The Auditor-General responded on 10 September 2021 to correspondence from Ms Madeleine King MP and Senator the Hon Kristina Keneally dated 26 August 2021, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an investigation to examine the Beetaloo Cooperative Drilling Program because of probity concerns. 

The Auditor-General responded on 1 July 2021 to correspondence from the Hon Brendan O'Connor MP and Mr Tim Watts MP dated 5 June 2021, requesting that the Auditor-General consider initiating a performance audit into the use of provisional ICT accreditation within Defence. 

The Auditor-General responded on 23 December 2020 to correspondence from the Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP dated 8 December 2020, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an investigation to examine the JobKeeper scheme. The Auditor-General provided a follow-up response on 8 February 2021, advising the Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP that a performance audit Administration of the JobKeeper Scheme has commenced.

The Auditor-General responded on 26 March 2021 to follow-up correspondence from the Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP dated 2 March 2021, requesting that the Auditor-General explore specific aspects of the JobKeeper scheme. 

The Auditor-General responded on 20 January 2015 to correspondence from Senator Nick Xenophon of 9 December 2014 and Senator the Hon Kim Carr of 15 January 2015, on the advertising campaign on higher education issues.

The Auditor-General responded on 29 July 2021 to correspondence from Ms Michelle Rowland MP and Senator Kimberley Kitching dated 9 July 2021, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an investigation to examine NBN Co Limited executive bonuses for the 2019–2020 financial year and the legitimacy of the underlying targets to which the bonuses were linked. 

In this inaugural edition of audit insights, we look at the history and mandate of the Auditor-General of Australia, the functions delivered under the Auditor-General Act, the purpose of the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) and our relationship with the Australian Parliament.

The Auditor-General responded on 27 June 2017 to correspondence from Mr Andrew Wilkie MP dated 26 May 2017, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an audit of Centrelink's automated debt recovery programs.

The Auditor-General responded on 20 December 2024 to correspondence from the Hon Dr Anne Aly MP dated 26 November 2024, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an investigation to examine the administrative arrangements of the Inclusion Support Program (ISP).

The Auditor-General responded on 14 November 2019 to correspondence from the Minister for Finance, Senator the Hon Mathias Cormann, regarding annual performance statements audits. The Minister requested that the Auditor-General conduct a program of pilot assurance audits of annual performance statements of Commonwealth entities subject to the PGPA Act, in consultation with the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA). The Auditor-General has agreed to the request and proposes to conduct a pilot to audit the 2019–20 performance statements of three entities.

The Auditor-General responded on Thursday 27 February 2020 to correspondence from Senator Sarah Hanson-Young dated 16 February 2020, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an investigation to examine the eligibility guidelines and administration of grant funding arrangements set out under both the Environment Restoration Fund and Communities Environment Program, and the conduct of any relevant parties in relation to these grant funds. The Auditor-General provided a follow-up response to Senator Hanson-Young on 24 July 2020. 

The Auditor-General responded on 13 April 2022 to correspondence from Mr Adam Bandt MP dated 24 March 2022, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an investigation to examine the integrity of carbon credit methodology determinations made under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011, and the administration of the Act by the Clean Energy Regulator. 

The Auditor-General responded on 16 June 2021 to correspondence from Senator Malcolm Roberts dated 19 May 2021, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an investigation to examine the administration of Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements programs and funding. 

The Auditor-General responded on Thursday 27 February 2020 to correspondence from senators Janet Rice and Larissa Waters dated 7 February 2020, requesting that the Auditor-General investigate the decision-making process under the Community Sport Infrastructure — female facilities and water safety program, and the conduct of any relevant parties in relation to this matter. The Auditor-General provided a follow-up response to senators Rice and Waters on 24 July 2020. 

The Auditor-General responded on 18 June 2025 to correspondence from Senator David Shoebridge dated 23 May 2025, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct a review of the expenditure and disclosures of the Federal Court. 

The Auditor-General responded on 10 May 2018 to correspondence from Senators Patrick, Griff, Hanson-Young and Bernardi, Ms Rebekha Sharkie MP and the Hon. Tony Burke MP dated 24 April 2018, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an investigation to examine the purchases of water for environmental flows in the Murray-Darling Basin. The Auditor-General provided a follow-up response on 29 April 2019. 

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 Auditor-General responded on 9 September 2020 to correspondence from Ms Zali Steggall OAM, MP dated 24 August 2020, requesting that the Auditor-General consider an audit of the decisions and processes supporting the Commonwealth’s selection of 15 ‘major projects’ to fast-track under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. 

The Auditor-General responded on 6 October 2020 to correspondence from Senator Murray Watt dated 18 September 2020, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an investigation to examine the conduct of Senator Pauline Hanson, relevant government ministers — particularly the Minister for Sport, Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck and the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, the Hon Michael McCormack MP — and the relevant departments in relation to the announcement of $23 million in Commonwealth Government funding for the Victoria Park stadium in Rockhampton. Senator Watt also requested that the Auditor-General conduct an investigation to examine the assessment process of the project undertaken by the relevant government ministers and their departments before awarding the $23 million grant. 

The Auditor-General responded on 18 November 2019 to correspondence from Mr Andrew Giles MP, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an investigation to examine the effectiveness of the procurement to deliver a new global visa processing system.

The acting Auditor-General responded on 24 April 2024 to correspondence from Senator Janet Rice and Senator Penny Allman-Payne dated 27 March 2024, requesting the Auditor-General to conduct an audit of the contract between Miles Morgan Australia and the Department of Health and Aged Care to deliver the Future Fit program.

The acting Auditor-General made a follow-up response to Senator Penny Allman-Payne dated 5 July 2024, on conducting a performance audit into the Administration of the Future Fit Program.

The Auditor-General responded on 29 March 2019 to correspondence from Ms Cathy McGowan AO MP dated 5 March 2019, requesting that the Auditor-General investigate the conduct of a range of parties in relation to the announcement of grants under Round 3, Building Better Regions Fund. 

The Auditor-General undertook a limited assurance engagement of the Department of Finance’s management of the lease between the Commonwealth of Australia and the New South Wales Rifle Association over the Malabar Headland. The limited assurance engagement examined whether the management was, in all material respects, in accordance with the Commonwealth Property Management Framework.

The Auditor-General responded on 14 January 2020 to correspondence from the Hon Catherine King MP, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an investigation to examine programs supporting regional development and jobs growth. The Auditor-General also responded on 2 April 2020 to follow-up correspondence from the Hon Catherine King MP dated 3 March 2020, alerting the Auditor-General to evidence given in Senate estimates that relates to the original correspondence. The Auditor-General provided a follow-up response to the Hon Catherine King MP on 24 July 2020. 

The consolidated financial statements (CFS) present whole-of-government financial results inclusive of all Australian Government–controlled entities. Also presented are the financial statements of the general government sector (GGS) and disaggregated information on each of the sectors of government.

The Auditor-General responded on 17 June 2021 to correspondence from the Hon Mark Dreyfus QC, MP dated 21 May 2021, requesting that the Auditor-General conduct an investigation to examine how part-time members of the Social Services and Child Support Division and “sessional part-time members” in the Migration and Refugee Division of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal are being remunerated. 

The Auditor-General provided a follow-up response to the Hon Mark Dreyfus QC, MP on 17 December 2021. 

The aim of Audit Lessons is to communicate lessons from our audit work and to make it easier for people working within the Australian public sector to apply those lessons.

This edition is targeted at security, information communications technology (ICT) and human resources officials responsible for managing ICT system access and the offboarding process for employees and contractors separating from an entity.

The Australian National Audit Office Enterprise Agreement 2024–2027 was approved by the Fair Work Commission (FWC) on 22 March 2024 and operates from 29 March 2024. The agreement will nominally expire on 28 February 2027. The signatories page of this agreement is available on the FWC website.

The Auditor-General responded on 23 November 2017 to correspondence from Senators Abetz, Paterson and Reynolds dated 27 October 2017, requesting that the Auditor-General undertake an examination of the administration and governance arrangements relating to the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF). Following a request from Senator Abetz on 17 January 2018 for a more detailed response, the Auditor-General followed-up on 5 April 2018.

The Smartraveller public information campaign aims to reinforce the message that every traveller has a responsibility to ensure their own safety, and informs Australians of the consular assistance and travel advisory services provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

The Australian Public Service Commission's Delivering for Tomorrow: APS Workforce Strategy 2025 states that the Australian Public Service (APS) will continue to deploy a flexible approach to resourcing that strikes a balance between a core workforce of permanent public servants and the selective use of external expertise. This will mean a continuing mixed workforce approach, where APS employees and non-APS workers are used to deliver outcomes within agencies. In this context, the strategy highlights the value of ensuring that agencies take a structured approach to the use of non-APS employees.

In a series of three performance audits, the ANAO has examined the arrangements established by Services Australia, the Department of Veterans' Affairs and the Department of Defence for the use, engagement and management of contractors against the same audit objective and criteria.