Reports
Actions for Handback of the M4 Tollway
Handback of the M4 Tollway
This audit focuses on the M4 handback. It looks at whether the road will be in good condition when the State gets it back, and whether it will cope with the extra traffic after the toll is removed. These are critical issues for taxpayers and motorists. Taxpayers don’t want to be responsible for a large repair bill and motorists don’t want to be stuck in traffic jams. To ensure that future private sector partnerships (PPP) deal adequately with handb
Actions for Tackling Cancer with Radiotherapy
Tackling Cancer with Radiotherapy
Overall radiotherapy services are managed in a reasonably efficient and effective manner. Much is being done to further improve efficiency and effectiveness, and more can be done. While New South Wales has a number of well-established radiotherapy treatment centres, the high capital cost limits their availability in all hospitals. Some patients need to travel long distances and be away from their homes for up to seven weeks. The projected growth in deman
Actions for Managing Injured Police
Managing Injured Police
Overall, the NSW Police Force’s approach to managing injured officers since 2006 is appropriate, focusing on notification and early intervention and the development of successful return to work plans. Early intervention and return to work are the key factors in successfully managing injured officers and reducing the cost of workplace injuries. The Force has not done this well in the past. Through the establishment of the safety command, the Force has bui
Actions for Improving Literacy and Numeracy in Public Schools
Improving Literacy and Numeracy in Public Schools
During the course of the audit we were impressed by the dedication and efforts of teachers in NSW public schools, particularly when dealing with the needs of students with learning difficulties. Although NSW schools perform well nationally and internationally, NSW has a high concentration of poor outcomes in some schools and some regions. Each year a group of between 5 and 15 per cent of children are at risk of not reaching the minimum level of achieveme
Actions for Delivering Health Care out of Hospitals
Delivering Health Care out of Hospitals
Area Health Services and hospitals have developed programs which can provide clinical outcomes as good for patients as in-hospital care and can reduce the time they spend in hospital. They have operated for several years and show considerable potential. Ageing of the population, increasing costs and higher expectations of health care will continue to challenge health systems. Sometimes, unfortunately, the system struggles to cope. Par
Actions for Working with Hotels and Clubs to Reduce Alcohol-Related Crime
Working with Hotels and Clubs to Reduce Alcohol-Related Crime
In NSW alcohol-related assaults have almost doubled over the last ten years. In 2006-07 there were 20,475 alcohol-related assaults excluding domestic violence incidents, up from 10,305 in 1997-98. In fact, the number of these assaults is increasing at a faster rate than total assaults. Incidences of alcohol-related malicious damage and offensive conduct have also increased, rising by 87 and 70 per cent respectively. Working with hotels and clubs to
Actions for Efficiency of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Efficiency of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) prosecutes the most serious criminal cases on behalf of the people of New South Wales. The ODPP says it is efficient. We acknowledge that the ODPP has many skilful and committed staff who work very hard to achieve good results for the people of NSW. It could not, however, provide sufficient evidence for us to reach a conclusion on its efficiency. We also identified some significant opportunities fo
Actions for Ageing Workforce - Teachers
Ageing Workforce - Teachers
The Department of Education and Training including TAFE NSW is faced with the loss of large numbers of retiring teachers and their associated skills and the need to replace this loss in an increasingly competitive labour environment. While the overall impact of the ageing workforce is likely to be gradual, there is still a risk of shortages. This will particularly apply to specialist secondary school teachers and TAFE teachers in certain skill sets