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Reports

Published

Actions for Managing Hospital Waste

Managing Hospital Waste

Health
Management and administration

In 1998 NSW Health developed Waste Management Guidelines to promote continuous improvement in waste management across the public health sector. Systematic implementation of the Guidelines was impeded in 1999- 2000 by resistance from the waste industry and transport workers. Since then, NSW Health has not actively promoted waste management in public hospitals. As a consequence Area Health Services (AHSs) and hospitals have developed separate and individua

Published

Actions for Managing Grants

Managing Grants

Community Services
Industry
Planning
Management and administration
Service delivery

In our view, the agencies we studied cannot be sure that the grants they allocate align with their corporate objectives, and that program outcomes are achieved. This is mainly due to problems with grant selection and the evaluation of results. It was good to see that most of the grants programs had funding objectives which were fairly clear. But we found problems across most programs which could affect the fair and equitable selection of grants, such as,

Published

Actions for Outsourcing Information Technology

Outsourcing Information Technology

Whole of Government
Information technology
Management and administration
Procurement

Agencies have managed the planning of outsourcing in a competent way. All agencies satisfactorily managed the contractual aspects of outsourcing. The Audit Office is of the opinion, however, that there is no objective evidence to demonstrate that agencies have achieved their goals in outsourcing IT. Most agencies had identified the current and expected costs and risks of outsourcing. Agencies were not able to demonstrate that the actual costs of outsourc

Published

Actions for Electronic Procurement of Hospital Supplies

Electronic Procurement of Hospital Supplies

Health
Information technology
Management and administration
Procurement

Reform of procurement in the NSW public health system is a huge, complex and difficult task. Much thought has been given to this reform. An immense amount of planning and preparatory work is required, and is apparent. In our opinion, at this time, the NSW public health system is making only limited progress towards achieving the economies in purchasing that its size and market dominance could deliver. While millions of dollars in savings are potentially

Published

Actions for Managing Sick Leave

Managing Sick Leave

Justice
Internal controls and governance
Management and administration
Workforce and capability

The NSW Police and Department of Corrective Services (DCS) have committed to improve performance and productivity in their organisations. Both agencies have introduced several initiatives to promote the health, safety and welfare of their personnel. In addition the DCS policy provides for acknowledgements and sanctions based on the amount of medically uncertified leave taken by the employee. There are additional steps that could be taken to improve

Published

Actions for Managing Risk in the NSW Public Sector

Managing Risk in the NSW Public Sector

Transport
Management and administration
Risk

The Audit Office is of the opinion that, while agencies are aware of the need to manage risk, their risk management falls short of better practice. Many agencies do not consider their risk management to be adequate. The survey suggests that some agencies, mainly those in the Public Trading Enterprise Sector have approached risk management in a systematic way and in accordance with the principles of better practice standards. Others, mainly departments no

Published

Actions for Bus Maintenance and Bus Contracts

Bus Maintenance and Bus Contracts

Transport
Management and administration
Procurement
Service delivery

State Transit has developed fleet management plans and maintenance standards that meet its regulatory and contractual obligations as a bus operator and are consistent with vehicle manufacturers’ standards and best practice. However, assumptions used in fleet management plans to forecast fleet growth may not result in the most efficient and effective outcome for State Transit. Forecasts fail to take account of opportunities to redesign or reduce services

Published

Actions for Managing Animal Disease Emergencies

Managing Animal Disease Emergencies

Industry
Management and administration
Risk
Shared services and collaboration

The Audit Office is of the opinion that while planning, surveillance and response issues remain unresolved, the State is at significant risk from large-scale emergencies such as might occur with foot-and-mouth disease. Actions by NSW Agriculture since the Newcastle disease emergency at Mangrove Mountain in 1999 have positioned the State to manage better emergency animal diseases. Many of these actions have been pursued within the context of national agre

Published

Actions for Managing Environmental Issues

Managing Environmental Issues

Transport
Management and administration

The Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) has taken positive steps towards continuous improvement in managing the environment. It is also one of the very few Government agencies to produce a separate Environmental Report. RTA is to be commended for its actions and the Audit Office considers that other Government agencies should follow suit. The RTA has implemented a structured process by which its environmental policy can be advanced. Whilst the process is c

Published

Actions for Collecting Outstanding Fines and Penalties

Collecting Outstanding Fines and Penalties

Finance
Compliance
Management and administration
Regulation

SDRO deals well with very high volumes and collects substantial sums of money. However, there are a number of factors which limit the effectiveness of the fine enforcement process and affect SDRO’s capacity to recover debt. SDRO is confronted with conflicting roles as both law enforcer and debt collector. As a law enforcement agency, SDRO treats all matters the same. But as a debt collector, other approaches could be pursued which would recover more outs