Long-term, subsidised rental housing is provided to assist people who have extreme difficulty in accessing housing in the private housing market. The collective term for this type of housing is ‘social housing’ which in New South Wales includes: 

• ‘public housing’ managed by Homes NSW (a division of the Department of Communities and Justice) 
• ‘community housing’ managed by non-government organisations (social housing providers) 
• housing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples managed by the Aboriginal Housing Office or Aboriginal social housing providers.

In New South Wales, applications for housing assistance are managed through Housing Pathways. This is a partnership between Homes NSW, including the Aboriginal Housing Office, and participating community housing providers. Housing Pathways provides a single application process, common eligibility criteria, a standard assessment process and a single waiting list known as the NSW Housing Register. 

This audit will assess whether social housing is effectively and efficiently prioritised to meet the needs of vulnerable households, and whether social housing tenants are effectively supported to establish and sustain their tenancies. 

The audit will assess all types of social housing including public housing, community housing and housing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The Audit Office is seeking experiences or views on: 

• the process of applying for social housing (including evidence requirements) 
• the process of being offered and accepting a social housing property
• support programs and services offered to new social housing tenants. 

If you have experiences or views on these areas, you can share them with the Audit Office. This can be done anonymously if you wish. We will consider all feedback provided as we conduct this audit. 

Please note that the audit mailbox will close at 5pm on Friday 28 February 2025. 

You can provide feedback on this audit either through the ‘contribute to this audit’ button in the left hand menu (or the comment icon on top right for mobile) or through this link. 

We may use your feedback to identify key themes, risks or issues which we may investigate further during the audit. In some instances, we may use extracts of contributions in our audit report as examples of feedback provided where appropriate. If we use extracts of a contribution, we will not identify the source in the report.

However, please note: 

• We will not examine individual matters, nor can we investigate all issues or concerns raised. In general, the audit team will look for supporting evidence from other sources (such as documentation, data and audit interviews). Please contact the Department of Communities and Justice, individual community housing providers, the Registrar of Community Housing, Tenants Advice and Advocacy Services, the NSW Ombudsman, or the Independent Commission Against Corruption regarding individual matters (details below). 
• We will not share your feedback with any party, including the Department of Communities and Justice or any community housing providers, nor do we publish feedback on our website. 
• While we will consider all feedback provided, we may not contact you to discuss. 
• We are not able to answer questions or provide information collected during the course of the audit. 
• Performance audits focus on assessing whether public money is spent efficiently, effectively, economically and in compliance with the law. The Auditor-General is not permitted to question the merits of government policy objectives. Please visit the Performance audit guide for audited entities (including non-public sector entities) for more information on how we undertake performance audits.

The Audit Office is required by section 38 of the Government Sector Audit Act 1983 to keep information gathered during the course of a performance audit confidential and the Audit Office takes its responsibilities under these sections seriously. 

Exceptions include the Auditor-General’s Report to Parliament – a public document – and where the Audit Office is permitted or required to disclose information under other legislation. 

All information that the Audit Office receives, and working papers that the Audit Office creates during an audit, are classed as excluded information in Schedule 2 of the Government Information (Public Sector) Act 2009 (GIPA Act). An access application under the GIPA Act cannot be made for excluded information. 

For more information on our confidentiality obligations, please visit Our confidentiality and reporting obligations for contributions page.

If you have questions or feedback about individual matters, you can: 

• contact the Department of Communities and Justice online or by calling 1800 422 322 
• contact a community housing provider through their individual website or contact details 
• contact the Registrar for Community Housing to make a complaint against a community housing provider online or by calling 1800 330 940 
• contact Tenants Advice and Advocacy Services for tenancy and legal advice. Their website provides online forms and phone numbers for advice. 
• make a complaint to the NSW Ombudsman online or by calling 1800 451 524 
• make a complaint about corruption to the Independent Commission Against Corruption online or by calling 02 8281 5999.

The coast is one of our greatest assets in New South Wales and is home to nearly 85% of the state’s population. The NSW Government has established a framework to manage the coastal environment in a sustainable way for the wellbeing of the people of New South Wales. 

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) and the Department of Planning, Housing, and Infrastructure (DPHI) oversee and facilitate implementation of the coastal management framework by local councils.

The key policy instruments under this framework are:

• the Coastal Management Act 2016 (the Act), under which local councils in the coastal zone prepare coastal management programs to set the long-term strategy for the coordinated management of land within the coastal zone, and
• the coastal management chapter of the State Environmental Planning Policy (Resilience and Hazards) 2021 (the SEPP), which aims to promote an integrated and coordinated approach to land use planning in the coastal zone in a manner consistent with the objects of the Coastal Management Act 2016.

This audit will assess whether DCCEEW, DPHI and select local councils are effectively implementing the coastal management framework to manage the NSW coastal environment. 

The selected local councils for this audit are City of Coffs Harbour Council, Northern Beaches Council and Shoalhaven City Council.

The audit will answer the following questions:

• Are DCCEEW and DPHI effectively overseeing and facilitating councils’ implementation of the coastal management framework?
• Have councils effectively developed plans and priorities for coastal management?

The audit will not assess:

• The merits of NSW Government policy objectives, decisions relating to coastal management program certification, coastal management actions identified or implemented by councils and/ or NSW Government agencies, and land use planning and development decisions under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.
• Whether certified coastal management programs meet the requirements of the Coastal Management Act 2016 or coastal management manual.
• Implementation of policy objectives under strategies or initiatives outside of the coastal management framework (e.g., Marine Estate Management Strategy, State Disaster Mitigation Plan). 

If you have experiences or views on how NSW Government agencies or local councils are managing the NSW coastal environment relevant to the audit scope, you can share them with the Audit Office. This can be done anonymously if you wish.

Please note that the audit mailbox will be open to receive submissions until close of business on 30 November 2024.

You can provide feedback on this audit either through the ‘contribute to this audit’ button in the left hand menu (or the comment icon on top right for mobile) or through this link.

We may use your feedback to identify key themes, risks or issues which may then be further investigated during the audit. In some instances, we may use extracts of contributions in our audit report as examples of feedback provided where appropriate. If we use extracts of a contribution, we will not identify the source in the report.

However, please note:

• We will not examine individual matters, nor can we investigate all issues or concerns raised. Please see the contact details listed below for relevant contacts. In general, the audit team will look for supporting evidence from other sources (such as documentation, data and audit interviews).
• We will not share your feedback with any party, including the audited agencies and councils, nor do we publish feedback on our website.
• While we will consider all feedback provided, we may not contact you to discuss.
• We are not able to answer questions or provide information collected during the course of the audit.
• Performance audits focus on assessing whether public money is spent efficiently, effectively, economically and in compliance with the law. The Auditor-General is not permitted to question the merits of government policy objectives. Please visit the Performance audit guide for audited entities (including non-public sector entities) for more information on how we undertake performance audits.

The Audit Office is required by section 38 of the Government Sector Audit Act to keep information obtained during an audit confidential and the Audit Office takes its responsibilities under these sections very seriously.  

All information that the Audit Office receives, and working papers that the Audit Office creates during an audit, are classed as excluded information in Schedule 2 of the Government Information (Public Sector) Act 2009 (GIPA Act). An access application under the GIPA Act cannot be made for excluded information.

If you have questions or comments about individual matters, you can:

• contact your local council
• make a complaint about a council or NSW government agency to the NSW Ombudsman online or by calling 1800 451 524
• make a complaint about corruption to the Independent Commission Against Corruption online or by calling 02 8281 5999.

Click here for more information on our confidentiality and reporting obligations for submissions received via our website.

Under the Education Act 1990 every child has the right to receive an education. The Act provides that:

• the education of a child is primarily the responsibility of the child’s parents, and
• the state has a duty to ensure every child receives an education of the highest quality, principally through providing public education.

Children of compulsory age are required to be enrolled at, and to attend, a government school or a registered non-government school, or to be registered and receive instruction for home schooling. 

The audit aims to assess whether students who may experience difficulties in receiving an education in a mainstream classroom environment in New South Wales (NSW), or who choose to not be educated in a mainstream classroom environment, have access to a quality education, regardless of their circumstances, when in alternative educational settings.

This audit will assess the effectiveness of the NSW Department of Education and the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) in supporting students to receive a quality education when delivered in alternative education settings.

In doing so, the audit will have two criteria to examine whether: 

1. Agencies provide or support alternative education settings for students to ensure continuity of education:
   1. Alternative settings are accessible and available in a timely way to students.
   2. Transitions into and out of alternative settings support continuity of education.
2. Agencies are effectively implementing quality assurance and safeguarding mechanisms for alternative education settings:
   1. Agencies support students to receive a high quality education in alternative settings.
   2. Education programs in alternative settings are appropriate to meet the diverse learning needs of students. 
   3. Agencies ensure that child safe standards and/or child protection protocols are applied as relevant.
   4. The Department monitors outcomes for individual students in alternative settings. NESA checks that home schooled children are receiving instruction.

Included within the audit scope:

•  NSW Department of Education alternative educational settings:
  • distance education
  • schools for specific purposes catering for students with emotional disturbances or behavioural disorders (‘behaviour schools’)
  • schools in Youth Justice NSW detention centres
  • hospital schools
• Agency management of non-government alternative education setting providers, where relevant
• Home schooling in NSW (regulated by NESA).

Excluded from the audit scope:

• policies and practices at non-government schools, early childhood education and outside school hours care services, or vocational education and training services
• schools for specific purposes catering for students with disability (these were considered through a previous audit, Supporting students with disability)
• support classes located in mainstream schools (these were considered through a previous audit, Supporting students with disability)
• suspension centres and tutorial centres
• in-depth student behaviour management policies and practices (these will be the focus of a future audit on the forward work program)
• merits of government policy objectives.

If you have experiences or views on alternative education settings, you can share them with the Audit Office. This can be done anonymously if you wish. We will consider all feedback provided as we audit the NSW Department of Education and NESA.  

Please note that the audit mailbox will close COB Friday 28 February 2025. 

You can provide feedback on this audit either through the ‘contribute to this audit’ button in the left hand menu (or the comment icon on top right for mobile) or through this link. 

We may use your feedback to identify key themes, risks or issues which may then be further investigated during the audit. In some instances, we may use extracts of contributions in our audit report as examples of feedback provided where appropriate. If we use extracts of a contribution, we will not identify the source in the report. 

However, please note:

• We will not examine individual matters, nor can we investigate all issues or concerns raised. In general, the audit team will look for supporting evidence from other sources (such as documentation, data and audit interviews). Please contact the Department of Education, NESA or the NSW Ombudsman regarding individual matters (details below). 
• We will not share your feedback with any party, including the Department of Education or NESA, nor do we publish feedback on our website. 
• While we will consider all feedback provided, we may not contact you to discuss. 
• We are not able to answer questions or provide information collected during the course of the audit. 
• Performance audits focus on assessing whether public money is spent efficiently, effectively, economically and in compliance with the law. The Auditor-General is not permitted to question the merits of government policy objectives. Please visit the Performance audit guide for audited entities (including non-public sector entities) for more information on how we undertake performance audits.

The Audit Office is required by section 38 of the Government Sector Audit Act 1983 to keep information gathered during the course of a performance audit confidential and the Audit Office takes its responsibilities under these sections seriously. 

Exceptions include the Auditor-General’s Report to Parliament – a public document – and where the Audit Office is permitted or required to disclose information under other legislation.

All information that the Audit Office receives, and working papers that the Audit Office creates during an audit, are classed as excluded information in Schedule 2 of the Government Information (Public Sector) Act 2009 (GIPA Act). An access application under the GIPA Act cannot be made for excluded information. 

For more information on our confidentiality obligations, please visit Our confidentiality and reporting obligations for contributions page.

If you have questions or feedback about individual matters, you can: 

• contact the NSW Department of Education through the website 
• contact the NSW Education Standards Authority through the website 
• make a complaint to the NSW Ombudsman online or by calling 1800 451 524.

In 2014, the State entered into a Public Private Partnership (PPP) with a private operator to deliver the Northern Beaches Hospital. The Northern Beaches Hospital opened in late 2018 and provides free public patient services as well as a range of services for private patients. 

This audit will examine whether the Northern Beaches Hospital PPP is efficiently and effectively delivering public hospital services.  

In doing so, the audit will answer the following questions: 

1. Do NSW Health agencies ensure the effective and efficient delivery of public funded hospital services from the Northern Beaches Hospital? 
   1. Do NSW Health agencies effectively identify and monitor risks to the success of the Northern Beaches Hospital?
   2. Do NSW Health agencies collect the information required to ensure effective delivery of public hospital services at the Northern Beaches Hospital?
   3. Do NSW Health agencies effectively manage the Northern Beaches Hospital contract to ensure effective delivery of public hospital services at the Northern Beaches Hospital? 
   4. Is the Northern Sydney Local Health District using the Northern Beaches Hospital Public Private Partnership to achieve efficient service delivery? 
2. Is the operator of the Northern Beaches Hospital effectively delivering public hospital services in selected clinical areas? 
   1. Does the Northern Beaches Hospital meet contract requirements for performance, planning and reporting? 
   2. Does the Northern Beaches Hospital provide quality care consistent with equivalent public health facilities in NSW?

Included within the scope: 

• The parties to the Northern Beaches Hospital contract deed: Northern Sydney Local Health District, the Ministry of Health (as the delegate for the Health Administration Corporation) and the private sector operator, NBH Operator Co (a subsidiary of Healthscope Ltd.). 
• Comparison against benchmarks for peer or near-peer NSW Health hospitals. 
• The audit will focus on two areas of clinical activity: Emergency Department activity and General Surgery. 
• The main period of focus for this audit is from July 2022 to June 2024.

Excluded from the scope: 

• The decision to deliver the Northern Beaches Hospital via a Public Private Partnership. 
• The design and construction phases of the Northern Beaches Hospital Public Private Partnership. 
• Quality as it relates to an assessment of the specific effectiveness of clinical activities or scopes of practice. However, the audit may comment on whether the agencies have themselves adequately considered and assessed clinical evidence as part of performance monitoring and oversight of clinical services. 
• Merits of government policy objectives.

Transport for NSW (TfNSW) enters into contracts with private companies to operate bus services. In Metropolitan Sydney these contracts are worth an estimated $4.8 billion.

This performance audit will assess the effectiveness of Transport for NSW’s design and management of metropolitan Sydney bus service contracts. It will examine whether TfNSW is effectively managing the performance of contracts held by private bus companies to ensure contractual commitments are being met, with a focus on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) relating to customer experience, and whether TfNSW has designed an effective governance regime to underpin the performance management of bus contracts in metropolitan Sydney, and demonstrating that contracts are being managed to deliver value for money. 

This report will focus on the 2023–24 consolidated financial statements of the NSW general government and total state sectors. It will comment on the key matters that have been the focus of our audits and highlight significant factors that have contributed to the State’s financial results.

This report will analyse the results of the 2023–24 financial statement audits of NSW Government agencies. It will comment on financial reporting and performance, key accounting issues and areas of interest that are in focus during the conduct of our audits.

This report will analyse whether members of New South Wales Parliament complied with requirements outlined in the Parliamentary Remuneration Tribunal’s Determination.

Under Section 27B(3) (c) of the Government Sector Audit Act 1983, the Special Minister of State has requested that the Audit Office perform a recurring performance audit of emergency relief grants commencing in 2024-25. 

In accordance with the Protocol for Auditing Emergency Relief grants, the Audit Office will select particular grants processes for review.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (the Department) is responsible for regulating mines under the Mining Act 1992. This includes ensuring that mine rehabilitation works are undertaken progressively by mining lease holders. The Department oversees this function in over 6,000 mines in a range of mining sectors.

This audit will assess the effectiveness of the Department in monitoring compliance with and enforcing mining rehabilitation requirements under the Mining Act 1992 and associated regulations. 

The audit will examine whether the Department has established a framework that enables it to effectively regulate mining rehabilitation. It will also examine whether the Department effectively monitors rehabilitation progress and ensures compliance with rehabilitation requirements at NSW mines.