) said today that the Rudd government’s 24/7 work agenda might lead to an increasing number of departmental house-keeping problems, including within the already stretched Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

“The Rudd Government has told DFAT that it wants the department to engage in effective advocacy and overseas diplomatic activity to promote Australia’s international interests – but do it with less money and less people,” Senator Trood said.

“This is causing a breakdown in elementary administrative functions, such as accounting errors in the Department’s annual budget.”

At the Senate estimates hearing in Canberra this week Senator Trood asked senior DFAT officials to explain a substantial decline in funding for services to Australian agencies overseas, and in support for diplomatic and consular services in Australia – but they were unable to do so.

“There appears to be $14.5 million cut to the supply of these services," Senator Trood said. "When questioned on the matter DFAT's first response was to say it was not true.”

After a series of embarrassed ‘nods’ later, the officials then said they were not sure of the explanation and would have to make further checks, as there was obviously an error, the Senator recounted from the hearing.

“Either way, it is of grave concern that senior departmental officials, including the Chief Financial Officer, don’t understand and can’t explain their own figures.”

Senator Trood said the inability of DFAT to explain its budget to the Senate suggests that the Department is suffering as a consequence of the Rudd government's ruthless 24- hour work agenda: “There are other signs of the pressure, including the fact that over the last quarter a larger number of people than normal have left DFAT.

“At least 44 staff left the department in the first part of the year which is almost twice the usual attrition rate. The Department’s explanation that this was not beyond the norm stretches credibility."

Senator Trood said that until the Rudd Government acknowledged the pressures now being imposed on DFAT staff and provided a substantial increase in funding, the Department would struggle to implement the government's ambitious policy agenda effectively.