This audit would assess the effectiveness of selected entities’ administration of sponsorship arrangements.

Commonwealth entities are solicited to enter into sponsorship arrangements, including for events. A two-page guidance document published in July 2015 sets out sponsorship considerations, better practice processes and directs the reader to Resource Management Guide: 302 Australian Government Charging Framework.

The audit would assess the delivery of outcomes achieved by selected entities as intended by government approved New Policy Proposals.

This audit would examine the management of Commonwealth fisheries including the implementation of recommendations from Auditor-General Report No. 45 of 2020–21, Management of Commonwealth Fisheries. The Australian Government is involved in the management of 16 fisheries located between three and 200 nautical miles from the Australian coast. Nine fisheries are managed solely by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) on behalf of the Australian Government. Seven fisheries are managed jointly by AFMA and regional or international partners.

AFMA’s legislated functions and objectives require the pursuit of efficient and cost-effective fisheries management, balancing the principles of ecologically sustainable development with maximising net economic returns.

In the 2021 audit, the ANAO found that AFMA’s overall management of Commonwealth fisheries was partly effective and provided nine recommendations. AFMA agreed to all recommendations.

This audit would examine the effectiveness of the Future Drought Fund (FDF). The FDF was established in 2019 to provide funding for drought resilience initiatives. The Future Drought Fund (Drought Resilience Funding Plan 2024–2028) Determination 2024 includes funding principles. The Funding Plan provides a high-level principles-based framework to guide all FDF spending. The Productivity Commission carried out a review of the Future Drought Fund (FDF) and released their Inquiry Report on 26 September 2023, which included 14 recommendations.

This audit would examine the effectiveness of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s (DAFF) management of Approved Arrangements for the importation of live animals. The Biosecurity Act 2015 allows DAFF to approve public or private industry entities (or biosecurity industry participants) to carry out certain border biosecurity risk management activities, in accordance with specified conditions. Approved arrangement (AA) holders are approved to undertake certain biosecurity actions.

This audit would assess the effectiveness of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s administration of post entry quarantine.

Imported plants and animals, including cats, dogs, birds and horses, complete quarantine at the department’s Post Entry Quarantine facility in Mickleham, Victoria.

This audit would examine whether the Pacific Maritime Security Program has been designed and implemented effectively.

The 2023 Defence Strategic Review and 2024 National Defence Strategy emphasised the increasing economic, military and strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific and re-iterated the strategic importance of Defence’s Pacific Maritime Security Program. The program commenced in 2015 with the award of two contracts to Austal, comprising a construction contract for 24 Guardian Class Patrol Boats to be gifted to 12 Pacific Island countries and a sustainment contract for in-service support work for seven years. As of November 2024, 22 of the boats had been delivered and the reported values of the contracts were $493.8 million and $172.7 million, respectively. Other aspects of the program involve the provision of related infrastructure, disposal of the 22 previously gifted vessels and deployment of 33 technical advisors to assist with capacity building in the Pacific Island countries. This audit would include examining the objectives of the program and the extent to which those objectives have been achieved.

The audit will assess the effectiveness of selected entities in meeting one or more Australian Government requirements related to climate change and may assess the effectiveness of policy owners with respect to supporting entities to meet requirements.

The Australian Government has developed policies and requirements aimed at supporting the public service to respond to climate change. These include: APS Net Zero Emissions by 2030; the Climate Risk and Opportunity Management Program; and the Commonwealth Climate Disclosure policy.

• APS Net Zero Emissions by 2030 aims to support the achievement of net zero in government operations by 2030. It includes the requirement for non-corporate Commonwealth entities to develop Emissions Reductions Plans.
• The Climate Risk and Opportunity Management Program aims to support entities to consider climate risk and opportunities as part of decision-making processes and enterprise risk management.
• The Commonwealth Climate Disclosure policy is the Government’s policy for Commonwealth entities and Commonwealth companies to publicly report on their exposure to climate risks and opportunities, as well as their actions to manage them, delivering transparent and consistent climate disclosures to the Australian public.

This audit would assess whether the arrangements under the Federation Funding Agreement (FFA) framework are effective in supporting payment and program objectives. On 28 August 2020, the Council on Federal Financial Relations (CFFR) implemented new governance arrangements for Commonwealth-state funding agreements, known as the Federation Funding Agreements (FFA) Framework. The sectoral FFAs covering Health, Education and Skills, Infrastructure, Environment, and Affordable Housing, Community Services and Other, consolidated all existing National Partnership Agreements, Streamlined Agreements and Project Agreements as schedules.

This audit would examine FFA Framework arrangements, through sample arrangements or through specific programs, for example the Housing Support Program.

This audit would assess whether entities’ procurement activities have been conducted in accordance with the Commonwealth Procurement Rules as applicable.

The National Intelligence Community (NIC) was officially formed in 2017 and comprises agencies from the Home Affairs, Defence, Foreign Affairs and Prime Minister and Cabinet portfolios. This audit would examine whether the procurement activities of selected NIC entities have demonstrated value for money and were appropriately managed. It would include procurements used to develop capabilities of individual NIC agencies, as well as those that are for a shared capability across the sector.