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Reports

Published

Actions for Development applications: assessment and determination stages

Development applications: assessment and determination stages

Planning
Local Government
Internal controls and governance
Management and administration
Service delivery

Local councils in New South Wales are responsible for assessing local and regional development applications. Most development applications are assessed and determined by council staff under delegated authority. However, some development applications must be referred to independent local planning panels or Sydney and regional planning panels for determination. Councils provide support to local planning panels. The Department of

Published

Actions for Student attendance

Student attendance

Education
Management and administration
Service delivery

Poor attendance at school is related to poor student outcomes, particularly once patterns of non-attendance have been established. This report examined how the NSW Department of Education (the department) is managing student attendance in NSW government schools. What we found Around a third of students in Years 1–10 attended school less than 90% of the time in semester one, 2021. Missing more than 10% of school may put a stud

Published

Actions for NSW planning portal

NSW planning portal

Planning
Industry
Environment
Local Government
Information technology
Project management
Risk

The ePlanning program is an initiative of the Department of Planning and Environment (the department) to deliver a digital planning service for New South Wales through the NSW planning portal (the portal). Using the portal, relevant planning activities can be carried out online, including all stages of development applications. The portal has been developed under three separate business cases in 2013, 2014 and 2020. In late 2

Published

Actions for Facilitating and administering Aboriginal land claim processes

Facilitating and administering Aboriginal land claim processes

Planning
Environment
Industry
Local Government
Premier and Cabinet
Whole of Government
Cross-agency collaboration
Compliance
Management and administration

The Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 (NSW) (the Act) provides land rights over certain Crown land for Aboriginal Land Councils in NSW. If a claim is made over Crown land (land owned and managed by government) and meets other criteria under the Act, ownership of that land is to be transferred to the Aboriginal Land Council. This process is intended to provide compensation for the dispossession of land from Aboriginal people in N

Published

Actions for Building regulation: combustible external cladding

Building regulation: combustible external cladding

Finance
Local Government
Planning
Compliance
Infrastructure
Regulation
Risk

The report focuses on how effectively the Department of Customer Service (DCS) and Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) led reforms addressing the unsafe use of combustible external cladding on existing residential and public buildings. Nine local councils were included in the audit because they have responsibilities and powers needed to implement the NSW Government’s reforms. What we found After the June 2017 Grenfel

Published

Actions for Local government business and service continuity arrangements for natural disasters

Local government business and service continuity arrangements for natural disasters

Local Government
Internal controls and governance
Management and administration
Project management
Risk
Service delivery

Natural disaster events, including bushfires and floods, have directly impacted some local councils in New South Wales over recent years. It is important for local councils to effectively plan so that they can continue operations through natural disasters and other disruptions. This audit assessed the effectiveness of Bega Valley Shire Council and Snowy Valleys Council’s approaches to business and service continuity arrangement

Published

Actions for Integrity of grant program administration

Integrity of grant program administration

Local Government
Premier and Cabinet
Internal controls and governance
Management and administration

This report assessed the integrity of the assessment and approval processes for two grant programs: Stronger Communities Fund Round 2 (tied grants round), which was administered by the former Office of Local Government (OLG) and provided $252 million to newly amalgamated councils and other councils that had been subject to a merger proposal during 2017–18 and 2018–19. Regional Cultural Fund, which was administered by Create