This audit would examine the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment’s effectiveness in implementing the Regional Land Partnerships Program.

The four-year $450 million Regional Land Partnerships Program (2018–22) was established to fund a range of projects, including to support farmers to adapt to environmental change, improve soil and biodiversity, protect threatened species, and manage wetlands of international importance. Previous Auditor-General reports examining the delivery of natural resource management activities have identified a range of issues, such as the clarity of assessment and selection processes and the implementation of risk-based compliance strategies (see Auditor-General Report No. 10 2014–15 Administration of the Biodiversity Fund Program, and Auditor-General Report No. 4 2016–17 Award of Funding under the 20 Million Trees Programme).