The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Tribunals' management of their operations. To this end, the audit examined whether the MRT and the RRT:

• have achieved intended operational efficiencies from the introduction of common facilities, services and resourcing;
• have established appropriate arrangements for governance, business planning and guidance of Members and staff, and for performance monitoring and reporting of Tribunal operations;
• finalise cases within Tribunal time and productivity standards; and
• provide applicants with services in accordance with service standards.

The audit covered Tribunal operations for review of visa decisions. The correctness of individual decisions was not assessed as part of the audit.

The audit focused particularly on developments in the Tribunals' management performance in the four year period from 2001–02 to 2004–05.

The objective of this audit was to provide a strategic review on the progress of the Tax Office's implementation of the Change Program.
 
To achieve this, the ANAO examined:

• the planning for, and governance of, the Change Program, particularly in relation to the management of risk and the assurance framework established by the Tax Office, and its management of contractual arrangements for the project;
• implementation issues associated with Releases 1 and 2 of the Change Program, and more specifically in relation to Release 3, the first use of the new ICP system to process FBT returns; and
• the funding of the Change Program, including measurement and attribution of the costs of the project and consideration of any benefits realisation to date.

The objectives of the audit were to: assess the effectiveness of the key evaluation methods used to review the efficacy of the Australian Government's national counter-terrorism coordination arrangements; and examine the effectiveness of the links between the key evaluation methods, and how the key evaluation methods contribute to the process of 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

You are invited to contribute to the annual audit work program of the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO). Please review the draft potential performance audit topic list and tell us what you think.

The Auditor-General is an independent officer of the Parliament whose role is to support accountability and transparency in the Australian Government sector by providing independent reporting to the Parliament. The Auditor-General’s reports assist the Parliament to hold government entities accountable and to drive improvements in public administration.

The Auditor-General is assisted by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) to conduct a range of audits in Australian Government entities, such as: 

• mandated annual financial statements audits, including the audit of the Australian Government’s consolidated financial statements;
• performance audits;
• assurance reviews (including audits by arrangement); and
• audits of the annual performance statements and measures of Commonwealth entities and Commonwealth companies and their subsidiaries.

Since 2007–08, the ANAO has prepared the Defence Major Projects Report (MPR) to enable reporting to the Parliament on the status of major Defence acquisition projects. In March 2026, the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) announced its decision not to continue the MPR program. Further information is available here.

Contributions must relate to the performance or expenditure of Commonwealth public sector entities. The ANAO does not investigate complaints or disputes, review or provide legal decisions, and does not comment on the merits of government policy and legislation.

While your contribution will be considered and handled with care, we will not provide you with feedback on your submission. The confidentiality of your contribution may be protected by law (see section 36 of the Auditor-General Act 1997). In addition, any personal information gathered by the ANAO will be treated in accordance with the ANAO Privacy Policy.

Please send feedback about this draft program to communication@anao.gov.au. Submissions close on 10 April 2026 at 11:59pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time).

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 objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Health and Aged Care’s (DHAC) performance management of the Primary Health Network program.

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 Government Solicitor Seminar - Identify, Protect and Defend your Intellectual Property Assets

The purpose of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of Sport Integrity Australia’s management of the National Anti-doping Scheme.