The objective of this audit was to assess the extent to which entities’ establishment and use of ICT related procurement panels and arrangements supported the achievement of value for money outcomes.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority's processes for the prudential regulation of superannuation entities.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the development and administration of the Fifth Community Pharmacy Agreement (5CPA), and the extent to which the 5CPA has met its objectives.

The audit objective was to assess whether the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science has effectively and efficiently administered the collection of North West Shelf royalty revenues.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the arrangements established by the Department of the Environment for the funding and management of the Nimmie-Caira System Enhanced Environmental Water Delivery Project.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether Services Australia had effectively managed risks related to the rapid preparation for and delivery of COVID-19 economic response measures.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Education’s design and governance of the Child Care Package.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources' implementation of the new biosecurity legislative framework.

The objective of this audit was to examine the effectiveness of the Australian Federal Police in managing employee mental health.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the child support collection arrangements between the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Education, Skills and Employment’s arrangements in administering wage subsidies linked to employment programs.

The Auditor-General responded on 17 May 2021 to correspondence from Senator Sarah Hanson-Young dated 21 April 2021, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an audit of the $40 million given to Fox Sports for the purpose of broadcasting women’s sport. 

The audit objective was to examine the effectiveness to date of the Department of Defence’s administration of the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) program, with a focus on ERP Tranche 1 activities.

The audit objective was to assess whether the Attorney-General’s Department’s conduct of the procurements relating to two of the new child sexual abuse-related national services employed open and effective competition and achieved value for money, consistent with the Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs).

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection’s (DIBP) management of compliance with visa conditions. To form a conclusion against this objective, the ANAO assessed whether DIBP:

• effectively manages risk and intelligence related to visa holders’ non-compliance with their visa conditions;
• promotes voluntary compliance through targeted campaigns and services that are appropriate and accessible to the community;
• conducts onshore compliance activities that are effective and appropriately targeted; and
• has effective administrative arrangements to support visa holders’ compliance with their visa conditions.

The objective of the audit was to examine whether strategic water procurements by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment were conducted consistent with government policy, were supported by appropriate program design, were planned and executed appropriately, and achieved value for money.

The objective of this audit was to assess whether the award of funding under the Safer Communities Fund was effective and consistent with the Commonwealth Grant Rules and Guidelines.

The objective of the audit was to assess the adequacy of selected Australian Government entities’ practices and procedures to manage business continuity. To conclude against this objective, the ANAO adopted high-level criteria relating to the entities’ establishment, implementation and review of business continuity arrangements.

The audit objective was to assess whether nbn co limited effectively administered the National Broadband Network Satellite Support Scheme.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet effectively manages the Regional Network.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Clean Energy Regulator’s administration of the Renewable Energy Target scheme. 

The Auditor-General responded on 18 May 2018 to correspondence from Senator Whish-Wilson dated 24 April 2018, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an audit of the implementation of declaration of interest and conflict of interest policies by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).

The audit objective was to examine whether Airservices Australia has effective procurement arrangements in place, with a particular emphasis on whether consultancy contracts entered into with International Centre for Complex Project Management (ICCPM) in association with the OneSKY Australia project were effectively administered.

The objective of this audit was to assess whether the Department of Defence (Defence) is managing its Australian Defence Force health services contract to achieve efficient and effective delivery of the contracted services.

The Auditor-General responded on 10 March 2021 to correspondence from Senator the Hon Kristina Keneally dated 11 February 2021, requesting that the Auditor-General consider conducting a performance audit of the Safer Communities Fund and the awarding of discretionary grants from the proceeds of crime. 

The Auditor-General provided a follow-up response to Senator Keneally on 14 April 2021. 

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of controls being implemented and/or developed by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to ensure National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) access decisions are consistent with legislative and other requirements.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness and value for money of Defence’s acquisition of light protected vehicles, under Defence project Land 121 Phase 4.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the administration of grants for the Try, Test and Learn Fund transition projects.

The Auditor-General responded on 27 February 2020 to correspondence from senators Larissa Waters and Janet Rice dated 14 February 2020, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an investigation to examine the decision-making process under the Community Development Grants Programme.

The Auditor-General responded on 3 July 2020 to follow-up correspondence from senators Larissa Waters and Janet Rice dated 9 June 2020, requesting that the Auditor-General reconsider including a review of the decision-making process under the Community Development Grants Programme as part of the ANAO 2020-21 Annual Audit Work Program.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the implementation of the revised export control legislative framework by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

The Auditor-General responded on 12 July 2019 to correspondence from Senator Mehreen Faruqi dated 3 July 2019, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an investigation to examine the Live Exports Branch of the Department of Agriculture. The request for audit related to allegations of mismanagement and falsification of official records.

The objective of this audit was to assess whether appropriate steps were taken to protect the Commonwealth's interests and obtain value for money in respect to the $3.5 billion in Commonwealth funding committed to the NSW Government for the WestConnex project.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Federal Police's management of its use of force regime.

The objective of this audit was to examine whether value for money is being delivered by the Australian Rail Track Corporation’s (ARTC’s) management of the Inland Rail pre‑construction program.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the Department of Education and Training established the Apprenticeship Training – alternative delivery pilots program in accordance with the Commonwealth Grants and Rules Guidelines.

The audit objective was to examine whether the Department of Defence has effective and efficient sustainment arrangements for the Royal Australian Navy’s fleet of eight ANZAC class frigates.

This Emissions Reduction Plan describes the priorities and actions the Australian National Audit Office is taking to reduce operational emissions and contribute to the APS Net Zero 2030 target.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of Services Australia's management of social security and welfare debt. 

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of Industry Innovation and Science Australia's, the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources', and the Australian Taxation Office's administration of the Research and Development Tax Incentive program.

The audit objective was to assess whether the Department of Immigration and Border Protection adopted sound contract management practices for the delivery of garrison support and welfare services for offshore processing centres in Nauru and Manus Island.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission’s administration of the Biometric Identification Service project.

The Auditor-General responded on 19 November 2021 to correspondence from Ms Alicia Payne MP dated 5 November 2021, requesting that the Auditor-General clarify some points of concern about the potential audit of the Australian War Memorial expansion (Management of the Australian War Memorial's development project).

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of arrangements for monitoring, evaluating and reporting progress towards Closing the Gap in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness and value for money to date of the Department of Defence’s acquisition of combat reconnaissance vehicles under project Land 400 Phase 2.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of Defence’s design and implementation of the Base Services contracts.

The audit objective is to examine the effectiveness of measures taken to strengthen the protection of Australia’s missions and staff overseas.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Attorney-General’s Department’s design of the Data Retention Industry Grants program, including performance monitoring, reporting, evaluation and assurance arrangements.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of Medicare electronic claiming arrangements, including an assessment of the extent to which claiming and processing efficiencies for the Government, health professionals and Medicare customers have been achieved.

The objective of this audit was to examine whether the Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP) is being delivered effectively. 

The Auditor-General responded on 11 March 2020 to follow-up correspondence from Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, requesting an audit into the Federal and South Australian governments’ agreement to reduce SA’s Murray-Darling river water allocation by 100GL and Commonwealth funding provided to increase the use of the state’s desalination plant to replace the water. The Auditor-General responded to the original correspondence from Senator Hanson-Young on 19 December 2019. The Auditor-General provided a follow-up response to Senator Hanson-Young on 24 July 2020. 

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of Defence’s design and implementation of arrangements to select a preferred Strategic Partner for the Future Submarines Program.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the coordination arrangements of key Australian Government entities operating in Torres Strait.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Social Services’ arrangements for managing Disability Employment Services provider agreements.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) had appropriately managed the procurement of garrison support and welfare services at offshore processing centres in Nauru and Papua New Guinea (Manus Island); and whether the processes adopted met the requirements of the Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs) including consideration and achievement of value for money.

The objective of this audit was to assess whether the design and administration of the Adult Migrant English Program was effective.

The objective of this audit was to assess whether the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) designed and is implementing its property investment strategy in a way that is delivering the intended benefits, and how any lessons learned are being reflected in a new strategy that is being developed.

The audit objectives were to examine the effectiveness of Defence’s management of the test and evaluation (T&E) aspects of its major capital equipment acquisition program; and to report on Defence’s progress in implementing T&E recommendations made in the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee’s August 2012 report, Procurement procedures for Defence capital projects.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the selected entities’ implementation of arrangements for managing cyber security incidents in accordance with the Protective Security Policy Framework (PSPF) and relevant ASD Cyber Security Guidelines.

The objective of this audit was to examine the effectiveness of bilateral agreement arrangements between Services Australia and other entities.

The objective of this audit was to assess whether selected regulatory entities effectively apply the cost recovery principles of the Australian Government’s cost recovery framework. The selected regulatory entities were the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, and the Department of Health (Therapeutic Goods Administration).

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Veterans' Affairs and Department of Defence's administration of rehabilitation services under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness to date of the Department of Defence's (Defence) planning for the mobilisation of its continuous shipbuilding programs in Australia.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the transition of the Remote Jobs and Communities Programme to the Community Development Programme, including whether the Community Development Programme is well designed and administered effectively and efficiently.

The objective of the audit was to examine whether the design and early delivery of the Australian Government's $443.3 million partnership with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation has been effective.

The audit objective was to assess whether the Department of Defence's (Defence's) arrangements for the operation and maintenance of the Mulwala and Benalla facilities beyond June 2020 were established through appropriate processes and in accordance with the Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs).

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness of the Department of Social Services' (DSS) administration of the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS), with a focus on the assessment of applications, and management of reserved allocations.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether appropriate steps were taken to protect the Commonwealth’s interests and obtain value for money in respect to the:

• approval of $1.5 billion in Commonwealth funding for stage one of the East West Link project, and the June 2014 payment of $500 million of this funding; and
• approval of $1.5 billion in Commonwealth funding for stage two of the East West Link project, and the June 2014 payment of $1 billion of this funding.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Taxation Office's processes for estimating and monitoring the costs, savings and benefits associated with the Reinventing the ATO program.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of Australian Government-funded aged care services delivered to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Please note: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images of deceased people.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Government’s personnel security arrangements for mitigating insider threats.

The Auditor-General responded on 4 February 2021 to correspondence from Senator Sarah Hanson-Young dated 14 January 2021, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an audit of the approval of the Yeelirrie uranium mine by the Federal Government in 2019.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the administration of tobacco excise and excise equivalent goods.

The audit objective was to assess whether the Department of Home Affairs is effectively managing the Civil Maritime Surveillance Services contract.

The Auditor-General has responded to a request from Mr Pat Conroy MP dated 28 September 2018, asking that the Auditor-General conduct an audit of aspects of the Government advertising campaign: Powering Forward.

The Auditor-General responded on 1 July 2021 to correspondence from the Hon Brendan O'Connor MP and Mr Tim Watts MP dated 5 June 2021, requesting that the Auditor-General consider initiating a performance audit into the use of provisional ICT accreditation within Defence. 

The objective of this audit was to examine the effectiveness of the Department of Home Affairs' administration of the support arrangements designed to ensure that the Cape Class patrol boats are achieving contracted availability and performance requirements.

The Auditor-General has responded on 3 July 2020 to correspondence from the Hon Brendan O'Connor MP dated 11 June 2020, requesting that the Auditor-General consider an audit of the operation of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Export Hubs program. The SME Export Hubs program is administered by the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources. 

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.

The ANAO Corporate Plan 2024–25 updates the previous corporate plan and outlines how we intend to deliver against our purpose over the next four years (2024–25 to 2027–28). The corporate plan is the ANAO’s primary planning document — it outlines our purpose; the dynamic environment in which we operate; our commitment to building capability; and the priorities, activities and performance measures by which we will be held to account.

The ANAO Corporate Plan 2025–26 updates the previous corporate plan and outlines how we intend to deliver against our purpose over the next four years (2025–26 to 2028–29). The corporate plan is the ANAO’s primary planning document — it outlines our purpose; our strategic priorities; our operating context; and the priorities, activities and performance measures by which we will be held to account.

The objective of the audit was to assess the appropriateness of the use and reporting of confidentiality provisions in a sample of Australian Government contracts.

The Auditor-General responded on 11 December 2020 to correspondence from the Hon Richard Marles MP dated 16 November 2020, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an investigation to examine the Future Submarine and Future Frigate programs. 

The Auditor-General provided a follow-up response to Mr Marles on 19 March 2021. 

The ANAO, provided a country paper to the 8th ASOSAI Symposium held virtually on 8 September 2021. The paper was titled Responding to disaster and pandemic issues.

The Auditor-General (A/g) responded on 23 September 2015 to correspondence from Mr Tim Watts MP on 28 August 2015 regarding Liberal Party misappropriation of parliamentary entitlements.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of Finance’s administration of travel entitlements provided to Parliamentarians.

The Auditor-General responded on 18 March 2019 to correspondence from the Hon. Shayne Neumann MP dated 19 February 2019 and 14 March 2019.  The Auditor-General further responded on 1 April 2019. The correspondence from Mr Neumann requested that the Auditor-General conduct an audit into the circumstances surrounding the Department of Home Affairs' procurement of garrison support and welfare services in Papua New Guinea. 

The audit objective was to examine the selected entities’ effectiveness in implementing entity-wide fraud control arrangements, including compliance with the requirements of the 2011 Commonwealth Fraud Control Guidelines (2011 Guidelines), and the overall administration of the fraud control framework by the Attorney-General’s Department.

The speech delivered by the Acting Deputy Auditor-General and the presentations by ANAO speakers at the Financial and Performance Reporting Forum held on Friday 5 July 2024 are now available.

If you would like a copy of the video recording please contact External.Relations@anao.gov.au

The Auditor-General responded on 1 August 2013 to correspondence from Senator Nick Xenophon of 22 July 2013 on the By boat, no visa advertising campaign.

The Auditor-General responded on 22 October 2021 to correspondence from Senator Mehreen Faruqi dated 27 September 2021, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an investigation to examine the administration of the Australian Research Council's funding application processes. 

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Social Services’ (DSS’s) and Services Australia’s management of the accuracy and timeliness of welfare payments.

The acting Auditor-General responded on 26 August 2024 to correspondence from the Hon Paul Fletcher MP dated 30 July 2024 and follow-up correspondence dated 14 August 2024, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an investigation into the investment in PsiQuantum announced by the Australian and Queensland governments on 30 April 2024.

This edition of Audit Insights is targeted at Australian Government officials who have responsibility for the management and reporting of executive remuneration. The aim of Audit Insights is to communicate lessons from our audit work to make it easier for people working within the Australian public sector to apply those lessons. It is drawn from audit reports tabled between 2019–20 and 2022–23.

The objective of the audit was to assess the appropriateness of the use and reporting of confidentiality provisions in a sample of Australian Government contracts.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Health’s administration of the Medical Specialist Training Program.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the planning and implementation of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness of monitoring and payment arrangements under National Partnership Agreements.

The ANAO Corporate Plan 2019–20 is the ANAO’s key strategic planning document. It guides our operating environment and sets out how we will deliver on our purpose. This Quality Assurance Framework and Plan complements the Corporate Plan. It describes the ANAO Quality Assurance Framework and reflects the ANAO’s quality assurance strategy and deliverables for the coming year.

The Australian Public Service Employee Census is an annual survey administered by the Australian Public Service Commission. The survey is used to collect confidential attitude and opinion information from APS employees on issues in the workplace. The survey provides an opportunity for ANAO employees to share their experiences of working within our organisation and the public service. This census action plan outlines the key focus areas for the ANAO in responding to the feedback.

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness of Industry’s administration of the Ethanol Production Grants Program, including relevant advice on policy development.

The Auditor-General responded on 23 November 2017 to correspondence from Senators Abetz, Paterson and Reynolds dated 27 October 2017, requesting that the Auditor-General undertake an examination of the administration and governance arrangements relating to the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF). Following a request from Senator Abetz on 17 January 2018 for a more detailed response, the Auditor-General followed-up on 5 April 2018.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s delivery of services to Australians travelling or residing abroad.

The Auditor-General responded on 5 July 2022 to correspondence from the Hon Richard Marles MP dated 31 May 2022, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an investigation to review the Workforce Australia procurement processes. 

The Auditor-General responded on Thursday 27 February 2020 to correspondence from Senator Sarah Hanson-Young dated 16 February 2020, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an investigation to examine the eligibility guidelines and administration of grant funding arrangements set out under both the Environment Restoration Fund and Communities Environment Program, and the conduct of any relevant parties in relation to these grant funds. The Auditor-General provided a follow-up response to Senator Hanson-Young on 24 July 2020. 

The audit objective was to examine Defence’s administration of Materiel Sustainment Agreements (MSAs) and the contribution made by MSAs to the effective sustainment of specialist military equipment.

The audit objective was to assess the departments of Health and Human Services’ administration, including oversight and monitoring arrangements, for the Indemnity Insurance Fund.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s management of Australian aid to Vanuatu.

The Auditor-General responded on 21 March 2025 to correspondence from Ms Kylea Tink MP dated 28 February 2025, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an investigation to examine the defence export permit approvals process.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Taxation Office's administration of the JobKeeper scheme.

The Auditor-General responded on 18 June 2025 to correspondence from Senator David Shoebridge dated 23 May 2025, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct a review of the expenditure and disclosures of the Federal Court. 

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s administration of enforceable undertakings.

The objective of this report is to provide the Auditor-General’s independent assurance over the status of the selected major projects. The status of the selected major projects is reported in the Statement by the Secretary of Defence and the Project Data Summary Sheets (PDSSs) prepared by Defence. Assurance from the ANAO’s review is conveyed in the Independent Assurance Report by the Auditor-General.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the management of international travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The objective of this report was to provide the Auditor-General’s independent assurance over the status of the selected major projects. The status of the selected major projects is reported in the Statement by the Secretary of Defence and the Project Data Summary Sheets (PDSSs) prepared by Defence. Assurance from the ANAO’s review is conveyed in the Independent Assurance Report by the Auditor-General.

The Auditor-General responded on 10 May 2018 to correspondence from Senators Patrick, Griff, Hanson-Young and Bernardi, Ms Rebekha Sharkie MP and the Hon. Tony Burke MP dated 24 April 2018, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an investigation to examine the purchases of water for environmental flows in the Murray-Darling Basin. The Auditor-General provided a follow-up response on 29 April 2019. 

The Auditor-General responded on 25 May 2020 to correspondence from Senator Katy Gallagher dated 4 May 2020, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an investigation to examine the effectiveness of the Commonwealth Government’s debt management given the significant and rapidly increasing Commonwealth government debt levels as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Auditor-General provided a follow-up response to Senator Gallagher on 24 July 2020. 

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the design and conduct of the third and fourth funding rounds of the Regional Development Australia Fund.

The Auditor-General responded on 17 January 2022 to correspondence from the Hon Tanya Plibersek MP dated 20 December 2021, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an investigation to examine the Australian Government’s administration of Australian Research Council grants. 

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness to date of the management of the approach to transition the disability services market to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) market arrangements.

The objective of this report is to provide the Auditor-General’s independent assurance over the status of the selected Major Projects. The status of the selected Major Projects is reported in the Statement by the Secretary of Defence and the Project Data Summary Sheets (PDSSs) prepared by Defence. Assurance from the ANAO’s review is conveyed in the Independent Assurance Report by the Auditor-General.