This edition of Audit Insights summarises key messages for all Australian Government entities from a series of recent Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) performance audits assessing the planning and implementation of regulation activities. It discusses the importance of using available data and intelligence information to develop and execute risk-based regulatory activities targeted in proportion to the impacts of non-compliance.

This edition of audit insights outlines key messages from a series of performance audits which examined the effectiveness of fraud control arrangements in three Australian Government departments. In addition to assessing compliance with the mandatory requirements of the 2017 Commonwealth Fraud Control Framework, the audits examined the application of the government’s better practice fraud guidance, and steps taken by the entities to promote a fraud aware culture. The key messages may be relevant for the operations of other Commonwealth entities, as fraud control is a key responsibility in Australian Government administration.

The audit objective was to examine whether the design and conduct of the procurement process for delivery partners for the Entrepreneurs’ Programme complied with the Commonwealth Procurement Rules, and whether the signed contracts are being appropriately managed.

The ANAO corporate plan is the ANAO's primary planning document. It outlines our purpose; the dynamic environment in which we operate; our commitment to building capability; and the priorities, activities and performance measures by which we are held to account. This Quality Assurance Framework and Plan 2021–22 complements the corporate plan. It describes the ANAO Quality Assurance Framework and reflects the ANAO's quality assurance strategy and deliverables for the coming year.

The ANAO Quality Assurance Framework is the ANAO’s established system of quality control to provide the Auditor-General with reasonable assurance that the ANAO complies with the ANAO Auditing Standards and applicable legal and regulatory requirements and reports issued by the ANAO are appropriate in the circumstances.

The Quality Assurance Strategy and Plan component of this document identifies the key activities that the ANAO conducts to provide the Auditor-General with comfort that the controls established within the Quality Assurance Framework are implemented and operating effectively.

The ANAO reports on the audit quality indicators that measure the ANAO performance against target benchmarks in the annual Audit Quality Report published on the ANAO website. The Audit Quality Report also provides transparency with respect to the processes, policies and procedures that support each element of the ANAO Quality Assurance Framework and the achievement of the quality assurance strategy and deliverables set out in the Quality Assurance Framework and Plan.

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 Auditor-General wrote to the Minister for Finance on 21 June 2024 to advise of the outcomes of the 2023–24 annual performance statements audit program, and a proposal for expanding the program of audits in 2024–25 and the following two financial years. The Minister for Finance responded on 2 July 2024 supporting the proposal. The Minister for Finance's full response is provided below.

On 23 February 2016 the ANAO held its first CFO Forum - The Results of the 2014-15 Financial Statement audits. The Forum presented an opportunity to provide an overview of the end of year report tabled in Parliament in December 2015, the issues which arose during 2014-15, and the focus areas for the ANAO’s reporting to Parliament in 2015-16.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of the Environment and Energy's design and implementation of the Reef Trust.

The Commonwealth Parliament regulates Australian Government entities through the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act  — the PGPA Act. The Act establishes a system of governance, performance and accountability for resources managed by entities. This edition of audit insights looks at recent ANAO audit activity reviewing entities implementation of key components of the PGPA: risk management, corporate planning and performance statements.

The audit examined whether the Department of Home Affairs implemented all agreed recommendations from parliamentary committee and Auditor-General reports within the scoped timeframe.