The objectives of the audit were to assess:

• whether FaCSIA has effectively administered the distribution of funding for the Local Answers, VSEG, Reconnect and Minor Capital Upgrade programmes, including promoting the relevant schemes to potential applicants, developing application forms, handling and appraising applications, selecting recipients and making grant announcements;
• the pattern of approvals of grants to States/Territories and to electorates held by the Government and Opposition parties under the Local Answers and VSEG programmes; and
• whether FaCSIA administered eight one-off grants to community organisations provided as a result of Government commitments during the 2004 Federal Election campaign in line with relevant legislation and guidelines.

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 Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman's effectiveness in managing complaints.

The objective of this audit was to assess whether DEWR's oversight of the Job Network ensures that job seekers are provided with high quality services. In particular, the ANAO examined whether DEWR had: an appropriate strategic approach to, and focus on, service quality across the Job Network; appropriate specification of the services to be provided to eligible job seekers, and of the quality of service provision; provided job seekers with a high quality of service at key Job Network service points; and appropriately monitored and reported the quality of service delivery, and appropriately managed service performance. As well, the ANAO examined whether the Job Network has appropriate mechanisms for identifying, assessing and implementing improvements to service delivery.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the governance of the Board of the National Disability Insurance Agency.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of SEWPaC’s management of the IPA program in relation to the two primary targets of the IPA program under the Caring for our Country initiative (2008–13) which are to:

• expand the contribution of the IPA program to the NRS by between eight and 16 million hectares (an increase of at least 40 per cent), of which 1.8 million hectares are to be in northern and remote Australia; and
• ensure the continued use, support and reinvigoration of traditional ecological knowledge to underpin biodiversity conservation in the Plans of Management of 32 newly initiated projects.

The Auditor-General (A/g) responded on 18 May 2016 to correspondence from the Hon Anthony Albanese MP on 16 January 2016 regarding the ANAO performance audit of the approval and administration of Commonwealth funding for the WestConnex Project.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the administration of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the design and establishment of the Regional Investment Corporation.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's probity management.

The ANAO Corporate Plan 2018–19 is the ANAO's key strategic planning document. It guides our operating environment and sets out how we will deliver on our purpose. The corporate plan is complemented by the annual audit work program which reflects the ANAO's audit strategy and deliverables for the coming year.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority's probity management.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of Army’s workforce planning.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of monitoring arrangements (by the Accreditation Agency) and compliance activities (by DoHA) put in place to achieve residential aged care homes’ compliance with the Accreditation Standards and their other, related, responsibilities under the Act and its associated instruments.

The ANAO’s assessment considered whether:

— a sector-wide compliance strategy was in place and aligned with effective monitoring and compliance activities at the operational level;
— there was a clear articulation of the separat but complementary roles and responsibilities of DoHA and the Accreditation Agency; and
— performance information gathered by both agencies to support public reporting and business improvements was useful and enabled comparison of performance over time.

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

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission's probity management.

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

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of Creative Australia’s fraud and corruption control arrangements.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the governance board in the Australian Film, Television and Radio School.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of Airservices’ contract management for the OneSKY program.

This audit would continue the ANAO’s series of audits on cyber security.

The scope would include assessing selected entities’ cyber security frameworks and controls against the controls required under the Protective Security Policy Framework and the Australian Signals Directorate’s Essential Eight Maturity Model.

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

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

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of procedures and processes used by DEST and the ATO to record HECS–HELP student loans. To achieve this, the ANAO assessed the performance of DEST and the ATO against three criteria as follows:

• DEST monitored student contributions set by higher education providers for consistency with Australian Government policy;
• DEST paid HECS–HELP advance payments to higher education providers based on sound estimates, and recorded, reconciled and reported these payments; and
• the ATO has established procedures and processes to correctly record HECS–HELP loans against student tax records.

The audit objective was to assess the Australian Taxation Office’s effectiveness in managing complaints.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation (Efic).

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

The audit objective was to assess whether Defence achieves value for money in the procurement of fuels.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Home Affairs’ regulation of migration agents.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the design and establishment of the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC’s) management of complaints.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the National Disability Insurance Agency’s (NDIA’s) management of complaints.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's fraud control arrangements.

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 assess the effectiveness of the Digital Transformation Agency’s procurement of ICT-related services.

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness of Centrelink's approach to investigating and responding to external fraud. The ANAO's assessment was based on four key criteria. In particular, the ANAO assessed whether Centrelink:

• had established a management framework, business systems and guidelines, that support the investigation, prosecution and reporting of fraud;
• had implemented appropriate case selection strategies and controls to ensure resources are targeted to the cases of highest priority;
• complied with relevant external and internal requirements when investigating fraud and referring cases for consideration of prosecution; and
• had implemented an effective training program that supports high quality investigations and prosecution referrals.

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 selected departments’ implementation of deregulation initiatives.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the department’s delivery of the Wildlife and Habitat Bushfire Recovery Program.

The objective of this audit was to provide a strategic review on the progress of the Tax Office's implementation of the Change Program.
 
To achieve this, the ANAO examined:

• the planning for, and governance of, the Change Program, particularly in relation to the management of risk and the assurance framework established by the Tax Office, and its management of contractual arrangements for the project;
• implementation issues associated with Releases 1 and 2 of the Change Program, and more specifically in relation to Release 3, the first use of the new ICP system to process FBT returns; and
• the funding of the Change Program, including measurement and attribution of the costs of the project and consideration of any benefits realisation to date.

The objective of this audit was to examine the effectiveness of the governance arrangements for the Special Broadcasting Service Corporation (SBS).

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the evaluation of selected Australian Government pilot programs.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Phoenix Taskforce to combat illegal phoenix activities.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Energy Regulator’s regulation of energy markets.

Directly after the collapse of Ansett in September 2001, most of its estimated 15 000 employees faced the possibility of retrenchment The Government immediately announced the introduction of the Special Employee Entitlements Scheme for Ansett group employees (SEESA) to address two risks facing the employees:

• the risk-to a certain limit - of a shortfall in their payments of accrued employee entitlements from Ansett and,
• the risk of delay in their being paid.

The objective of the audit was to determine how efficiently and effectively the two key elements of SEESA were managed: DEWR's management of the mechanism for making SEESA payments and DOTARS' management of the associated Air Passenger Ticket Levy.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the NDIA’s management of assistance with daily life supports.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the design and implementation of the Department of Human Services' Quality Framework.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the implementation and award of funding for Round 1 of the Growing Regions Program.

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

The objective of this audit was to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority’s administration of parliamentary expenses.

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

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the NDIS Commission in exercising its regulatory functions.

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

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Research Council’s (ARC) management of corporate credit cards.

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

The Commonwealth Parliament regulates Australian Government entities through the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act  — the PGPA Act. The Act establishes a system of governance, performance and accountability for resources managed by entities. This edition of audit insights looks at recent ANAO audit activity reviewing entities implementation of key components of the PGPA: risk management, corporate planning and performance statements.

The objective of the audit was to assess the selected entities’ progress in implementing the corporate planning requirements under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 and related PGPA Rule 2014.

This audit assessed corporate plans for the 2016–17 reporting period, and complements the report published in August 2016 which assessed corporate plans for the 2015–16 reporting period.

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

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the implementation of the government response to the Black Economy Taskforce report.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the National Health and Medical Research Council’s fraud control arrangements.

As part of its 2001 inquiry into the recruitment and retention of Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel, the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee reviewed Defence's contract with Manpower Services (Australia) Pty Ltd for trialling the outsourcing of recruiting services to the ADF. In its subsequent report, the Committee commented that the original contractual arrangements deserved further scrutiny by the ANAO. The objective of the audit was to examine Defence's management of the contractual arrangements for the provision of recruiting services to the ADF. In examining the management of the contract, the ANAO looked at the evaluations conducted at the end of each contractual phase, roles and responsibilities associated with ADF recruiting, and Defence's monitoring of contractual performance and management of risks associated with ADF recruiting.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the design and administration of the VET FEE-HELP scheme.

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness of the Australian Taxation Office’s use of settlements to resolve taxpayer disputes.

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

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Health’s administration of the Community Health and Hospitals Program.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s management of the biosecurity workforce.

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

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) had complied with gifts, benefits and hospitality requirements.

The potential audit would examine the effectiveness of measures to reduce the backlog in processing of visas, modernise the visa system and embed simplification.

The ANAO agreed to consider an audit into this topic in response to Recommendation 17 of the Joint Standing Committee on Migration in its September 2024 report Migration, Pathway to Nation Building.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the management and oversight of compliance activities within the Child Care Subsidy program.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Director of National Parks’ management of Australia’s six Commonwealth national parks.

The audit objective was to examine the effectiveness of the Department of Defence's administration of the Future Submarine Program to date.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Human Services' administration of the Financial Information Service.

The audit objective was to examine the effectiveness of the Department of Defence’s administration of the Integrated Investment Program since 2016.

The audit objective was to assess whether the Australian Government has established an appropriate framework for responding to crises.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the design process for the Energy Price Relief Plan.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Health’s approach to improving and monitoring immunisation coverage.

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

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Taxation Office's activities in addressing Superannuation Guarantee non-compliance.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of Australian Financial Security Authority’s (AFSA) management of conflicts of interest.

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

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of Department of Defence's procurement and implementation of the myClearance system to date.

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

The objective of the audit was to examine the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment’s effectiveness in implementing the Regional Land Partnerships program.

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.

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 the effectiveness of the administration of grants for the Try, Test and Learn Fund transition projects.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the establishment of the Workforce Australia Services panel.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Defence's management of the disposal of specialist military equipment.

The aim of Audit Lessons is to communicate lessons from our audit work and to make it easier for people working within the Australian public sector to apply those lessons.

This edition is targeted at security, information communications technology (ICT) and human resources officials responsible for managing ICT system access and the offboarding process for employees and contractors separating from an entity.

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

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the design and award of funding for Round 6 of the Mobile Black Spot Program.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Home Affairs' management of family-related visas.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of administration of physical security in the revised Protective Security Policy Framework.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the department’s regulation of appliance and equipment energy efficiency standards.

The audit objective was to examine entity compliance with regulatory requirements for the establishment and ongoing management of special appropriations.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Taxation Office’s procurement of IT managed services.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the Bureau of Meteorology is effectively managing assets in its observing network.

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 the audit was to examine the effectiveness of the Department of Defence’s administration of contractual obligations to maximise Australian industry participation.

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 NDIA’s management of claimant compliance with NDIS claim requirements.

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 examine the effectiveness of DAFF’s administration of the Digital Services to Take Farmers to Markets (TFTM) program.

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

The objective of this audit was to examine the effectiveness of the Department of Defence's administration of contractual obligations relating to the Defence Industry Security Program.

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 National Recovery and Resilience Agency's administration of the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

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

The Australian Government undertakes investments through a range of models, including private sector investments, to achieve policy and investment outcomes. This audit would assess the effectiveness of the management of a selection of investments to ensure value for money, transparency and return on the investment is achieved. The audit would consider design, implementation, oversight, governance and reporting arrangements for the selected investments.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Defence’s arrangements to manage the security authorisation of its ICT systems.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Office of Financial Management’s (AOFM) management of the Australian Government’s debt.

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 Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s (AMSA) management of the Aids to Navigation maintenance procurement.

The Australian Customs Service (Customs) is responsible for managing the integrity of Australia's border. The Australian maritime border is the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around Australia's 37 000 kilometre coastline. The National Marine Unit (NMU) contributes to customs' Civil Maritime Surveillance and Response program. It has eight 35 - metre Bay Class vessels (known as Australian Customs Vessels or ACVs) that are capable of maintaining a strategic presence around the Australian coast. The audit examined the administrative effectiveness of the NMU's surveillance and response operations. Particular emphasis was given to the following areas:

• strategic and tactical taskings;
• crew operations;
• crew training;
• asset management; and
• governance arrangements.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of the Treasury’s design and implementation of the Measuring What Matters framework.

The objective of this audit was to assess whether the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is effectively preparing for the 2021 Census.