Browse our range of reports and publications including performance and financial statement audit reports, assurance review reports, information reports and annual reports.
The objective of this report was to provide the Auditor‐General’s independent assurance over the status of the selected Major Projects, as reflected in the Statement by the Secretary of Defence, and the Project Data Summary Sheets (PDSSs) prepared by Defence, in accordance with the Guidelines endorsed by the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit.
The objective of this report is to provide the Auditor-General’s independent assurance over the status of the selected Major Projects, as reflected in the Statement by the Secretary of Defence, and the Project Data Summary Sheets (PDSSs) prepared by Defence, in accordance with the Guidelines endorsed by the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit.
This edition is targeted at those responsible for implementing internal policies and controls on the receipt of gifts, benefits and hospitality in Australian Government entities. 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.
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The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the governance of the Northern Land Council under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976, the Native Title Act 1993 and the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013.
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The objective of this report is to provide the Auditor‐General’s independent assurance over the status of the selected Major Projects. The status of the selected Major Projects is reported in the Statement by the Secretary of Defence and the Project Data Summary Sheets (PDSSs) prepared by Defence, in accordance with the Guidelines endorsed by the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA).
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The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the governance of the Northern Land Council in fulfilling its responsibilities and obligations under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976, Native Title Act 1993 and Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013.
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- Publication of regulator Statement of Expectations and the responding Statement of Intent promotes transparency and accountability which is important because high-quality regulation is important for the protection and proper functioning of the economy, society and the environment.
- Policy owners are stewards of that policy. In accordance with the Australian Public Service value of stewardship, this means that policy owners must accept the responsibility of stewardship, including planning for, monitoring and advising on adapting the policy for which they are accountable. Stewardship of a policy includes working with system partners; anticipating how changes in the environment and institutional settings across government can affect implementation; understanding the long-term impacts of the policy; and working to ensure the policy’s ongoing effectiveness.
The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) must comply with the Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs) when procuring goods and services. The CPRs govern how ANAO procures goods and services and are designed to ensure the ANAO and taxpayers obtain value for money.
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The ANAO responded to the emerging sector-wide risks for public administration by developing a strategy for a program of audits examining the delivery of the Australian Government’s COVID-19 pandemic response (COVID-19 audit strategy). The purpose of this information report was to summarise and consolidate the learnings from the audits and reviews conducted by the ANAO under the COVID-19 audit strategy.
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The report objective is to provide the Auditor-General’s independent assurance over the status of 30 selected Major Projects, as reflected in the Statement by the Chief Executive Officer Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO), and the Project Data Summary Sheets prepared by the DMO, in accordance with the Guidelines endorsed by the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit.
The major projects report (MPR) is an annual review of the Department of Defence’s major defence equipment acquisitions, undertaken at the request of the Parliament’s Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA).
The purpose of the MPR is to provide information and assurance to the Parliament on the performance of selected acquisitions as at 30 June 2021. This is the 14th MPR since its commencement in 2007–08.
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The ANAO provided a case study to SAI Russia, as a follow-up to the Moscow Declaration SAI Russia is publishing a collection of case studies and best practices of strategic approach to public auditing. The case study was titled Using data analytics for risk-based performance audit planning.
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- Public sector board members have of a duty to disclose and manage material personal interests. The composition of boards can include members who are appointed based on their specialist expertise and industry affiliations. This presents risks to corporate Commonwealth entities — the integrity of operations and functions of an entity can be compromised if conflicts of interest are not managed. Corporate Commonwealth entity boards should assess these risks and develop appropriate arrangements to manage conflicts of interest, including policies and procedures that are tailored to entity risks and training that is specific to board members’ roles. Establishing assurance activities over the management of board conflicts of interest can help to help to ensure arrangements are operating effectively.
- Meaningful engagement with stakeholders can help ensure the objectives of a program are practical, achievable and reflect the needs of the community. The department established multiple channels of engagement, including public surveys and workshops, which provided effective mechanisms to consult with a wide range of stakeholders. Entities should ensure sufficient time is allowed in the design phase for this consultative process to occur and be aware of stakeholder consultation fatigue and adjust approaches accordingly.
- The adequate and timely implementation of agreed audit recommendations is an important element of realising the full benefit of those recommendations. It also serves to demonstrate the entity’s commitment to improving public administration and being accountable to parliament.
- Ongoing consideration by senior executives and the accountable authority of the effectiveness of fraud controls, residual risk ratings and changes to environmental factors should be documented to meet requirements under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013, including when a decision has been made that no further action is required.
The audit objective was to examine the effectiveness of the Department of Defence’s administration of the Integrated Investment Program since 2016.
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The objectives of the audit were to provide assurance that Artbank was effectively meeting its charter of: acquiring art by contemporary artists; expanding the number of public places that Artbank's collection is rented and displayed; and managing its collection and rental scheme. The audit also examined Artbank's governance arrangements, and its programmes for marketing, client development, performance management, budgeting, debt management and also sought client feedback on Artbank's operations via a survey.
The objectives of this audit were to improve: the accountability of the Australian Taxation Office to Parliament and the Government by the provision of advice that follows up on the ATO's implementation of the previous ANAO Report; and on the recommendations of the then Joint Committee of Public Accounts arising from its consideration of that Report and the efficiency, effectiveness and equity of debt collection by the ATO.
The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of DEEWR‘s administration of the initial phases of the NP ECE. The high-level criteria used to make this assessment were the appropriateness of DEEWR‘s:
- establishment of a sound foundation for implementation, including implementation plans, monitoring arrangements and an Indigenous strategy for universal access; and
- ongoing monitoring and support activities, including assessing progress reports, making payments, maintaining relationships, improving data quality and public reporting.
The Auditor-General publishes an annual audit work program in July each year, which takes regard of the priorities of the Parliament as outlined in the Auditor-General Act. The purpose of the program is to inform the Parliament, government sector entities and the public of the audits we propose to deliver throughout the financial year. The program covers financial statement and performance audits, and other assurance activities.
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The Commonwealth Parliament regulates Australian Government entities through the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act — the PGPA Act. The Act establishes a system of governance, performance and accountability for resources managed by entities. This edition of audit insights looks at recent ANAO audit activity reviewing entities implementation of key components of the PGPA: risk management, corporate planning and performance statements.
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- The Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 states that the accountable authority of a Commonwealth entity has a duty to encourage cooperation with others and must encourage officials of the entity to cooperate with others to achieve common objectives where practicable. Entities that share a similar operating context or operate under the same legislative framework should collaborate where practicable to address common risks and challenges. This provides an opportunity for entities to learn from each other’s experiences and adopt better practice.
- Public service stewardship is underpinned by effective records management that enables entities to anticipate and plan, record and measure outcomes, and learn and adapt. Effective records management aligned to the principle of stewardship involves entities going above minimal compliance with mandatory requirements and meeting the intent of the Archives Act 1983.
In late 1996, the Government announced its commitment to establish new facilities for the National Museum of Australia and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies on Acton Peninsula in Canberra. The objectives of the audit were to examine the project's compliance with the Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines for the procurement of public works and effectiveness of the project's management.
The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s administration of the Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy. The ANAO examined whether the department had established effective:
- administrative and governance arrangements to support NAQS;
- processes for identifying biosecurity risks and conducting scientific activities to address identified risks;
- arrangements for managing the quarantine aspects of Torres Strait border movements; and
- public awareness activities that reflect identified biosecurity risks and support the program’s objectives.
The aim of Insights: 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 of Insights: Audit Lessons is targeted at risk practitioners and officials responsible for government operations, projects, programs, services and regulatory activities. It would also be useful for accountable authorities, their senior executives and audit and risk committees.
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The objective of this audit was to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority’s administration of parliamentary expenses.
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In April 2002, the ANAO tabled Audit Report No.40 2001-02 Corporate Governance in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation ( the 2002 audit). In August 2003, the ABC submitted a report to the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) on its progress in implementing the recommendations from the 2002 audit and the JCPAA report. This follow-up audit examined the ABC's implementation of recommendations from both reports, using the ABC's progress report as its base.