I joined the ANAO in 2016 with eight years’ experience working within the Australian Government in regulatory policy, strategic policy coordination and program evaluation roles. My academic training was in political science and sociology, although I had recently completed a postgraduate course in program evaluation.

While at first glance my background may not seem directly relevant to auditing, I found it provided me with an excellent grounding for embarking on my new career. Performance auditing involves delving into detailed aspects of public administration to diagnose what is working well and what is not. It requires a broad knowledge of public policy, strong research skills and critical thinking. I have found working on performance audits feels similar to postgraduate research, but with better access to information, people and resources, more teamwork and greater capacity to make a difference.

Since joining the ANAO I have worked on a diverse range of audits, from assessing agencies’ management of personnel security to reviewing arrangements for monitoring and reporting against the Closing the Gap strategy. I have found the culture of the ANAO to be collaborative, professional and supportive, and I enjoy the challenge of picking up a new topic every nine months and diving in.