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The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of DFAT's implementation of biometric technology to meet international requirements for enhanced passport security. In particular, the audit examined whether:
- Australian ePassports meet international requirements, and coordination with Australian stakeholders is effective;
- Australian biometric passport technology is fit for purpose and has enhanced passport security;
- personal data on the passport microchip is secure and DFAT maintains an appropriate focus on both protecting privacy and client satisfaction; and
- arrangements are in place to evaluate the effectiveness of the ePassport and to monitor risks.
The objective of the audit was to assess whether selected Commonwealth organisations had utilised better practice principles when establishing the role, and managing the use of their internal audit groups. In order to evaluate internal audit, the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) first considered the status and accountabilities of internal audit within the overall governance framework of the organisations audited, in particular its accountabilities to the audit committee.
The objective of this follow-up audit was to assess whether Defence had taken appropriate action on recommendations made in the ANAO's 1995 audit report on Management Audit Branch (MAB), which is responsible for internal audit in Defence, and to assess whether the internal audit function in Defence could be improved.
The objective of the audit was to examine the application of the Australian Taxation Office's Compliance Effectiveness Methodology in evaluating the effectiveness of key compliance activities and shaping the development of strategies to promote voluntary compliance.
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The audit assessed FaHCSIA's management of AACAP and how the department monitors the contribution the program is making to the improvement of primary and environmental health, and living conditions, in remote Indigenous communities.
The audit examined program delivery under the 2006–2009 MoU, as well as the planning for the 2010 project under the variation to the 2006–2009 MoU. As part of the audit the ANAO considered:
- program strategy and implementation including the roles and responsibilities of the major stakeholders, community selection and scope of works (Chapter 2);
- the financial management of the program and the changing role of the Contracted Program Manager (Chapter 3); and
- performance measures, including FaHCSIA's performance reporting framework, and approach to monitoring and reporting performance against the stated program objectives (Chapter 4).
The audit focused on AACAP in so far as it relates to Indigenous community outcomes. It did not consider the program from the perspective of the Australian Defence Force capability building.
The audit examined whether COVID-19 procurements to increase the National Medical Stockpile (NMS) were consistent with the proper use and management of public resources and whether COVID-19 deployments of the NMS were effective.
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The objective was to assess the extent to which staff reductions have been managed in a sound strategic and cost-effective manner consistent with the Government's guidelines and the ANAO's 1996 better practice guide Managing APS Staff Reductions. The audit focussed on 3 agencies - the Australian Taxation Office, the former Department of Primary Industry and Energy, and the former Department of Transport and Regional Development. The ANAO found that the majority of staff reductions were achieved through retrenchment rather than natural attrition; and that decisions on the number of retrenchments were not always supported by an assessment of the impact of the reductions on the agencies' abilities to conduct their business.
Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the MinterEllison Seminar Series
The audit’s objective was to determine if the Bureau of Meteorology’s processes support the delivery of effective extreme weather services.
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Mr P.J. Barrett (AO) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the National Institute for Governance Seminar, Canberra
Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented to the Australian Communications Authority's Business Planning Workshop
The Department of Defence spends some $2.4 billion a year on major equipment acquisition projects. The audit objective was to assess Defence's arrangements for higher-level management of major equipment acquisition projects. The principal aim was to formulate practical recommendations that would both enhance Defence's management of major acquisition projects and provide a degree of assurance about its ongoing apparent capacity to do so efficiently and effectively.
Mr Mr Ian McPhee - Auditor-General for Australia, presented to the Risk Management Institute of Australia and the Australasian Compliance Institute, at the 2nd Annual GRC Conference, Melbourne
The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) has zero tolerance for fraud and corruption. This means the ANAO will take all reasonable steps necessary to prevent, detect and respond to fraud and corruption. This strategy defines the ANAO’s principles of effective fraud and corruption control, key roles and responsibilities and how the ANAO expects to mitigate and manage risks. The strategy informs staff how they can report fraud and corruption.
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The audit reviewed the management of unscheduled absence in 74 APS agencies. The objective of the audit was to assess the extent and cost of unscheduled absence in the APS; to examine whether unscheduled absence in the APS was being managed efficiently and effectively; and to identify opportunities for improvement.
Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the Health Insurance Commission Senior Management Group
The objective of the audit was to assess the completeness and reliability of the estimates reported in Tax Expenditures Statement 2006 (TES 2006). That is, the audit examined the development and publication of the detailed statement of actual tax expenditures required by Division 2 of Part 5 of the CBH Act. The development and publication of aggregated information on projected tax expenditures included in the Budget Papers pursuant to Division 1 of Part 5 of the CBH Act was not examined.
The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of ASIO’s arrangements for providing timely and soundly based security assessments of individuals to client agencies.
Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the Australian Government Solicitor Seminar
Simulators are devices that provide personnel with training and practice by reproducing the behaviour of operational equipment. Defence records indicate that since 1960 the Defence Organisation has spent about $1 billion on acquiring simulators for training purposes. Over the next five years Defence proposes to spend a further $1.1 billion on simulation. The objective of the audit was to assess whether Defence had developed appropriate policies to provide guidance to personnel in the acquisition and use of aerospace simulators and the effectiveness of its procedures in achieving best value for the Commonwealth in relation to aerospace simulators.
The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of Army’s workforce planning.
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The audit examined whether the Department of Home Affairs implemented all agreed recommendations from parliamentary committee and Auditor-General reports within the scoped timeframe.
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The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the management of risks arising from the use of PSDs in selected Australian Government agencies. The PSDs included within the scope of this audit were: USB flash drives; CDs and DVDs; external hard drives; laptop computers and smartphones.
The objectives of the audit were to examine the benefits of diversity management in the APS and review the progress made towards equity in employment in the APS, including the EEO Program. It included:
- an assessment of the progress towards achieving equity across the APS and by individual agencies;
- an assessment of the quality of agency EEO programs;
- an assessment of the role of the PSMPC in approving agency EEO programs and monitoring trends across the service;
- a consideration of legal obligations and agencies compliance with these; and
- the possible risks to, and opportunities for, equity under the WRA.
The audit concentrated on evidence of overall progress, the relative performance of individual agencies, and the examination of observed and underlying trends.
The audit objective was to assess whether the Regional Partnerships Programme has been effectively managed by DOTARS, including the processes by which:
- applications are sought, received and assessed;
- Funding Agreements with grant recipients are developed and managed; and
- the achievement of project and programme outcomes is monitored and assessed.
The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Health and Ageing's support for improved access to integrated GP and primary healthcare services through its administration of the Primary Care Infrastructure Grants (PCIG) program.
Mr Ian McPhee - Auditor-General for Australia, presented to the Australian Institute of Company Directors, in conjunction with the Institute of Internal Auditors Australia
The objectives of the audit were to: assess whether financial delegations associated with the expenditure of public monies were determined, applied and managed in accordance with applicable legislation, Government policy and applicable internal controls; and identify better practices and recommend improvements as necessary to current practices.
The audit examined ATSIS' implementation of recommendations from Audit Report No.39, 1998-1999 National Aboriginal Health Strategy - Delivery of Housing and Infrastructure to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities (the previous audit). In addition to assessing ATSIS' progress in implementing the recommendations of the previous audit, this follow-up audit examined ATSIS' performance reporting of the NAHS program, and concluded that the current level of aggregation of performance reporting makes it difficult to identify the particular contribution that the NAHS Program makes in improving services to Indigenous communities.
The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency’s implementation and administration of the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Scheme.
Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the Comcover Seminar
Mr Ian McPhee - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the Canberra Evaluation Forum
Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the Australian Government Solicitor Seminar - Identify, Protect and Defend your Intellectual Property Assets
Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the CPA South Australia Conference 2001
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.
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The audit objective was to assess whether selected entities effectively implemented agreed recommendations from Auditor-General Report No. 25 2019–20 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Participation Targets in Major Procurements.
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Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the Australian Corporate Lawyers Association and the Australian Institute of Administrative Law Conference on Outsourcing
The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Tax Office's compliance approach for high risk income tax refunds in the individuals and micro enterprises market segments. The audit examined three key areas:
management and organisational arrangements relating to high risk income tax refund processes;
processes and procedures for identifying high risk income tax refunds, and the processes and tools used to evaluate and verify taxpayers' entitlements to income tax refunds; and
information technology systems, processes and controls supporting the processing of income tax returns and refunds.
The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of arrangements for implementing and monitoring the implementation of ANAO performance audit recommendations in the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Human Services.
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The objective of this follow-up audit is to assess the Tax Office's progress in implementing the recommendations of Audit Report No.59 2002–03, Administration of Australian Business Number Registrations, having regard to any changed circumstances, or new administrative issues, affecting the implementation of those recommendations.
Mr Ian McPhee - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, Audit Conference, Melbourne
Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the MBA Governance Students at Macquarie University Graduate School of Management
The objective of this audit is to assess whether AusAID's management of the expanding aid program supports delivery of effective aid. The audit focuses on progress of AusAID's internal reforms to achieve this objective.
This annual report documents the performance of the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) in the financial year ending on 30 June 2008. It includes highlights and areas of focus for the coming year; a forward by the Auditor-General; an overview of the report; a report on performance; details about management and accountability, and the financial statement for the year.
The objective of the audit was to examine and report on the key management factors that assist in ensuring value for money in learning and development.
Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the Forum of Commonwealth Agencies Seminar, Sydney, NSW
Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented to the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (Canberra Chapter) in conjunction with the Institute of Internal Auditors (Canberra Branch)
HMAS Cerberus is a Navy base situated south-east of Melbourne, Victoria. As a major Navy training establishment, it conducts initial recruit training, and specialist category training in areas such as communications and engineering. The Australian Defence Force (ADF) Schools of Catering and Physical Training are situated there, as is a major health centre for operational and training needs. The health centre and other facilities at HMAS Cerberus were re-developed several years ago. In August 2001, the then Minister for Defence announced that, in response to continuing concern over facilities management at HMAS Cerberus, he had asked the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) to conduct an independent investigation. The ANAO agreed to review these matters. The objective of the audit was to examine facilities management issues at HMAS Cerberus with a view to clarifying those of concern and ensuring that lessons would be learned from them to assist Defence facilities management generally.
The audit objective was to report on the administration of the Australia Network tender process and to identify lessons learned from the conduct of the process to inform future procurement activities.
The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the management of human biosecurity for international air travellers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Mr Mr Ian McPhee - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the Leadership Development Network Breakfast Seminar
Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented an Occasional Paper
Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the INTOSAI Working Group
Mr P.J. Barrett (AO) - Auditor-General for Australia, Opening Address to the inaugural conference of the Risk Management Institution of Australasia - Bringing Risk Management Together - What the Future Holds
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.
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The shared content volume of the ANAO Audit Manual applies to all assurance activity performed by the ANAO, including financial statements and performance auditing. The shared volume addresses key matters affecting compliance with the Auditor-General Act 1997 and other aspects of the ANAO’s legislative framework. It sets out the main requirements of the ANAO’s overall system of quality control in accordance with ASQC1 Quality Control for Firms that Perform Audits and Reviews of Financial Reports and Other Financial Information, Other Assurance Engagements and Related Services Engagements.
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The objective of this audit was to assess whether the Department of Veterans’ Affairs is efficiently delivering services to veterans and their dependents.
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Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the International Quality & Productivity Centre Seminar
The audit reviewed the Amphibious Transport Ship Project, involving the acquisition and modification of two second-hand US Navy ships . The objective of the audit was to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of Defence's management of the project, focusing on the capability development process, costs and schedule issues, contract issues, the management of project risks and project review processes.
The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs' (DVA's) planning and management of the Veteran Centric Reform (VCR) program.
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