Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented to the Central Agency Broker Seminar - Towards a Best Practice Australian Public Service - Hobart

Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented at the International Quality & Productivity Centre Seminar

Physical Security Arrangements in Commonwealth Agencies, No.23 2002-2003 Protective security involves the total concept of information, personnel, physical, information technology and telecommunications security. The Commonwealth's Protective Security policy is outlined in the Protective Security Manual (PSM). It provides specific guidance to agencies on the protection of the Commonwealth's assets, personnel and clients from potential security threats. This audit evaluated the protective security policies and practices of seven Commonwealth agencies to determine whether they had established an appropriate physical security control framework based on the principles outlined in Part E of the Commonwealth's Protective Security Manual. The ANAO also examined whether agencies had considered the risks of, and developed an appropriate policy statement on, the physical security arrangements for employees who work from home.

Mr P.J. Barrett (AM) - Auditor-General for Australia, presented to the Lunchtime Seminar Series for Senior Officers, Sydney, NSW

To assess the extent to which agencies create, manage and dispose of records in accordance with key business, legal and policy requirements.

The agencies included in the audit were the: Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (Customs); Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC); and the Department of the Treasury (Treasury). The audit also considered the Archives' response to Recommendation No. 1 from ANAO Audit Report No.6 2006, 07 Recordkeeping including the Management of Electronic Records, including whether they had clarified Australian Government records management requirements for agencies.

The objective of this audit was: to form an opinion on the adequacy of selected agencies' approaches to monitoring and evaluation of government programs and services delivered on the Internet; and to identify better practices and opportunities for improvement. In order to achieve this objective, the audit examined the websites and Internet-delivered services of five agencies.

The objective of the audit was to consider the status of workforce planning by APS agencies against the background of the ANAO's 2001 Better Practice Guide Planning for the Workforce of the Future, in light of there commendations made in the MAC Organisational Renewal 2001 and the Senate Finance and Public Administration References Committee report Recruitmentand Training in the Australian Public Service 2003. Workforce planning was defined as a continuous process of shaping the workforce to ensure it is capable of delivering organisational objectives now and in the future.

The Age Pension is a social security income support payment available to Australian residents and eligible Australians residing overseas who have reached Age Pension age and whose income and assets are under certain limits. In 1999-2000, approximately $14 billion was paid to approximately 1.7 million Age Pension recipients. Payment of Age Pension is made under the Social Security Law and in accordance with the Guide to the Social Security Law prepared by the Department of Family and Community Services (FaCS). FaCS has contracted Centrelink under a Business Partnership Agreement (BPA) to administer the payment of Age Pension to eligible customers. The objective of the audit was to assess the extent to which new claims for Age Pension had been assessed in compliance with the legislation and other relevant guidelines developed by Centrelink, and whether Centrelink employed appropriate mechanisms to help ensure such compliance. In particular, the ANAO sought evidence with respect to: payment at the right rate, from the right date, to the right person with the right product, for new claims assessed during the audit sample period (that is, in accordance with the working definition of accuracy within Centrelink); the accuracy of Centrelink?s own reporting on compliance, as reported to FaCS under the BPA; and the application of appropriate mechanisms to help ensure such compliance.

The objective of this audit was to the examine action taken by the ATO to improve TFN integrity, particularly through the implementation of the recommendations made in:Report No.37, taking into account any changed circumstances, or new administrative issues, affecting the implementation of those recommendations; and Numbers on the Run, taking into account that the Government has not formally responded to the report at this time.The audit also aimed to identify further opportunities for the ATO to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the TFN system. The report of this audit is necessarily detailed as it considers each of the recommendations and the extent to which they have been implemented.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs' (FaHCSIA) administration and management of the Targeted Community Care (Mental Health) Program.