New South Wales has a lot of councils providing similar services to the community, such as domestic waste and stormwater management services. However, the charges for these common services vary greatly between councils. This audit could examine selected common charges across a number of councils to understand what is driving the variability in charges.

In 2017, the NSW Government announced a Regional Development Framework which provides a scaffold for better coordination, decision making and effort on the ground. The NSW Government recognised the need to be more strategic and better coordinated if it is to make a difference, particularly in addressing some of the serious issues facing regional NSW such as pockets of youth unemployment, social disadvantage, changing economic opportunities and increased

The Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 is important legislation that recognises the rights of Aboriginal people in NSW. The legislation recognises that land in NSW was traditionally owned and occupied by Aboriginal people, and is of spiritual, social, cultural and economic importance. The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment is responsible for investigating Aboriginal land claims against statutory criteria outlined in the Act. Crown land that is

In response to the 2019-20 bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic, the NSW Government released significant funds for a range of grant programs aimed at providing emergency support, recovery and economic stimulus across NSW. In 2020, the $750 million dollar Small Business Support Fund was set up to support small businesses and a number of grants rounds have been implemented. This audit will assess whether grants administered under the Small Business Support

This audit will examine the integrity of the assessment and approval processes for the Stronger Communities Fund (tied grants round) and Regional Cultural Fund, both of which were administered in 2017 and 2018. 

Water regulation, including licensing and water use plans, aim to achieve sustainable environmental, economic and social outcomes from the management of water resources. Reforms have been made to strengthen regulation, compliance and enforcement. This audit may examine how well the responsible agencies have responded to and implemented the recommendations from the Matthews reports (interim and final), and other external reviews, into water licencing, re

We will conduct at least one compliance review to confirm that specific legislation, directions and regulations have been adhered to.