The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Health and Aged Care’s fraud control arrangements, with a specific focus on the Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s delivery of services to Australians travelling or residing abroad.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Health's design, implementation and administration of primary healthcare under the Indigenous Australians' Health Program (IAHP).

The audit objective was to assess whether the Attorney-General’s Department’s conduct of the procurements relating to two of the new child sexual abuse-related national services employed open and effective competition and achieved value for money, consistent with the Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs).

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 this audit was to examine whether the Australian Postal Corporation (Australia Post) is meetings its Community Service and International obligations efficiently and the effectiveness of Commonwealth shareholders in monitoring value for money.

This audit focuses on the NBA’s role in managing the nations blood supply, bearing in mind the NBA’s legislative responsibilities, national policy objectives and ongoing blood sector reforms.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's fraud control arrangements.

This annual report documents the performance of the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) in the financial year ending 30 June 2016. It addresses all applicable obligations under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 and the Auditor-General Act 1997, the performance measures set out in the outcome and programs framework in the ANAO’s 2015–16 Portfolio Budget Statements and the ANAO’s 2015–19 Corporate Plan and annual reporting requirements set out in other legislation.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet effectively manages the Regional Network.

The objective of the Risk Framework and associated programs of risk management activities is to support effective risk management across all ANAO operations.

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.

This edition of Audit Insights is targeted at Australian Government officials who have responsibility for the implementation of cyber security controls or strategy for government systems. The aim is to communicate lessons from our audit work to make it easier for people working within the Australian public sector to apply those lessons. It is drawn from audit reports tabled in 2019–20, 2020–21 and 2022–23 into management of cyber security risks.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Taxation Office's activities to promote employer compliance with Superannuation Guarantee obligations.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s overseas crisis management and response arrangements in meeting the government’s objectives for returning Australians from overseas in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the National Health and Medical Research Council’s fraud control arrangements.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the management of threatened species and ecological communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness of the procurement and contract management of onshore manufacturing capability to secure supply of antivenoms and vaccines.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the contract for the acquisition of the Civil Military Air Traffic Management System demonstrably represents value for money.

The objective of the Risk Framework and associated programs of risk management activities is to support effective risk management across all ANAO operations.

The 2025–27 version of this publication is available here.

The objective of the audit was to assess the Department of Human Services' and the Department of Social Services’ management of selected fraud prevention and compliance Budget measures.

This edition of audit insights outlines key messages from Auditor-General reports which have examined the rapid implementation of government initiatives. The focus is on key lessons learned from audits of past activities, which are likely to have wider applicability to the Australian Public Service as it supports the national COVID-19 pandemic response. Topics covered include risk management, governance, resource mobilisation, accountability and program oversight in the context of rapid implementation.

An Audit Committee Chairs Forum was held on Friday 8 December 2023. The text on this page is the communique from the forum.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the administration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation targets in intergovernmental funding agreements in achieving policy objectives.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) had appropriately managed the procurement of garrison support and welfare services at offshore processing centres in Nauru and Papua New Guinea (Manus Island); and whether the processes adopted met the requirements of the Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs) including consideration and achievement of value for money.

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 audit objective was to determine whether selected grant programs are being administered efficiently by the Australia Council in relation to suitable comparators. The selected grant programs are collectively known as the Australia Council Grants Program.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the arrangements established by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD), a division of the Department of the Environment, to support Australia’s Antarctic Program.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Director of National Parks’ management of Australia’s six Commonwealth national parks.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development’s design and implementation of the first funding round of the Bridges Renewal Programme.

The audit objective was to examine whether the Office of Parliamentary Counsel’s procurement and contract management of the new Federal Register of Legislation project complied with the Commonwealth Procurement Rules and demonstrated the achievement of value for money.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Home Affairs' management of family-related visas.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the design and establishment of the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's probity management.

This annual report documents the performance of the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) in the financial year ended 30 June 2020. The report addresses all applicable obligations under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013; the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Rule 2014; the Auditor-General Act 1997; the performance measures set out in the outcome and programs framework in the ANAO's Portfolio Budget Statements 2019–20 and the ANAO Corporate Plan 2019–20; and annual reporting requirements set out in other relevant legislation.

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. Assurance from the ANAO’s review is conveyed in the Independent Assurance Report by the Auditor-General.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Taxation Office's (ATO) strategies and activities to address the cash and hidden economy.

The objective of this audit was to assess whether the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is effectively preparing for the 2021 Census.

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 15 June 2018 including updates from the Auditor-General and the ANAO, and from the Department of Finance.

The objective of the audit was to examine whether the procurements that Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade conducts through its Australian Passport Office are complying with the Commonwealth Procurement Rules and demonstrating the achievement of value for money.

Increased transparency and accountability on progress with major Defence equipment acquisitions has been a focus of parliamentary interest for some time. Beginning in 2007–08, an annual program has been established in conjunction with the Department of Defence to enable the ANAO to review and report to the Parliament on the status of major Defence acquisition projects, as set out in the Major Projects Report. The review includes information relating to the cost, schedule and progress towards delivery of required capability of individual projects as at 30 June each year. The Report is undertaken at the request of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit.

The audit objective was to examine the effectiveness of Snowy Hydro Limited’s governance arrangements for early implementation of Snowy 2.0, the expansion to the Snowy Hydro Scheme.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the management of funding under the Settlement Engagement and Transition Support program was effective in achieving the program objectives and consistent with the Commonwealth Grant Rules and Principles.

The objective of the audit was to examine whether the design and early delivery of the Australian Government's $443.3 million partnership with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation has been effective.

The ANAO regards integrity as a core value of the organisation — critical in sustaining the confidence of Parliament, strengthening public trust in government and delivering quality audit products. Maintaining strong institutional integrity is critical to the operations and reputation of the ANAO.

The ANAO Integrity Framework provides an overarching structure to the integrity control system, supporting our institution’s integrity. The Framework serves to assist in ethical decision-making and risk, fraud and misconduct management.

Beyond its control system, the ANAO maintains an enduring focus on promoting integrity as a value that is embedded in our work and culture. The ANAO recognises that integrity demands quality not only in our products but also in the behaviours of our people.

The ANAO Integrity Advisor supports the effective and ongoing application of the Integrity Framework by providing advice to staff regarding integrity matters. The Integrity Advisor is responsible for increasing integrity awareness across the organisation and for reporting annually to the ANAO Executive Board of Management on actions taken under the Framework. The Auditor-General publishes the ANAO Integrity Report to provide increased transparency of the measures we undertake to maintain a high-integrity culture in the ANAO.

An Audit Committee Chairs Forum was held virtually on Friday, 15 July 2022. The text on this page is the communique from the forum.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of Australian Government-funded aged care services delivered to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

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

Grant Hehir, Auditor-General for Australia, attended the 18th Meeting of INTOSAI Working Group on Environmental Auditing in Bundung Indonesia in July 2018, and presented a keynote address titled Sharing experience on auditing urban environmental management. The accompanying paper to the speech is available here.

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness of the Department of Defence’s planning, budgeting and implementation of an electronic health records solution for Defence personnel.

This edition of audit insights focuses on efficiency in the public sector. Find out more about what we think efficiency looks like, why we think efficiency is important in ensuring that public sector agencies remain sustainable, and some examples from recently tabled audits of what we can learn from others.

The objective of the audit was to examine whether WSA Co Limited’s procurement framework and procurement activities are achieving value for money.

Welcome to the last edition of Audit Matters for 2025. I’ve provided some insights in this edition which may help you to focus on a few areas of audit interest in the new year.

Audit work, as you know, is ongoing. We’ll start tabling reports again in mid-late January 2026. Next year you’ll also see some shorter performance audit reports, as part of a trial we’re undertaking to bring reports to the Parliament more quickly. Thanks to those agencies who have worked with us as we trial this new approach. We’re also doing some important work on how we approach performance statements audits in the 21 entities subject to this process. Watch out for our summary report on performance statements early in 2026 — you can subscribe to be notified of release on our website.

I wish you and your teams a restful break over the holiday season after a big year in the public sector. I look forward to seeing you in 2026.

Rona Mellor PSM, Deputy Auditor-General

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

The objective of this review was to determine whether the establishment and early implementation of the Fair Entitlements Guarantee Recovery Program by the Department of Jobs and Small Business has provided a sound basis for achieving value for money.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the design process for the Rural Research and Development for Profit Programme, including performance measurement and reporting arrangements.

Increased transparency and accountability on progress with major Defence equipment acquisitions has been a focus of parliamentary interest for some time. Beginning in 2007–08, an annual program has been established in conjunction with the Department of Defence to enable the ANAO to review and report to the Parliament on the status of major Defence acquisition projects, as set out in the Major Projects Report. The review includes information relating to the cost, schedule and progress towards delivery of required capability of individual projects as at 30 June each year, and is undertaken at the request of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Defence’s design process and implementation to date of the Defence Export Strategy.

The audit objective was to assess whether the Department of Homes Affairs has appropriately managed the procurement of garrison support and welfare services for offshore processing centres in Nauru and PNG (Manus Island).

The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) Corporate Plan is the ANAO’s key strategic planning document. It guides our operating environment and sets out how we will deliver on our purpose.

The Quality Assurance Framework and Plan complements the Corporate Plan. The ANAO Quality Assurance Framework is the system of quality control that the ANAO has established to provide the Auditor-General with reasonable assurance that the ANAO complies with the ANAO standards and applicable legal and regulatory requirements and reports issued by the ANAO are appropriate in the circumstances.

This Audit Quality Report demonstrates the ANAO assessment of the implementation and operating effectiveness of the elements of the ANAO Quality Assurance Framework. The report provides transparency in respect of the processes, policies, and procedures that support each element of the ANAO Quality Assurance Framework, and reports audit quality indicators measuring ANAO performance against target benchmarks.

This report also includes the achievement of the quality assurance strategy and deliverables set out in the Quality Assurance Framework and Plan 2020–21.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the National Recovery and Resilience Agency's administration of the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).