This edition of Audit Insights summarises key messages for all Australian Government entities from a series of recent Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) performance audits assessing the planning and implementation of regulation activities. It discusses the importance of using available data and intelligence information to develop and execute risk-based regulatory activities targeted in proportion to the impacts of non-compliance.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Health’s and the Department of Human Services’ management and administration of the Child Dental Benefits Schedule.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the (former) Department of Industry’s administration of the Australian Apprenticeships Incentives Program.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of selected Commonwealth entities’ management of Senior Executive Service conflict of interest requirements.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the management of cyber risks by the Department of the Treasury, National Archives of Australia and Geoscience Australia.

The objective of this audit was to examine the efficiency and economy of the Department of Defence’s management of its general stores inventory.

This edition of Audit Insights summarises key messages for all Australian government entities from a series of Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) performance audits that have examined service delivery through other entities. It discusses the importance of establishing appropriate service delivery governance arrangements between entities, understanding risk tolerances and managing service delivery risks, and establishing performance monitoring and measurement arrangements.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the administration of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation's (CSIRO's) Gift to the Science and Industry Endowment Fund.

The ANAO’s primary relationship is with the Australian Parliament, particularly the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA).

The ANAO also has an important relationship with the accountable authorities of Commonwealth entities, who have primary responsibility for and control over public sector entities’ operations. This relationship is supported by the ongoing engagement undertaken with officials of audited entities and audit committees.

Further, the ANAO invests in a number of relationships to support its ability to be a learning organisation through the two-way exchange and sharing of information and practices, and to support other nations through peer-to-peer institutional capacity development. These relationships include the Australasian auditing community as a member of the Australasian Council of Auditors-General (ACAG). The ANAO also has close links with the international and regional auditing community through the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) and its regional working groups, and contributes to the delivery of the Australian Government’s aid program in the Indo-Pacific region. The ANAO values its relationships with the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) and the Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (AUASB), in their roles of setting and maintaining professional and ethical standards for the accounting and auditing professions, which underpin the delivery of quality audit services.

Grant Hehir, Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the Australian National Centre for Audit & Assurance Research (ANCAAR) 15th ANCAAR Audit Research Forum on 1 December 2017.