Audit background 

There are 1073 species and 110 ecological communities that are listed as threatened in New South Wales under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, including 72 declared extinct. Threatened species include terrestrial plants and animals, reptiles, marine mammals and freshwater plants. The Department of Planning and Environment is implementing a range of activities to support threatened species. This includes a statutory biodiversity conservation program (‘Saving our Species’), as well as implementing the NSW Koala Strategy and a range of conservation and restoration activities across private and public land including National Parks, and funding grants to support threatened species conservation.   

The department has been delivering the Saving our Species program since 2016 with a commitment to its delivery until 2026. Saving our Species aims to maximise the security of threatened species and ecological communities and minimise the impacts of key threatening processes.   

Audit objective 

This audit will assess whether the Department of Planning and Environment has effectively delivered outcomes to support threatened species and ecological communities across NSW. The audit will examine the department’s planning and coordination of activities to support threatened species, as well as the contribution of the Saving our Species program to the delivery of positive outcomes for threatened species and ecological communities. 

Estimated tabling period 

July 2024 

Agencies audited 

Department of Planning and Environment 

Audit background

According to the Department of Regional NSW, approximately $500 million dollars has been committed to the Regional Digital Connectivity Program (RDCP) through the Snowy Hydro Legacy Fund. The RDCP aims to improve mobile, internet and digital services for rural and regional areas of NSW. Of this funding, over $300 million was allocated to improving mobile phone coverage in regional NSW through investment in shared and multi-carrier mobile infrastructure. A further $100 million in funding was allocated to internet connectivity which aims to provide fast and reliable internet connectivity for rural and regional communities, prioritising areas currently on a satellite internet service.

Audit objective

This audit will assess if the Department of Regional NSW is effectively administering the Regional Digital Connectivity Program (RDCP) to meet program objectives. The includes considering how effectively the Department of Regional NSW identifies priority areas, distributes funding in line with program objectives, and measures the performance of the RDCP.

Estimated tabling period

June 2024

Agencies audited

Department of Regional NSW

Transport for NSW enters into contracts private companies to operate bus services.

This performance audit will assess the effectiveness of bus service contract planning, management, and enforcement. It will examine whether contracting has delivered the expected improvements in bus services for citizens, and whether Transport for NSW is effectively managing private operator performance, utilising data analytics.

NSW transport agencies have been acquiring rollingstock for the new inner-city fleet, regional fleet and for Metro rail, with individual contracts with the private sector valued more than $2 billion.

In this audit we will assess the effectiveness of agencies in planning and management the procurement of rollingstock, as well as value-for-money. We will also consider if lessons learnt from the Tangara and Millennium train acquisitions has been put into practice.

The NSW Premier signed the new National Agreement on Closing the Gap on behalf of New South Wales in July 2020. The objective of the Agreement is to overcome the entrenched inequality faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples so that their life outcomes are equal to those of all Australians. The NSW Government and NSW Coalition of Aboriginal Peak Organisations developed an implementation plan for 2021–22 which sets out five 'priority reform areas' and outlines the approach to achieving improvements in each of these. Aboriginal Affairs NSW, a unit within the Department of Premier and Cabinet, is leading this work.

This audit will focus on Aboriginal Affairs NSW’s approach to, and progress in implementing, the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. This may include its approach to partnerships and communication, governance and accountability for outcomes.

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. This includes the Coastal Management Act 2016, which requires certain local councils to prepare a coastal management program, and the State Environmental Planning Policy (Resilience and Hazards) 2021. The Department of Planning and Environment is responsible for the Act and assists local councils in the coastal zone ('coastal councils') by administering grant funding and offering technical support and coordination for their coastal management programs.

This audit could assess how effectively the Department has overseen and implemented key elements of this reform package, and how effectively coastal councils have progressed coastal management planning and delivered coastal management programs.

Australian Registry Investments (trading as NSW Land Registry Services) was granted the right to operate the titling and registry operations of New South Wales in April 2017, under a 35-year concession which commenced on 1 July 2017. The NSW Government continues to guarantee the title under the Torrens Assurance Fund. The Office of the Registrar General regulates NSW Land Registry Services (NSW LRS) as the operator of the NSW land titles registry under a regulator operator model.

This audit will determine whether the NSW Government is realising the intended benefits from the 2017 sale of the long-term concession over the NSW Land Titles Registry and whether the Regulator can demonstrate it is ensuring the private operator is performing effectively and efficiently.

Water regulation aims to achieve sustainable environmental, economic and social outcomes from the management of water resources, consistent with the Water Management Act 2000. Following recommendations from reviews into water theft, reforms were made to strengthen water regulation, compliance and enforcement – including the establishment of the Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) in 2018. The Department of Planning and Environment shares responsibility for issuing water access licences and approvals with the state-owned corporation, WaterNSW.

This audit could assess how effectively the Department, WaterNSW and NRAR are undertaking relevant planning, licensing and regulatory functions to ensure secure, sustainable and transparent water sharing in New South Wales. This topic could also consider how effectively the Department has implemented reforms to enhance water metering technology and rules, and the efficacy of NRAR’s activities to support this program.