The Audit Committee Chairs Forum is a joint initiative of the Department of Finance and the ANAO and includes the general government and non-general government sector Audit Committee Chairs. This communique covers the outcomes of the discussion at the forum on 7 June 2017 including updates from the Auditor-General and the ANAO, and from the Department of Finance.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Research Council’s (ARC’s) administration of the National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP).

The audit objective was to assess the Australian Taxation Office’s effectiveness in managing complaints.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Finance’s administration of the Parliamentary Expenses Management System project.

The objective of the audit was to examine the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment’s effectiveness in implementing the Regional Land Partnerships program.

An Audit Committee Chairs Forum was held at the Hotel Realm on Friday, 9 December 2022. The communique from the forum is now available here.

The Auditor-General is assisted by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) in delivering against the mandate established by the Auditor-General Act 1997. Under the Act, the ANAO consists of the Auditor-General and staff.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Clean Energy Regulator’s crediting and selection of carbon abatement to purchase under the Emissions Reduction Fund.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection’s (DIBP) management of compliance with visa conditions. To form a conclusion against this objective, the ANAO assessed whether DIBP:

• effectively manages risk and intelligence related to visa holders’ non-compliance with their visa conditions;
• promotes voluntary compliance through targeted campaigns and services that are appropriate and accessible to the community;
• conducts onshore compliance activities that are effective and appropriately targeted; and
• has effective administrative arrangements to support visa holders’ compliance with their visa conditions.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the administration of the Defence Home Ownership Assistance Scheme by the Department of Defence and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

The audit objective was to assess whether the Department of Defence's (Defence's) arrangements for the operation and maintenance of the Mulwala and Benalla facilities beyond June 2020 were established through appropriate processes and in accordance with the Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs).

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC) supports good governance in Indigenous corporations consistent with the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (CATSI).

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Reinsurance Pool Corporation’s (ARPC) management of the Terrorism Reinsurance Scheme.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Human Services’ administration of the Assistance for Isolated Children Scheme.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Health’s administration of the Medical Specialist Training Program.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s regulation of unsolicited communications.

The objective of the audit was to examine whether selected entities implemented agreed ANAO performance audit, the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit, and other parliamentary committee recommendations.

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.

The audit objective was to assess whether the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has effectively established and implemented the Indigenous Advancement Strategy to achieve the outcomes desired by government.

Please note: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images of deceased people.

The audit objective was to examine the effectiveness of Defence’s sustainment arrangements for Navy’s Canberra class fleet of amphibious assault ships (or LHDs).

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness to date of the Department of Defence’s procurement of six evolved Cape class patrol boats.

The objective of this audit was to examine whether the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications exercised appropriate due diligence in its acquisition of the ‘Leppington Triangle’ land for the future development of the Western Sydney Airport.

The audit objective was to assess whether Defence achieves value for money in the procurement of fuels.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the governance board in the Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation.

The objective of this audit was to assess whether the Productivity Commission is effectively managing the use of corporate credit cards for official purposes in accordance with legislative and entity requirements.

The objective of this audit was to assess the extent to which the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (Agriculture) has addressed the recommendations from ANAO Audit Report No. 46 of 2011–12, Administration of the Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy (NAQS).

The objective of this audit was to examine the effectiveness of the governance arrangements for the Special Broadcasting Service Corporation (SBS).

Grant Hehir, Auditor-General for Australia, attended the XXIII Commonwealth Auditors-General Conference in New Delhi, India, and presented a keynote speech on 22 March 2017 titled Environmental Audit: A Commonwealth Perspective.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s management of the Australian Government’s Register of Lobbyists.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the award of funding under the Regional Jobs and Investment Packages program was informed by appropriate departmental advice and that processes complied with the grants administration framework.