Under Section 27B(3)(c) of the Government Sector Audit Act 1983, the Special Minister of State has requested that the Audit Office perform a recurring performance audit of emergency relief grants.    

Severe weather and flooding events occurred in NSW in 2022. The NSW Government’s response to these natural disasters included providing support to councils through the Local Government Recovery Grants program, administered by the Office of Local Government within the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure. The program provides financial assistance to councils impacted by these events to facilitate relief, recovery and resilience activities.  

This audit will assess whether the Office of Local Government administered grant funding under the Local Government Recovery Grants program (AGRN 1030 and AGRN 1034) in line with the Grants Administration Guide, and the program guidelines.