Mr Ian McPhee - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the Public Sector Governance Forum of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and The Institute of Internal Auditors - Australia

The Senate Order for Departmental and Agency Contracts (the Senate Order/the Order) was introduced in June 2001. The Order is one of several measures that the Senate introduced in recent years, to improve public knowledge of information on procurement and the expenditure of public funds. The main principle that underpins the Senate Order is that the Parliament's and public's access to this information should not be restricted by the inclusion of confidential information in contracts unless there is a sound basis for doing so. Public knowledge of information on contracted goods and services delivered to the government, can lead to better results for the Australian Government and the public. The Senate Order requirements have been amended over time to improve agency reporting, for example, on grants.

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.

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness of the Australian Taxation Office’s use of settlements to resolve taxpayer disputes.

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.

Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the Challenges and Opportunities Seminar, Conducted by the Department of Finance, Canberra

The purpose of this audit was to assess the Department of Social Security's approach to customer service against a recognised good practice methodology, and to identify opportunities for DSS to improve the quality of its customer service, its administrative effectiveness and its overall performance. The ANAO's intention was to identify opportunities to improve customer focus, particularly for those aspects of DSS's administration impacting on customer service. The audit criteria included: customer service environment; human resource management practices; communication with customers; customer-friendly approaches; and systematic approaches to continuous improvement.

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

Audit Lessons — Management of Corporate Credit Cards is intended for officials working in financial management or governance roles with responsibility for the management of corporate credit cards.

The objective of the audit was to assess DAFF's implementation and administration of the three forest industry assistance programs under the TCFA. Particular emphasis was given to the:

• implementation of the programs and ongoing governance arrangements;
• promotion of the program and the development of program guidelines;
• assessment of applications and approval of funding; and
• management of funding agreements.