Unqualified audit opinions were issued on the following financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2013: Department of Education and Communities (including the TAFE Commission), Technical and Further Education Commission, Board of Studies, Office of the Board of Studies, Board of Studies Casual Staff Division, Institute of Teachers, Office of the Institute of Teachers, NSW Board of Vocational Education and Training.

A key issue of focus was around the revaluation of School and TAFE NSW buildings. The report found that the Department’s approach to revaluing its buildings addressed previous concerns, however more work is required to refine the revaluation model and to build on the evidence available for cost rates.

Except for the matters noted, the Members we reviewed substantially complied with the requirements of the Parliamentary Remuneration Tribunal’s Determination (the PRT Determination) for the year ended 30 June 2012.

The review identified the following material exceptions:

• nine Member claims were not submitted for payment within 60 days of receipt or occurrence of the expense 
• eight Members did not return their unspent Sydney Allowance amounts by 30 September 2012
• sixteen Members did not complete an annual declaration stating the benefits accrued by way of loyalty/incentive schemes, as a consequence of using their allowance and entitlements, were used only for Parliamentary duties and not for private purposes.

There are inherent limitations in undertaking an engagement of this nature. The work was conducted as a review engagement, not an audit. Consequently, the procedures were not designed to detect all instances of non-compliance. The review provides limited assurance and expresses our conclusion about whether the Members reviewed complied with the PRT Determination’s requirements for Member entitlements.