The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the administration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation targets in intergovernmental funding agreements in achieving policy objectives.

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

The audit objective was to review the effectiveness of the Department of Defence’s (Defence) arrangements for delivering selected non-platform sustainment.

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 the Environment and Energy’s design of the Threatened Species Prospectus.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether selected entities had appropriately justified the use of limited tender procurement and whether processes adopted met the requirements of the Commonwealth Procurement Rules.

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 objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of the Environment and Energy's design and implementation of the Reef Trust.

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 objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the design process for the Rural Research and Development for Profit Programme, including performance measurement and reporting arrangements.

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 assess the effectiveness of procurement complaints handling by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, the Department of Finance, the Department of Industry, Science and Resources and the Reserve Bank of Australia.

The audit objective was to assess the Department of Social Services and the Department of Human Services’ administration of Disability Support Pension eligibility and review processes.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection’s administration of health services in onshore immigration detention.

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 this audit was to examine the design and conduct of the award of funding under the Community Development Grants Program (CDGP).

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Human Services’ administration of the Assistance for Isolated Children Scheme.

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 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 objective of the audit was to assess the Department of Human Services' and the Department of Social Services’ management of selected fraud prevention and compliance Budget measures.

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 objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Education, Skills and Employment in managing the integrity of payments to employment service providers.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness and equity of the award of funding under the Clean Technology Program in the context of the program objectives and the Commonwealth’s grants administration framework.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of the Environment and Energy's award of funding under the 20 Million Trees Programme.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Taxation Office in achieving revenue commitments established under specific Budget-funded compliance measures.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the department’s management of non-compliance with the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 for unapproved therapeutic goods.

The Auditor-General responded on 22 April 2022 to correspondence from Senator the Hon Eric Abetz dated 28 March 2022, requesting that the ABC’s defamation case payment be included as a topic in the ANAO’s Annual Audit Work Program 2022–23. 

The objective of the audit was to assess the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service's administration of the Tariff Concession System.

The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) is hosting the 21st Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI) Congress 28–30 August 2018.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority’s (APVMA’s) implementation of reforms to agvet regulation and the extent to which the authority has achieved operational efficiencies and reduced the cost burden on regulated entities.

The objective of this audit was to examine the extent to which Australian Government entities have implemented the Digital Continuity 2020 policy, and how effectively the National Archives of Australia is monitoring, assisting, and encouraging entities to meet the specified targets of the policy.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the Department of Defence’s Projects of Concern regime is effective in managing the recovery of underperforming projects.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Taxation Office’s administration of annual compliance arrangements with large corporate taxpayers.

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness and appropriateness of the Department of Defence's management of its public communications and media activities.

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 development and administration of the Fifth Community Pharmacy Agreement (5CPA), and the extent to which the 5CPA has met its objectives.

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 examine whether the Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS) is being effectively administered, with the appropriate management of risks.

The audit objective was to assess whether the Department of Homes Affairs has appropriately managed the procurement of garrison support and welfare services for offshore processing centres in Nauru and PNG (Manus Island).

The objective of this audit was to assess the Australian Public Service Commission’s and selected entities’ implementation of the Australian Government’s Workplace Bargaining Framework.

The objective of the audit was to assess the Department of Social Services’ (Social Services) implementation and evaluation of the Cashless Debit Card trial.

The objective of this audit was to examine the effectiveness of the design and implementation of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s (PM&C’s) evaluation framework for the Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS), in achieving its purpose to ensure that evaluation is high quality, ethical, inclusive and focused on improving outcomes for Indigenous Australians.

The audit objective was to examine whether the selected entities have implemented a selection of agreed parliamentary committee and Auditor-General recommendations.

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

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.

This edition of audit insights covers audit reports tabled in Parliament during the fourth quarter of 2017–18 with a focus on the key learnings relating to cyber resilience. Cyber security is an increasing risk across government and one that requires attention by Accountable Authorities.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of cyber security risk mitigation strategies implemented by selected non-corporate Commonwealth entities to meet mandatory requirements under the Protective Security Policy Framework, and the support provided by the responsible cyber policy and operational entities.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Defence's planning and administrative arrangements to support the provision of emergency Defence Assistance to the Civil Community (DACC).

This audit examined the effectiveness of the National Archives of Australia’s implementation of the Building Trust policy and selected entities’ management of information assets (records, information and data).

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

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 the audit was to assess whether the procurement by the Department of the Environment and Energy of a replacement Antarctic icebreaking vessel will provide value with public resources.

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 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 implementation of the government response to the Black Economy Taskforce report.

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 objective of this audit was to assess whether the OneSKY tender was conducted so as to provide value with public resources and achieve required timeframes for the effective replacement of the existing air traffic management platforms.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the management of the Australian Public Service (APS) workforce in implementing the Australian Government’s COVID-19 priorities.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s regulation of permits and approvals within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

The objective of the audit was to examine Defence’s progress since 2007 in introducing into service a fully capable Tiger fleet and cost-effective sustainment arrangements.

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 assess the effectiveness of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in managing compliance with fair trading obligations.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Federal Police’s framework to ensure the lawful exercise of powers in accordance with applicable legislation.

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 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 the effectiveness of the child support collection arrangements between the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

The Auditor-General responded on 7 June 2021 to correspondence from Senator Sarah Hanson-Young dated 10 May 2021, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an investigation to examine the federal government’s spending on offsets for the Western Sydney Airport.

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 this audit was to examine the extent to which the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, now the Department of Home Affairs (the Department) has implemented the recommendations made by the ANAO in Audit Report #5 2016–17, Passenger Security Screening at Domestic Airports.

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

Audit Lessons — Management of Corporate Credit Cards is intended for officials working in financial management or governance roles with responsibility for the management of corporate credit cards.

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

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 the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Taxation Office’s engagement with tax practitioners in achieving efficient and effective taxation and superannuation systems.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Social Services’ role in implementing the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children 2010–2022 (the National Plan).

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 audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the implementation of the My Health Record system under the opt-out model.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the contract for the acquisition of the Civil Military Air Traffic Management System demonstrably represents value for money.

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness of Defence’s quarterly performance report as a mechanism to inform senior stakeholders about risks and issues in the delivery of capability to the Australian Defence Force.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness to date of the Department of Defence’s procurement and contract management of the Offshore Patrol Vessel program.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Taxation Office’s arrangements for identifying and reducing the income tax gap for individuals not in business.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development's regulation of passenger security screening at Australian domestic airports.

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 audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of selected departments’ implementation of deregulation initiatives.

The objective of this audit was to examine the effectiveness of the Department of Home Affairs’ management of its public communications and media activities.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness and value for money of Defence’s acquisition of a Battle Management System and a Tactical Communications Network through Land 200 Tranche 2 Work Packages B–D.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of the Environment’s and the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service’s management of compliance with the wildlife trade regulations under Part 13A of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

The audit examined whether the COVID-19 National Medical Stockpile (NMS) procurement requirement was met through effective planning and governance arrangements.

The Auditor-General responded on Thursday 27 February 2020 to correspondence from Mr Andrew Giles MP dated 4 February 2020, requesting that the Auditor-General undertake a performance audit of the Urban Congestion Fund. The fund is administered by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. The Auditor-General provided follow-up responses to Mr Giles MP on 24 July 2020 and 19 August 2020. 

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science in administering the low emission technologies for fossil fuels (LETFF) program.

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 audit objective was to examine whether selected entities in the Health and Education portfolios implemented the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit and other parliamentary inquiry report recommendations and agreed ANAO performance audit recommendations.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the design of, and award of funding under, the Living Safe Together grants programme.

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness of the Department of Defence’s planning, budgeting and implementation of an electronic health records solution for Defence personnel.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has effectively responded to recent unscheduled information technology (IT) system outages.

The objective of this audit was to assess whether the award of funding under the Disaster Ready Fund was effective and consistent with the published guidelines.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection’s identity verification arrangements for applicants in the Citizenship Program.

This edition of Audit Insights considers the approaches entities are taking to implement parliamentary and ANAO recommendations to improve public administration practices and outcomes. It updates and replaces the edition published in November 2019 and draws on audit reports released since then.

Parliamentary committee inquiries and ANAO performance audits identify risks to the successful delivery of outcomes and generally provide recommendations to address them. Tabling an agreed response to a parliamentary committee recommendation formalises government or entity commitment to the Parliament to implement the agreed action. Similarly, ANAO performance audit reports are prepared for presentation to Parliament and agreement to implement a recommendation made in an ANAO report is therefore a commitment to the Parliament.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of Defence’s management of the acquisition of medium and heavy vehicles, associated modules and trailers for the Australian Defence Force.

The audit objective was to determine whether selected grant programs are being administered efficiently by the Australia Council in relation to suitable comparators. The selected grant programs are collectively known as the Australia Council Grants Program.

The objective of this audit was to examine the effectiveness of selected non-corporate Commonwealth entities' arrangements for managing cyber security risks within their procurements and specific contracted providers under the Protective Security Policy Framework (PSPF).

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

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 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 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 the audit was to assess how effectively and efficiently the Australian Taxation Office managed contact centres as part of its overall service delivery.

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness of Navy’s strategy for recruiting and retaining personnel with specialist skills. The effective delivery of Navy capability depends on Navy having available sufficient numbers of skilled personnel to operate and maintain its fleet of sea vessels and aircraft, and conduct wide‑ranging operations in dispersed locations. Without the right personnel, Navy capability is reduced. Navy’s budget for 2014–15 included $1.86 billion in employee expenses.

The audit concluded that, in its strategic planning, Navy had identified its key workforce risks and their implications for Navy capability. To address these risks Navy had continued to adhere to its traditional ‘raise, train and sustain’ workforce strategy; developed a broad range of workforce initiatives that complemented its core approach; and sought to establish contemporary workforce management practices. However, long‑standing personnel shortfalls in a number of ‘critical’ employment categories had persisted, and Navy had largely relied on retention bonuses as a short‑ to medium‑term retention strategy.

Navy had developed a broad range of workforce initiatives, some designed specifically to address workforce shortages in its critical employment categories. To date, Navy had primarily relied on paying retention bonuses and other financial incentives; recruiting personnel with prior military experience to work in employment categories with significant workforce shortfalls; and using Navy Reserves in continuous full time roles. Ongoing work was required for Navy to firmly establish a range of promising workforce management practices, including providing the right training at the right time; more flexible approaches to managing individuals’ careers; and improving workplace culture, leadership and relationships. More flexible and tailored workforce management practices could help address the underlying causes of workforce shortfalls, particularly when the traditional approaches were not gaining sufficient traction.

The ANAO made two recommendations aimed at Navy: drawing on external human resource expertise to inform the development and implementation of its revised workforce plan; and evaluating the impact of retention bonuses on the Navy workforce to determine their future role within its overall workforce strategy.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of NBN Co’s service continuity operations relating to the migration of telecommunication services to the National Broadband Network (NBN).

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 audit objective was to re-assess the three entities' compliance with the 'Top Four' mandatory strategies in the Australian Government Information Security Manual (ISM). The audit also aims to examine the typical challenges faced by entities to achieve and maintain their desired ICT security posture.

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

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness of planning and delivery of the security upgrade capital works program at Parliament House by the Department of Parliamentary Services.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Social Services' administration of Early Intervention Services for Children with Disability.

The objective of this audit was to examine the efficiency of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau’s (ATSB’s) investigation of transport accidents and safety occurrences.

Procurement is a significant public sector activity worth $47.4 billion in 2016–17. This information report seeks to provide greater transparency on procurement activity in the Australian public sector. This information report is neither an audit nor an assurance review and presents no conclusions or opinions. The report presents in a variety of ways, including tables and figures, publicly available data from public sector procurement activity.

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness of the design and governance of the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the Department of Health effectively procured services to operate a National Cancer Screening Register.

The objective of this audit was to assess how effectively the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) administers the science and technology work it undertakes for the Australian Defence Organisation.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Taxation Office’s (ATO) and Treasury’s management of compliance with foreign investment obligations for residential real estate.