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Reports

Published

Actions for Protecting the Environment: Pollution Incidents

Protecting the Environment: Pollution Incidents

Planning
Environment
Compliance
Management and administration
Regulation
Risk

The department has a systematic approach to receiving, investigating and responding to reports of pollution incidents. However, the department does not analyse and report on the extent of environmental harm caused by pollution incidents reported to it, whether its response has minimised harm to the environment, whether its regulatory approach has improved compliance, particularly by Environment Protection Licence (EPL) holders (licensees).   Parli

Published

Actions for Knowing the Collections

Knowing the Collections

Planning
Environment
Asset valuation
Internal controls and governance
Management and administration

The Museum is doing much to improve access to its collections. However, as with other natural history museums, only a small proportion is on public display. Its efforts range from placing information on the internet for use by the public and scientific users, to helping indigenous Australian and Pacific Islander communities reconnect with their respective cultures.   Parliamentary reference - Report number #203 - released 1 September 2010

Published

Actions for Volume Two 2010 focus on Universities

Volume Two 2010 focus on Universities

Universities
Asset valuation
Compliance
Financial reporting
Fraud
Internal controls and governance
Management and administration
Workforce and capability

New South Wales’ ten universities recorded a combined operating surplus of $494 million compared to a deficit of $76.9 million last year, reflecting the improvement in global financial markets. This was largely due to investment gains of $38.0 million in 2009 compared to $405 million of losses in 2008. Despite this, financial risks remain for universities. With the recovery in global financial markets remaining fragile, universities with overseas operati

Published

Actions for Volume One 2010

Volume One 2010

Planning
Finance
Health
Justice
Environment
Financial reporting
Internal controls and governance
Management and administration

The report includes comments on his annual audit of entitlements paid to Members of NSW Parliament and financial audits of WorkCover, Justice Health, Waste Recycling Processing Corporation and some other NSW Government agencies.   In his audit the Auditor-General had called for a system to be developed to ensure accrued loyalty/reward benefits are used to reduce Members’ parliamentary business travel expenditure, rather than be forfeited when a Memb

Published

Actions for Managing Forensic Analysis: Fingerprints and DNA

Managing Forensic Analysis: Fingerprints and DNA

Justice
Health
Internal controls and governance
Management and administration
Procurement
Risk
Service delivery
Shared services and collaboration
Workforce and capability

Fingerprints and DNA play a critical role in solving crime and serving justice, but DNA evidence can result in more arrests, more prosecutions and more convictions. We found that while police effectively prioritise fingerprint evidence, it could better manage the screening and analysis of both fingerprint and DNA evidence to reduce delays.   Parliamentary reference - Report number #195 - released 10 February 2010

Published

Actions for Government Advertising 2009

Government Advertising 2009

Premier and Cabinet
Finance
Treasury
Compliance
Management and administration
Procurement
Regulation

We found that the two NSW Health campaigns had followed the required approval processes and were appropriate. We had some concerns with the two Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC) campaigns. The revised Guidelines, which incorporate recommendations from earlier audit reports, are a positive step towards reducing the risk that publicly funded advertising could be used inappropriately. But there are still parts of the Guidelines that require a sub

Published

Actions for Environmental Grants Administration

Environmental Grants Administration

Planning
Environment
Internal controls and governance
Management and administration
Procurement
Shared services and collaboration

We found many aspects of good grants management, particularly in the Trust. All of the programs we looked at are clearly aligned to the Government’s objective to improve environmental outcomes. The Trust also has good practices for allocating grants. Performance in respect of results was mixed although many grants delivered tangible benefits - homes were protected from floods, degraded waterways restored and endangered habitats protected. Generally we f

Published

Actions for Recycling and Reuse of Waste by the NSW Public Sector

Recycling and Reuse of Waste by the NSW Public Sector

Environment
Compliance
Internal controls and governance
Management and administration
Procurement
Shared services and collaboration

The Government’s WRAPP initiative has achieved its intended outcome. The public sector has reduced the proportion of waste going to landfill from 27 per cent to eight per cent over the last six years, and has increased its use of recycled content materials. Most agencies have played their part, identifying how waste can be reduced and changing practices accordingly.   Parliamentary reference - Report number #181 - released 11 June 2008

Published

Actions for Protecting our Rivers

Protecting our Rivers

Environment
Industry
Compliance
Internal controls and governance
Management and administration
Regulation
Shared services and collaboration

At the time of our 2003 audit agencies were unable to measure the water quality in NSW rivers as they had not established a comprehensive and ongoing monitoring system for water quality. Agencies are now developing a monitoring system to measure the progress against the State Plan 2006 target to improve the condition of riverine ecosystems by 2015. It may not be possible to identify an overall trend in the condition of riverine ecosystems by the State Pl

Published

Actions for Readiness to respond: Follow-up audit

Readiness to respond: Follow-up audit

Health
Information technology
Internal controls and governance
Management and administration
Service delivery
Shared services and collaboration
Workforce and capability

The Ambulance Service of New South Wales has substantially implemented the 28 recommendations of the 2001 audit report that it accepted. It has also introduced significant new initiatives to improve performance that were not part of the 2001 recommendations. It has made substantial changes to its organisation and operations to implement these changes. Many of the changes are still proceeding. The Service has addressed a key finding of the 2001 audit