This audit would assess the effectiveness of Defence’s management of the disposal of specialist military equipment.

At 30 June 2024, Defence reported that it manages $145.9 billion of total assets, including $88.6 billion of specialist military equipment. When one of these items is no longer suitable for or is surplus to Defence’s requirements, Defence disposes of it by either: transferring it to an Australian Government agency or another government, selling it, gifting it or destroying it. An audit would examine whether the disposal of selected equipment was conducted in accordance with Defence policy and applicable Commonwealth legislative requirements.

This audit would continue the ANAO’s series of audits on cyber security.

The scope would include assessing selected entities’ cyber security frameworks and controls against the controls required under the Protective Security Policy Framework and the Australian Signals Directorate’s Essential Eight Maturity Model.

This audit would assess the effectiveness of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s administration of post entry quarantine.

Imported plants and animals, including cats, dogs, birds and horses, complete quarantine at the department’s Post Entry Quarantine facility in Mickleham, Victoria.

The audit is to assess whether the Department of Parliamentary Services’ procurement and contract management activities are complying with the Commonwealth Procurement Rules and demonstrating the achievement of value for money.

This audit would assess the effectiveness of Services Australia’s management of automated decision making. Automation can support timely, efficient and consistent decision making. The Commonwealth Ombudsman’s 2025 Better Practice Guide on Automated Decision-Making and the Australian Government’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ethics Principles provide entities with guidance on key principles for the design, implementation and monitoring of automated decision-making processes.

The Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme report of 7 July 2023 highlighted risks relating to automation, particularly where the automated processes remove any element of human decision-making and limit a citizen’s ability to challenge the decision. The Australian Government accepted the Royal Commission’s recommendation relating to introducing a consistent legal framework for automated decision-making. In the response to the Privacy Act Review Report released on 28 September 2023, the Australian Government agreed to increase the transparency and integrity of decisions made using automated decision-making that uses personal information.

This audit would examine the management of Commonwealth fisheries including the implementation of recommendations from Auditor-General Report No. 45 of 2020–21, Management of Commonwealth Fisheries. The Australian Government is involved in the management of 16 fisheries located between three and 200 nautical miles from the Australian coast. Nine fisheries are managed solely by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) on behalf of the Australian Government. Seven fisheries are managed jointly by AFMA and regional or international partners.

AFMA’s legislated functions and objectives require the pursuit of efficient and cost-effective fisheries management, balancing the principles of ecologically sustainable development with maximising net economic returns.

In the 2021 audit, the ANAO found that AFMA’s overall management of Commonwealth fisheries was partly effective and provided nine recommendations. AFMA agreed to all recommendations.

This audit would examine the effectiveness of the Australian Public Service Commission’s (APSC’s) implementation of reporting against the Australian Public Service (APS) Strategic Commissiong Framework (the framework), including its methodology for determining whether the intended outcomes of the framework are being achieved.

The APSC issued the framework in October 2023, with the first round of reporting by Australian Government entities due for 2024–25. The framework is intended to strengthen APS capability through reduced reliance on contractors and consultants for core work. The APSC issued an update on 4 November 2024, stating that entities had reported targets totalling $527 million of core capability to be brought in-house in 2024–25.

This audit would assess the effectiveness of the Australian Taxation Office’s (ATO) management of confidential information.

The ATO manages commercially and legally sensitive information as part of its administration of the taxation and superannuation systems. Mobility between the public and private sector presents challenges to entities like the ATO to ensure that confidential information is not compromised. The provisions of the APS Code of Conduct, the Public Service Regulations 1999, the Privacy Act 1988, the Crimes Act 1914 and specific secrecy offences in Commonwealth laws outline the responsibilities of employees and agencies to manage confidential information.

This audit would examine the effectiveness of Defence’s establishment and use of the Major Service Provider (MSP) Panel.

The MSP Agreement 2018–2026 was established to facilitate the engagement and management of large, long-term, multi-discipline and integrated work packages across the air, land and maritime capability domains. Defence selected four consortia (comprising 13 companies) as MSPs under the panel arrangements, which commenced in February 2018. AusTender data in December 2024 indicated that the four MSPs had been awarded 380 contracts with a reported total of $5.63 billion since the commencement of the panel in February 2018.

This audit would assess the effectiveness of Services Australia’s use of enforcement powers in its child support program.

In 2023–24, Services Australia delivered $153.2.3 billion in social security and welfare payments on behalf of the Australian Government, including facilitating $1.9 billion in child support payments. In ensuring recipients receive only the payments to which they are entitled, Services Australia has a range of enforcement powers it applies through compliance activities. These include powers to require individuals to provide information, produce documents, answer questions, and make payments (including through the use of garnishee orders).