National Capital Authority contracts, national institutions in sights of Alicia Payne

New chair Alicia Payne said the committee will examine the findings of the scathing audit report into NCA procurement, which found the authority had failed to show "value for money" after handing out more than $20 million in limited contracts.

The NCA has agreed to all recommendations from the audit report, and Territories Minister Kristy McBain said she was looking forward to working with the authority to ensure its handling of contracts met community expectations and value for money.

Ms Payne confirmed the new inquiry in an interview with The Canberra Times after being appointed to the role earlier this week.

The Canberra MP said one of her top priorities with the committee was to keep the spotlight on the capital's national institutions, after what she described as a decade of neglect under the former Coalition government.

She also revealed an unlikely source of inspiration as she steps into the position.

As she attempts to unwind Kevin Andrews' legacy through a bill which would restore the ACT and Northern Territory's right to legislate voluntary assisted dying, Ms Payne said she wanted to replicate the approach the former Liberal MP took as chair of parliament's influential NDIS committee.

Ms Payne was a member of Mr Andrews' committee, which played a crucial role in scrutinising the former government's ultimately abandoned plan to subject NDIS participants to independent assessments.

"[Kevin Andrews] had a rule, or an objective, that he didn't want to have dissenting reports in the committee," Ms Payne said.

"The flip side of that was he really engaged equally with all of us and was willing to ask hard questions of the government in the interest of getting the NDIS right.

"I really hope to be a chair like that of this [National Capital and External Territories] committee."

Ms Payne remains on the NDIS committee and will also be a member of the House economics committee and highly secretive privileges committee.

But her most prominent position will be as the head of the joint standing committee which has oversight of the National Capital Authority and Australia's external territories, which include Christmas Island and Norfolk Island.

While careful not to preempt any future inquiries, the second-term Labor backbencher wanted Canberra's national institutions to be a focus of the committee's work.

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Ms Payne said she wanted to ensure the institutions were not only properly funded, but also properly promoted to Australian and overseas visitors.

"The national institutions have been neglected for nearly a decade under the Coalition government and it will take a lot to address that," she said.

The National Capital Authority has been the target of intense public criticism in recent years, accused of ignoring community concerns about contentious projects including the $500 million Australian War Memorial expansion.

Ms Payne's Greens opponent in the seat of Canberra at the federal election, Tim Hollo, vowed to push for an overhaul of the authority if elected to the Federal Parliament.

Ms Payne said it was important for the committee to examine whether the authority was handling public consultations properly.

The territories minister, the authority and its chairman Terry Weber made statements responding to news of the fresh inquiry into the audit report.

As a short-term response to the scathing audit report, the authority plans to have a procurement officer serving as the "first port of call" for projects or maintenance activities.

"The NCA over the last year has put a lot of effort into improving guidance material for staff and bringing in external procurement, probity and contract experts to assist us in high value procurements," Mr Weber said.

"Unfortunately, the audit has concluded our actions have not achieved the level of consistency or attention to detail required across how we go about our procurement processes, including the attendant paperwork and record-keeping."