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

This annual report documents the performance of the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) in the financial year ending on 30 June 2015. It addresses the Requirements for Annual Reports for Departments, Executive Agencies and Other Non‑corporate Commonwealth Entities approved by the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit in June 2015; the performance measures set out in the outcome and programs framework in the 2014–15 Portfolio Budget Statements; section 28 of the Auditor‑General Act 1997; and other annual reporting requirements set out in legislation.

Mr Mr Ian McPhee - Auditor-General for Australia, presentation to the Global Working Group of Auditors-General

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.

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 Global Working Group Meeting, Washington

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.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Attorney-General’s Department’s administration of the Indigenous Legal Assistance Programme.

Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the Global Working Group Meeting, Wellington, New Zealand

Mr Ian McPhee - Auditor-General for Australia, presented to the Global Working Group 10th Annual Meeting, Norway

The Auditor-General responded on 20 April 2018 to correspondence from the Hon. Dr Mike Kelly MP dated 6 April 2018, requesting an audit of the administration of the Regional Jobs and Investment Packages (RJIP) program, specifically as it relates to the allocation of grant funding between electorates. The Acting Auditor-General followed-up on 23 January 2019 to advise Dr Kelly that an audit of the Regional Jobs and Investment Packages has now commenced.

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

The audit objectives were to examine the effectiveness of Defence’s management of the test and evaluation (T&E) aspects of its major capital equipment acquisition program; and to report on Defence’s progress in implementing T&E recommendations made in the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee’s August 2012 report, Procurement procedures for Defence capital projects.

The objective of the audit was to assess DoHA's administration of building certification of residential aged care homes. The ANAO examined DoHA's arrangements to: plan for, and report on, the certification program; manage the delivery of certification services; and manage stakeholder relations.

The audit did not seek to validate assessments made under the program by DoHA's contracted assessor and, therefore, does not form an opinion on whether residential aged care homes should or should not have been certified.

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

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.

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

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the administration of grants for the Try, Test and Learn Fund transition projects.

Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, address presented at the Australian National University

The objective of this audit was to assess whether the design and implementation of the Australian Apprenticeships Incentive System by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations is effective.

The purpose of this information report is to provide transparency of, and insights on, Commonwealth entities’ self-reporting of procurement contracts on AusTender. This information report is neither an audit or assurance review and presents no conclusions or opinions. The report is presented in a variety of ways, including tables, figures, and publicly available data from public sector procurement activity recorded in AusTender.

Audit Lessons — Official Travel is aimed at officials who undertake, manage or oversee domestic and international travel arrangements in Australian Government entities.

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.

Consistent with the ANAO's practices, and in response to a request from AusAID, a follow-up audit was conducted in the period May to November 1998 to assess the extent of implementation of the recommendations of a 1996 audit into the Management of Funding to Non-Government Organisations (NGOs)and whether the implementation of recommendations has effectively improved the management of funding to NGOs. The ANAO examined AusAID's key funding accountability documentation, tested the revised accountability arrangements and consulted a number of key stakeholders, including NGO representatives.

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 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 assess whether the award of funding under the Safer Communities Fund was effective and consistent with the Commonwealth Grant Rules and Guidelines.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of FaHCSIA’s administration of the HAF. To address this objective, the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) assessed FaHCSIA’s administration against a range of audit criteria, including the extent to which:

• assessment and approval processes were soundly planned and implemented, and were consistent with the requirements of the overarching financial management framework;
• appropriately structured funding agreements were established and managed for each approved grant; and
• the performance of the HAF, including each of the funded projects, was actively monitored and reported.