The objective of the audit was to assess the administrative effectiveness of the Tax Office's strategies to address serious non-compliance. In conducting the audit, the ANAO examined the Tax Office's management framework and arrangements to deter, detect and deal with fraud and serious evasion.

Mr Ian McPhee - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the Queensland Regional Heads Forum

The objective of the audit was to assess the establishment of the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority and the effectiveness of its regulatory function.

Although the audit examined broader aspects of the ATO's administration (such as, tobacco excise governance arrangements, intelligence capability and compliance and investigations activities), we placed particular emphasis on the strategies used by the ATO to address the proliferation of chop-chop (Australian grown tobacco sold illicitly in a chopped up form for $80 to $100 per kilogram. In comparison, 50 grams of legal roll-you-own tobacco costs around $16 i.e. $320 per kilogram) in the Australian markets, as it is an area of major risk to tobacco excise revenue.

This report is an information document summarising the audit activities of the ANAO in the period January to June 1997.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of OPO's management of the overseas owned estate. In particular, the audit examined whether:

• sound arrangements are in place to effectively plan and oversight the management of the overseas estate;
• OPO effectively manages owned property on a day-to-day basis;
• the condition of the overseas owned estate is adequately maintained by structured and systematic repair and maintenance arrangements; and
• OPO has appropriate information to facilitate the effective management of the owned estate, and appropriately consults with stakeholders.

The audit examined the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission's (ATSIC's) grant management practices. The audit sought to determine if ATSIC provides fair and equal access to funding, what the risks to the grants program are, if decision-makers receive the key information they need to make informed funding decisions, and if ATSIC staff complying with grants procedures. The ANAO did not examine the appropriateness of the funding decisions made by regional councils.

This audit focuses on the Australian Defence Force's (ADF) Air Combat fleet's logistics support, regular maintenance and structural refurbishment. These activities are collectively referred to as fleet in-service support. The current Defence White Paper states that Air Combat is the most important single capability for the defence of Australia.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Air Combat fleet's in-service support arrangements to provide capability for air combat operations. Capital equipment acquisition projects covered by this report are limited to the Hornet and F-111 structural refurbishment projects, which aim to ensure these aircraft remain serviceable until their withdrawal from service.

Personnel security, including the security clearance process, is a valuable and essential element of managing the risk inherent in allowing Commonwealth and other personnel access to sensitive information. This audit was designed to review security clearance and vetting policies and practices in a number of Commonwealth organisations and to consider if organisations were managing these processes effectively and efficiently and in accordance with Commonwealth policy, as outlined in the Protective Security Manual.

This report summarises audit and other related activities of the Australian National Audit Office in the period January to June 2000.