A development application (DA) is a formal application for development that requires consent under the NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. It is usually lodged with the local council for processing and determination, and consists of standard application forms, supporting technical reports and plans.  The NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPE)’s ‘Development Assessment Best Practice Guide' describes the development assessment pr

The NSW Biodiversity Offsets Scheme is intended to offset impacts on biodiversity due to development (for example: roads, buildings, and other infrastructure) that cannot otherwise be avoided. It aims to do this through in-perpetuity stewardship agreements with landholders to better manage biodiversity, generating credits that offset obligations created by development. This audit will assess whether the Department of Planning and Environment and the Bio

Coordination of Response to COVID-19 (auditees: NSW Health, NSW Police Force, Department of Premier and Cabinet, Department of Customer Service, Resilience NSW) This audit will assess the effectiveness of NSW Government agencies’ coordination of the COVID-19 response in selected LGAs (an “LGA of concern” and a regional LGA) after June 2021. We will address the audit objective with the following lines of inquiry: Line of Inquiry 1: Coordinated response