Refine search Expand filter

Reports

Published

Actions for Education 2019

Education 2019

Education
Financial reporting
Information technology
Internal controls and governance
Management and administration
Shared services and collaboration
Workforce and capability

This report focuses on key observations and findings from the most recent financial audits of agencies in the Education cluster. From 1 July 2019, the Technical and Further Education Commission, the NSW Skills Board and the functions and activities associated with vocational training and skills form part of the Education cluster.

Unqualified audit opinions were issued for all cluster agencies’ financial statements. However, internal control deficiencies were identified across the cluster agencies, including 14 findings that were repeated from the previous year. Control deficiencies were also identified in a sample of the state’s 2,200 schools. Schools did not always apply the guidance in the Department of Education's ‘Finance in Schools Handbook’, resulting in control weaknesses in key areas such as governance, cash management and procurement.

'In addition, we continue to observe inconsistencies in the employee leave data reported from the Department of Education’s payroll system, which impact the reliability of estimates of the Department’s liability for employee benefits. The robustness of the Department's quality assurance over leave liability data should be improved', the Auditor-General said.

Download the Education 2019 report (PDF)

This report analyses the results of our audits of financial statements of entities within the Education cluster for the year ended 30 June 2019. The table below summarises our key observations.

1. Machinery of Government changes

The Education cluster has expanded From 1 July 2019, the Technical and Further Education Commission, the NSW Skills Board and the functions and activities associated with vocational training and skills now form part of the Education cluster.

2. Financial reporting

Audit opinions

Unqualified audit opinions were issued for all cluster agencies' 30 June 2019 financial statements audits.

The number of corrections to disclosures in the financial statements, which increased this year, could have been reduced by a more thorough quality assurance over the information underpinning the financial statements.

Recommendation: Cluster agencies should improve their quality assurance processes for financial reporting to improve the accuracy of financial statements presented for audit.

Preparedness for new accounting standards

Agencies will implement four new accounting standards shortly. Three are effective from 1 July 2019 and the fourth is effective from 1 July 2020. Cluster agencies needed to do more work on their impact assessments to better prepare for their implementation from 1 July 2019.

Recommendation: Cluster agencies should finalise their plans to implement the new accounting standards as soon as possible.

Timeliness of financial reporting

All cluster agencies met the statutory deadline for completing early close procedures and submitting their financial statements for audit.

The Department of Education (the Department) delays tabling its financial statements in parliament so it can report its operational outcomes, which are aligned to the calendar year, in a single report. This reduces transparency over the Department's financial statements as they are tabled more than ten months after the end of the financial year.

Recommendation: The Department should table its financial statements in parliament earlier, in line with other NSW Government agencies.

Inconsistencies in the employee leave data We continue to observe inconsistencies in the employee leave data reported from the Department’s payroll system, which impacts the reliability of estimates of the Department's liability for employee benefits. The robustness of the Department's quality assurance over leave liability data should be improved.

3. Audit observations

Internal control deficiencies

We identified 55 internal control issues, including 14 findings that were repeated from the previous year.

Issues were identified with user access administration, segregation of duties in the Department's key application system and timely preparation and review of key reconciliations.

Recommendation: Cluster agencies should prioritise and action recommendations to address internal control weaknesses.

Schools review 2018

Our review of a selection of NSW schools identified deficiencies in how they applied the Department of Education's ‘Finance in Schools Handbook’, resulting in control weaknesses in key areas such as governance, cash management and procurement.

Recommendation: The Department should ensure all schools apply the Department’s ‘Finance in Schools Handbook’ as it is a key internal control.

 

This report provides parliament and other users of the Education cluster’s financial statements with the results of our audits, our observations, analysis, conclusions and recommendations in the following areas:

  • financial reporting
  • audit observations.

This cluster was significantly impacted by the Machinery of Government changes. The Technical and Further Education Commission and the NSW Skills Board, part of the former Industry cluster, were transferred on 1 July 2019. This report focuses on agencies in the Education cluster from 1 July 2019. Please refer to the section on Machinery of Government changes for more details.

Machinery of Government refers to how the government organises the structures and functions of the public service. Machinery of Government changes are where the government reorganises these structures and functions, and the changes are given effect by Administrative Arrangements Orders.

Section highlights

The 2019 Machinery of Government changes significantly impacted the Education cluster. From 1 July 2019, the functions and activities associated with the administration of legislation allocated to the Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education were transferred from the former Industry cluster to the Education cluster. Aboriginal Affairs NSW was transferred from the Department of Education (the Department) to the Department of Premier and Cabinet.

The Department is the principal agency in the cluster. The Machinery of Government changes bring new responsibilities, risks and challenges to the cluster.

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

This chapter outlines our audit observations related to the financial reporting of agencies in the Education cluster for 2019.

Section highlights

Unqualified audit opinions were issued on the financial statements of cluster agencies. However, a more thorough quality review process of the financial statements submitted for audit would help reduce the number of corrections to those statements.

All cluster agencies met the statutory deadlines for completing the early close procedures and submitting the financial statements.

We continue to observe inconsistencies in the employee leave data reported from the Department of Education’s (the Department) payroll system. The robustness of the Department's quality assurance over leave liability data should be improved.

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

This chapter outlines our observations and insights from our financial statement audits of agencies in the Education cluster. It also comments on our review of the financial control framework applied by 70 schools in NSW whose financial results form part of the Department of Education's (the Department) financial statements.

Section highlights

  • Audit Office management letter recommendations to address internal control weaknesses should be actioned promptly, with a focus on addressing repeat issues. The 2018–19 financial audits of cluster agencies identified 55 internal control issues, including 14 that were carried forward from the previous year.
  • Application controls are procedures that operate at a business process level designed to ensure the integrity of accounting records. The Department can mitigate the risk of fraud or error in preparing its financial statements if segregation of duties are appropriately configured in their key application system.
  • Our review of a selection of schools across NSW identified deficiencies in how schools apply the Department’s financial management practices and governance arrangements.

Appendix one – List of 2019 recommendations

Appendix two – Status of 2018 recommendations

Appendix three – Cluster agencies

Appendix four – Financial data

 

Copyright notice

© Copyright reserved by the Audit Office of New South Wales. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior consent of the Audit Office of New South Wales. The Audit Office does not accept responsibility for loss or damage suffered by any person acting on or refraining from action as a result of any of this material.

Published

Actions for Stronger Communities 2019

Stronger Communities 2019

Justice
Community Services
Compliance
Financial reporting
Internal controls and governance
Management and administration
Project management
Service delivery
Shared services and collaboration
Workforce and capability

A report has been released on the NSW Stronger Communities cluster.

From 1 July 2019, the functions of the former Department of Justice, the former Department of Family and Community Services and many of the cluster agencies moved to the new Stronger Communities cluster. The Department of Communities and Justice is the principal agency in the new Stronger Communities cluster.

The report focuses on key observations and findings from the most recent financial audits of agencies in the Stronger Communities cluster.

Unqualified audit opinions were issued on the financial statements for all agencies in the cluster.  

There were 157 audit findings on internal controls. Two of these were high risk and 59 were repeat findings from previous financial audits. ‘Cluster agencies should prioritise actions to address internal control weaknesses promptly with particular focus given to issues that are assessed as high risk’, the Auditor-General said.

The report notes that the NSW Government’s new workers' compensation legislation, which gave eligible firefighters presumptive rights to workers' compensation, cost emergency services agencies $180 million in 2018–19, mostly in increased premiums.

Download the PDF version of report

This report analyses the results of our audits of financial statements of the agencies comprising the Stronger Communities cluster for the year ended 30 June 2019. The table below summarises our key observations.

This report provides parliament and other users of the financial statements of agencies in the Stronger Communities cluster with the results of our audits, our observations, analyses, conclusions and recommendations in the following areas:

  • financial reporting
  • audit observations.

This cluster was significantly impacted by the Machinery of Government (MoG) changes on 1 July 2019. This report focuses on the agencies that from 1 July 2019, comprised the Stronger Communities cluster. The MoG changes moved some agencies from the clusters to which they belonged in 2018–19 to the Stronger Communities cluster. Conversely, the MoG also moved some agencies formerly in the Family and Community Services cluster and Justice cluster elsewhere. Please refer to the section on Machinery of Government changes for more details.

The Department of Communities and Justice is the principal agency of the cluster. The newly created department combines functions of the former Department of Justice and the Department of Family and Community Services.

Machinery of Government (MoG) refers to how the government organises the structures and functions of the public service. MoG changes occur when the government reorganises these structures and functions and those changes are given effect by Administrative Orders.

The MoG changes announced following the NSW State election on 23 March 2019 significantly impacted the Stronger Communities cluster through Administrative Changes Orders issued on 2 April 2019 and 1 May 2019. These orders took effect on 1 July 2019.

Section highlights

The 2019 MoG changes significantly impacted the former Justice and Family and Community Services (FACS) departments and clusters.

  • The Stronger Communities cluster combines most of the functions and agencies of the former Justice and FACS clusters from 1 July 2019.
  • The Department of Communities and Justice is now the principal agency in the new cluster.
  • The MoG changes bring new responsibilities, risks and challenges to the cluster.
  • A temporary office has been established by the Department of Communities and Justice to support the cluster in the planning, delivery and reporting associated with implementing the changes.

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

This chapter outlines our audit observations relating to the financial reporting of agencies in the Stronger Communities cluster for 2019.

Section highlights
  • Unqualified audit opinions were issued for all agencies' 30 June 2019 financial statements. However, further actions can be taken by some cluster agencies to enhance the quality of their financial reporting.
  • In November 2018, the Department of Justice implemented a new Victims Support Services system called VS Connect. Significant data quality issues arising from the VS Connect system implementation impacted the Department's ability to reliably estimate its Victims Support Scheme claims liabilities at 30 June 2019.
    We recommend the Department of Communities and Justice resolves the data quality issues in the new VS Connect System before 30 June 2020 and capture and apply lessons learned from recent project implementations, including LifeLink, Justice SAP and VS Connect, in any relevant future implementations.
  • Our audits found some cluster agencies needed to do more work on their impact assessments and preparedness to implement the new accounting standards, to minimise the risk of errors in their 2019–20 financial statements.
  • Cluster agencies with annual leave balances exceeding the State's target should further review their approach to managing leave balances.

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

This chapter outlines our observations and insights from our financial statement audits of agencies in the Stronger Communities cluster.

Section highlights

  • Cluster agencies should action recommendations to address internal control weaknesses promptly. Particular focus should be given to prioritising high risk issues. The 2018–19 financial audits of cluster agencies identified 157 internal control issues. Of these, two were high risk and 37.6 per cent were repeat findings from previous audits.
  • Data from the Department of Justice shows the inmate population reached a maximum of 13,798, compared to an operational capacity of 14,626 beds on 31 August 2019. This equates to an operational vacancy rate of 5.7 per cent, which is more than the recommended 5.0 per cent buffer. This is the first time the vacancy rate has exceeded the target over the last five years. Growth in the NSW prison population is being managed through the NSW Government's $3.8 billion Prison Bed Capacity Program.
  • In September 2018, the NSW Government introduced new workers' compensation legislation, which gives eligible firefighters presumptive rights to workers' compensation when diagnosed with one of 12 prescribed cancers. The new legislation cost emergency services agencies $180 million in 2018–19, mainly through additional workers' compensation premiums.

Appendix one – Timeliness of financial reporting by agency

Appendix two – Management letter findings by agency

Appendix three – List of 2019 recommendations 

Appendix four – Status of 2018 recommendations 

Appendix five – Cluster agencies 

Appendix six – Financial data 

 

Copyright notice

© Copyright reserved by the Audit Office of New South Wales. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior consent of the Audit Office of New South Wales. The Audit Office does not accept responsibility for loss or damage suffered by any person acting on or refraining from action as a result of any of this material.

Published

Actions for Transport 2019

Transport 2019

Transport
Asset valuation
Financial reporting
Infrastructure
Internal controls and governance
Management and administration
Service delivery
Workforce and capability

This report details the results of the financial audits of NSW Government's Transport cluster for the financial year ended 30 June 2019. The report focuses on key observations and findings from the most recent financial statement audits of agencies in the Transport cluster.

Unqualified audit opinions were issued for all agencies' financial statements. However, valuations of assets continue to create challenges across the cluster. The Audit Office identified some deficiencies in relation to asset valuations at Transport for NSW, Roads and Maritime Services, Rail Corporation New South Wales and Sydney Metro.

The Audit Office noted an increase in findings on internal controls across the Transport cluster. Key themes related to information technology, asset management and employee leave entitlements. The report also highlights the status of significant infrastructure projects across the Transport cluster.

The report makes several recommendations including:

  • agency finance teams need to be consulted on major business decisions and commercial transactions at the time of their execution to assess the financial reporting impacts
  • the Department of Transport should ensure consistent accounting policies are applied across its controlled entities.

Download the Transport 2019 report (PDF)

This report analyses the results of our audits of financial statements of the Transport cluster for the year ended 30 June 2019. The table below summarises our key observations.

1. Machinery of Government changes
Transport for NSW, as the
lead agency, will absorb the
functions of Roads and
Maritime Services

The NSW Government announced its intention to integrate Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) into Transport for NSW (TfNSW) as part of the Machinery of Government changes.

This change was not included in the Administrative Orders as the Transport Administration Act 1988 No. 109 governs the composition of the Transport cluster. The Transport Administration Amendment (RMS Dissolution) Act 2019 (the Act) received assent on 22 November 2019. The Act dissolves RMS and transfers the assets, rights and liabilities of RMS to TfNSW. As at the date of this Report, the Act is not yet in force.

Transport is considering the impact of the changes on its operating model and financial reporting.

2. Financial reporting
Audit opinions

Unqualified audit opinions were issued on the 2018–19 financial statements of all agencies in the Transport cluster.

TfNSW and Sydney Metro obtained a three-week extension from NSW Treasury to submit their financial statements for audit to resolve accounting issues surrounding the valuation of property, plant and equipment.

The Department of Transport reported total consolidated property, plant and equipment of $158 billion at 30 June 2019. In 2018–19, there were issues with asset valuations at TfNSW, RMS, Sydney Metro and Rail Corporation New South Wales (RailCorp), resulting in adjustments after the submission of financial statements for audit and the correction of a prior period error.

There was also a prior period error resulting from an agreement between TfNSW and the former UrbanGrowth Development Corporation due to a lack of assessment of the financial reporting implications at the time of signing the agreement.

Recommendation: Agency finance teams need to be consulted on major business decisions and commercial transactions to assess their accounting impacts at the time of their execution, rather than at the end of a financial year. Agencies also need to resolve all key accounting issues such as valuations as part of the early close procedures.

This would improve the quality of financial reporting and avoid the need for extensions for agencies to submit their financial statements for audit.

Preparedness for new
accounting standards
Agencies across the cluster are progressing in their implementation of the new accounting standards.

Transport cluster agencies need to improve their contracts registers to ensure they have a complete list of contracts and agreements to assess the impact of the new accounting standards.
Valuation of assets remains
a challenge in the
Transport cluster

Whilst agencies complied with the requirements of the accounting standards and NSW Treasury policies on valuations, the Audit Office identified some deficiencies in relation to asset valuations across the cluster.

TfNSW reported a retrospective correction of a prior period error at 1 July 2017 which resulted in a reduction in the valuation of its Country Rail Network earthworks by $2.1 billion. This was due to survey results which identified the earthworks were flatter and lower than estimated in the valuation at 30 June 2017.

RMS made several adjustments during the year to correct asset values due to changes to valuation assumptions or data improvements. This included:

  • reduction of $318 million in the value of land under roads
  • decrease of $84.9 million to the value of land and buildings
  • changes to the value of traffic control and traffic signal network assets, due to data improvements.

Sydney Metro North West officially opened in May 2019 and reported total assets of $9.1 billion. Sydney Metro derecognised $322 million in assets constructed to facilitate its operation but transferred to councils and utilities.

Inconsistent accounting
policies across the
Transport cluster

There was an inconsistency identified in the cluster relating to the valuation of substratum land. In 2018–19, RailCorp derecognised $109 million of substratum land to ensure consistency in its approach with other Transport agencies.

As the parent entity, the Department of Transport needs to ensure accounting policies are consistently applied across all controlled entities for consolidation purposes. Inconsistencies in the application of accounting standards across agencies will impact comparability of financial reporting and decision making across the Transport cluster.

Recommendation: The Department of Transport should ensure consistent accounting policies are applied across its controlled entities.

Revenue growth

Public transport passenger revenue increased by $89.0 million (5.9 per cent) in 2018–19, and patronage increased by 37.8 million (4.9 per cent) across all modes of transport based on data provided by TfNSW.

The increase in revenue is mainly due to an increase in patronage as well as the annual increase in fares.

Negative Opal cards

Negative balance Opal cards resulted in $2.9 million in revenue not collected in 2018–19 ($10.4 million since the introduction of Opal).

In January 2019, Transport made a change to the Sydney Airport stations to prevent customers with high negative balances exiting the station. In addition, in late 2018, Transport increased the minimum top up values for new cards at the airport stations.

Recommendation (repeat): TfNSW should implement further measures to prevent the loss of revenue from passengers tapping off with negative balance Opal cards.

3. Audit observations
Internal controls There was an increase in findings on internal controls across the Transport cluster. Key themes relate to information technology, employee leave entitlements and asset management.

Twenty-nine per cent of all issues were repeat issues. The majority of the repeat issues related to information technology controls.
Write-off of assets In addition to a $322 million derecognition of assets transferred to councils and utilities by Sydney Metro and a $109 million derecognition of substratum land at RailCorp, the Transport cluster wrote-off $278 million of assets related to roads, bridges, maritime assets, traffic signals and controls network.

These mainly related to roads, bridges, maritime assets, traffic signals and the control network where new infrastructure assets substantially replaced an existing asset as part of construction activities.
Transport Asset Holding
Entity (TAHE)
TAHE was established to be a dedicated asset manager for the delivery of public transport asset management. The Transport Administration Amendment (Transport Entities) Act 2017 will transition RailCorp into TAHE. RailCorp is now expected to transition to TAHE from 1 July 2020 (previously 1 July 2019). Several working groups have been considering various aspects of the TAHE transition including its status as a for profit Public Trading Enterprise, the operating model and the impact of the new accounting standards AASB 16 'Leases' and AASB 1059 'Service Concession Arrangements: Grantors'. The considerations of these aspects identified several challenges in the implementation of TAHE which has led to the revised transition date. Given the delays in implementation, it is important to clarify the intent of the TAHE model.
Excess annual leave

Twenty-six per cent of Transport employees have annual leave balances exceeding 30 days. Of the employees with excess leave balances, 732 (10.3 per cent) did not take any annual leave in 2018–19.

Recommendation (repeat): Transport entities should further review the approach to managing excess annual leave in 2019–20. They should:

  • monitor current and projected leave balances to the end of the financial year each month
  • agree formal leave plans with employees to reduce leave balances over an acceptable timeframe
  • ensure leave plans are actioned appropriately
  • encourage all staff with excess leave balances take a minimum two-week period of leave per year.
Completeness and
accuracy of contracts
registers

There are no centralised processes to record all significant contracts and agreements in a register across the Transport cluster.

Across the Transport cluster, contracts and agreements are maintained by the individual agencies using disparate registers. Agencies must perform detailed assessments of their existing contracts and agreements to quantify the impact of the new accounting standards (AASB 16 ‘Leases’, AASB 15 ‘Revenue from Contracts with Customers’, AASB 1058 ‘Income of Not-for-Profit Entities’ and AASB 1059 'Service Concession Arrangements: Grantors').

In 2018–19, there was also a prior period error resulting from an agreement between TfNSW and another government agency due to a lack of assessment of the financial reporting implications at the time of signing the agreement.

A lack of a complete register of all contracts and agreements increases the risk that agencies may not be able to assess the full impact of the new accounting standards, as well as perform a complete assessment of the financial reporting implications of contracts and agreements.

Recommendation: Transport agencies should implement a process to centrally capture all significant contracts and agreements entered. This will ensure:

  • agencies are fully aware of contractual and other obligations
  • appropriate assessment of financial reporting implications
  • assessment of new accounting standards, in particular AASB 16 ‘Leases’, AASB 15 'Revenue from Contract with Customers', AASB 1058 'Income of Not-for-Profit Entities ' and AASB 1059 'Service Concession Arrangements: Grantors' are accurate and complete.

 

This report provides parliament and other users of the Transport cluster’s financial statements with the results of our audits, our observations, analysis, conclusions and recommendations in the following areas:

  • financial reporting
  • audit observations.

This cluster was impacted by the Machinery of Government changes on 1 July 2019. The NSW Government announced its intention to integrate Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) into Transport for NSW (TfNSW). This report is focused on the Transport cluster prior to these changes. Please refer to the section on Machinery of Government changes for more details.

Machinery of Government refers to how the government organises the structures and functions of the public service. Machinery of Government changes are where the government reorganises these structures and functions, and are given effect by Administrative orders.

The Transport cluster was impacted by recent Machinery of Government changes. These changes were announced by the Department of Premier and Cabinet but were not included in the Administrative Orders as the Transport Administration Act 1988 No. 109 governs the composition of the Transport cluster. It was the intention of government to transfer the functions of the RMS into TfNSW. This requires legislative changes to the Transport Administration Act 1988 No. 109.

Section highlights

Under the Machinery of Government changes, the NSW Government will transfer the functions of RMS into TfNSW.

  • The Transport Administration Amendment (RMS Dissolution) Act 2019 (the Act) received assent on 22 November 2019.
  • The Act will dissolve RMS and transfer its functions, assets, rights and liabilities to TfNSW.
  • As at the date of this report, the Act is not yet in force.
  • There are risks and challenges for asset and liability transfers, governance and retention of knowledge.
  • As of 1 July 2019, administrative arrangements (delegations and reporting line changes) were put in place to enable TfNSW and RMS to operate within a single management structure, while still remaining as separate legal entities.
  • Transport is working on a number of options as to how to implement the changes. 

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

This chapter outlines our audit observations related to the financial reporting of agencies in the Transport cluster for 2019.

Section highlights

  • Unqualified audit opinions were issued on all agencies' financial statements.
  • RMS required an extension from NSW Treasury for their early close procedures.
  • TfNSW and Sydney Metro required extensions to submit their year-end financial statements.
  • Valuation of assets remains a challenge across the cluster.
  • There remains Opal cards with negative balances.
  • Sydney Metro derecognised assets of $322 million in relation to assets constructed for third parties.
  • Inconsistencies in the application of accounting policies across cluster agencies impact comparability of financial reporting across the Transport cluster.

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

This chapter outlines our observations and insights from our financial statement audits of agencies in the Transport cluster.

Section highlights

  • There was an increase in findings on internal controls across the Transport cluster. Twenty-nine per cent of all issues were repeat issues.
  • Transport entities wrote-off over $278 million of assets which were replaced by new assets or technology.
  • Twenty-six per cent of Transport employees have excess annual leave.
  • There are no processes to ensure all significant contracts and agreements are captured by agencies in a centralised register.

Appendix one – Timeliness of financial reporting by agency 

Appendix two – Management letter findings by agency 

Appendix three – List of 2019 recommendations 

Appendix four – Status of 2017 and 2018 recommendations 

Appendix five – Cluster agencies 

 

© Copyright reserved by the Audit Office of New South Wales. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior consent of the Audit Office of New South Wales. The Audit Office does not accept responsibility for loss or damage suffered by any person acting on or refraining from action as a result of any of this material.

Published

Actions for Internal Controls and Governance 2019

Internal Controls and Governance 2019

Education
Community Services
Finance
Health
Industry
Justice
Planning
Premier and Cabinet
Transport
Treasury
Whole of Government
Compliance
Cyber security
Fraud
Information technology
Internal controls and governance
Management and administration
Procurement
Project management

This report covers the findings and recommendations from the 2018–19 financial audits that relate to internal controls and governance at 40 of the largest agencies in the NSW public sector. The 40 agencies selected for this report constitute around 84 per cent of total expenditure for all NSW public sector agencies.

The report provides insights into the effectiveness of controls and governance processes across the NSW public sector. It evaluates how agencies identify, mitigate and manage risks related to:

  • financial controls
  • information technology controls
  • gifts and benefits
  • internal audit
  • contingent labour
  • sensitive data.

The Auditor-General recommended that agencies do more to prioritise and address vulnerabilities in their internal controls and governance. The Auditor-General also recommended agencies increase the transparency of their management of gifts and benefits by publishing their registers on their websites.

This report analyses the internal controls and governance of 40 of the largest agencies in the NSW public sector for the year ended 30 June 2019.

1. Internal control trends

New, repeat and high risk findings

There was an increase in internal control deficiencies of 12 per cent compared to last year. The increase is predominately due to a 100 per cent increase in repeat financial and IT control deficiencies.

Some agencies attributed the delay in actioning repeat findings to the diversion of staff from their regular activities to implement and operationalise the recent Machinery of Government changes. As a result, actions to address audit recommendations have been deferred or re prioritised, as the changes are implemented.

Agencies need to ensure they are actively managing the risks associated with having these vulnerabilities in internal control systems unaddressed for extended periods of time.

Common findings

A number of findings were common to multiple agencies. These findings often related to areas that are fundamental to good internal control environments and effective organisational governance, such as:

  • out of date policies or an absence of policies to guide appropriate decisions
  • poor record keeping and document retention
  • incomplete or inaccurate centralised registers or gaps in these registers
  • policies, procedures or controls no longer suited to the current organisational structure or business activities.

2. Information technology controls

IT general controls

We examined information security controls over key financial systems that support the preparation of agency financial statements. We found:

  • user access administration deficiencies at 58 per cent of agencies related to granting, review and removal of user access
  • an absence of privileged user activity reviews at 35 per cent of agencies
  • password controls that did not align to password policies at 20 per cent of agencies.

We also found 20 per cent of agencies had deficient IT program change controls, mainly related to segregation of duties in approval and authorisation processes, and user acceptance testing of program changes prior to deployment into production environments. User acceptance testing helps identify potential issues with software incompatibility, operational workflows, absent controls and software issues, as well as areas where training or user support may be required.

3. Gifts and benefits

Gifts and benefits registers

All agencies had a gifts and benefits policy and 90 per cent of agencies maintain a gifts and benefits register. However, 51 per cent of the gifts and benefits registers we examined contained incomplete declarations, such as missing details for the approving officer, value of the gift and/or benefit offered and reasons supporting the decision.

In some cases, gaps in recorded information meant the basis for decisions around gifts and benefits was not always clear, making it difficult to determine whether decisions in those instances were appropriate, compliant with policy and were not direct or indirect inducements to the recipients to favour suppliers or service providers.

Agencies should ensure their gifts and benefits register includes all key fields specified in the Public Service Commission's minimum standards for gifts and benefits. Agencies should also perform regular reviews of the register to ensure completeness and ensure any gift or benefit accepted by a staff member meets the public's expectations for ethical behaviour.

Managing gifts and benefits

We found opportunities to improve gifts and benefits processes and enhance transparency. For example, only three per cent of agencies publish their gifts and benefits registers on their websites.

Agencies can improve management of gifts and benefits by:

  • ensuring agency policies comprehensively cover the elements necessary to make it effective in an operational environment, such as identifying risks specific to the agency and actions that will be taken in the event of a policy breach
  • establishing and publishing a statement of business ethics on the agency's website to clearly communicate expected behaviours to clients, customers, suppliers and contractors
  • providing on-going training, awareness activities and support to employees, not just at induction
  • publishing their gifts and benefits registers on their websites to demonstrate a commitment to a transparently ethical environment.
Reporting and monitoring

Only 35 per cent of agencies reported trends in the number and nature of gifts and benefits recorded in their registers to the agency's senior executive management and/or a governance committee.

Agencies should regularly report to the agency executive or other governance committee on trends in the offer and acceptance of gifts and benefits.

4. Internal audit

Obtaining value from the internal audit function

Agencies have established and maintained internal audit functions to provide assurance on the effectiveness of agency controls and governance systems. However, we identified areas where agencies' internal audit functions could improve their processes to add greater value. For example, only 73 per cent of CAEs regularly attend meetings of the agency board or executive management committee.

Internal audit functions can add greater value by involving the CAE more extensively in executive forums as an observer.

Internal audit functions should also consider producing an annual report on internal audit. An annual report allows the internal audit function to report on their performance and add value by drawing to the attention of audit and risk committees and senior management strategic issues, thematic trends and emerging risks.

Role of the Chief Audit Executive

Forty-five per cent of agencies assigned responsibilities to the Chief Audit Executive (CAE) that were broader than internal audit, but 17 per cent of these had not documented safeguards to protect the independence of the CAE.

The reporting lines and status of the CAE at some agencies also needs review. At two agencies, the CAE reported to the CFO.

Agencies should ensure:

  • the reporting lines for the CAE comply with the NSW Treasury policy, and the CAE does not report functionally or administratively to the finance function or other significant recipients of internal audit services
  • the CAE's duties are compatible with preserving their independence and where threats to independence exist, safeguards are documented and approved.
Quality assurance and improvement program

Thirty-five per cent of agencies did not have a documented quality assurance and improvement program for its internal audit function.

The policy and the International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing require agencies to have a documented quality assurance and improvement program. The results of this program should be reported annually.

Agencies should ensure there is a documented and operational Quality Assurance and Improvement Program for the internal audit function that covers both internal and external assessments.

5. Managing contingent labour

Obtaining value for money from contingent labour

According to NSW Procurement data, spend on contingent labour has increased by 75 per cent over the last five years, to $1.5 billion in 2018–19. Improvements in internal processes and a renewed focus on agency monitoring and oversight of contingent labour can help ensure agencies get the best value for money from their contingent workforces.

Agencies can improve their management of contingent labour by:

  • preparing workforce plans to inform their resourcing strategy and ensure that engaging contingent labour aligns with the strategy and best meets business needs
  • involving agency human resources units in decisions about engaging contingent labour
  • regularly reporting on contingent labour use and tenure to agency executive teams
  • strengthening on-boarding and off-boarding processes.

We also found 57 per cent of the 23 agencies we examined with contingent labour spend of more than $5 million in 2018–19 have implemented the government's vendor management system and service provider 'Contractor Central'.

6. Managing sensitive data

Identifying and assessing sensitive data

Sixty-eight per cent of agencies maintain an inventory of their sensitive data and where it resides. However, these inventories are not always complete and risks may be overlooked.

Agencies can improve processes to manage sensitive data by:

  • identifying and maintaining an inventory of sensitive data through a comprehensive and structured process
  • assessing the criticality and sensitivity of the data so that protection of high risk data can be prioritised.
Managing data breaches

Eighty-eight per cent of agencies have established policies to respond to potential data breaches when they are identified and 70 per cent of agencies maintain a register to record key information in relation to identified data breach incidents.

Agencies should maintain a data breach register to effectively manage the actions undertaken to contain, evaluate and remediate each data breach.

 

This report covers the findings and recommendations from our 2018–19 financial audits that relate to internal controls and governance at 40 of the largest agencies (refer to Appendix three) in the NSW public sector. The 40 agencies selected for this volume constitute around 84 per cent of total expenditure for all NSW public sector agencies.

Although the report includes several agencies that have changed as a result of the Machinery of Government changes that were effective from 1 July 2019, its focus on sector wide issues and insights means that its findings remain relevant to NSW public sector agencies, including newly formed agencies that have assumed the functions of abolished agencies.

This report offers insights into internal controls and governance in the NSW public sector

This is the third report dedicated to internal controls and governance at NSW State Government agencies. The report provides insights into the effectiveness of controls and governance processes in the NSW public sector by:

  • highlighting the potential risks posed by weaknesses in controls and governance processes
  • helping agencies benchmark the adequacy of their processes against their peers
  • focusing on new and emerging risks, and the internal controls and governance processes that might address those risks.

Without strong governance systems and internal controls, agencies increase the risks associated with effectively managing their finances and delivering services to citizens. For example, if they do not have strong information technology controls, sensitive information may be at risk of unauthorised access and misuse.

Areas of specific focus of the report have changed since last year

Last year's report topics included transparency and performance reporting, management of purchasing cards and taxi use, and fraud and corruption control. We are reporting on new topics this year and re-visiting agency management of gifts and benefits, which we first covered in our 2017 report. Re-visiting topics from prior years provides a baseline to show the NSW public sectors’ progress implementing appropriate internal controls and governance processes to mitigate existing, new and emerging risks in the public sector.

Our audits do not review all aspects of internal controls and governance every year. We select a range of measures and report on those that present heightened risks for agencies to mitigate. This year the report focusses on:

  • internal control trends
  • information technology controls, including access to agency systems
  • protecting sensitive information held within agencies
  • managing large and diverse workforces (controls around employing and managing contingent workers)
  • maintaining an ethical culture (management of gifts and benefits)
  • effectiveness of internal audit function and its oversight by Audit and Risk Committees.

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, internal controls and audit observations are included in the individual 2019 cluster financial audit reports, which will be tabled in parliament from November to December 2019.

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

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

This chapter outlines the overall trends for agency controls and governance issues, including the number of audit findings, the degree of risk those deficiencies pose to the agency, and a summary of the most common deficiencies we found across agencies. The rest of this report presents this year’s controls and governance findings in more detail.

Key conclusions and sector wide learnings

We identified four high risk findings, compared to six last year. None of the findings are common with those in the previous year. There was an overall increase of 12 per cent in the number of internal control deficiencies compared to last year. The increase is predominately due to a 100 per cent increase in the number of repeat financial and IT control deficiencies.
 
Some agencies attributed the delay in actioning repeat findings to the diversion of staff from their regular activities to implement and operationalise the recent Machinery of Government changes. As a result, actions to address audit recommendations have been deferred or re-prioritised, as the changes are implemented. Agencies need to ensure they are actively managing the risks associated with having these vulnerabilities in internal control systems unaddressed for extended periods of time.
 
We also identified a number of findings that were common to multiple agencies. These common findings often related to areas that are fundamental to good internal control environments and effective organisational governance. Examples include:
  • out of date policies or an absence of policies to guide appropriate decisions
  • poor record keeping and document retention
  • incomplete or inaccurate centralised registers or gaps in these registers.

Policies, procedures and internal controls should be properly designed, be appropriate for the current organisational structure and its business activities, and work effectively.

This chapter outlines our audit observations, conclusions and recommendations, arising from our review of agency controls to manage key financial systems.

Key conclusions and sector wide learnings
Government agencies’ financial reporting is heavily reliant on information technology (IT). We continue to see a high number of deficiencies related to IT general controls, particularly those related to user access administration. These controls are key in adequately protecting IT systems from inappropriate access and misuse.
IT is also important to the delivery of agency services. These systems often provide the data to help monitor the efficiency and effectiveness of agency processes and services they deliver. Our financial audits do not review all agency IT systems. For example, IT systems used to support agency service delivery are generally outside the scope of our financial audit. However, agencies should also consider the relevance of our findings to these systems.
Agencies need to continue to focus on assessing the risks of inappropriate access and misuse and the implementation of controls to adequately protect their systems, focussing on the processes in place to grant, remove and monitor user access, particularly privileged user access.

This chapter outlines our audit observations, conclusions and recommendations, arising from our review of agency controls to manage gifts and benefits. 

Key conclusions and sector wide learnings

We found most agencies have implemented the Public Service Commission's minimum standards for gifts and benefits. All agencies had a gifts and benefits policy and 90 per cent of agencies maintained a gifts and benefits register and provided some form of training to employees on the treatment of gifts and benefits.

Based on our analysis of agency registers, we found some areas where opportunities existed to make processes more effective. In some cases, gaps in recorded information meant the basis for decisions around gifts and benefits was not always clear, making it difficult to determine whether decisions in those instances were appropriate and compliant with policy. Fifty-one per cent of the gifts and benefits registers reviewed contained declarations where not all fields of information had been completed. Seventy-seven per cent of agencies that maintained a gifts and benefits register did not include all key fields suggested by the minimum standards.

Areas where agencies can improve their management of gifts and benefits include:

  • ensuring agency policies comprehensively cover the elements necessary to make it effective in an operational environment, such as identifying risks specific to the agency and actions that will be taken in the event of a policy breach
  • establishing and publishing a statement of business ethics on the agency's website to clearly communicate expected behaviours to clients, customers,suppliers and contractors
  • updating gifts and benefits registers to include all key fields suggested by the minimum standards, as well as performing regular reviews of the register to ensure completeness
  • providing on-going training, awareness activities and support to employees, not just at induction
  • regularly reporting gifts and benefits to executive management and/or a governance committee such as the audit and risk committee, focussing on trends in the number and types of gifts and benefits offered to and accepted by agency staff
  • publishing their gifts and benefits registers on their websites to demonstrate a commitment to a transparently ethical environment.

This chapter outlines our audit observations, conclusions and recommendations, arising from our review of agency internal audit functions.

Key conclusions and sector wide learnings 

We found agencies have established and maintained internal audit functions to provide assurance on the effectiveness of agency controls and governance systems as required by TPP15-03 'Internal Audit and Risk Management Policy for the NSW Public Sector'. However, we identified areas where agencies' internal audit functions could improve their processes to add greater value, including: 

  • documenting and implementing safeguards to address conflicting roles performed by the Chief Audit Executive (CAE)
  • ensuring the reporting lines for the CAE comply with the NSW Treasury policy, and the CAE reports neither functionally or administratively to the finance function or other significant recipients of internal audit services
  • involving the CAE more extensively in executive forums as an observer
  • documenting a Quality Assurance and Improvement Program for the internal audit function and performing both internal and external performance assessments to identify opportunities for continuous improvement
  • reporting against key performance indicators or a balanced scorecard and producing an annual report on internal audit to bring to the attention of the audit and risk committee and senior management strategic issues, thematic trends and emerging risks that may require further attention or resources.

This chapter outlines our audit observations, conclusions and recommendations, arising from our review of agency controls to on-board, manage and off-board contingent labour.

Key conclusions and sector wide learnings

Agencies have implemented controls to manage contingent labour and most agencies have some level of reporting and oversight of contingent labour at an executive level. However, the increasing trend in spend on contingent labour warrants a renewed focus on agency monitoring and oversight of their use of contingent labour. Over the last five years spend on contingent labour has increased by 75 per cent, to $1.5 billion in 2018–19.

There are also some key gaps that limit the ability of agencies to effectively manage contingent labour. Key areas where agencies can improve their management of contingent labour include: 

  • preparing workforce plans to inform their resourcing strategy, and confirm prior to engaging contingent labour, that this solution aligns with the strategy and best meets business needs
  • involving agency human resources units in decisions about engaging contingent labour
  • regularly reporting on contingent labour use to agency executive teams, particularly in terms of trends in agency spend, tenure and compliance with policies and procedures
  • strengthening on-boarding and off-boarding processes, including establishing checklists to on-board and off-board contingent labour, making provisions for knowledge transfer, and assessing, documenting and capturing performance information.

This chapter outlines our audit observations, conclusions and recommendations, arising from our review of governance and processes in relation to the management of sensitive data.

Key conclusions and sector wide learnings

Information technology risks are rapidly increasing. More interfaces between agencies and greater connectivity means the amounts of data agencies generate, access, store and share continue to increase. Some of this information is sensitive information, which is protected by the Privacy Act 1988.

It is important that agencies understand what sensitive data they hold, the risks associated with the inadvertent release of this information and how they are mitigating those risks. We found that agencies need to continue to identify and record their sensitive data, as well as expand the methods they use to identify sensitive data. This includes data held in unstructured repositories, such as network shared drives and by agency service providers.

Eighty-eight per cent of agencies have established policies to respond to potential data breaches when they are identified and 70 per cent of agencies maintain a register to record key information in relation to identified data breach incidents.

Key areas where agencies can improve their management of sensitive data include:

  • identifying sensitive data, based on a comprehensive and structured process and maintaining an inventory of the data
  • assessing the criticality and sensitivity of the data so that the protection of high risk data can be prioritised
  • developing comprehensive data breach management policies to ensure data breaches are appropriately managed
  • maintaining a data breach incident register to record key information in relation to identified data breaches incidents, including the estimated cost of the breach
  • providing on-going training and awareness activities to employees in relation to sensitive data and managing data breaches.

Appendix one – List of 2019 recommendations 

Appendix two – Status of 2018 recommendations

Appendix three – In-scope agencies

 

© Copyright reserved by the Audit Office of New South Wales. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior consent of the Audit Office of New South Wales. The Audit Office does not accept responsibility for loss or damage suffered by any person acting on or refraining from action as a result of any of this material.

Published

Actions for Ensuring contract management capability in government - Department of Education

Ensuring contract management capability in government - Department of Education

Education
Compliance
Internal controls and governance
Management and administration
Procurement
Workforce and capability

This report examines whether the Department of Education has the required contract management capability to effectively manage high-value goods and services contracts (over $250,000). In 2017–18, the department managed high-value goods and services contracts worth $3.08 billion, with most of the contracts running over multiple years.

NSW government agencies are increasingly delivering services and projects through contracts with third parties. These contracts can be complex and governments face challenges in negotiating and implementing them effectively.

Contract management capability is a broad term, which can include aspects of individual staff capability as well as organisational capability (such as policies, frameworks and processes).

In 2017–18, the Department of Education (the Department) managed high-value (over $250,000) goods and services contracts worth $3.08 billion, with most of the contracts running over multiple years. The Department delivers, funds and regulates education services for NSW students from early childhood to secondary school.

This audit examined whether the Department has the required capability to effectively manage high-value goods and services contracts.

We did not examine infrastructure, construction or information communication and technology contracts. We assessed the Department against the following criteria:

  1. The Department’s policies and procedures support effective contract management and are consistent with relevant frameworks, policies and guidelines.
  2. The Department has capable personnel to effectively conduct the monitoring activities throughout the life of the contract.

The NSW Public Service Commission and the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation are included as auditees as they administer policies which directly affect contract management capability, including:

  • NSW Procurement Board Directions and policies
  • NSW Procurement Agency Accreditation Scheme
  • NSW Public Sector Capability Framework.

The Department of Finance, Services and Innovation's responsibility for NSW Procurement will transfer to NSW Treasury on 1 July 2019 as part of changes to government administrative arrangements announced on 2 April 2019 and amended on 1 May 2019.

Conclusion

The Department of Education's procedures and policies for goods and services contract management are consistent with relevant guidance. It also has a systemic approach to defining the capability required for contract management roles. That said, there are gaps in how well the Department uses this capability to ensure its contracts are performing. We also found one program (comprising 645 contracts) that was not compliant with the Department's policies.

The Department has up-to-date policies and procedures that are consistent with relevant guidance. The Department also communicates changes to procurement related policies, monitors compliance with policies and conducts regular reviews aiming to identify non-compliance.

The Department uses the NSW Public Service Commission's capability framework to support its workforce management and development. The capability framework includes general contract management capability for all staff and occupation specific capabilities for contract managers. The Department also provides learning and development for staff who manage contracts to improve their capability.

The Department provides some guidance on different ways that contract managers can validate performance information provided by suppliers. However, the Department does not provide guidance to assist contract managers to choose the best validation strategy according to contract risk. This could lead to inconsistent practice and contracts not delivering what they are supposed to.

We found that none of the 645 contracts associated with the Assisted Schools Travel Program (estimated value of $182 million in 2018–19) have contract management plans. This is contrary to the Department's policies and increases the risk that contract managers are not effectively reviewing performance and resolving disputes.

Appendix one - Response from agencies

Appendix two - About the audit

Appendix three - Performance auditing

 

Parliamentary Reference: Report number #325 - released 28 June 2019

Copyright reserved by the Audit Office of New South Wales. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior consent of the Audit Office of New South Wales. The Audit Office does not accept responsibility for loss or damage suffered by any person acting on or refraining from action as a result of any of this material.

Published

Actions for Engagement of probity advisers and probity auditors

Engagement of probity advisers and probity auditors

Transport
Education
Health
Compliance
Internal controls and governance
Procurement
Project management
Workforce and capability

Three key agencies are not fully complying with the NSW Procurement Board’s Direction for engaging probity practitioners, according to a report released today by the Acting Auditor-General for New South Wales, Ian Goodwin. They also do not have effective processes to achieve compliance or assure that probity engagements achieved value for money.

Probity is defined as the quality of having strong moral principles, honesty and decency. Probity is important for NSW Government agencies as it helps ensure decisions are made with integrity, fairness and accountability, while attaining value for money.

Probity advisers provide guidance on issues concerning integrity, fairness and accountability that may arise throughout asset procurement and disposal processes. Probity auditors verify that agencies' processes are consistent with government laws and legislation, guidelines and best practice principles. 

According to the NSW State Infrastructure Strategy 2018-2038, New South Wales has more infrastructure projects underway than any state or territory in Australia. The scale of the spend on procuring and constructing new public transport networks, roads, schools and hospitals, the complexity of these projects and public scrutiny of aspects of their delivery has increased the focus on probity in the public sector. 

A Procurement Board Direction, 'PBD-2013-05 Engagement of probity advisers and probity auditors' (the Direction), sets out the requirements for NSW Government agencies' use and engagement of probity practitioners. It confirms agencies should routinely take into account probity considerations in their procurement. The Direction also specifies that NSW Government agencies can use probity advisers and probity auditors (probity practitioners) when making decisions on procuring and disposing of assets, but that agencies:

  • should use external probity practitioners as the exception rather than the rule
  • should not use external probity practitioners as an 'insurance policy'
  • must be accountable for decisions made
  • cannot substitute the use of probity practitioners for good management practices
  • not engage the same probity practitioner on an ongoing basis, and ensure the relationship remains robustly independent. 

The scale of probity spend may be small in the context of the NSW Government's spend on projects. However, government agencies remain responsible for probity considerations whether they engage external probity practitioners or not.

The audit assessed whether Transport for NSW, the Department of Education and the Ministry of Health:

  • complied with the requirements of ‘PBD-2013-05 Engagement of Probity Advisers and Probity Auditors’
  • effectively ensured they achieved value for money when they used probity practitioners.

These entities are referred to as 'participating agencies' in this report.

We also surveyed 40 NSW Government agencies with the largest total expenditures (top 40 agencies) to get a cross sector view of their use of probity practitioners. These agencies are listed in Appendix two.

Conclusion

We found instances where each of the three participating agencies had not fully complied with the requirements of the NSW Procurement Board Direction ‘PBD-2013-05 Engagement of Probity Advisers and Probity Auditors’ when they engaged probity practitioners. We also found they did not have effective processes to achieve compliance or assure the engagements achieved value for money.

In the sample of engagements we selected, we found instances where the participating agencies did not always:

  • document detailed terms of reference
  • ensure the practitioner was sufficiently independent
  • manage probity practitioners' independence and conflict of interest issues transparently
  • provide practitioners with full access to records, people and meetings
  • establish independent reporting lines   reporting was limited to project managers
  • evaluate whether value for money was achieved.

We also found:

  • agencies tend to rely on only a limited number of probity service providers, sometimes using them on a continuous basis, which may threaten the actual or perceived independence of probity practitioners
  • the NSW Procurement Board does not effectively monitor agencies' compliance with the Direction's requirements. Our enquiries revealed that the Board has not asked any agency to report on its use of probity practitioners since the Direction's inception in 2013. 

There are no professional standards and capability requirements for probity practitioners

NSW Government agencies use probity practitioners to independently verify that their procurement and asset disposal processes are transparent, fair and accountable in the pursuit of value for money. 

Probity practitioners are not subject to regulations that require them to have professional qualifications, experience and capability. Government agencies in New South Wales have difficulty finding probity standards, regulations or best practice guides to reference, which may diminish the degree of reliance stakeholders can place on practitioners’ work.

The NSW Procurement Board provides direction for the use of probity practitioners

The NSW Procurement Board Direction 'PBD-2013-15 for engagement of probity advisers and probity auditors' outlines the requirements for agencies' use of probity practitioners in the New South Wales public sector. All NSW Government agencies, except local government, state owned corporations and universities, must comply with the Direction when engaging probity practitioners. This is illustrated in Exhibit 1 below.

Published

Actions for Wellbeing of secondary school students

Wellbeing of secondary school students

Education
Management and administration
Service delivery
Shared services and collaboration
Workforce and capability

The Department of Education has a strong focus on supporting secondary school students’ wellbeing. However, it is difficult to assess how well the Department is progressing as it is yet to measure or report on the outcomes of this work at a whole-of-state level.

The Department of Education’s (the Department) purpose is to prepare young people for rewarding lives as engaged citizens in a complex and dynamic society. The Department commits to creating quality learning opportunities for children and young people, including a commitment to student wellbeing, which is seen as directly linked to positive learning outcomes. Wellbeing is defined broadly by the Department as “the quality of a person’s life…It is more than the absence of physical or psychological illness”. Student wellbeing can be supported by everything a school does to enhance a student's learning—from curriculum to teacher quality to targeted policies and programs to whole-school approaches to wellbeing.

Several reforms have aimed to support student wellbeing in recent years. 'Local Schools, Local Decisions' gave NSW schools more local authority to make decisions, including schools' approaches to support student wellbeing. In 2016, the 'Supported Students, Successful Students' initiative provided $167 million over four years to support the wellbeing of students. From 2018, the 'Every Student is Known, Valued and Cared For' initiative provides a principal led mentoring program, and a website with policies, procedures and resources to support student wellbeing.

This audit assessed how well the Department of Education supports secondary schools to promote and support the wellbeing of their students and how well secondary schools are promoting and supporting the wellbeing of their students.

Conclusion

The Department has implemented a range of programs and reforms aimed at supporting student wellbeing. However, the outcomes of this work have yet to be measured or reported on at a system level, making it difficult to assess the Department's progress in improving student wellbeing.

Secondary schools have generally adopted a structured approach to deliver wellbeing support and programs, using both Department and localised resources. The approaches have been tailored to meet the needs of their school community. That said, public reporting on wellbeing improvement measures via annual school reports is of variable quality and needs to improve.

The Department’s wellbeing initiatives are supported by research and consultation, but outcomes have not been reported on

The Department’s development of wellbeing policy, guidance, tools and resources has been transparent, consultative and well researched. It has drawn on international and domestic evidence to support its aim to deliver a fundamental shift from welfare to wellbeing at the school and system level.

However, the key performance indicator to monitor and track progress in wellbeing has yet to be reported on despite the strategic plan including this as a priority for the period 2018 to 2022. This includes not yet reporting a baseline for the target, nor how it will be measured.

The Department’s wellbeing resources are mostly well targeted but there is room for improvement

The Department’s allocation of resources to deliver wellbeing initiatives in schools is mostly well targeted, reflects a needs basis and supports current strategic directions. This could be improved with some changes to formula allocations and clearer definitions of the resourcing required for identified wellbeing positions in schools. The workforce modelling for forecasting supply and demand, specifically for school counsellors and psychologists, needs to separately identify these positions as they are currently subsumed in general teacher numbers.

Schools' reporting on wellbeing improvement measures is of variable quality and needs to improve

Schools we visited demonstrated a variety of approaches to wellbeing depending on their local circumstances and student populations. They make use of Department policies, guidelines, and resources, particularly mandatory policies and data collections, which have good compliance and take-up at school level. Professional learning supports specific wellbeing initiatives and online systems for monitoring and reporting have contributed to schools’ capacity and capabilities.

Schools report publicly on wellbeing improvement measures through annual school reports but this reporting is of variable quality. The Department plans to improve the capability of schools in data analysis and we recommend that this include the setting and evaluation of improvement targets for wellbeing.

The implementation of the 2015 Wellbeing Framework in schools is incomplete and the Department has not effectively prioritised and consolidated tools, systems and reporting for wellbeing

Schools' take up of the 2015 Wellbeing Framework is hindered by it not being linked to the school planning and reporting policy and tools—the School Excellence Framework. At some schools we visited, this disconnect has led to a lack of knowledge and confidence in using it in schools. The Department has identified the need to improve alignment of policies, frameworks and plans and has commenced work on this.

We found evidence of overburdening in schools for addressing student wellbeing—in the number of tools, online systems for information collection, and duplication in reporting. Following the significant reforms of recent years, the Department should consolidate its efforts by reinforcing existing effective programs and systems and addressing identified gaps and equity issues, rather than introducing further change for schools. In particular, methods and processes for complex case coordination need improvement.

The NSW Department of Education commits to creating quality learning opportunities for students. This includes strengthening students’ physical, social, emotional and spiritual development. The Department sets out to enable students to be healthy, happy, engaged and successful.

Welfare and wellbeing

The Department’s approach has significantly shifted from student welfare to wellbeing of the whole child and young person. Wellbeing is defined in departmental policy and strategy documents broadly, and as directly linked to learning and positive learning outcomes. “Wellbeing can be described as the quality of a person’s life…It is more than the absence of physical or psychological illness…Wellbeing, or the lack of it, can affect a student’s engagement and success in learning…”

Student wellbeing can be supported by everything a school does to enhance a student's learning—from curriculum to teacher quality to targeted policies and programs to whole-school approaches to wellbeing. Distinctions between wellbeing and welfare in the school context are outlined below.

Exhibit 1: Welfare and wellbeing
Welfare Wellbeing
Operates from a basis of student need and doesn't always take into account a whole child view. For all students.
Rather than building on the strengths of students, operates from a deficit model of individual student problems or negative behaviours. Goes beyond just welfare needs of a few students and aims for all students to be healthy, happy, successful and productive individuals who are active and positive contributors to the school and society in which they live.

Source: Department of Education 2018 'Wellbeing is here' presentation.

Published

Actions for Education 2018

Education 2018

Education
Asset valuation
Financial reporting
Information technology
Infrastructure
Service delivery
Shared services and collaboration
Workforce and capability

The Auditor-General for New South Wales, Margaret Crawford, released her report today on the results of the financial audits of agencies in the Education cluster. The report focuses on key observations and findings from the most recent financial audits of these agencies. 'I am pleased to report that unqualified audit opinions were issued on the financial statements of both agencies in the Education cluster', the Auditor-General said. Statements were submitted and audited within statutory deadlines.

This report analyses the results of our audits of financial statements of the Education cluster for the year ended 30 June 2018. The table below summarises our key observations.

This report provides parliament and other users of the Education cluster’s financial statements with the results of our audits, our observations, analysis, conclusions and recommendations in the following areas:

  • financial reporting
  • audit observations
  • service delivery.

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

This chapter outlines our audit observations related to the financial reporting of agencies in the Education cluster for 2017–18.

Observation Conclusions and recommendations
2.1 Quality of financial reporting
Unqualified audit opinions were issued on the financial statements of both cluster agencies. Sufficient audit evidence was obtained to conclude the financial statements were free of material misstatement.
2.2 Timeliness of financial reporting
Both cluster agencies met the statutory deadlines for completing early close procedures and submitting financial statements. Early close procedures continue to facilitate the timely preparation of cluster agencies’ financial statements and completion of audits, but scope exists to improve outcomes by resolving issues and supplying supporting documentation earlier.
2.3 Key issues from financial audits
Inconsistencies in the Department’s annual leave and long service leave data, identified over the past three audits, remain unresolved. This issue impacts the Department’s liability estimates for annual leave and long service leave, including associated on-costs. It also on-flows to the Crown Entity, which assumes the Department's liability for long service leave. Recommendation: The Department should confirm leave data and review assumptions following deployment of the new HR/Payroll system to better estimate the liability for employee benefits and the amount to be assumed by the Crown Entity.
2.4 Key financial information
Cluster agencies recorded net deficits in 2017–18.

The Department recorded a net deficit of $30.7 million in 2017–18 against a budgeted surplus of $122 million.

The NSW Education Standards Authority recorded a net deficit of $4.1 million against a budgeted deficit of $4.7 million.

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

This chapter outlines our observations and insights from:

  • our financial statement audits of agencies in the Education cluster for 2018
  • the areas of focus identified in the Audit Office work program.

The Audit Office Annual Work Program provides a summary of all audits to be conducted within the proposed time period as well as detailed information on the areas of focus for each of the NSW Government clusters.

Observation Conclusions and recommendations
3.1  Internal controls
Twenty internal control deficiencies were identified during our audits of cluster agencies. We assessed one as a high risk finding.  
Eight internal control weaknesses were repeat issues from previous financial audits that had not been fully addressed by management. Recommendation: Management should prioritise and action recommendations to address internal control weaknesses.
3.2 Information technology
Delivery of the Learning Management and Business Reform (LMBR) program is complete.

The LMBR program has been a major project for the Department since it was established in 2006.

A staged approach was adopted for implementing the Department’s new HR/Payroll system to manage the risks associated with this large-scale roll-out.

3.3 Valuation of the Department’s land and buildings
The Department completed a revaluation of land and building assets during 2017–18.

A market approach was used to revalue the Department’s land, resulting in a revaluation increment of $2.3 billion.

A current replacement cost approach was used to revalue the Department’s school buildings, resulting in an increment of $6.2 billion.

3.4 Maintenance of school facilities
The Department regularly assesses the condition of school buildings and uses Life Cycle Costing to predict maintenance and capital renewal, and to prioritise maintenance activities. The Life Cycle Costing assessment conducted by the Department in 2017–18 rated 70 per cent of school buildings as being in either as new or good condition. No school buildings were rated as being in end-of-life condition.
3.4 School asset delivery
The Department’s School Assets Strategic Plan is designed to ensure that there are sufficient fit-for-purpose places for students up to 2031. The Department created a new division, School Infrastructure NSW, to oversee the planning, supply and maintenance of schools and implement major school infrastructure projects.

This chapter provides service delivery outcomes for the Education cluster for 2017–18. It provides important contextual information about the cluster's operation, but the data on achievement of these outcomes is not audited. The Audit Office does not have a specific mandate to audit performance information.

Published

Actions for Newcastle Urban Transformation and Transport Program

Newcastle Urban Transformation and Transport Program

Transport
Planning
Compliance
Infrastructure
Management and administration
Procurement
Project management

The urban renewal projects on former railway land in the Newcastle city centre are well targeted to support the objectives of the Newcastle Urban Transformation and Transport Program (the Program), according to a report released today by the Auditor-General for New South Wales, Margaret Crawford. The planned uses of the former railway land achieve a balance between the economic and social objectives of the Program at a reasonable cost to the government. However, the evidence that the cost of the light rail will be justified by its contribution to the Program is not convincing.

The Newcastle Urban Transformation and Transport Program (the Program) is an urban renewal and transport program in the Newcastle city centre. The Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation (HCCDC) has led the Program since 2017. UrbanGrowth NSW led the Program from 2014 until 2017. Transport for NSW has been responsible for delivering the transport parts of the Program since the Program commenced. All references to HCCDC in this report relate to both HCCDC and its predecessor, the Hunter Development Corporation. All references to UrbanGrowth NSW in this report relate only to its Newcastle office from 2014 to 2017.

This audit had two objectives:

  1. To assess the economy of the approach chosen to achieve the objectives of the Program.
  2. To assess the effectiveness of the consultation and oversight of the Program.

We addressed the audit objectives by answering the following questions:

a) Was the decision to build light rail an economical option for achieving Program objectives?
b) Has the best value been obtained for the use of the former railway land?
c) Was good practice used in consultation on key Program decisions?
d) Did governance arrangements support delivery of the program?

Conclusion
1. The urban renewal projects on the former railway land are well targeted to support the objectives of the Program. However, there is insufficient evidence that the cost of the light rail will be justified by its contribution to Program objectives.

The planned uses of the former railway land achieve a balance between the economic and social objectives of the Program at a reasonable cost to the Government. HCCDC, and previously UrbanGrowth NSW, identified and considered options for land use that would best meet Program objectives. Required probity processes were followed for developments that involved financial transactions. Our audit did not assess the achievement of these objectives because none of the projects have been completed yet.

Analysis presented in the Program business case and other planning documents showed that the light rail would have small transport benefits and was expected to make a modest contribution to broader Program objectives. Analysis in the Program business case argued that despite this, the light rail was justified because it would attract investment and promote economic development around the route. The Program business case referred to several international examples to support this argument, but did not make a convincing case that these examples were comparable to the proposed light rail in Newcastle.

The audited agencies argue that the contribution of light rail cannot be assessed separately because it is a part of a broader Program. The cost of the light rail makes up around 53 per cent of the total Program funding. Given the cost of the light rail, agencies need to be able to demonstrate that this investment provides value for money by making a measurable contribution to the Program objectives.

2. Consultation and oversight were mostly effective during the implementation stages of the Program. There were weaknesses in both areas in the planning stages.

Consultations about the urban renewal activities from around 2015 onward followed good practice standards. These consultations were based on an internationally accepted framework and met their stated objectives. Community consultations on the decision to close the train line were held in 2006 and 2009. However, the final decision in 2012 was made without a specific community consultation. There was no community consultation on the decision to build a light rail.

The governance arrangements that were in place during the planning stages of the Program did not provide effective oversight. This meant there was not a single agreed set of Program objectives until 2016 and roles and responsibilities for the Program were not clear. Leadership and oversight improved during the implementation phase of the Program. Roles and responsibilities were clarified and a multi-agency steering committee was established to resolve issues that needed multi-agency coordination.
The light rail is not justified by conventional cost-benefit analysis and there is insufficient evidence that the indirect contribution of light rail to achieving the economic development objectives of the Program will justify the cost.
Analysis presented in Program business cases and other planning documents showed that the light rail would have small transport benefits and was expected to make a modest contribution to broader Program objectives. Analysis in the Program business case argued that despite this, the light rail was justified because it would attract investment and promote economic development around the route. The Program business case referred to several international examples to support this argument, but did not make a convincing case that these examples were comparable to the proposed light rail in Newcastle.
The business case analysis of the benefits and costs of light rail was prepared after the decision to build light rail had been made and announced. Our previous reports, and recent reports by others, have emphasised the importance of completing thorough analysis before announcing infrastructure projects. Some advice provided after the initial light rail decision was announced was overly optimistic. It included benefits that cannot reasonably be attributed to light rail and underestimated the scope and cost of the project.
The audited agencies argue that the contribution of light rail cannot be assessed separately because it is part of a broader Program. The cost of the light rail makes up around 53 per cent of the total Program funding. Given the high cost of the light rail, we believe agencies need to be able to demonstrate that this investment provides value for money by making a measurable contribution to the Program objectives.

Recommendations
For future infrastructure programs, NSW Government agencies should support economical decision-making on infrastructure projects by:
  • providing balanced advice to decision makers on the benefits and risks of large infrastructure investments at all stages of the decision-making process
  • providing scope and cost estimates that are as accurate and complete as possible when initial funding decisions are being made
  • making business cases available to the public.​​​​​​
The planned uses of the former railway land achieve a balance between the economic and social objectives of the Program at a reasonable cost to the government.

The planned uses of the former railway land align with the objectives of encouraging people to visit and live in the city centre, creating attractive public spaces, and supporting growth in employment in the city. The transport benefits of the activities are less clear, because the light rail is the major transport project and this will not make significant improvements to transport in Newcastle.

The processes used for selling and leasing parts of the former railway land followed industry standards. Options for the former railway land were identified and assessed systematically. Competitive processes were used for most transactions and the required assessment and approval processes were followed. The sale of land to the University of Newcastle did not use a competitive process, but required processes for direct negotiations were followed.

Recommendation
By March 2019, the Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation should:
  • work with relevant stakeholders to explore options for increasing the focus on the heritage objective of the Program in projects on the former railway land. This could include projects that recognise the cultural and industrial heritage of Newcastle.
Consultations about the urban renewal activities followed good practice standards, but consultation on transport decisions for the Program did not.

Consultations focusing on urban renewal options for the Program included a range of stakeholders and provided opportunities for input into decisions about the use of the former railway land. These consultations received mostly positive feedback from participants. Changes and additions were made to the objectives of the Program and specific projects in response to feedback received. 

There had been several decades of debate about the potential closure of the train line, including community consultations in 2006 and 2009. However, the final decision to close the train line was made and announced in 2012 without a specific community consultation. HCCDC states that consultation with industry and business representatives constitutes community consultation because industry representatives are also members of the community. This does not meet good practice standards because it is not a representative sample of the community.

There was no community consultation on the decision to build a light rail. There were subsequent opportunities for members of the community to comment on the implementation options, but the decision to build it had already been made. A community and industry consultation was held on which route the light rail should use, but the results of this were not made public. 

Recommendation
For future infrastructure programs, NSW Government agencies should consult with a wide range of stakeholders before major decisions are made and announced, and report publicly on the results and outcomes of consultations. 

The governance arrangements that were in place during the planning stages of the Program did not provide effective oversight. Project leadership and oversight improved during the implementation phase of the Program.

Multi-agency coordination and oversight were ineffective during the planning stages of the Program. Examples include: multiple versions of Program objectives being in circulation; unclear reporting lines for project management groups; and poor role definition for the initial advisory board. Program ownership was clarified in mid-2016 with the appointment of a new Program Director with clear accountability for the delivery of the Program. This was supported by the creation of a multi-agency steering committee that was more effective than previous oversight bodies.

The limitations that existed in multi-agency coordination and oversight had some negative consequences in important aspects of project management for the Program. This included whole-of-government benefits management and the coordination of work to mitigate impacts of the Program on small businesses.

Recommendations
For future infrastructure programs, NSW Government agencies should: 

  • develop and implement a benefits management approach from the beginning of a program to ensure responsibility for defining benefits and measuring their achievement is clear
  • establish whole-of-government oversight early in the program to guide major decisions. This should include:
    • agreeing on objectives and ensuring all agencies understand these
    • clearly defining roles and responsibilities for all agencies
    • establishing whole-of-government coordination for the assessment and mitigation of the impact of major construction projects on businesses and the community.

By March 2019, the Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation should update and implement the Program Benefits Realisation Plan. This should include:

  • setting measurable targets for the desired benefits
  • clearly allocating ownership for achieving the desired benefits
  • monitoring progress toward achieving the desired benefits and reporting publicly on the results.

Appendix one - Response from agencies    

Appendix two - About the audit

Appendix three - Performance auditing

 

Parliamentary reference - Report number #310 - released 12 December 2018

Published

Actions for Transport 2018

Transport 2018

Transport
Asset valuation
Compliance
Financial reporting
Infrastructure
Management and administration
Procurement
Risk
Service delivery
Workforce and capability

The Auditor-General for New South Wales, Margaret Crawford released her report today on key observations and findings from the 30 June 2018 financial statement audits of agencies in the Transport cluster. Unqualified audit opinions were issued for all agencies' financial statements. However, assessing the fair value of the broad range of transport related assets creates challenges.

This report analyses the results of our audits of financial statements of the Transport cluster for the year ended 30 June 2018. The table below summarises our key observations.

This report provides Parliament and other users of the Transport cluster’s financial statements with the results of our audits, our observations, analysis, conclusions and recommendations in the following areas:

  • financial reporting
  • audit observations.

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

This chapter outlines our audit observations related to the financial reporting of agencies in the Transport cluster for 2018.

Observation Conclusions and recommendations
2.1 Quality of financial reporting
Unqualified audit opinions were issued for all agencies' financial statements Sufficient audit evidence was obtained to conclude the financial statements were free of material misstatement.
2.2 Key accounting issues
Valuation of assets continues to create challenges. Although agencies complied with the requirements of the accounting standards and Treasury policies on valuations, we identified some opportunities for improvements at RMS.

RMS incorporated data from its asset condition assessments for the first time in the valuation methodology which improved the valuation outcome. Overall, we were satisfied with the valuation methodology and key assumptions, but we noted some deficiencies in the asset data in relation to asset component unit rates and old condition data for some components of assets. 

Also, a bypass and tunnel were incorrectly excluded from RMS records and valuation process since 2013. This resulted in an increase for these assets’ value by $133 million.

The valuation inputs for Wetlands and Moorings were revised this year to better reflect the assets' characteristics resulting in a $98.0 million increase.

2.3 Timeliness of financial reporting
Residual Transport Corporation did not submit its financial statements by the statutory reporting deadline. Residual Transport Corporation remained a dormant entity with no transactions for the year ended 30 June 2018.
With the exception of Residual Transport Corporation, all agencies completed early close procedures and submitted financial statements within statutory timeframes. Early close procedures allow financial reporting issues and risks to be addressed early in the reporting and audit process.
2.4 Financial sustainability
NSW Trains and the Chief Investigator of the Office of Transport Safety Investigations reported negative net assets of $75.7 million and $89,000 respectively at 30 June 2018.  NSW Trains and the Chief Investigator of the Office of Transport Safety Investigations continue to require letters of financial support to confirm their ability to pay liabilities as they fall due. 
2.5 Passenger revenue and patronage
Transport agencies revenue growth increased at a higher rate than patronage. Public transport passenger revenue increased by $114 million (8.3 per cent) in 2017–18, and patronage increased by 37.1 million (5.1 per cent) across all modes of transport based on data provided by TfNSW. 
Negative balance Opal Cards resulted in $3.8 million in revenue not collected in 2017–18 and $7.8 million since the introduction of Opal. A total of 1.1 million Opal cards issued since its introduction have negative balances. Transport for NSW advised it is liaising with the ticketing vendor to implement system changes and are investigating other ways to reduce the occurrences.
2.6 Cost recovery from public transport users
Overall cost recovery from users has decreased. Overall cost recovery from public transport users (on rail and bus services by STA) decreased from 23.2 per cent to 22.4 per cent between 2016–17 and 2017–18. The main reason for the decrease is due to expenditure increasing at a faster rate than revenue in 2017–18.


 

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

This chapter outlines our observations and insights from:

  • our financial statement audits of agencies in the Transport cluster for 2018
  • the areas of focus identified in the Audit Office annual work program.

The Audit Office Annual Work Program provides a summary of all audits to be conducted within the proposed time period as well as detailed information on the areas of focus for each of the NSW Government clusters. 

Observation Conclusions and recommendations
3.1 Internal controls 
There was an increase in findings on internal controls across the Transport cluster. Key themes related to information technology, employee leave entitlements and asset management. Eighteen per cent of all issues were repeat issues.
3.2 Audit Office Annual work program
The Transport cluster wrote-off over $200 million of assets which were replaced by new assets or technology.

Majority of this write-off was recognised by RMS, with $199 million relating to the write-off of existing assets which have been replaced during the year. 

RailCorp is expected to convert to TAHE from 1 July 2019. Several working groups are considering different aspects of the TAHE transition including its status as a for-profit Public Trading Enterprise and which assets to transfer to TAHE. We will continue to monitor developments on TAHE for any impact to the financial statements.
RMS' estimated maintenance backlog at 30 June 2018 of $3.4 billion is lower than last year. Sydney Trains' estimated maintenance backlog at 30 June 2018 increased by 20.6 per cent to $434 million. TfNSW does not quantify its backlog maintenance. TfNSW advised it is liaising with Infrastructure NSW to develop a consistent definition of maintenance backlog across all transport service providers. 
Not all agencies monitor unplanned maintenance across the Transport cluster. Unplanned maintenance can be more expensive than planned maintenance. TfNSW should develop a consistent approach to define, monitor and track unplanned maintenance across the cluster.

This chapter outlines certain service delivery outcomes for 2017–18. The data on activity levels and performance is provided by Cluster agencies. The Audit Office does not have a specific mandate to audit performance information. Accordingly, the information in this chapter is unaudited. 

We report this information on service delivery to provide additional context to understand the operations of the Transport cluster and to collate and present service information for different modes of transport in one report. 

In our recent performance audit, Progress and measurement of Premier's Priorities, we identified 12 limitations of performance measurement and performance data. We recommended that the Department of Premier and Cabinet ensure that processes to check and verify data are in place for all agency data sources.