Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth

Scrutiny and finance: Tuvalu MP Seve Paeniu on the work of Public Accounts Committees in small jurisdictions (In association with the ‘Human Coined’ Podcast)

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association

This episode of ‘Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth’, the CPA’s Podcast, was made in association with ‘Human Coined’, a Podcast series hosted by Geoff Dubrow, Founder and Principal Consultant at Nexus PFM Consulting Inc., a consulting firm specialising in horizontal approaches to policy issues, bringing together Parliaments, Ministries of finance, civil society organisations and others.

(https://nexuspfm.com/podcast/

How can governments ensure that their public projects are good value for money, that spending is economic and efficient and that the public know where their money is going? 

In this episode, Geoff Dubrow examines the role of Public Accounts Committees in the Commonwealth’s smallest jurisdictions. He spoke with Hon. Seve Paeniu, a Member of the Parliament of Tuvalu and a former Finance Minister. They discussed the special challenges facing Tuvalu’s Public Accounts Committee in a Legislature of 16 Members, the role of the Opposition and Government in legislative scrutiny and how Tuvalu’s setup differs from PACs in other jurisdictions. 

Music: Vine Crawler by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

Recorded in August 2025.