The audit would assess the effectiveness of the National Indigenous Australians Agency’s (NIAA’s) management of the regional network, including whether the regional network is achieving its objectives.

The NIAA administers the Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS). The IAS is supported by the NIAA’s regional network, which aims to position senior decision makers close to the people and communities they work with, in order to develop and implement local solutions to improve outcomes for Indigenous Australians. Auditor-General Report No. 7 2018–19 Management of the Regional Network found that the effectiveness of the management of the regional network was mixed, and the full potential of the regional network to facilitate the design and delivery of local solutions to local problems was not being maximized.