The Australian Customs Service (Customs) is responsible for managing the integrity of Australia's border. The Australian maritime border is the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around Australia's 37 000 kilometre coastline. The National Marine Unit (NMU) contributes to customs' Civil Maritime Surveillance and Response program. It has eight 35 - metre Bay Class vessels (known as Australian Customs Vessels or ACVs) that are capable of maintaining a strategic presence around the Australian coast. The audit examined the administrative effectiveness of the NMU's surveillance and response operations. Particular emphasis was given to the following areas:

• strategic and tactical taskings;
• crew operations;
• crew training;
• asset management; and
• governance arrangements.

Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the National Public Sector Accountants Conference, Adelaide

The objective of this audit was to examine the effectiveness of selected non-corporate Commonwealth entities' arrangements for managing cyber security risks within their procurements and specific contracted providers under the Protective Security Policy Framework (PSPF).

Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the Institute of Internal Auditors Australia. South Pacific and Asia Conference SOPAC 2001, Melbourne

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of administrative arrangements for YA, including service delivery. The ANAO assessed DEEWR's and Centrelink's performance against three main criteria:

• objectives and strategies for the ongoing management and performance measures for YA provide a firm basis for measurement against outcomes (Chapters 2 and 3);
• YA services delivered are consistent with legislative and policy requirements, (Chapter 4); and
• monitoring arrangements provide appropriate information for assessing service delivery performance (Chapter 5).

Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the InfoHRM Conference, Gold Coast

Mr Ian McPhee - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the CPA Australia - CFO Public Sector Lunch

The audit objective was to assess whether Services Australia appropriately managed risks to operating the current welfare payment system and appropriately prepared to transition to the future system.

Mr Ian McPhee - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the Australian Institute of Company Directors Public Sector Governance Conference

The objectives of the audit were to determine whether agencies have implemented appropriate risk management strategies for the new banking arrangements, which came into operation on 1 July 1999 and whether cash funds are being managed in accordance with the appropriate legislation, the Commonwealth's agency banking guidance and generally accepted accounting practices. The scope of the audit was restricted to the departmental cash funds management and focused on risk management processes and management accounting controls adopted in the forecasting of cash flows, operation of bank accounts and placement of funds. The audit examined seven agencies, which are not named in the report.