Progress has been made to address the issues raised in our 1999 audit report on the enforcement of street parking. The major achievement has been the transfer of primary responsibility for the enforcement of street parking from NSW Police to local councils in 2002. There is, however, one recommendation that has not been advanced to the extent we believe is warranted. Legislation needs to be reviewed in respect of multiple infringements, penalty structures and fine strategies for drivers from overseas.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #120 - released 10 December 2003

In response to the 1999 audit, both Offices focussed on improving the transparency and consistency of decisions. Both introduced client service standards and implemented systems to improve their management of complaints. In addition, the Office of the Protective Commissioner (OPC) introduced six monthly financial statements which are sent to clients or their carers. However, there are three recommendations from the 1999 audit that are not fully implemented although progress has been made in addressing the issues. These matters relate to establishing external appeal mechanisms and the review of OPC client fees.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #117 - released 24 September 2003

In our opinion there are inadequacies in the current arrangements for detecting unauthorised driving. For example better information is needed on the extent of unlicensed driving. This may require giving the NSW Police power to conduct random licence and registration checks. In addition, there are technological and legal constraints to the efficient and effective detection of unauthorised driving.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #115 - released 4 September 2003

The Northside Storage Tunnel was the first major public sector construction project using an alliance approach. In our opinion, the outcome of the project suggests that an alliance approach, when applied to a suitable project and managed appropriately, can support positive project outcomes. And in many respects the Alliance worked well. There are, however, a number of issues that we believe need to be addressed for future alliances.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #113 - released 24 July 2003

We are of the opinion that overall, the Police Assistance Line (PAL) has contributed to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of NSW Police. Through civilianisation of call taking, NSW Police reports that the cost of handling a minor crime report has been reduced by 65 per cent, to around $21 per call. It is also estimated that PAL has contributed to the release of over 200 police to operational duties. There has also been an improvement in customer service since PAL commenced, with the average time taken to answer a call reduced from over two minutes to 42 seconds. However, performance is still outside NSW Police’s goal of answering 80 per cent of calls within 27 seconds. In addition, waiting time increased over the last six months of 2002.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #110 - released 5 June 2003