This report provides a summary of the final audit results of the audits of the financial statements of all Australian government reporting entities, including the Consolidated Financial Statements for the Australian Government.

The report summarises the final results of the audits of the financial statements of Australian Government entities, being the second report this year on financial statements for the period ended 30 June 2003. It complements Audit Report No.61 2002-2003 Control Structures as part of the Audit of Financial Statements of Major Commonwealth Entities for the Year Ending 30 June 2003.

Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, Sydney, 30 Sept

The focus of this report is on the year end results of the financial statement audits of all general purpose reporting entities for the 2005–06 financial year. Financial management issues (where relevant) arising out of the audits and their relationship to internal control structures are also included in this report.

Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the Security in Government 2001 SES Seminar

Mr Ian McPhee - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the Canberra Evaluation Forum

Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the Security in Government 95 Conference, Canberra

The focus of this report is on the year end results of the financial statement audits of all general purpose reporting entities for the 2004–05 financial year. Financial management issues (where relevant) arising out of the audits and their relationship to internal control structures are also included in this report.

Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented to the Conference on 'Surviving the Year 2000 Computer Crisis' Canberra

Mr Ian McPhee - Auditor-General for Australia, presented for a video-conference of the International Federation of Accountants

Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the Medibank Private Executive Seminar Breakfast, Perth

Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the 2nd Taipai Corporate Governance Forum

The objective of the audit was to assess the adequacy and effectiveness of the Australian Electoral Commission’s implementation of those recommendations made in Report No. 28 2009–10 relating to:

• a more strategic approach to election workforce planning;
• the suitability and accessibility of polling booths and fresh scrutiny premises; and
• the transport and storage of completed ballot papers, in respect to matters not fully addressed in ANAO Audit Report No.31 2013–14.

The objective of Phase Two of the audit was to examine the efficiency and effectiveness of operations of ATSIC Central, State and Regional Offices in relation to the administration of the Community Development Employment Projects Scheme. The ANAO established key criteria to assess progress against the implementation of the Phase One recommendations and further assess the efficiency and effectiveness of CDEP administration. The main areas examined were: planning, including reports of progress against plans and the development and use of performance information; monitoring, including client feedback and the review process at the Regional Office level; the implementation and effectiveness of management information systems in relation to CDEP; and the development and implementation of quality assuranced processes at State/Regional level.

This was a follow-up of Audit Report No. 40 of 1997-98, Purchase of Hospital Services from State Governments. That audit examined the administration by the Department of Veterans' Affairs of the Purchase of Hospital Services from State Governments. The objective of this audit was to assess the extent to which the Department had implemented the nine recommendations of Report No. 40, taking account of any changed circumstances or administrative issues that the Department identified as affecting their implementation; and to offer continued assurance to the Parliament on the management of the purchase of hospital services.

This was a follow-up of Audit Report No. 29 2000-01, Review of Veterans' Appeals Against Disability Compensation Entitlement Decisions. That audit examined the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA's) and the Veterans' Review Board's (VRB's) management of the review of decisions for disability compensation. The objective of this audit was to assess the extent to which DVA and the VRB had implemented the four recommendations of Report No.29 2000-01, taking into account any changed circumstances, or new administrative issues, affecting implementation of these recommendations.

This audit would assess the effectiveness of the implementation of the APS Strategic Commissioning Framework by the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) and a selection of Australian Government entities.

The APSC issued the APS Strategic Commissioning Framework in October 2023. It is intended to strengthen APS capability through reduced reliance on contractors and consultants for core work. Under the framework, certain core functions must be done by the APS and must not be outsourced to an external workforce. At an APS-wide level these include: developing cabinet submissions; drafting legislation and regulation; leading policy formulation; and roles on an agency’s executive team. Other core functions should be brought back in-house: procurement; contract management; cost benefit analyses; grant administration; and program delivery.

The framework initially applies to all entities that employ staff under the Public Service Act 1999, but the APSC encourages all Australian Government entities to follow the framework. Entities are guided by the framework’s seven principles: start with rigorous planning; APS employment is the default; use APS networks first; use external support in limited circumstances; maximise the benefits and minimise the risk of any external arrangements; apply merit when converting roles; and monitoring and accountability. The APSC received $4.8 million in additional funding in 2024–25 to update and enhance the APS Employment Database to provide improved insights into the APS workforce.

The objective of the audit was to assess the extent to which the Department of the Environment and Energy has implemented the recommendations from ANAO Report No. 43 2013–14 and strengthened its framework for the delivery of its regulatory activities.

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.

Quality in the delivery of the ANAO’s audit services is critical in supporting the integrity of our audit reports and maintaining the confidence of the Parliament and public sector entities. The ANAO Corporate Plan 2023–24 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. This quality management framework and plan complements the corporate plan. It describes the ANAO’s system of quality management and reflects the ANAO’s responses to quality risks for the coming year.

The ANAO Quality Management Framework is the ANAO’s established system of quality management to provide the Auditor-General with reasonable assurance that the ANAO complies with the ANAO Auditing Standards and applicable legal and regulatory requirements, and reports issued by the ANAO are appropriate in the circumstances.

The quality management framework and plan component of this document identifies the ANAO’s quality objectives and key responses to address identified quality risks and to provide the Auditor-General with confidence that those responses are implemented and operating effectively.

The ANAO reports on the audit quality indicators that measure the ANAO’s performance against target benchmarks in the annual audit quality report published on the ANAO website. The audit quality report also provides transparency with respect to the implementation and operation of the responses to address quality risks for each component of the ANAO’s system of quality management.

Quality in the delivery of the ANAO’s audit services is critical in supporting the integrity of our audit reports and maintaining the confidence of the Parliament and public sector entities. The ANAO Corporate Plan 2024–25 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 activities and performance measures by which we will be held to account. This Quality Management Framework and Plan complements the Corporate Plan. It describes the ANAO’s system of quality management and reflects the ANAO's responses to quality risks for the coming year.

The ANAO Quality Management Framework is the ANAO’s established system of quality management to provide the Auditor-General with reasonable assurance that the ANAO complies with the ANAO Auditing Standards and applicable legal and regulatory requirements, and reports issued by the ANAO are appropriate in the circumstances.

The Quality Management Strategy and Plan component of this document identifies the ANAO’s quality objectives and key responses to address identified quality risks and to provide the Auditor-General with confidence that those responses are implemented and operating effectively.

The ANAO reports on the audit quality indicators that measure the ANAO’s performance against target benchmarks in the annual Audit Quality Report published on the ANAO website. The Audit Quality Report also provides transparency with respect to the implementation and operation of the responses to address quality risks for each component of the ANAO’s system of quality management.

Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented to the Australian Society of CPAs, Canberra

This report summarises audit and other related activities of the Australian National Audit Office in the period January to June 1998.

This report is an information document summarising the audit activities of the ANAO in the period January to June 1997.

This report summarises audit and other related activities of the Australian National Audit Office in the period January to June 1999.

In 2000, the ANAO tabled Audit Report No 49 1999-2000, Indigenous Land Corporation operations and performance. The 2000 audit made nine recommendations for improvement. This follow-up audit examined the Indigenous Land Corporation's implementation of the recommendations of the 2000 audit.

The ANAO regards integrity as a core value of the organisation — critical in sustaining the confidence of Parliament, strengthening public trust in government and delivering quality audit products. Maintaining strong institutional integrity is critical to the operations and reputation of the ANAO.

The ANAO Integrity Framework provides an overarching structure to the integrity control system, supporting our institution’s integrity. The framework serves to assist in ethical decision making and risk, fraud and misconduct management.

Beyond its control system, the ANAO maintains an enduring focus on promoting integrity as a value that is embedded in our work and culture. The ANAO recognises that integrity demands quality not only in our products but also in the behaviours of our people.

The ANAO Integrity Advisor supports the effective and ongoing application of the Integrity Framework by providing advice to staff regarding integrity matters. The Integrity Advisor is responsible for increasing integrity awareness across the organisation and for reporting annually to the ANAO Executive Board of Management on actions taken under the Framework. The Auditor-General has published the ANAO Integrity Framework and Report for 2022–23 to provide increased transparency of the measures we undertake to maintain a high-integrity culture in the ANAO.

The issues examined by the ANAO were considered on two levels. First, legal and ethical processes that focus on whether there are any impediments to the Government and public service implementing the CEIP in the way they have. The public interest issues turn largely on the question of whether the CEIP was for Government or party-political purposes. The other level on which these issues were considered is that of public accountability and the way in which decisions to spend public money are made. In turn, these issues raise questions about the relationship between, and authority of, the Government and Parliament. They may also involve consideration of what might be regarded as proper or responsible conduct by governments and the public service.

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 focus of this report is on the year end results of the financial statement audits of all general purpose reporting entities for the 2005–06 financial year. Financial management issues (where relevant) arising out of the audits and their relationship to internal control structures are also included in this report.