This audit would assess the effectiveness of the Department of Social Services’ administration of grants awarded under the Safe Places Emergency Accommodation Program (Safe Places), including compliance with the Commonwealth Grants Rules and Guidelines, and management of the grants across the Safe Places program life cycle.

Safe Places is a capital works program funding the building, renovation or purchase of emergency accommodation for women and children experiencing family and domestic violence. There have been two rounds of funding. Under successive National Plans to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, the Australian Government has committed over $170 million over seven years to Safe Places ($72.6 million for round 1 from 2020–21 to 2024–25, and $100 million for round 2 from 2022–23 to 2026–2027). The first round of grants, awarded in 2020, was intended to deliver new emergency and crisis accommodation for women and children experiencing domestic and family violence. The second round of grants, expected to be awarded in mid 2024, was designed to focus on improving access to appropriate emergency accommodation for First Nations women and children, women and children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and women and children with disability.

This audit would examine the effectiveness of arrangements to establish Environment Protection Australia.

Environment Protection Australia (EPA) is an element of the Australian Government’s response to the Independent Review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) (Samuel Review). The EPA will be the national environmental protection agency, responsible for issuing permits and licenses; project assessments, decisions and post-approvals; compliance and enforcement; and assurance of the application of National Environmental Standards under accredited arrangements with the states and territories. The 2023–24 Federal Budget provided $121 million over four years (from 2023–24) to establish the EPA.

This audit would examine the effectiveness of the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), Department of the Treasury, Department of Industry, Science and Resources and Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) in managing residual risks still in existence after the abolition of the Modernising Business Registers program, and the management of risks after registry functions were transferred back to ASIC.

In 2020, as part of its Digital Business Plan, the Australian Government announced the full implementation of the Modernising Business Registers (MBR) program to establish Australian Business Registry Services, and to streamline the way in which people register, view, and maintain business information with government. The Modernising Business Registers program was halted in August 2023.

This audit would assess the extent to which entities’ use of the Management Advisory Services Panel supported the achievement of value for money.

The Management Advisory Services Panel (SON3751667) is a cooperative procurement arrangement managed by the Department of Finance. Such arrangements are intended to improve the quality, consistency, and efficiency of the procurement of Management Advisory Services by Commonwealth entities, while supporting entities to achieve value for money outcomes. The Panel supersedes the Business Advisory Services Panel, which ceased operation on 25 October 2022. As of 20 February 2023, there were 413 suppliers on the Panel, and all Australian Government agencies are authorised to access it.

This audit would assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the Australian Taxation Office’s (ATO’s) management of taxpayers involved in the ATO’s Client Identity Support Centre (CISC).

When an individual has had their identity compromised, the ATO through the CISC supports the taxpayer to continue to participate in the taxation and superannuation system with further safeguards around their ATO account, and monitoring processes over their tax records.

In its Report 495 Inquiry into Commonwealth Grants Administration, the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) recommended that the ANAO considers a future audit of the process by which the Minister for Finance is informed of grant approvals against the recommendation of the awarding agency. A cross portfolio audit examining this aspect of the grants framework was last conducted by the ANAO in 2011–12 (Auditor-General Report No. 21 2011–12 Administration of Grant Reporting Obligations). It is envisaged that a similar audit methodology will be employed, including undertaking a comprehensive analysis of agency briefs over a specified period provided to Ministerial decision-makers. The potential audit would also examine any analysis undertaken by the Department of Finance of reports provided to the Minister for Finance, and any resulting advice to the Minister for Finance either on a particular grant award or the grants framework.

This audit would assess the effectiveness of the enterprise governance at Services Australia. The Chief Executive Officer is the accountable authority of Services Australia. The Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 requires the accountable authority of an entity to establish and maintain an appropriate system of risk oversight and management, and an appropriate system of internal control.

Services Australia delivers payments and services on behalf of other entities (such as income support payments on behalf of the Department of Social Services and pharmaceutical benefits scheme payments on behalf of the Department of Health and Aged Care) and services to other entities (for example, corporate shared services such as payroll or ICT for the National Disability Insurance Agency). These services are underpinned by bilateral agreements between Services Australia and each entity, including oversight arrangements, performance measures and reporting and the management of shared risk.

The audit would examine enterprise level administrative, governance and oversight arrangements within Services Australia and compliance with key legislative and policy requirements, including oversight of bilateral arrangements.

This audit would review the progress of the Digital Identity System implementation, design and functionality, including the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders and the allocation and expenditure of funding, including contract management.

The Digital Identity program is delivered by Services Australia, Australian Taxation Office (ATO), Department of Home Affairs and Department of Finance. Components of the program include the Trusted Digital Identity Framework, the Identity Exchanges (delivered by Services Australia), myGovID (the Commonwealth’s Identity Provider, delivered by ATO) and connected services to the system.

The Digital ID Act 2024 and the Digital ID (Transitional and Consequential Provisions) Act will commence on 1 December 2024 and support the expansion of the Australian Government Digital ID System and introduce a voluntary accreditation scheme for digital ID services providers.

This audit would assess the effectiveness of the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) in the design and implementation of its new customer relationship management (CRM) system named ‘PACE’, including the broader supporting program known as ‘3P’ (Participant, Platform and Process).

PACE will replace existing business and payments systems and portals with a new embedded CRM system. PACE is intended to improve system controls, including controls to validate payments for services. Following a pilot of PACE that started in November 2022 for Tasmanian participants and providers, PACE implementation began across all remaining NDIA locations on 30 October 2023. Full implementation is expected to take 18 months with NDIA’s existing systems continuing to be used alongside PACE during that period.

This audit would assess the effectiveness of Services Australia’s use of enforcement powers in its child support and social security compliance programs.

In 2022–23, Services Australia delivered $140.3 billion in social security and welfare payments on behalf of the Australian Government, including facilitating $1.8 billion in child support payments. In ensuring recipients receive only the payments to which they are entitled, Services Australia has a range of enforcement powers it applies through compliance activities. These include powers to require individuals to provide information, produce documents, answer questions, and make payments (including through the use of garnishee orders).