Auditor-General, Margaret Crawford released a report on the planning and environment cluster today, concluding that the quality of financial reporting is improving. However, the cluster can improve its financial controls and governance framework.

The Family and Community Services report was released today by the Acting Deputy Auditor-General. Financial reporting within the cluster continues to improve but there are opportunities to improve governance and performance reporting.

In a report released today, the NSW Auditor-General, Margaret Crawford provides a snapshot of reported fraud in the NSW public sector and an analysis of NSW Government agencies’ fraud controls based on a survey of 102 agencies.

The NSW Government’s ‘program evaluation initiative’, introduced to assess whether service delivery programs achieve expected outcomes and value for money, is largely ineffective according to a report released today by NSW Auditor-General, Margaret Crawford.

Government services, in areas such as public order and safety, health and education, are delivered by agencies through a variety of programs. In 2016–17, the NSW Government estimates that it will spend over $73 billion on programs to deliver services.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #277 - released 3 November 2016

New South Wales has a lower rate of foodborne illness than the national average. This reflects some good practices in the NSW Food Authority’s approach to monitoring food safety standards. It also is a factor of the long-standing commitment by local councils’ to ensuring retail food businesses meet these standards.

To ensure foodborne illness remains low, the Authority needs to better monitor its arrangements with councils which inspect retail food businesses on its behalf, and receive additional and more timely information from councils on compliance with food safety standards.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #274 - released 15 September 2016

The Audit Office acknowledges that this is an extremely complex and difficult area of Government activity and that putting in place effective systems is a significant challenge. Nevertheless, it is a critical task, given the vulnerability of clients and the scarcity of resources. Whilst there has been progress in improving systems, and further enhancements are planned, nevertheless, five years after the creation of the Ageing and Disability Department as the industry regulator, there are a number of fundamental issues which remain to be resolved.

The Audit Office is of the opinion that significant further development of performance information systems is required before there can be an adequate level of assurance that Government funding is provided in conformity with the Disability Services Act 1993 and that services provided represent value for money.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #74 - released 27 June 2000