The Audit Office is of the opinion that the RTA is taking positive steps in planning for road maintenance and in many instances follows better practice. There are, however, some important improvements which need to be implemented in order to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of that function.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #69 - released 1 December 1999

The Audit Office is of the opinion that the arrangements for the enforcement of parking are not as efficient and effective as they could be and should be reviewed. Accountability of the enforcement role needs to be improved. Currently there is minimal monitoring of the success or otherwise of the enforcement function.

There is a need to address and assign more closely the current responsibilities for enforcement arrangements between the Police Service and councils. There is also a need to articulate more clearly the objectives to be achieved from the legislation and their relative priorities.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #68 - released 24 November 1999

The Audit Office found no evidence that the Office of the Protective Commissioner (OPC) or the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) decisions in respect of cases reviewed were flawed, but areas needing improvement were identified. 

Currently there is no simple, inexpensive external appeal mechanism available to challenge or review decisions of OPC/OPG. Appeals are available to the Supreme Court. However, this seems to be widely regarded as intimidating, inappropriate to the nature of the matters involved, time consuming and expensive. The need for a simpler, quicker and more accessible external review mechanism is the most crucial issue identified by The Audit Office in this audit.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #66 - released 28 September 1999

The audit found that the court system in NSW does not possess a comprehensive management framework and, with some exception in relation to the District Court, there is a distinct lack of any reporting system in a management sense. There is little evidence of realistic objectives, forward plans, or clear definition of responsibilities for performance, and there have been few reviews of performance. There is no assessment of waiting time performance in relation to other measures of court performance.

Whilst it is recognised that the Attorney General’s Department and the courts have taken positive steps to improve court waiting times, The Audit Office considers that a more systematic approach is needed.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #65 - released 3 September 1999

The Audit Office is of the view that the intention to achieve greater accountability for, and transparency in, public school performance is highly commendable. To date, these provisions have not been imposed by the Government on private schools even where public funds are provided to such schools.

The model however has fallen short of its potential because the reporting protocols allow principals and self-evaluation committees the scope to determine what, in their view, is ‘significant’ for their school and how they will report on it. Although the Department has set out a common reporting format to be used, and schools have been given specific directions on what information should be reported, in the reports reviewed by The Audit Office it was apparent that the definition of ‘significant’ and the clarity of reporting varied between schools.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #63 - released 12 May 1999