| (1) | The Head of Agency may enter into an agreement with the Government’s banker for the collection of revenue through a credit/debit card scheme. |
| (2) | The gross revenue amount collected through a credit/debit card scheme is to be credited to the Public Account. Any commissions or service fees payable in relation to credit/debit card schemes are to be paid separately. |
| (3) | The Head of Agency shall ensure that all Agency staff utilising the credit/debit card scheme remain fully trained in all aspects of the scheme.
Agency staff utilising the credit/debit card scheme should be familiar with the Guidelines for the use of credit/debit card schemes produced by the Government’s banker. The responsibility for accepting credit/debit card transactions, the different procedures and various risks associated with each type of payment are discussed fully in these guidelines. |
| (4) | All credit/debit card transactions shall have a receipt allocated in accordance with Treasurer's Instruction 605 - Authorisation of Officers to Receive Moneys. |
| (5) | The Head of Agency shall ensure there are in place appropriate internal controls to ensure the proper functioning of the credit/debit card scheme. These include: |
 | (a) | appropriate separation of the duties of staff utilising EFTPoS terminals;
If there is no separation of duties between EFTPoS terminal operators and refund/void authorisers, the supervisor should ensure that all merchant settlement reports are reconciled, and refunds are investigated, at least weekly.
A separate register should be maintained of all refund or void transactions including the details of the original transaction. The register should be sighted and signed off by a supervisor, authorising a refund or void. |
| (b) | timely reconciliation of credit/debit transactions, agency, merchant and bank account records;
Agency receipting records and the amount processed through the credit/debit card scheme should be reconciled daily, and any discrepancies investigated, recorded and followed up immediately. Amounts processed through the credit/debit card scheme should be reconciled at least weekly with banking records. |
| (c) | timely recovery and clearance action on dishonour of a credit/debit transaction; |
| (d) | the monthly statement provided by the credit/debit card organisation is reconciled with the records maintained by the Agency, and with bank account records; |
| (e) | a user register detailing the name of each user and the name of his or her supervisor, the unique user id and authorised functions; and |
| (f) | security being maintained over each EFTPoS terminal at all times.
The Head of Agency should develop security and access guidelines for EFTPoS terminals and ensure that Agency staff adhere to them. |
| (6) | All merchant copies of credit/debit card transactions shall be retained in accordance with the Archives Act 1983.
Agencies need to be aware that transactions printed on thermal paper do not store well for long periods of time, therefore alternative storage facilities such as microfische or microfilm may be required. |
