ASIC’s $90,000 Leadership Forum budget

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has budgeted more than $90,000 to hold is annual Leader’s Forum, at a total cost per person of $1,113.

The cost of the forum, to be held this week, has been revealed in answer to questions asked during Senate Estimates by Federal Opposition frontbencher, Senator Michaelia Cash.

The event was held on Monday and Tuesday this week, with the venue hire listed as costing $9,500; while catering for approximately 82 attendees was costed at $26,238 and the cost of a master of ceremonies, session facilitators and travel expenses was costed at $44,152.

Consistent with the title of the event as a Leader’s Forum, the attendees are 82 executives within the upper echelons of ASIC including the chair, Joe Longo, chief executive, Greg Yanco, all the ASIC commissioners plus others such as the Senior Executive Leader, Financial Advisers and Investment Management, Leah Sciacca and the Senior Executive Leader, Superannuation and Life Insurance, Jane Eccleston.

Senator Cash referenced a contract published on the Austender website and asked ASIC what event the expenditure related to and to provide an itemised list of all costs and a guest list.

ASIC made clear in its answer to Cash that its costings were necessarily incomplete because the event had not actually been held when her questions were answered.

The budgeted $90,000 cost for the 2025 Leadership Forum compares to $81.728 spent in 2024.

Last year’s Leadership Forum was heavily focused on the results of the regulator’s inaugural Culture Survey for which Austender documentation reveals Human Synergistics Australia Pty Ltd was paid $43,450.