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Actions for Internal Controls and Governance 2017

Internal Controls and Governance 2017

Finance
Education
Community Services
Health
Justice
Whole of Government
Asset valuation
Compliance
Cyber security
Information technology
Internal controls and governance
Project management
Risk

Agencies need to do more to address risks posed by information technology (IT).

Effective internal controls and governance systems help agencies to operate efficiently and effectively and comply with relevant laws, standards and policies. We assessed how well agencies are implementing these systems, and highlighted opportunities for improvement.
 

1. Overall trends

New and repeat findings

The number of reported financial and IT control deficiencies has fallen, but many previously reported findings remain unresolved.

High risk findings

Poor systems implementations contributed to the seven high risk internal control deficiencies that could affect agencies.

Common findings

Poor IT controls are the most commonly reported deficiency across agencies, followed by governance issues relating to cyber security, capital projects, continuous disclosure, shared services, ethics and risk management maturity.

2. Information Technology

IT security

Only two-thirds of agencies are complying with their own policies on IT security. Agencies need to tighten user access and password controls.

Cyber security

Agencies do not have a common view on what constitutes a cyber attack, which limits understanding the extent of the cyber security threat.

Other IT systems

Agencies can improve their disaster recovery plans and the change control processes they use when updating IT systems.

3. Asset Management

Capital investment

Agencies report delays delivering against the significant increase in their budgets for capital projects.

Capital projects

Agencies are underspending their capital budgets and some can improve capital project governance.

Asset disposals

Eleven per cent of agencies were required to sell their real property through Property NSW but didn’t. And eight per cent of agencies can improve their asset disposal processes.

4. Governance

Governance arrangements

Sixty-four per cent of agencies’ disclosure policies support communication of key performance information and prompt public reporting of significant issues.

Shared services

Fifty-nine per cent of agencies use shared services, yet 14 per cent do not have service level agreements in place and 20 per cent can strengthen the performance standards they set.

5. Ethics and Conduct

Ethical framework

Agencies can reinforce their ethical frameworks by updating code‑of‑conduct policies and publishing a Statement of Business Ethics.

Conflicts of interest

All agencies we reviewed have a code of conduct, but they can still improve the way they update and manage their codes to reduce the risk of fraud and unethical behaviour.

6. Risk Management 

Risk management maturity

All agencies have implemented risk management frameworks, but with varying levels of maturity.

Risk management elements

Many agencies can improve risk registers and strengthen their risk culture, particularly in the way that they report risks to their lead agency.

This report covers the findings and recommendations from our 2016–17 financial audits related to the internal controls and governance of the 39 largest agencies (refer to Appendix three) in the NSW public sector. These agencies represent about 95 per cent of total expenditure for all NSW agencies and were considered to be a large enough group to identify common issues and insights.

The findings in this report should not be used to draw conclusions on the effectiveness of individual agency control environments and governance arrangements. Specific financial reporting, controls and service delivery comments are included in the individual 2017 cluster financial audit reports tabled in Parliament from October to December 2017.

This new report offers strategic insight on the public sector as a whole

In previous years, we have commented on internal control and governance issues in the volumes we published on each ‘cluster’ or agency sector, generally between October and December. To add further value, we then commented more broadly about the issues identified for the public sector as a whole at the start of the following year.

This year, we have created this report dedicated to internal controls and governance. This will help Parliament to understand broad issues affecting the public sector, and help agencies to compare their own performance against that of their peers.

Without strong control measures and governance systems, agencies face increased risks in their financial management and service delivery. If they do not, for example, properly authorise payments or manage conflicts of interest, they are at greater risk of fraud. If they do not have strong information technology (IT) systems, sensitive and trusted information may be at risk of unauthorised access and misuse.

These problems can in turn reduce the efficiency of agency operations, increase their costs and reduce the quality of the services they deliver.

Our audits do not review every control or governance measure every year. We select a range of measures, and report on those that present the most significant risks that agencies should mitigate. This report divides these into the following six areas:

  1. Overall trends
  2. Information technology
  3. Asset management
  4. Governance
  5. Ethics and conduct
  6. Risk management.

Internal controls are processes, policies and procedures that help agencies to:

  • operate effectively and efficiently
  • produce reliable financial reports
  • comply with laws and regulations.

This chapter outlines the overall trends for agency controls and governance issues, including the number of findings, level of risk and the most common deficiencies we found across agencies. The rest of this volume then illustrates this year’s controls and governance findings in more detail.

Issues

Recommendations

1.1 New and repeat findings

The number of internal control deficiencies reduced over the past three years, but new higher-risk information technology (IT) control deficiencies were reported in 2016–17.

Deficiencies repeated from previous years still make up a sizeable proportion of all internal control deficiencies.

Recommendation

Agencies should focus on emerging IT risks, but also manage new IT risks, reduce existing IT control deficiencies, and address repeat internal control deficiencies on a more timely basis.

1.2 High risk findings

We found seven high risk internal control deficiencies, which might significantly affect agencies.

Recommendation

Agencies should rectify high risk internal control deficiencies as a priority

1.3 Common findings

The most common internal control deficiencies related to poor or absent IT controls.

We found some common governance deficiencies across multiple agencies.

Recommendation

Agencies should coordinate actions and resources to help rectify common IT control and governance deficiencies.

Information technology (IT) has become increasingly important for government agencies’ financial reporting and to deliver their services efficiently and effectively. Our audits reviewed whether agencies have effective controls in place over their IT systems. We found that IT security remains the source of many control weakness in agencies.

Issues Recommendations

2.1 IT security

User access administration

While 95 per cent of agencies have policies about user access, about two-thirds were compliant with these policies. Agencies can improve how they grant, change and end user access to their systems.

Recommendation

Agencies should strengthen user access administration to prevent inappropriate access to sensitive systems. Agencies should:

  • establish and enforce clear policies and procedures
  • review user access regularly
  • remove user access for terminated staff promptly
  • change user access for transferred staff promptly.

Privileged access

Sixty-eight per cent of agencies do not adequately manage who can access their information systems, and many do not sufficiently monitor or restrict privileged access.

Recommendation

Agencies should tighten privileged user access to protect their information systems and reduce the risks of data misuse and fraud. Agencies should ensure they:

  • only grant privileged access in line with the responsibilities of a position
  • review the level of access regularly
  • limit privileged access to necessary functions and data
  • monitor privileged user account activity on a regular basis.

Password controls

Forty-one per cent of agencies did not meet either their own standards or minimum standards for password controls.

Recommendation

Agencies should review and enforce password controls to strengthen security over sensitive systems. As a minimum, password parameters should include:

  • minimum password lengths and complexity requirements
  • limits on the number of failed log-in attempts
  • password history (such as the number of passwords remembered)
  • maximum and minimum password ages.

2.2 Cyber Security

Cyber security framework

Agencies do not have a common view on what constitutes a cyber attack, which limits understanding the extent of the cyber security threat.

Recommendation

The Department of Finance, Services and Innovation should revisit its existing framework to develop a shared cyber security terminology and strengthen the current reporting requirements for cyber incidents.

Cyber security strategies

While 82 per cent of agencies have dedicated resources to address cyber security, they can strengthen their strategies, expertise and staff awareness.

Recommendations

The Department of Finance, Services and Innovation should:

  • mandate minimum standards and require agencies to regularly assess and report on how well they mitigate cyber security risks against these standards
  • develop a framework that provides for cyber security training.

Agencies should ensure they adequately resource staff dedicated to cyber security.

2.3 Other IT systems

Change control processes

Some agencies need to improve change control processes to avoid unauthorised or inaccurate system changes.

Recommendation

Agencies should consistently perform user acceptance testing before system upgrades and changes. They should also properly approve and document changes to IT systems.

Disaster recovery planning

Agencies can do more to adequately assess critical business systems to enforce effective disaster recovery plans. This includes reviewing and testing their plans on a timely basis.

Recommendation

Agencies should complete business impact analyses to strengthen disaster recovery plans, then regularly test and update their plans.

Agency service delivery relies on developing and renewing infrastructure assets such as schools, hospitals, roads, or public housing. Agencies are currently investing significantly in new assets. Agencies need to manage the scale and volume of current capital projects in order to deliver new infrastructure on time, on budget and realise the intended benefits. We found agencies can improve how they:

  • manage their major capital projects
  • dispose of existing assets.
Issues Recommendations or conclusions

3.1 Capital investment

Capital asset investment ratios

Most agencies report high capital investment ratios, but one-third of agencies’ capital investment ratios are less than one.

Recommendation

Agencies with high capital asset investment ratios should ensure their project management and delivery functions have the capacity to deliver their current and forward work programs.

Volume of capital spending

Most agencies have significant forward spending commitments for capital projects. However, agencies’ actual capital expenditure has been below budget for the last three years.

Conclusion

The significant increase in capital budget underspends warrant investigation, particularly where this has resulted from slower than expected delivery of projects from previous years.

3.2 Capital projects

Major capital projects

Agencies’ major capital projects were underspent by 13 percent against their budgets.

Conclusion

The causes of agency budget underspends warrant investigation to ensure the NSW Government’s infrastructure commitment is delivered on time.

Capital project governance

Agencies do not consistently prepare business cases or use project steering committees to oversee major capital projects.

Conclusion

Agencies that have project management processes that include robust business cases and regular updates to their steering committees (or equivalent) are better able to provide those projects with strategic direction and oversight.

3.3. Asset disposals

Asset disposal procedures

Agencies need to strengthen their asset disposal procedures.

Recommendations

Agencies should have formal processes for disposing of surplus properties.

Agencies should use Property NSW to manage real property sales unless, as in the case for State owned corporations, they have been granted an exemption.

Governance refers to the high-level frameworks, processes and behaviours that help an organisation to achieve its objectives, comply with legal and other requirements, and meet a high standard of probity, accountability and transparency.

This chapter sets out the governance lighthouse model the Audit Office developed to help agencies reach best practice. It then focuses on two key areas: continuous disclosure and shared services arrangements. The following two chapters look at findings related to ethics and risk management.

Issues Recommendations or conclusions

4.1 Governance arrangements

Continuous disclosure

Continuous disclosure promotes improved performance and public trust and aides better decision-making. Continuous disclosure is only mandatory for NSW Government Businesses such as State owned corporations.

Conclusion

Some agencies promote transparency and accountability by publishing on their websites a continuous disclosure policy that provides for, and encourages:

  • regular public disclosure of key performance information
  • disclosure of both positive and negative information
  • prompt reporting of significant issues.

4.2 Shared services

Service level agreements

Some agencies do not have service level agreements for their shared service arrangements.

Many of the agreements that do exist do not adequately specify controls, performance or reporting requirements. This reduces the effectiveness of shared services arrangements.

Conclusion

Agencies are better able to manage the quality and timeliness of shared service arrangements where they have a service level agreement in place. Ideally, the terms of service should be agreed before services are transferred to the service provider and:

  • specify the controls a provider must maintain
  • specify key performance targets
  • include penalties for non-compliance.

Shared service performance

Some agencies do not set performance standards for their shared service providers or regularly review performance results.

Conclusion

Agencies can achieve better results from shared service arrangements when they regularly monitor the performance of shared service providers using key measures for the benefits realised, costs saved and quality of services received.

Before agencies extend or renegotiate a contract, they should comprehensively assess the services received and test the market to maximise value for money.

All government sector employees must demonstrate the highest levels of ethical conduct, in line with standards set by The Code of Ethics and Conduct for NSW government sector employees.

This chapter looks at how well agencies are managing these requirements, and where they can improve their policies and processes.

We found that agencies mostly have the appropriate codes, frameworks and policies in place. But we have highlighted opportunities to improve the way they manage those systems to reduce the risks of unethical conduct.

Issues Recommendations or conclusions

5.1 Ethical framework

Code of conduct

All agencies we reviewed have a code of conduct, but they can still improve the way they update and manage their codes to reduce the risk of fraud and unethical behaviour.

Recommendation

Agencies should regularly review their code-of-conduct policies and ensure they keep their codes of conduct up-to-date.

Statement of business ethics

Most agencies maintain an ethical framework, but some can enhance their related processes, particularly when dealing with external clients, customers, suppliers and contractors.

Conclusion

Agencies can enhance their ethical frameworks by publishing a Statement of Business Ethics, which communicates their values and culture.

5.2 Potential conflicts of interest

Conflicts of interest

All agencies have a conflicts-of-interest policy, but most can improve how they identify, manage and avoid conflicts of interest.

Recommendation

Agencies should improve the way they manage conflicts of interest, particularly by:

  • requiring senior executives to make a conflict-of-interest declaration at least annually
  • implementing processes to identify and address outstanding declarations
  • providing annual training to staff
  • maintaining current registers of conflicts of interest.

Gifts and benefits

While all agencies already have a formal gifts-and-benefits policy, we found gaps in the management of gifts and benefits by some that increase the risk of unethical conduct.

Recommendation

Agencies should improve the way they manage gifts and benefits by promptly updating registers and providing annual training to staff.

Risk management is an integral part of effective corporate governance. It helps agencies to identify, assess and prioritise the risks they face and in turn minimise, monitor and control the impact of unforeseen events. It also means agencies can respond to opportunities that may emerge and improve their services and activities.

This year we looked at the overall maturity of the risk management frameworks that agencies use, along with two important risk management elements: risk culture and risk registers.

Issues Recommendations or conclusions

6.1 Risk management maturity

All agencies have implemented risk management frameworks, but with varying levels of maturity in their application.

Agencies’ averaged a score of 3.1 out of five across five critical assessment criteria for risk management. While strategy and governance fared best, the areas that most need to improve are risk culture, and systems and intelligence.

Conclusion

Agencies have introduced risk management frameworks and practices as required by the Treasury’s:

  • 'Risk Management Toolkit for the NSW Public Sector'
  • 'Internal Audit and Risk Management Policy for the NSW Public Sector'.

However, more can be done to progress risk management maturity and embed risk management in agency culture.

6.2 Risk management elements

Risk culture

Most agencies have started to embed risk management into the culture of their organisation. But only some have successfully done so, and most agencies can improve their risk culture.

 

 

Conclusion

Agencies can improve their risk culture by:

  • setting an appropriate tone from the top
  • training all staff in effective risk management
  • ensuring desired risk behaviours and culture are supported, monitored, and reinforced through business plans, or the equivalent and employees' performance assessments.

Risk registers and reporting

Some agencies do not report their significant risks to their lead agency, which may impair the way resources are allocated in their cluster. Some agencies do not integrate risk registers at a divisional and whole-of-enterprise level.

Conclusion

Agencies not reporting significant risks at the cluster level increases the likelihood that significant risks are not being mitigated appropriately.

Effective risk management can improve agency decision-making, protect reputations and lead to significant efficiencies and cost savings. By embedding risk management directly into their operations, agencies can also derive extra value for their activities and services.

Published

Actions for Industry 2017

Industry 2017

Industry
Asset valuation
Compliance
Internal controls and governance
Procurement
Project management
Risk

The following report highlights the results of the financial audits of NSW Government entities in the Industry cluster. The report focuses on key observations and findings from the most recent audits of these entities.

The report notes that TAFE NSW will continue to incur extra costs each year to produce reliable financial information due to deficiencies in its student administration system. TAFE NSW plans to replace its Student Administration and Learning Management system in 2018-19 at an estimated cost of $89 million.

1. Financial reporting and controls

Financial reporting

Unqualified audit opinions were issued for 44 out of 48 financial statement audits with four audits incomplete. Early close procedures continue to promote earlier and better quality financial reporting.
Financial performance The cluster recorded a net deficit of $107 million in 2016–17 ($78.0 million in 2015–16). Contributing to the overall cluster net deficit was the Department's $226 million net deficit offset by net surpluses at Water NSW and the Forestry Corporation of New South Wales.
TAFE NSW continues to experience system issues TAFE NSW incurs extra costs each year to produce reliable financial information due to deficiencies in its student administration system. TAFE NSW plans to replace its Student Administration and Learning Management system in 2018–19 at an estimated cost of $89 million.
Internal controls

We identified 180 internal control issues, including 61 repeat issues across the cluster. We rated four of these issues as 'high' risk, 98 as ‘moderate’ risk and 78 as ‘low’ risk.

Of the 180 issues raised, 37 related to financial reporting and 52 related to controls over processes such as procurement and fixed assets.

Some internal control issues and recommendations identified in previous years, have been repeated and should be addressed promptly to reduce risks and improve processes.

Deficient user administration access Agencies need to strengthen user access administration to critical financial systems.

2. Service delivery

Premier and State Priorities    

Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows the Premier's priority for job creation has been achieved.

While performance has declined for the State priority to increase the proportion of people completing apprenticeships and traineeships, the Department advises it has initiatives in place to achieve this State priority, and the State priority for New South Wales to lead Australia in business confidence.

Crown land   The Department is working to respond to the recommendations from a Parliamentary Inquiry into Crown Land and to implement the revised framework contained in the Crown Land Management Act 2016.
Aboriginal land claims

Despite a continued focus, the Department has been unsuccessful in reducing the number of unprocessed Aboriginal land claims.

The Department should continue to implement measures to reduce the backlog of unprocessed Aboriginal land claims.

This report focuses on agencies in the Industry cluster. The report focuses on audit results, observations, conclusions and recommendations for financial reporting and controls, and service delivery.

This cluster leads the State's promotion of New South Wales as the place to invest and produce goods and services. Significant cluster agencies deliver services in the following areas:

Confidence in public sector decision-making and transparency is enhanced when financial reporting is accurate and timely. Appropriate financial controls help ensure the efficient and effective use of resources and administration of agency policies.

This chapter outlines audit observations, conclusions and recommendations for the financial reporting and controls of agencies in the cluster for 2016–17.

Observation Conclusion or recommendation
2.1 Quality of financial reporting
Unqualified audit opinions were issued for 44 out of 48 financial statement audits. Four audits are continuing. Ongoing improvements in the preparation of financial statements helped identify and resolve material issues.
The number of misstatements within the cluster fell from 104 in 2015–16 to 70 in 2016–17. The ‘early close procedures’ initiative introduced by the Treasury in 2011–12 has reduced the number of misstatements each year.
2.2 Timeliness of financial reporting
Most agencies complied with the Treasury’s early close procedures and the timetable for the preparation and audit of financial statements. Greater focus on financial reporting and effective early close procedures has improved the timeliness of financial reporting, but further improvements are required.
2.3 Key financial issues from cluster agencies
The Department of Industry completed a revaluation of Crown land and continues work on improving the accounting for Crown land. The value of Crown land recognised in the Department's financial statements at 30 June 2017 was $5.3 billion. The revaluation was carried out using a revised mass valuation approach which reduced complexity and subjectivity and improved transparency.
There is no process in place to ensure agencies recognise all the Crown land they manage and control. Recommendation: The Department should confirm the completeness and accuracy of the Crown land database with other organisations that manage and control Crown land to improve the reliability of its records.
TAFE NSW incurred approximately $6 million of direct costs to deal with issues in its student administration system and establish the integrity of its financial data for 2016–17. TAFE NSW will continue to incur extra costs each year to produce reliable financial information. TAFE NSW advises it intends to replace the Student Administration and Learning Management system it jointly implemented with the Department of Education three years ago at a cost $40.2 million. TAFE plans to implement the new system in 2018–19 at an estimated cost of $89 million.
 
2.4 Key financial information  
The cluster recorded a net deficit of $107 million in 2016–17 ($78.0 million in 2015–16). The overall cluster net deficit included the Department's $226 million net deficit which was partly offset by net surpluses in a number of other agencies, including Water NSW and the Forestry Corporation of New South Wales. Most agencies in the cluster, including the Department, but excluding the State owned corporations, are dependent on the NSW Government for the majority of their revenue.
 
2.5 Financial performance and sustainability  
We assessed the performance of certain agencies against key financial sustainability indicators. This identified four agencies with adjusted net deficits and two agencies with liquidity ratios below one. Overall, based on our analysis these agencies are not at high risk of sustainability concerns.
2.6 Internal controls  
A significant number of repeat internal control issues were again raised with management for certain agencies in the cluster.
 
Recommendation (repeat issue): Internal control issues and recommendations from previous years should be addressed promptly to reduce risks and improve processes.
User access administration over financial systems needs to be improved. 17 moderate risk issues related to user access administration across nine agencies were identified.

Recommendation: Agencies should ensure administration of user access to critical systems

  • retains documentation of approvals to create, modify and deactivate user access
  • allocates appropriate access rights
  • performs and documents regular user access reviews
  • logs and monitors privileged/super user account activity
  • deactivates terminated user access on a timely basis
  • does not allow shared generic user accounts, instead of unique user accounts for staff performing administration tasks.

Government outcomes can be achieved by delivering services through a mix of the public, private or not-for-profit sectors. Service delivery reform is most successful if there is clear accountability for service delivery outcomes, decisions are aligned to the government's strategic direction, and performance and value for money are monitored and evaluated.

This chapter outlines our audit observations, conclusions and recommendations for the service delivery of agencies in the cluster for 2016–17.

Issues Conclusion or recommendation

3.1 Measuring and reporting on performance

The Department is responsible for two State priorities (increasing apprenticeships and business confidence) and the Premier's priority of creating jobs. The Department also supports four state priorities. Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows the Premier's priority for job creation continues to be achieved. The Department reported that the number of people completing apprenticeships and traineeships had declined to 59 per cent against a 2019 target of 65 per cent, while the State was ranked first or second on a range of business confidence indicators.

3.2 Improvements required in the administration of Crown land

The Department faces many challenges in the administration of Crown land. These challenges range from inadequate systems and processes through to satisfying competing commercial, environmental, and community interests.

The Department has implemented, or is implementing the recommendations from a performance audit on the Sale and Lease of Crown land and the Parliamentary Inquiry into Crown land.

It is also implementing the revised framework for Crown land contained in the Crown Land Management Act 2016.

3.3 Aboriginal land claims over Crown land

The number of unprocessed Aboriginal land claims continues to increase. Work on finalising Aboriginal Land Agreements, which may help address the claims backlog, is continuing. Recommendation (repeat Issue): The Department should continue to implement measures to reduce the number of unprocessed Aboriginal land claims.
 

3.4 Skills development

Eleven contracted Smart and Skilled service providers had their contracts cancelled for quality issues. There were 391 providers of Smart and Skilled qualifications as at October 2017. The Department of Industry spent $1.4 billion on the provision of vocational education and training. The Department has controls in place to monitor the performance of contracted service providers to ensure quality delivery of training.

Published

Actions for Universities 2016 Audits

Universities 2016 Audits

Universities
Asset valuation
Compliance
Cyber security
Financial reporting
Fraud
Information technology
Internal controls and governance
Procurement

No qualified opinions were issued on the universities’ financial statements and the quality and timeliness of financial reporting continued to improve. The report found that all NSW universities recorded a surplus in 2016 with combined revenue growth exceeding expense growth by 1.1 per cent. Universities have diversified revenue sources and are now less reliant on government grants. Combined overseas student income exceeded domestic student income for the first time in 2016.

This report analyses the results of the financial statement audits of the ten NSW universities and their controlled entities for the year ended 31 December 2016. The table below summarises key observations.  

This report focuses on key observations and common issues identified from our financial audits of the ten NSW universities and their controlled entities in 2016. The universities are listed in Appendix Three.

In this report, parliament and other users of universities’ financial statements are provided with an analysis of universities’ results and key observations in the following areas:

  • Financial Performance and Reporting
  • Financial Controls
  • Governance
  • Teaching and Research.

Snapshot of NSW universities

A snapshot of NSW universities for the year ended 31 December 2016 is shown below.

Financial performance and reporting are important elements of good governance. Confidence in public sector decision making and transparency is enhanced when financial reporting is accurate and timely.

This chapter outlines audit findings on financial performance and reporting of NSW universities for 2016. 

Appropriate financial controls help ensure the efficient and effective use of resources and the implementation and administration of university policies. They are essential for quality and timely decision making.

In 2016, our audit teams made the following key observations on the financial controls of NSW universities.

Governance refers to the high-level frameworks, processes and behaviours that ensure universities meet their intended purpose, conform with legislative requirements, and meet expectations of probity, accountability and transparency.

This chapter outlines audit findings on the governance of NSW universities and their controlled entities. 

Teaching and research are core activities of universities. The quality of teaching is a key driver for growth and attracting students. Through research, universities contribute to economic growth, lead innovation and improve their global rankings.  

This chapter reports on teaching and research in NSW universities for 2016.

Published

Actions for Education 2016

Education 2016

Education
Asset valuation
Compliance
Financial reporting
Fraud
Information technology
Internal controls and governance
Procurement
Project management

The Auditor-General, Margaret Crawford released a report today highlighting the impact of the growing student population on school infrastructure and the increasing cost of psychological injury workers' compensation claims in Education. The report also gives updates on an initiative designed to create new out of school hours care (OSHC) places and on the expected final cost and completion date for the Learning Management and Business Reform (LMBR) program.

Published

Actions for Industry, Skills, Electricity and Water 2016

Industry, Skills, Electricity and Water 2016

Industry
Asset valuation
Compliance
Cyber security
Financial reporting
Fraud
Information technology
Internal controls and governance
Procurement
Project management

The Auditor-General, Margaret Crawford released a report today highlighting a decline in net profits of electricity agencies and the distributions the government received from these agencies. The report also details continuing issues in the management of Crown Land and TAFE NSW's student administration system.

Published

Actions for Transport 2016

Transport 2016

Transport
Asset valuation
Compliance
Financial reporting
Fraud
Information technology
Internal controls and governance
Procurement
Project management

Financial reporting within the Transport Cluster continues to improve with reported misstatements down 96 per cent since 2011-12 to just three in 2015-16, according to a report released today by the NSW Auditor-General, Margaret Crawford.

Published

Actions for Areas of focus in 2015

Areas of focus in 2015

Whole of Government
Asset valuation
Compliance
Financial reporting
Information technology
Internal controls and governance
Project management
Risk

This report focuses on key observations from financial and performance audits in 2015. The findings have been broadly classified into four themes, which has informed the focus of financial and performance audits for 2016.

Published

Actions for Volume Nine 2012 focusing on Education and Communities

Volume Nine 2012 focusing on Education and Communities

Education
Community Services
Asset valuation
Financial reporting
Management and administration
Project management
Risk
Workforce and capability

In New South Wales in 2011, around 20 per cent of public school teachers were under 35 and less than 10 per cent were under 30. Nothing has changed during 2012. We need to do more to attract and retain young teachers to a profession that is essential for our children and our future prosperity.

Published

Actions for Volume Eight 2012 focusing on Transport and Ports

Volume Eight 2012 focusing on Transport and Ports

Transport
Industry
Compliance
Financial reporting
Fraud
Information technology
Infrastructure
Management and administration
Procurement
Project management
Regulation
Risk
Workforce and capability

We issued unqualified audit opinions on the transport entities’ 30 June 2012 financial statements.

Some of the findings of the report include:

  • government funding to the public transport operators totalled $4.4 billion in 2011-12 ($3.7 billion in 2010-11)

  • passenger services revenue only covered 20 per cent of RailCorp's operating costs

  • Transport for NSW has formalised a protocol to mitigate the risk of potential conflicts of interests

  • At present, no sustainability framework exists for the transport agencies around environment and sustainability. Transport for NSW should complete its Environment and Sustainability Policy Framework by June 2013 and should publicly report its results annually

  • Transport patronage continued to grow with 510 million journeys on train, bus and ferry services

  • CityRail had two peak hour periods where only 36 per cent and 39 per cent of services were on time

  • On-time running performance for Sydney Ferries was above the NSW 2021 plan target of 98.5 per cent for most routes in 2011-12

  • Customer surveys by transport agencies no longer specifically address crowding on public transport. Transport for NSW should observe and report on crowding on all transport modes

  • Over 2,500 transport staff, or 8.3 per cent of the workforce, have excessive leave balances. All transport entities should do more to reduce excessive annual leave balances to ensure they will comply with new targets set by the Premier.

 

Published

Actions for Volume Two 2012 focusing on Universities

Volume Two 2012 focusing on Universities

Universities
Financial reporting
Fraud
Management and administration
Regulation
Workforce and capability

The Members tested substantially complied with the requirements of the Parliamentary Remuneration Tribunal’s (PRT) Determination for the year ended 30 June 2011. Findings note that the Department of Parliamentary Services should remind Members that they should not approve additional temporary staff claim forms before staff have worked the hours.