The Auditor-General (A/g) responded on 6 October 2015 to correspondence from the Hon Richard Marles MP on 30 August 2015 regarding training that has been provided to officials within Australian Border Force (ABF) since its inception on 1 July.

Defence has long provided housing assistance for members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and their families. In 1988, this function passed to the Defence Housing Authority (DHA), which was established to provide suitable housing to meet Defence's operational needs. In 2000, Defence and DHA signed a Services Agreement valued at $3.5 billion over 10 years. The objective of the audit was to assess whether Defence's management of its housing and relocation services provided for ADF members meets specified requirements; and to make practical recommendations for more efficient, effective and economical use of public resources provided for this purpose.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of DHS’ implementation of initiatives to support the delivery of services to Indigenous Australians.

The audit objective was to assess how four key departments: Education, Science and Training (DEST); Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR); Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaCSIA); and Health and Ageing (DoHA) are implementing the Government's policy objective for Indigenous service delivery.

This edition of Audit Insights summarises key messages for all Australian Government entities from a series of recent Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) performance audits assessing the delivery of key components of the Australian Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It discusses the importance of planning, good governance and sound risk management in managing an emergency such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

The audit examined the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission's (ATSIC's) grant management practices. The audit sought to determine if ATSIC provides fair and equal access to funding, what the risks to the grants program are, if decision-makers receive the key information they need to make informed funding decisions, and if ATSIC staff complying with grants procedures. The ANAO did not examine the appropriateness of the funding decisions made by regional councils.

A Business Support Process audit of the administration of grants in small to medium organisations was undertaken across six Commonwealth organisations to assess whether agencies had implemented appropriate risk management strategies for grant programs; evaluate whether grants had been administered in accordance with the appropriate legislation, Commonwealth guidance, and other accepted internal controls; and to recommend improvements in the controls and practices relating to grants administration.

The audit reviewed the management of the first round of Job Network contracts, which focused on Job Matching, Job Search Training and Intensive Assistance. The objective of the audit was to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the Department of Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business's management of the first round of employment services contracts. A key part of this examination was to assess the Department's level of confidence that the program was meeting government objectives based on performance and management information.

The audit reviewed the recordkeeping frameworks of four large Commonwealth organisations. The objective of the audit was to assess whether recordkeeping policies, systems and procedures were in accordance with relevant Government policies, legislation, accepted standards and recordkeeping principles, and applicable organisational controls.

While recognising the diversity of administrative requirements for different special payments, the audit provides a basis for comparison of performance across 14 different agencies in 1997-98 and progress made since the then Joint Committee of Public Accounts report 342 The administration of specific purpose payments. The objectives of the audit were to:

• identify and benchmark current practices in the management of performance information within SPP agreements;
• document the lessons learned including better practice from different agencies;
• provide a longitudinal analysis of progress since 1995; and
• provide practical guidance for the development and implementation of appropriate performance information systems and accountability.

The objective of the audit was to review Defence's management of the HQJOC Project's tender process, including probity management, for the construction of the joint operation headquarters in order to provide assurance that the policy principles for the use of private financing had been followed.

The sale of leases for the 14 Phase 2 Federal airports was completed by 30 June 1998, in accordance with the Government's timetable. This represented a significant achievement given that it constituted the largest completed airport trade sales program in the world to that date and achieved the Government's sales objectives.

The audit reviewed the operations of the Bureau of Meteorology. The Bureau's functions include the taking and recording of meteorological observations and other observations required for the purposes of meteorology; the forecasting of weather and of the state of the atmosphere; the issue of warnings of weather conditions likely to endanger life or property; the supply, publication and promotion of meteorological information; and cooperation with international meteorological agencies in relation to the functions just listed. The objectives of the audit were to:

• use national and international benchmarks to evaluate the Bureau's performance in terms of timeliness, cost and quality of weather services to meet the needs of clients; and
• assess how well the Bureau is placed in measuring its outputs/outcomes within the context of the Accrual Budgeting Framework.

The objective of this report is to provide the Auditor-General’s independent assurance over the status of selected Major Projects, as reflected in the Project Data Summary Sheets (PDSSs) prepared by the DMO, and the Statement by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) DMO. Assurance from the ANAO’s review of the preparation of the PDSSs by the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) is conveyed in the Auditor-General’s Independent Review Report, prepared pursuant to the endorsed Guidelines, contained in Part 3.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of Defence's procurement and contract management for the provision of Garrison Support Services.

The Age Pension is a social security income support payment available to Australian residents and eligible Australians residing overseas who have reached Age Pension age and whose income and assets are under certain limits. In 1999-2000, approximately $14 billion was paid to approximately 1.7 million Age Pension recipients. Payment of Age Pension is made under the Social Security Law and in accordance with the Guide to the Social Security Law prepared by the Department of Family and Community Services (FaCS). FaCS has contracted Centrelink under a Business Partnership Agreement (BPA) to administer the payment of Age Pension to eligible customers. The objective of the audit was to assess the extent to which new claims for Age Pension had been assessed in compliance with the legislation and other relevant guidelines developed by Centrelink, and whether Centrelink employed appropriate mechanisms to help ensure such compliance. In particular, the ANAO sought evidence with respect to: payment at the right rate, from the right date, to the right person with the right product, for new claims assessed during the audit sample period (that is, in accordance with the working definition of accuracy within Centrelink); the accuracy of Centrelink?s own reporting on compliance, as reported to FaCS under the BPA; and the application of appropriate mechanisms to help ensure such compliance.

The Auditor-General (A/g) responded on 15 September 2015 to correspondence from the Hon Dr Sharman Stone MP on 11 September 2015 regarding Murray-Darling Basin Authority's (MDBA) implementation of the Basin Plan.

The objective of the audit was to report to Parliament on the progress Defence has made since June 2001 in implementing appropriate strategies for recruiting, developing and retaining skilled IT personnel. The audit focused on management of specialist information system skills and did not examine skills needed by users of information systems, although the latter is of obvious importance for overall performance. In June 2001, the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA), after reviewing the ANAO's Audit Report No. 11 Knowledge System Equipment Acquisition Projects in Defence, commented that its major concern about Defence's ability to develop a knowledge edge with adequate coherence, centred on Defence's ability to recruit, develop and retain skilled individuals needed in all parts of the DIE. The JCPAA recommended that the ANAO conduct an audit of Defence's strategies for recruiting, developing and retaining skilled IT personnel.

The objective of this audit was to examine the effectiveness of the Australian Federal Police’s, the Australian Financial Security Authority’s and the Attorney-General’s Department’s administration of property and funds under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

The objective of this audit was to assess ARPANSA's management of the regulation of Commonwealth radiation and nuclear activities to ensure the safety of their radiation facilities and sources.

The audit reviewed the Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement (CSHA). CSHA is a joint arrangement between the Commonwealth and the States under which both the Commonwealth and the States contribute funding in the form of grants, which are used by State Housing Authorities to provide a variety of housing assistance programs to households on low incomes and those with special needs. The overall objective of the audit was to assess and report to Parliament on how effectively the Department of Family and Community Services (FaCS - formerly the Department of Social Security) administered the CSHA and to identify any areas where improvements could be made.

The objective of the audit was to review the efficiency, economy and administrative effectiveness of departmental activities leading to the letting of the contract with SPCL and its subsequent administration. This included, among other things, an examination of action taken to protect the Commonwealth's interests and the adequacy of relevant departmental guidelines and processes. A primary aim of the audit was to identify the facts of the particular case, including any administrative inadequacies that led to unnecessary financial exposure for the Commonwealth and less than satisfactory outcomes. In particular, the audit aimed to identify elements of better practice that could be followed under similar circumstances or programs in the future.

Information about ANAO events and seminars including the financial and performance reporting forum and the audit committee chairs forum.

The objective of the current audit was to assess the effectiveness of remediation arrangements put in place by Defence and the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) to resolve issues impacting on the achievement of the desired lightweight torpedo capability. It focuses on project management and contractual arrangements, and the progress made with platform integration and test and evaluation.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Health’s management of the National Medical Stockpile.

Pursuant to a request from the Senate Finance and Public Administration References Committee and the Auditor - General's response to the Committee, the objective of this performance audit was to examine and report on the selection of the preferred tenderer in the Health Group IT outsourcing process. In particular, the audit examined the circumstances surrounding OASITO's administration of the: - disclosure to a tenderer of information provided by other tenderers; - subsequent acceptance of a late re-pricing offer from a tenderer: and - advice to the decision- maker leading to the selection of the preferred tenderer. The audit focused particularly on assessing the administrative processes undertaken in the selection of the preferred tenderer for the Health Group. Audit emphasis was placed on the management of the probity aspects of the tender process, particularly in regard to events that occurred between June 1999, when the tenderers provided their penultimate pricing, and the selection of the preferred tenderer in September 1999.

The objective of this benchmarking study of the finance function was to obtain and report on over time, quantitative and qualitative data, relating to finance function activities as they operate in Commonwealth organisations. Over the three year period of the study, the majority of participating Commonwealth organisations have shown an improvement in their quantitative and/or qualitative benchmark results across the range of finance function activities. The Report does not provide specific reasons for differences in performance. However, it does provide guidance as to some of the better practices that participating organisations, and the wider public sector, may wish to adopt, or adapt in order to achieve improved performance in the activities of the finance function.

The Acting Auditor-General responded on 11 May 2017, and the Auditor-General followed-up on 19 July 2017, to correspondence from Ms Cathy McGowan AO MP dated 10 April 2017. Ms McGowan had requested that the Auditor-General conduct an audit of the Regional Australia Impact Statement process, which is administered by the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development.

The overall objective of the audit was to assess AusAID's management of commercial contracts to deliver Australia's overseas aid program. To this end, the audit examined whether:

• there are sound supporting structures for contract management;
• AusAid effectively manages risks;
• contracts clearly define deliverables;
• services are delivered and payments are made in accordance with the contract;
• there are appropriate arrangements to manage contractor performance;
• strategies appropriately assess and allocate risk between AusAid and contractors; and
• contracts deliver the desired aid outcomes.

The objective of this audit was to examine whether Army effectively administers the Army Individual Readiness Notice to support the achievement of its purpose.

The audit examined how well performance information for programs administered by the (now) Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs (DEETYA) facilitates good decision-making and provides a suitable framework for control and accountability for performance.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the controls employed by the Department of Family and Community Services (FACS) and Centrelink to ensure the correctness of payments made under the Age Pension program were effective and efficient. The ANAO focused on:

• business arrangements between FACS and Centrelink and the Business Assurance Framework;
• whether the source of error was correctly attributed in customer records assessed by FACS and Centrelink as containing an error in the 2000-01 Age Pension Random Sample Survey:
• the correctness of Centrelink's processing of reassessments, including Pensioner Entitlements Reviews, Customer Initiated Reassessments and automated reassessments: and
• progress in implementing the recommendations of previous ANAO audits concerning the preventive quality controls that underpin correct payments.

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 the effectiveness of Services Australia’s arrangements for the management of contractors.

The audit objective was to examine whether the Department of Defence implemented a selection of agreed parliamentary committee recommendations and ANAO performance audit recommendations.

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

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 audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Taxation Office's (ATO) strategies and activities to address the cash and hidden economy.

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 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 Australian Security Intelligence Organisation's workforce planning to support key activities.

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 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 examine the effectiveness of the design and early implementation of the National Soil Strategy and the supporting National Soil Action Plan.

The objective of this audit was to examine the effectiveness of the National Indigenous Australians Agency’s management of provider fraud and non-compliance risks.

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 assess the effectiveness of the administration of the commuter car park projects within the Urban Congestion Fund.

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 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 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 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 the audit was to continue to examine the progress of the implementation of the annual performance statements requirements under the PGPA Act and the PGPA Rule by the selected entities. The audit was also designed to:

• provide insights to entities more broadly, to encourage improved performance; and
• continue the development of the ANAO’s methodology to support the possible future implementation of annual audits of performance statements.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the management of cyber security risks by three government business enterprises or corporate Commonwealth entities. The entities selected for audit are ASC Pty Ltd, the Australian Postal Corporation and the Reserve Bank of Australia.

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

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

The audit objective was to examine the effectiveness of the Australian Skills Quality Authority’s planning and implementation of reform to the regulation of the vocational education and training sector.

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

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 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 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 the audit was to assess whether the Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) had complied with gifts, benefits and hospitality requirements.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Health’s implementation of the National Ice Action Strategy (NIAS).

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

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 Australian Taxation Office’s (ATO) management of transfer pricing for related party debt.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Taxation Office’s management and oversight of fraud control arrangements for the administration of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

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

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

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

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 Australian Taxation Office's effectiveness in meeting its revenue and resourcing commitments for the Tax Avoidance Taskforce.

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

The audit objective was to assess whether Services Australia appropriately managed risks to operating the current welfare payment system and appropriately prepared to transition to the future system.

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

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 extent to which the Department of Human Services (Human Services) has implemented the recommendations made by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) in Auditor-General Report No. 37 of 2014–15 Management of Smart Centres’ Centrelink Telephone Services; as well as Human Services’ performance against call wait time and call blocking metrics.

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness of the design and implementation of the clear read principle under the Commonwealth Resource Management Framework.

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 the effectiveness of the Department of Defence’s preparations for the introduction of the Joint Strike Fighter into Australian service and its subsequent sustainment. 

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

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

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

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 the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Defence’s procurement of Hunter class frigates and the achievement of value for money to date.

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

The audit objective was to examine whether the design and conduct of the procurement process for delivery partners for the Entrepreneurs’ Programme complied with the Commonwealth Procurement Rules, and whether the signed contracts are being appropriately managed.

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 examine the efficiency of the processing of applications for citizenship by conferral by the Department of Home Affairs.

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

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

The objective of this audit was to assess whether the National Library of Australia and National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) have implemented effective collection management practices.

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 Auditor-General responded on 2 August 2021 to correspondence from the Hon Catherine King MP and Mr Andrew Giles MP dated 7 July 2021, requesting an audit into the entirety of the Morrison Government's $4.8 billion Urban Congestion Fund.

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

The objective of this audit is to assess whether the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts effectively managed the approval and administration of the Australian Government’s $2.2 billion funding commitment towards Suburban Rail Loop East.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the management of threatened species and ecological communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

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

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 whether the Department of Defence’s Projects of Concern regime is effective in managing the recovery of underperforming projects.

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

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities had designed and implemented appropriate governance and administration arrangements for the transition and delivery of sustainable reforms to services on Norfolk Island.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness to date of the implementation of the Tourism 2020 strategy by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) and Tourism Australia.

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 audit objective was to assess selected entities’ compliance with the four mandatory ICT security strategies in the Australian Government Information Security Manual (ISM).

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

The objective of this audit was to assess whether the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) and the Australian War Memorial (the Memorial) have implemented effective collections management practices.

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 the audit was to assess the effectiveness to date of the Department of Defence’s implementation of its Pathway to Change — Evolving Defence Culture 2017–2022 cultural reform strategy.

The objective of this audit was to assess the department’s design, implementation and monitoring of select 2014–15 and 2015–16 Budget measures aimed at achieving $1.2 billion in savings and other benefits.

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

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