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Reports

Published

Actions for Volume One 2014 - Areas of focus from 2013

Volume One 2014 - Areas of focus from 2013

Education
Community Services
Finance
Health
Industry
Justice
Local Government
Planning
Premier and Cabinet
Transport
Treasury
Universities
Whole of Government
Environment
Asset valuation
Compliance
Financial reporting
Fraud
Information technology
Internal controls and governance
Procurement
Project management
Risk

Today the Auditor-General of New South Wales, Grant Hehir, released his Volume One Report to Parliament for 2014. The observations included in this report are designed to inform readers of common findings from the 2013 financial and performance audits so agencies and audit committees can use them to identify issues that may be relevant to their organisations.

Published

Actions for Volume Four 2013 focusing on Electricity

Volume Four 2013 focusing on Electricity

Planning
Industry
Compliance
Financial reporting
Regulation

During the year, Treasury issued TC 13/01 ‘Mandatory early close procedures for 2013’. This circular aimed to improve the quality and timeliness of agencies’ annual financial statements. In 2012-13, application of the circular was made mandatory for State owned corporations. As a result, the NSW Generators, Distributors and Transgrid were required to perform the early close procedures. All the electricity entities were broadly successful in performing th

Published

Actions for Government Advertising 2012-13

Government Advertising 2012-13

Premier and Cabinet
Health
Transport
Compliance
Procurement

The following report assessed the activities of the two agencies in relation to their government advertising campaigns in 2012-13 and tested compliance by tracking a campaign through from development to dissemination.   Parliamentary reference - Report number #236 - released 23 September 2013

Published

Actions for Managing Gifts and Benefits

Managing Gifts and Benefits

Planning
Finance
Transport
Environment
Compliance
Fraud
Internal controls and governance
Management and administration

Overall, the audited entities are managing some aspects of gifts and benefits effectively but other aspects require improvement. We found that all five entities had gifts and benefits policies that addressed some but not all of the attributes of a sound policy. All five have communicated their gifts and benefits policies to staff and external stakeholders, although in each case we identified opportunities to better communicate their policies. &nbsp

Published

Actions for Volume Five 2012 focusing on superannuation, compensation and housing

Volume Five 2012 focusing on superannuation, compensation and housing

Finance
Treasury
Premier and Cabinet
Community Services
Asset valuation
Compliance
Financial reporting
Information technology
Internal controls and governance
Procurement
Regulation

The NSW Government’s defined benefit superannuation funds have had positive returns for the last three years. However, the returns fell significantly in 2011-12. Global economic conditions led to substantial volatility and uncertainty in markets creating challenges for superannuation funds’ trustees.

Published

Actions for Monitoring Local Government

Monitoring Local Government

Local Government
Premier and Cabinet
Compliance
Internal controls and governance
Management and administration

The Division of Local Government (DLG) has helped many NSW councils improve their long-term financial planning and asset management practice. Many councils are serving their communities well. However, because DLG lacks the power, it finds it difficult to respond effectively when things go wrong.   Parliamentary reference - Report number #225 - released 26 September 2012

Published

Actions for Volume One 2012 focusing on themes from 2011

Volume One 2012 focusing on themes from 2011

Health
Industry
Premier and Cabinet
Asset valuation
Compliance
Financial reporting
Fraud
Information technology
Infrastructure
Internal controls and governance
Management and administration
Procurement
Project management
Regulation
Risk
Shared services and collaboration

The following overview of audits from 2011 found agency restructures significantly impacted agency financial reporting processes, agencies are having difficulty establishing and enforcing compliance with their own policies and procedures, agencies experienced problems complying with regulations and providing adequate documentation to support their financial statements, the poor quality of some financial statements with 1,256 misstatements identified

Published

Actions for Volume Six 2011 focus on Environment, Water and Regional Infrastructure

Volume Six 2011 focus on Environment, Water and Regional Infrastructure

Planning
Industry
Asset valuation
Compliance
Financial reporting
Information technology
Internal controls and governance
Management and administration
Procurement
Project management
Regulation
Risk
Workforce and capability

The Environment Protection Authority’s expenditure for the financial year 2010/11 was $92 million - $76 million of this was for environment protection and regulation. The Office of Environment and Heritage and the Environment Protection Authority commenced 145 prosecutions for environmental offences and 106 were completed in the financial year 2010/11, down from the 134 prosecutions completed in 2009/10. Financial penalties for 2010/11 totalled $969,000

Published

Actions for Solar Bonus Scheme

Solar Bonus Scheme

Premier and Cabinet
Compliance
Infrastructure
Management and administration
Project management
Regulation
Risk
Service delivery

A NSW Auditor General’s Report has found that the NSW Government and its agencies grossly underestimated the cost and number of people that would install systems under the Solar Bonus Scheme. By October 2010, the estimated cost of the Scheme, if it continued the way it was going, would have reached $3.988 billion. More than ten times the original estimate of $362 million. In response to the increased cost, the gross tariff for new applicants was reduced

Published

Actions for Volume Four 2011 focusing on Electricity

Volume Four 2011 focusing on Electricity

Industry
Planning
Financial reporting
Information technology
Project management

The sale of the State’s electricity retail and trading rights raised $5.3 billion. The electricity retail businesses sold for a $3.08 billion profit with the electricity generation output sold for a $1.85 billion loss, delivering a overall profit of $1.23 billion. One recommendation is that  The Treasurer should consider releasing the Energy Reform Strategy relating to the development and ownership of the Cobbora Coal Project for public scrutiny to