The objective of this audit was to examine whether the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications exercised appropriate due diligence in its acquisition of the ‘Leppington Triangle’ land for the future development of the Western Sydney Airport.

The objective of this audit was to examine the effectiveness of the Australian Electoral Commission’s management of financial disclosures required under Part XX of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, including the extent to which the AEC is achieving accurate and complete financial disclosures.

The Auditor-General undertook a limited assurance review of the Department of Finance’s reporting and administration of the Advances to the Finance Minister (AFM) for the Period 1 August 2020 to 28 August 2020.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Defence’s design process and implementation to date of the Defence Export Strategy.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Energy Regulator’s regulation of energy markets.

The objective of this audit was to assess the extent to which entities’ establishment and use of ICT related procurement panels and arrangements supported the achievement of value for money outcomes.

The Auditor-General undertook a limited assurance review of the Department of Finance’s reporting and administration of the Advances to the Finance Minister (AFM) for the Period 27 June 2020 to 31 July 2020.

The objective of the audit was to examine whether strategic water procurements by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment were conducted consistent with government policy, were supported by appropriate program design, were planned and executed appropriately, and achieved value for money.

The Auditor-General undertook a limited assurance review of the Department of Finance’s reporting and administration of the Advances to the Finance Minister (AFM) for the Period 30 May 2020 to 26 June 2020.

The ANAO Corporate Plan 2020–21 is the ANAO's key strategic planning document. It guides our operating environment and sets out how we will deliver on our purpose. This Quality Assurance Framework and Plan 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 system of quality control that the ANAO has established to provide the Auditor General with reasonable assurance that the ANAO complies with the ANAO standards and applicable legal and regulatory requirements and reports issued by the ANAO are appropriate in the circumstances.

The Quality Assurance 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 corporate plan is the ANAO’s primary planning document. Our strategic planning process allows us to continually improve practices and capabilities to demonstrate value in the delivery of services to the Parliament. The corporate plan is complemented by the annual audit work program, which reflects the ANAO’s audit strategy for the coming year.

This edition of Audit Insights summarises key messages from Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) performance audits about the management of conflicts of interest by Australian Government entities in relation to procurement activity and grants programs.

The objective of this audit was to examine the effectiveness of the Attorney-General’s Department’s implementation of the recommendations from Auditor-General Report No.27 of 2017–18, Management of the Australian Government’s Register of Lobbyists.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment’s administration of referrals, assessments and approvals of controlled actions under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

The audit objective was to examine whether selected entities in the Health and Education portfolios implemented the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit and other parliamentary inquiry report recommendations and agreed ANAO performance audit recommendations.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Social Services’ arrangements for managing Disability Employment Services provider agreements.

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 objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Social Services' fraud control arrangements.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Home Affairs' fraud control arrangements.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's fraud control arrangements.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the design and establishment of the Regional Investment Corporation.

The Auditor-General undertook a limited assurance review of the Department of Finance’s reporting and administration of the Advances to the Finance Minister (AFM) for the period 25 April 2020 to 29 May 2020.

The objective of this audit was to assess whether the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) designed and is implementing its property investment strategy in a way that is delivering the intended benefits, and how any lessons learned are being reflected in a new strategy that is being developed.

This report focuses on the results of the interim financial statements audits, including an assessment of entities’ key internal controls, supporting the 2019–20 financial statements audits. This report examines 24 entities, including all departments of state and a number of major Australian government entities. The entities included in the report are selected on the basis of their contribution to the income, expenses, assets and liabilities of the 2018–19 Consolidated Financial Statements (CFS). Significant and moderate findings arising from the interim audits are reported to the responsible Minister(s), and all findings are reported to those charged with governance of each entity.

The audit objective was to assess whether the Department of Homes Affairs has appropriately managed the procurement of garrison support and welfare services for offshore processing centres in Nauru and PNG (Manus Island).

The Auditor-General undertook a limited assurance review of the Department of Finance’s reporting and administration of the Advances to the Finance Minister (AFM) for the Period 1 July 2019 to 24 April 2020.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of grant program management by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the administration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation targets in intergovernmental funding agreements in achieving policy objectives.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency’s (TEQSA’s) regulation of higher education.

The objective of this audit was to examine the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT’s) achievement of value for money objectives in the delivery of Official Development Assistance (aid) through facility arrangements.

This edition of audit insights outlines key messages from Auditor-General reports which have examined the rapid implementation of government initiatives. The focus is on key lessons learned from audits of past activities, which are likely to have wider applicability to the Australian Public Service as it supports the national COVID-19 pandemic response. Topics covered include risk management, governance, resource mobilisation, accountability and program oversight in the context of rapid implementation.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether Defence Housing Australia administers its functions efficiently and effectively, and in accordance with the Government Business Enterprise guidelines.

The objective of this audit was to examine the effectiveness of bilateral agreement arrangements between Services Australia and other entities.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission’s (ACNC’s) regulation of charities.

The audit objective was to examine the efficiency of the Office of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions' (CDPP's) case management.

This information report seeks to provide greater transparency on procurement activity in the Australian public sector. This information report is neither an audit nor an assurance review and presents no conclusions or opinions. The report is presented in a variety of ways, including tables and figures, publicly available data from public sector procurement activity recorded in AusTender.

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness of spectrum reallocation to support the deployment of 5G services.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the administration of the mandatory minimum requirements for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in major government procurements in achieving policy objectives. 

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness and appropriateness of the Department of Defence's management of its public communications and media activities.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the award of funding under the Community Sport Infrastructure Grant Program was informed by an appropriate assessment process and sound advice.

The audit objective was to examine the effectiveness of the Department of Defence's administration of the Future Submarine Program to date.

The audit assessed the effectiveness of the rural research and development corporations’ management of probity.

This report complements the Interim Report on Key Financial Controls of Major Entities financial statement audit report published in June 2019. It provides a summary of the final results of the audits of the Consolidated Financial Statements for the Australian Government and the financial statements of Australian Government entities for the period ended 30 June 2019.

The objective of this report is to provide the Auditor-General’s independent assurance over the status of the selected major projects. The status of the selected major projects is reported in the Statement by the Secretary of Defence and the Project Data Summary Sheets (PDSSs) prepared by Defence. Assurance from the ANAO’s review is conveyed in the Independent Assurance Report by the Auditor-General.

The objective of the audit was to assess the Australian Taxation Office's effectiveness in meeting its revenue and resourcing commitments for the Tax Avoidance Taskforce.

The objective of this audit was to examine whether the Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP) is being delivered effectively. 

The objective of the audit was to examine whether WSA Co Limited’s procurement framework and procurement activities are achieving value for money.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of NBN Co’s service continuity operations relating to the migration of telecommunication services to the National Broadband Network (NBN).

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness of the design and implementation of the clear read principle under the Commonwealth Resource Management Framework.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the implementation of the My Health Record system under the opt-out model.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the award of funding under the Regional Jobs and Investment Packages program was informed by appropriate departmental advice and that processes complied with the grants administration framework.

The objective of this audit was to examine the extent to which Australian Government entities have implemented the Digital Continuity 2020 policy, and how effectively the National Archives of Australia is monitoring, assisting, and encouraging entities to meet the specified targets of the policy.

This is the second e-newsletter of the Commonwealth Auditors General Group. These e-newsletters are a genuine effort to share experiences, challenges and engage in thought-provoking discussions on topics which are common to the fifty-three member countries of the Commonwealth.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Education’s design and governance of the Child Care Package.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Health’s implementation of the National Ice Action Strategy (NIAS).

The objective of this audit was to examine whether the Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS) is being effectively administered, with the appropriate management of risks.

The objective of this audit is to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Finance’s and selected entities’ implementation of the Australian Government’s campaign advertising framework.

This annual report documents the performance of the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) in the financial year ended on 30 June 2019. The report addresses all applicable obligations under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013; the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Rule 2014; the Auditor-General Act 1997; the performance measures set out in the outcome and programs framework in the ANAO’s Portfolio Budget Statements 2018–19 and the ANAO Corporate Plan 2018–19, and annual reporting requirements set out in other relevant legislation.

The objective of the audit was to examine whether selected entities implemented agreed ANAO performance audit, the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit, and other parliamentary committee recommendations.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Research Council’s (ARC’s) administration of the National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP).

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the contract for the acquisition of the Civil Military Air Traffic Management System demonstrably represents value for money.

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness of Defence’s quarterly performance report as a mechanism to inform senior stakeholders about risks and issues in the delivery of capability to the Australian Defence Force.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of Defence’s administration of allowances and entitlements paid to its Australian Public Service (APS) employees.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the management of cyber security risks by three government business enterprises or corporate Commonwealth entities. The entities selected for audit are ASC Pty Ltd, the Australian Postal Corporation and the Reserve Bank of Australia.

The ANAO Corporate Plan 2019–20 is the ANAO’s key strategic planning document. It guides our operating environment and sets out how we will deliver on our purpose. This Quality Assurance Framework and Plan 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 corporate plan is the ANAO’s primary planning document. Our strategic planning process allows us to continually improve practices and capabilities to demonstrate value in the delivery of services to the Parliament. The corporate plan is complemented by the annual audit work program, which reflects the ANAO’s audit strategy for the coming year.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the Australian Taxation Office and the Department of Agriculture have effectively administered the Farm Management Deposits (FMD) Scheme.

The objective of this audit was to examine the effectiveness of the National Disability Insurance Agency’s (NDIA) fraud control program and its compliance with the Commonwealth Fraud Control Framework.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Director of National Parks’ management of Australia’s six Commonwealth national parks.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Reinsurance Pool Corporation’s (ARPC) management of the Terrorism Reinsurance Scheme.

The objective of this audit was to examine the effectiveness of the design and implementation of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s (PM&C’s) evaluation framework for the Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS), in achieving its purpose to ensure that evaluation is high quality, ethical, inclusive and focused on improving outcomes for Indigenous Australians.

This report focuses on the results of the interim audits, including an assessment of entities’ key internal controls, supporting the 2018–19 financial statements audits. It examines 26 entities, including all departments of state and a number of major Australian government entities. The entities included in the report are selected on the basis of their contribution to the income, expenses, assets and liabilities of the 2017–18 Consolidated Financial Statements of the Australian Government (CFS). Significant and moderate findings arising from the interim audits are reported to the responsible Minister(s), and all findings are reported to those charged with governance of each entity.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Social Services’ role in implementing the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children 2010–2022 (the National Plan).

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation (Efic).

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities had designed and implemented appropriate governance and administration arrangements for the transition and delivery of sustainable reforms to services on Norfolk Island.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Taxation Office’s (ATO’s) management of small business tax debt arising from compliance activities.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the coordination arrangements of key Australian Government entities operating in Torres Strait.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness and value for money of Defence’s acquisition of a Battle Management System and a Tactical Communications Network through Land 200 Tranche 2 Work Packages B–D.

The audit’s objective was to determine if the Bureau of Meteorology’s processes support the delivery of effective extreme weather services.

This edition of audit insights outlines key messages from a series of recent audits examining the effectiveness of governance boards in four corporate Commonwealth entities. The audit observations from this series of audits relate primarily to the ‘soft’ attributes of effective governance such as relationships, behaviours and culture, while also recognising the important interplay with the ‘hard’ attributes of governance such as board composition, appointment processes and independence. The key messages may be relevant for the operations of other Commonwealth boards as well as broader governance arrangements in Commonwealth entities.

The objective of this audit was to assess whether selected regulatory entities effectively apply the cost recovery principles of the Australian Government’s cost recovery framework. The selected regulatory entities were the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, and the Department of Health (Therapeutic Goods Administration).

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the governance board in the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the governance board in the Australian Institute of Marine Science.

The objective of this audit was to examine the effectiveness of the governance arrangements for the Special Broadcasting Service Corporation (SBS).

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the governance board in Old Parliament House.

The objective of the audit was to examine the effectiveness of governance and integrity arrangements for the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF). 

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Phoenix Taskforce to combat illegal phoenix activities.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the Department of Defence’s Projects of Concern regime is effective in managing the recovery of underperforming projects.

The audit objective was to examine whether the Department of Defence has effective and efficient sustainment arrangements for the Royal Australian Navy’s fleet of eight ANZAC class frigates.

The objective of this audit was to examine the efficiency of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau’s (ATSB’s) investigation of transport accidents and safety occurrences.

This edition of audit insights focuses on quality in the public sector. Quality is an important concept that can be applied to all areas of government business. Quality applied through policy, services, regulations and program design and delivery supports community trust in government. A positive approach to quality, implemented through a quality framework that is embedded into the organisational culture at all levels of a government agency, is essential to meeting community and parliamentary expectations.

The objective of the audit was to examine the extent to which the Department of Human Services (Human Services) has implemented the recommendations made by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) in Auditor-General Report No. 37 of 2014–15 Management of Smart Centres’ Centrelink Telephone Services; as well as Human Services’ performance against call wait time and call blocking metrics.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of arrangements for monitoring, evaluating and reporting progress towards Closing the Gap in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of risk management, data monitoring and public reporting arrangements associated with the Australian Government's funding of public hospital services under the 2011 National Health Reform Agreement (NHRA).

The objective of the audit was to examine the efficiency of the processing of applications for citizenship by conferral by the Department of Home Affairs.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission’s administration of the Biometric Identification Service project.

The objective of this audit was to assess the extent to which the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (Agriculture) has addressed the recommendations from ANAO Audit Report No. 46 of 2011–12, Administration of the Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy (NAQS).

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the award of a $443.3 million grant to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation was informed by appropriate departmental advice and through processes that complied with the grants administration framework.

The objective of this audit was to examine the effectiveness of the Department of Home Affairs' administration of the support arrangements designed to ensure that the Cape Class patrol boats are achieving contracted availability and performance requirements.

The objective of this report is to provide the Auditor-General’s independent assurance over the status of the selected Major Projects. The status of the selected Major Projects is reported in the Statement by the Secretary of Defence and the Project Data Summary Sheets (PDSSs) prepared by Defence. Assurance from the ANAO’s review is conveyed in the Independent Assurance Report by the Auditor-General.

This report complements the Interim Report on Key Financial Controls of Major Entities financial statement audit report published in June 2018. It provides a summary of the final results of the audits of the Consolidated Financial Statements for the Australian Government and the financial statements of Australian Government entities for the period ended 30 June 2018.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Clean Energy Regulator’s administration of the Renewable Energy Target scheme. 

The objective of the audit was to continue to examine the progress of the implementation of the annual performance statements requirements under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (PGPA Act) and the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Rule 2014 (PGPA Rule) by selected entities.

The objective of this audit was to assess the Australian Public Service Commission’s and selected entities’ implementation of the Australian Government’s Workplace Bargaining Framework.

The objective of this audit was to assess whether Human Services has an effective high-level compliance strategy for administered payments made under the Centrelink and Medicare programs. 

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Defence’s preparations for the introduction of the Joint Strike Fighter into Australian service and its subsequent sustainment. 

The objective of this audit was to examine if Social Services and Human Services drive improvements in the Disability Support Pension program using data and information from multiple sources, including agreed Auditor-General and parliamentary committee recommendations. 

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the Royal Australian Mint’s strategies for addressing the impacts of declining demand for Australian circulating coins are appropriate and effective.

This edition of audit insights focuses on efficiency in the public sector. Find out more about what we think efficiency looks like, why we think efficiency is important in ensuring that public sector agencies remain sustainable, and some examples from recently tabled audits of what we can learn from others.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Education and Training’s design and implementation of the Vocational Education and Training (VET) Student Loans program.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the design and implementation of the Department of Human Services' Quality Framework.

The objective of the audit was to assess the Moorebank Intermodal Company’s achievement of value for money and management of probity in its operations and procurement activities.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether effective arrangements have been established by Finance to achieve value for money outcomes for Commonwealth leased office property.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet effectively manages the Regional Network.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness and value for money of Defence’s acquisition of light protected vehicles, under Defence project Land 121 Phase 4.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has established effective risk management arrangements to support the implementation of the Statistical Business Transformation Program.

The objective of this audit was to examine the efficiency of the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity (ACLEI) in detecting, investigating and preventing corrupt conduct.

The objective of this audit was to examine the design and conduct of the award of funding under the Community Development Grants Program (CDGP).

Over the past few years, the Auditor-General has conducted three audits of corporate planning and two audits of annual performance statements. This edition of audit insights examines the findings from these reports and discusses key learnings that are relevant for all Commonwealth entities.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Attorney-General’s Department’s design of the Data Retention Industry Grants program, including performance monitoring, reporting, evaluation and assurance arrangements.