The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Office of the Fair Work Ombudsman’s exercise of its regulatory functions.

Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the Launch of MAB/MIAC Report 22: Guidelines for Managing Risk in the Australian Public Service, Canberra

The ANAO assessed agencies' progress in implementing the seven recommendations of Audit Report No.47 of 1998-99, Energy Efficiency in Commonwealth Operations. The Objectives of the follow-up audit were to

(i) asses the extent to which selected Commonwealth agencies have implemented the recommendations of Report No. 47 of 1998-1999, taking account of any changed circumstances or new administrative issues identified as impacting upon implementation of these recommendations; and

(ii) offer continued assurance to the Parliament on the management of Commonwealth agencies' compliance with the Commonwealth energy efficiency requirements, and to identify areas of better practice in energy management by those agencies.

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 audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the establishment, implementation and operation of the Early Years Quality Fund against the requirements of the Early Years Quality Fund Special Account Act 2013 and the Commonwealth grants administration framework.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs management of complaints and other feedback to support service delivery. The audit criteria were that DVA has:

• a well-designed framework for managing complaints and other feedback;
• effective processes and practices to manage complaints; and
• appropriately analysed complaints to inform service delivery.

The report summarises the audit and other related activities of the ANAO in the period June to December 2000. It provides a consolidated report of the ANAO's integrated audit products tabled during the period. Key issues examined in the ANAO's performance audit activity in the period were:

• risk management in a corporate governance framework;
• outsourcing and asset sales;
• contract management;
• service delivery;
• data management/management information systems; and
• legislative implementation.

The report also summarised the results of a report summarising the final results of the audits of the financial statements of Commonwealth entities; and dealt with issues regarding financial management issues, controls and processes arising from the financial audit activities conducted during the period.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the operations of the boards of four corporate Commonwealth entities in managing conflicts of interest.

In April 2002, the ANAO tabled Audit Report No.40 2001-02 Corporate Governance in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation ( the 2002 audit). In August 2003, the ABC submitted a report to the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) on its progress in implementing the recommendations from the 2002 audit and the JCPAA report. This follow-up audit examined the ABC's implementation of recommendations from both reports, using the ABC's progress report as its base.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Parliamentary Services’ management of assets and contracts to support the operations of Parliament House.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the administration of specific climate change programs by the departments of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts and Resources, Energy and Tourism. In undertaking this audit, particular emphasis was given to the implementation of good administrative practice and the extent to which the program objectives were being met. The audit followed four lines of inquiry:

• development of program objectives and assessment of program risks;
• assessment and approval of competitive grant applications;
• assessment and approval of rebate applications; and
• measurement and reporting of program outcomes.

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness of the Department of Health and Ageing's administration of the Round the Clock Medicare: Investing in After Hours General Practice Services program.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Home Affairs’ administration and regulation of critical infrastructure protection policy.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the Australian Taxation Office has effective arrangements in place to support the adoption of Artificial Intelligence.

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ arrangements for the management of contractors.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the management of Machinery of Government (MoG) changes by the selected Australian Government entities.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the governance board in the Australian Institute of Marine Science.

Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at a Joint Seminar by IPAA and ASCPAs as part of a Panel Discussion on 'Governance and the Role of the Senior Public Executive', Canberra

An Audit Committee Chairs Forum was held on Friday 12 July 2024. The text on this page is the communique from the forum.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of FaHCSIA’s administration of the HAF. To address this objective, the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) assessed FaHCSIA’s administration against a range of audit criteria, including the extent to which:

• assessment and approval processes were soundly planned and implemented, and were consistent with the requirements of the overarching financial management framework;
• appropriately structured funding agreements were established and managed for each approved grant; and
• the performance of the HAF, including each of the funded projects, was actively monitored and reported.

Grant Hehir, Auditor-General for Australia, attended the XXIII Commonwealth Auditors-General Conference in New Delhi, India, and presented a keynote speech on 22 March 2017 titled Environmental Audit: A Commonwealth Perspective.

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 the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of the Environment’s administration of the Biodiversity Fund program.

This report covers a number of the discretionary compensation and debt relief mechanisms that are available to Commonwealth agencies, where individuals or entities have been disadvantaged by legislation, or actions by agencies or staff, or some other negative circumstances. It deals mainly with two legislative mechanisms, namely, act of grace payments and waivers of debt, and one administrative mechanism, the Compensation for Detriment caused by Defective Administration (CDDA) scheme. This report also briefly covers two other mechanisms, namely ex gratia payments and payments in special circumstances relating to Australian Public Service (APS) employment. The main objective of the audit was to assess whether the management of claims for compensation and debt relief in special circumstances was in accordance with relevant legislative requirements and Commonwealth guidelines, and whether the current administrative policies and procedures were adequate.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Social Services’ 2020 to 2022 procurement of counselling and support services provided through 1800RESPECT.

Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the Public Service and Merit Protection Commission Senior Executive Service (SES) Breakfast Seminar Series

The objective of the audit was to assess whether Centrelink's Balanced Scorecard (BSC) was based on key elements of better practice principles and its use assisted Centrelink to understand and communicate its performance against its strategic goals. The audit examined:

• the use of the BSC in setting Centrelink's vision and goals;
• the role of the BSC in planning;
• alignment of the BSC from the top down through the organisation and the interdependencies of scoreboards used by various support units, the definition and use of measures, including target setting and links to goals within the BSC framework; and
• its use in monitoring, reporting and feedback.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Home Affairs' fraud control arrangements.

The objective of the audit was to examine the operations of DEETYA International Services with a view to identifying the administrative issues and difficulties experienced by DEETYA in establishing a commercial entity and its subsequent operation within the framework of the Australian Public Service.

The audit’s objective was to determine if the Bureau of Meteorology’s processes support the delivery of effective extreme weather services.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Social Services' fraud control arrangements.

The objective of this audit was to evaluate whether selected Australian Government agencies were effectively managing security risks arising from the use of contractors. To address this objective, the audit evaluated relevant policies and practices in the audited agencies against a series of minimum requirements in the management of security issues in procurement and contracting activity. These minimum requirements were developed from the guidance and standards contained in the PSM and also from the ANAO's previous protective security audits.

The audit focused on two broad types of contracting arrangements: contracting of security functions; and contracting of any service or business function that requires, or which has the potential to require, contractors to access sensitive or security classified information.

The following Australian Government agencies were involved in this audit:

• Australian Customs Service (Customs);
• Commonwealth Superannuation Administration (ComSuper);
• Department of Finance and Administration (Finance); and
• Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

In addition, the Attorney-General's Department, which is responsible for the maintenance of the PSM and for providing advice on contemporary protective security policies and practices, was consulted during the audit.

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness of the Department of Defence’s arrangements for the management of contractors.

The objective of this audit was to assess and report on the administration of the regional delivery of NHT 2 and the NAP.

The scope of the audit encompassed both Environment and DAFF, including the Joint Team of staff from both departments working together under a common management structure for the delivery of both programs. The audit focused on:

• the implementation of the regional delivery arrangements;
• governance and financial management for regional delivery; and
• monitoring, evaluation and reporting on the programs' performance.

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 Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s overseas crisis management and response arrangements in meeting the government’s objectives for returning Australians from overseas in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

The objective of this audit was to examine the effectiveness of the design and early implementation of the National Soil Strategy and the supporting National Soil Action Plan.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s regulation of unsolicited communications.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs monitoring and implementation of ANAO and internal performance audit recommendations.

The audit objective was to assess the Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman's effectiveness in managing complaints.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of the Environment and Energy’s design of the Threatened Species Prospectus.

The audit objective was to examine the appropriateness of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts’ approach to acquiring, managing, and leasing Australian contemporary art in the Artbank collection.

The objective of this audit was to assess whether the National Disability Insurance Agency has appropriate controls to ensure supports in participant plans are ‘reasonable and necessary’.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the governance board in the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian National University’s governance and control framework.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of Health's implementation of the Diagnostic Imaging Review Reform Package, some three years into the five year reform period.

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

The ANAO Quality Assurance Framework is the system of quality control that the ANAO has established to provide the Auditor-General with reasonable assurance that the ANAO complies with the ANAO standards and applicable legal and regulatory requirements and reports issued by the ANAO are appropriate in the circumstances.

The Audit Quality Report demonstrates the ANAO assessment of the implementation and operating effectiveness of the elements of the ANAO Quality Assurance Framework. The report provides transparency in respect of the processes, policies, and procedures that support each element of the ANAO Quality Assurance Framework, and reports audit quality indicators measuring ANAO performance against target benchmarks.

This report also includes the achievement of the quality assurance strategy and deliverables set out in the ANAO Quality Assurance Framework and Plan 2019–20.

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness of spectrum reallocation to support the deployment of 5G services.

The objective of this audit was to examine whether the Department of Finance (Finance) has implemented a selection of agreed parliamentary committee and Auditor-General recommendations.

The ANAO’s performance audit program is one of the main assurance functions of the Auditor-General. The purpose of this information report was to provide analysis of 2023–24 performance audits.

An Audit Committee Chairs Forum was held on Friday, 3 July 2020. The forum was held virtually, keeping in line with COVID-19 social distancing rules.

The forum agenda and slides are available in the related documents sections of this events page. The text on this page is the communique from the forum. 

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 objective of the audit was to assess whether the Department of Health and Aged Care has effectively managed the expansion of telehealth services during and post the COVID-19 pandemic.

The objectives of this audit were to:

• examine the effectiveness of ASIC's processes for receiving reports of suspected breaches of the Corporations Act; and
• assess the efficiency with which statutory reports are referred and investigated by ASIC.

The audit commenced in February 2006. ANAO undertook an assessment of ASIC's processes for receiving and referring for investigation statutory reports. ANAO also undertook a detailed examination of a random sample of 416 statutory reports received by ASIC in the period 2002–03 to 2004–05.

The audit scope did not extend to the role of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions in prosecuting offences referred to it by ASIC.

The audit’s objective was to assess the effectiveness of the selection, contracting and ongoing management of investments by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) and the extent to which the CEFC is meeting its legislated objective.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority's administration of community awareness, professional education and donor family support activities intended to increase organ an

The objective of this audit was to examine whether Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) is effectively meeting the requirements of the Statutory Funding Agreement (SFA).

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the arrangements established by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD), a division of the Department of the Environment, to support Australia’s Antarctic Program.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Reinsurance Pool Corporation’s (ARPC) management of the Terrorism Reinsurance Scheme.

The objective of this audit was to examine whether the Australian Postal Corporation (Australia Post) is meetings its Community Service and International obligations efficiently and the effectiveness of Commonwealth shareholders in monitoring value for money.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether Defence has a fit-for-purpose framework for the management of materiel sustainment.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of Indigenous Business Australia’s (IBA's) management of its business support and investment activities.

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.

This audit followed up the ANAO's 1999 performance audit report on the Commonwealth's planning and response mechanisms to deal with exotic and new endemic pest and emergencies in the animal and plant sectors (Audit Report No 9 1999-2000 Managing Pest and Disease Emergencies). The previous audit made nine recommendations to improve planning and response strategies for emergencies; better coordination; diagnostic support; and appropriate monitoring and surveillance. The objective of the follow-up audit was to assess AFFA's implementation of the recommendations, and whether implementation of these recommendations, or appropriate alternative measures, has improved the Commonwealth's planning and response strategies for pest and disease emergencies. The ANAO also observed and assessed relevant parts of the September 2002 foot and mouth disease simulation, Exercise Minotaur.

The objective of the audit was to assess the management practices undertaken by APS agencies to achieve value for money and transparency in dealing with contracts for non-APS workers. The focus of the audit was on circumstances where agencies had a significant reliance on a non-APS workforce to assist in achieving their core functions. Regular reporting by agencies of expenditure on non-APS workers was outside the scope of this audit.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the design process and monitoring arrangements for the National Innovation and Science Agenda by the relevant entities.

The ANAO conducted separate audits of the Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS) Children and Schooling program and the Safety and Wellbeing program, the findings and conclusions of which are presented in this report. The objective of the audits was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s and the National Indigenous Australians Agency’s administration of the IAS Children and Schooling and the Safety and Wellbeing programs.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Health’s approach to health provider compliance.

The purpose of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of Sport Integrity Australia’s management of the National Anti-doping Scheme.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership’s (AITSL) administration of national standards and frameworks.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the design and early implementation of the Australian Government’s response to Recommendation 86 of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has been effective.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection in delivering high quality interpreting services to its clients.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of NBN Co Limited’s (NBN Co’s) strategies to manage its transition from building to operating the national broadband network.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in managing compliance with fair trading obligations.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Parliamentary Services’ arrangements for managing contracts and retail licences, including the extent to which the department has implemented recommendations from the previous ANAO audit.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether selected Australian Government entities were effectively supporting their business requirements through planning for, and management of, the acquisition, disposal and use of their IPE assets. The audit reviewed each entity's policies and practices against a series of audit criteria across the following components of asset management: control environment; planning; acquisitions; operations; and disposals.

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water's implementation of the National Waste Policy Action Plan 2019.

The audit examined the effectiveness of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation’s management of assets involved in the manufacture, production and distribution of nuclear medicines.

The audit objective was to examine the effectiveness of the Australian Taxation Office's monitoring and implementation of recommendations about its administration made by the ANAO and parliamentary committees

The objective of this audit was to examine the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT’s) achievement of value for money objectives in the delivery of Official Development Assistance (aid) through facility arrangements.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of Geoscience Australia’s 2020 to 2022 procurement of the Southern Positioning Augmentation Network (SouthPAN).

The overall objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of Refresh and, in particular:

• the extent to which Centrelink has used the funds invested by the Government to develop its IT capability and realise the anticipated service delivery, financial and other benefits; and
• how Centrelink's programme management approach and Refresh's oversight arrangements have contributed to the achievement of the outcomes of the programme.

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

This edition of audit insights outlines key messages from a series of recent audits examining the effectiveness of governance boards in four corporate Commonwealth entities. The audit observations from this series of audits relate primarily to the ‘soft’ attributes of effective governance such as relationships, behaviours and culture, while also recognising the important interplay with the ‘hard’ attributes of governance such as board composition, appointment processes and independence. The key messages may be relevant for the operations of other Commonwealth boards as well as broader governance arrangements in Commonwealth entities.

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

An Audit Committee Chairs Forum was held on Friday, 9 July 2021. It was both an in-person and virtual event. 

The text on this page is the communique from the forum. 

The Performance Audit Services Group (PASG) volume of the ANAO Audit Manual applies to the performance audit activity performed by PASG in collaboration with the Systems Assurance and Data Analytics (SADA) group. Relevant policies and guidance from the PASG volume are also applied to assurance reviews performed by PASG. Policies and guidance in the PASG volume address the planning, execution and reporting stages of the performance audit process.

The objectives for the audit of the third tranche sale of Telstra shares were to:

• assess the extent to which the Government's sale objectives were achieved, including maximising overall value for money;
• assess the effectiveness of the management of the sale; and
• identify principles of sound administrative practice to facilitate potential improvements in any future asset sales.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s administration of the National Bushfire Recovery Agency functions including the National Bushfire Recovery Fund.

The objective of this audit was to assess the efficiency of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s delivery of passport services through the Australian Passport Office.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of grant program management by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

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 ANAO Corporate Plan 2023–24 outlines how we intend to deliver against our purpose over the next four years (2023–24 to 2026–27). 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 corporate plan is complemented by the annual audit work program, which reflects the ANAO’s audit strategy for the coming year.

This corporate plan was updated on 26 March 2024:

• organisational structure changes — ‘Professional Services and Relationships Group’ to ‘Professional Services Group’
• Measure 3 — change type from ‘Efficiency / Qualitative’ to ‘Efficiency / Quantitative’
• Measure 15, reporting mechanism 4 — replaced text to reflect updated JCPAA feedback process
• Measure 16, reporting mechanism 3 — replaced references to ‘insights’ with ‘lessons’

The objective of this audit was to examine whether compliance with trade measurement in Australia is being effectively administered.

The objectives of this audit were to improve: the accountability of the Australian Taxation Office to Parliament and the Government by the provision of advice that follows up on the ATO's implementation of the previous ANAO Report; and on the recommendations of the then Joint Committee of Public Accounts arising from its consideration of that Report and the efficiency, effectiveness and equity of debt collection by the ATO.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Employment and the Department of Education and Training's administration of the Shared Services Centre to achieve efficiencies and deliver value to its customers.

The objective of this audit was to assess whether the design and implementation of the Australian Apprenticeships Incentive System by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations is effective.

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 objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Employment’s administration of the Fair Entitlements Guarantee.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the administration of the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC).

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has effectively managed risks related to the rapid implementation of COVID-19 economic response measures.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Finance and selected entities’ implementation of the Australian Government’s campaign advertising framework.

The objective of this audit was to assess whether the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has implemented effective arrangements for the planning and conduct of surveillance activities.

The objective of this audit was to assess whether Human Services has an effective high-level compliance strategy for administered payments made under the Centrelink and Medicare programs. 

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 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 plan highlights our desire to engage positively and transparently in delivering audit and support services to the Parliament. In addition, the plan details our approach to risk management, which is critical to successfully meeting our responsibilities in providing professional and independent audits to the Parliament.

The corporate plan is complemented by the annual audit work program, which reflects the ANAO’s audit strategy for the coming year.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Digital Transformation Agency’s procurement of ICT-related services.

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

The objective of the audit was to assess whether effective arrangements have been established by Finance to achieve value for money outcomes for Commonwealth leased office property.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Fisheries Management Authority’s management of Commonwealth fisheries.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Health and Aged Care’s fraud control arrangements, with a specific focus on the Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs administration of the Repatriation Transport Scheme.

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness of Services Australia’s arrangements for the management of contractors.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water's governance arrangements supporting the implementation of the Australian Government’s climate change commitments.

The objective of this audit was to examine the effectiveness of the National Disability Insurance Agency’s (NDIA) fraud control program and its compliance with the Commonwealth Fraud Control Framework.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Education’s design and implementation of programs and initiatives to improve the access and participation of regional and remote students to higher education.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment’s administration of referrals, assessments and approvals of controlled actions under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

The objective of the audit was to assess the arrangements established by the Department of Education and Training to monitor the impact of Australian Government school funding.

The objective of this audit was to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of Australian Human Rights Commission’s handling of complaints.