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 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 effectiveness of Services Australia's management of social security and welfare debt. 

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of Comcare’s administration of claims for Australian Government entities under its workers’ compensation scheme.

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 and efficiency of the management of threatened species and ecological communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

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 this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the National Recovery and Resilience Agency's administration of the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

This audit would examine whether the Pacific Maritime Security Program has been designed and implemented effectively.

The 2023 Defence Strategic Review and 2024 National Defence Strategy emphasised the increasing economic, military and strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific and re-iterated the strategic importance of Defence’s Pacific Maritime Security Program. The program commenced in 2015 with the award of two contracts to Austal, comprising a construction contract for 24 Guardian Class Patrol Boats to be gifted to 12 Pacific Island countries and a sustainment contract for in-service support work for seven years. As of November 2024, 22 of the boats had been delivered and the reported values of the contracts were $493.8 million and $172.7 million, respectively. Other aspects of the program involve the provision of related infrastructure, disposal of the 22 previously gifted vessels and deployment of 33 technical advisors to assist with capacity building in the Pacific Island countries. This audit would include examining the objectives of the program and the extent to which those objectives have been achieved.

This audit would examine the effectiveness of Defence’s management of the Integrated Investment Program with a focus on Defence’s costing and approval processes for the projects that comprise the IIP.

The Integrated Investment Program sets out the specific defence capabilities the government will invest in to give effect to the 2024 National Defence Strategy (NDS). The government announced in the 2024–25 Budget process an additional $5.7 billion over the next four years to 2027–28 and $50.3 billion over the next decade to 2033–34, above the previous trajectory over that period. The total funding of $765 billion over the decade includes $330 billion in allocated funding for the capabilities set out in the Integrated Investment Program.

This audit would provide assurance to the Parliament on Defence’s processes for managing its Integrated Investment Program and its reported program and project costs.

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 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 effectiveness of the Department of Social Services' fraud control arrangements.

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 Defence’s administration of allowances and entitlements paid to its Australian Public Service (APS) employees.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of Industry Innovation and Science Australia's, the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources', and the Australian Taxation Office's administration of the Research and Development Tax Incentive program.

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

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the Department of Human Services’ management of Smart Centres’ Centrelink telephone services.

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

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

The purpose of the audit was to ascertain the extent to which financial management arrangements helped the department to achieve its objectives and the way that these could be improved in the light of the department's management reforms generally.

Elements of the Financial Management Improvement Program, and the accrual reporting framework, were at an evolutionary stage in the department. The audit therefore focused on quite fundamental financial management issues, including:

• the ability of financial management systems to provide information that was timely, accurate and relevant to the needs of management and other users; and
• the extent of coordination and control of financial management across departmental programs and between National and State Offices.

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

The audit objective was to examine whether the Department of Defence provides an efficient and effective security vetting service for Australian Government entities through the Australian Government Security Vetting Agency.

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 audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the administration of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation's (CSIRO's) Gift to the Science and Industry Endowment Fund.

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).

This audit would examine the effectiveness of the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s (Health’s) implementation of star ratings for residential aged care.

The star ratings system was introduced in December 2022. An overall star rating and star ratings in four categories (compliance, residents’ experience, staffing and quality measures) are assigned to residential aged care services on a public facing website (My Aged Care) operated by Health. The star rating system aims to help older Australians and their representatives make more informed choices about their care and to help aged care providers to see where they are performing well and how they can improve. In October 2024 the Commonwealth Ombudsman made a public statement expressing a view that star ratings were not sufficiently meaningful to help people make informed decisions about their aged care. From November to December 2024 Health ran a consultation process on planned design changes to star ratings. Health has stated that an evaluation report was expected to be provided to the Australian Government in early 2025.

This is the second e-newsletter of the Commonwealth Auditors General Group. These e-newsletters are a genuine effort to share experiences, challenges and engage in thought-provoking discussions on topics which are common to the fifty-three member countries of the Commonwealth.

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

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

The audit objective was to examine Defence’s administration of Materiel Sustainment Agreements (MSAs) and the contribution made by MSAs to the effective sustainment of specialist military equipment.