Local Defence suppliers were locked out of the department’s industry vetting program in the second half of last year last year, stopping as many as 150 companies from obtaining the clearances needed to enter the crucial market.
A transition from contractors provided by PwC to in-house support staff has been blamed for the six-month pause on the Defence Industry Security Program (DISP).
The Big Four firm has also been allowed to retain its own membership and then transition the clearance to a new entity, after PwC abandoned its government business last year in the wake of the tax leaks scandal.
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Let’s not forget that companies are also made to pay the cost of the clearances themselves which in turn get built into the cost of doing business and profit margin added on top.
This is another example of where Government mandates certain overheads for companies only for the cost of those overheads to be paid by Government itself just not directly.