History Of the ANAO


When the first Commonwealth Parliament assembled in Melbourne in May 1901, its immediate task was to begin building the necessary institutions of national government. The fourth Act passed by this Parliament was the Audit Act 1901, which created the office of the Auditor-General. 
The Auditor-General Act 1997 (which replaced the Audit Act) was enacted in October 1997 and marked a new era for the ANAO. The Office’s audit independence and mandate were strengthened and the Auditor-General became an ‘Officer of the Parliament’.
In 2001 the ANAO celebrated 100 years as a Commonwealth institution. To commemorate this milestone the ANAO commissioned a documented history, which was published as From Accounting to Accountability: A Centenary History of the Australian National Audit Office
Commonwealth Auditors-General to date
John William Israel
1902-1926
Charles John Cerutty
1926-1935
Herbert Charles Brown
1935-1938
Ralph Abercrombie
1938-1946
Albert Charles Joyce
1946-1951
James Brophy
1951-1955
Harold Clive Newman
1955-1961
Victor John William Skermer
1961-1973
Duncan Robert Steele Craik
1973-1981
Keith Fredrick Brigden
1981-1985
John Vincent Monaghan
1985-1987
John Casey Taylor
1988-1995
Patrick Joseph Barrett
1995-2005
Ian McPhee
2005-
Also known as...
1902
Federal Audit Office
1911
Auditor-General’s Department
Late 1950s
Commonwealth Audit Office
1984
Australian Audit Office
1990
Australian National Audit Office

Last updated: 15 November 2006