Guidelines for staff are available for each of the three schemes, but they do not yet provide staff with sufficient information on how to attract proposals, undertake assessments, negotiate agreements and monitor assistance. Some training of staff responsible for assessing proposals, negotiating agreements and monitoring outcomes has been provided, but needs to be enhanced. In particular, The Audit Office believes that there is insufficient guidance for staff in undertaking economic assessment of proposals. 

There is a prevailing view amongst Department of State and Regional Development staff that guidelines are just that, and need not be followed. It was apparent, however, that assumptions made in assessments were not always appropriate and may lead to poor decisions. Flexibility need not be impaired by requiring greater adherence to guidelines. This would help ensure minimum standards of process and rigour in all cases.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #60 - released 21 December 1998

The Audit Office carries out periodically a follow-up audit on previously tabled performance audit reports. These follow-up audits help to ascertain the extent to which recommendations made in those tabled reports have been considered and implemented by agencies concerned; the extent to which “across-the-board” audits benefited agencies; and the extent to which performance audit reports served and assisted Parliamentarians.

This second follow-up audit covers the period up to July 1997 during which time 24 audits were tabled. Of these 24 reports, 22 were followed up in this review. In total they contained 383 recommendations for improving public sector performance.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #55 - released 17 November 1998

Information relating to the NSW public sector wide sickness absence levels, unlike in some other states, are presently not maintained or monitored centrally. The salaries and wages paid to individuals whilst on sickness absence on a public sector wide basis in 1996-97 was estimated to be $368.3m. This estimate does not take into account any flow -on effect resulting from sickness absence, eg overtime or other replacement cost.

Improved management of sickness absence provides an opportunity for the NSW public sector to gain benefits, including the reduction of salary costs associated with people on sickness absence. The salary differential between the sickness absence level currently existing and the sickness absence level reported for the private sector, is around $123m per annum. To assist with the management of sickness absence within the NSW public sector, The Audit Office of NSW developed a Better Practice Guide. This Guide has been referred to the Premier’s Department for consultation as a prelude to its completion and release.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #52 - released 27 August 1998

This Volume, Volume Two: The Survey - Detailed Findings, is the second of a two part Performance Audit Report on Management of Sickness Absence New South Wales Public Sector. The first volume, Volume One: Executive Briefing, identifies the main issues of sickness absenteeism identified during the audit.

This Report Volume, Volume Two: The Survey - Detailed Findings, presents the more detailed findings of the audit which were gathered from:

• the review and analysis of responses received from agencies to The Audit Office’s management of sickness absence survey

• fieldwork visits to selected public and private sector organisations, during the course of the audit, which supplemented the survey. 

Parliamentary reference - Report number #52 - released 27 August 1998

Land tax has a significantly higher cost to collection ratio than other State taxes. In part this is because of its design. But there are opportunities to reduce collection costs within current policy constraints. The Office of State Revenue (OSR) has been actively pursuing better practice initiatives for some time and a substantial range of improvements has been made. OSR is continuing these efforts. However, inadequate systems and continued difficulties with the quality of land information remains as an impediment to efforts to increase efficiency and effectiveness and reduce collection costs.

Improvements canvassed in this Report (a number of which OSR had already been addressing before the audit commenced) would provide reduced collection costs (through greater efficiency) and improved collection results (through better education of taxpayers and better use of penalties and incentives). Notwithstanding these improvements, the long standing issues of land information standards and land ownership data compatibility between NSW agencies (largely outside OSR’s control) remain to be satisfactorily resolved.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #51 - released 5 August 1998

At the request of the Department of Gaming and Racing, the audit reviewed the efficiency and effectiveness of the organisation and management of casino surveillance undertaken pursuant to the Casino Control Act, 1992 (the Act).

Implicitly the Act requires an effective level of cooperation and coordination between the agencies to achieve their statutory roles and responsibilities. However, The Audit Office is of the opinion that this has not been achieved. As a consequence, the efficiency and effectiveness of the surveillance roles and processes carried out under the Act can be improved.

Revision is required to the surveillance methodology and its implementation, to the skills base within Director of Casino Surveillance (DCS) and the underlying working and to organisational arrangements between and within DCS and the New South Wales Casino Control Authority. Until such revision has been finalised, it is not possible to determine the level of resources or type of surveillance that needs to be undertaken and funded.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #50 - released 10 June 1998

Fraud control in the NSW public sector needs to be better. Some agencies have approached the issue with vigour and initiative, and improvement since 1993 is evident in the major audit clients of The Audit Office. However, the overall achievement of NSW agencies in implementing fraud control strategies leaves much room for improvement.

There is a need for stricter requirements, better monitoring and improved central support to ensure that fraud control is properly addressed. This Report makes some suggestions in this regard, and highlights some issues for further research and guidance. There is a need to change management perceptions on the issue of fraud control. To this end, The Audit Office fully supports recent initiatives by the Chief Executives Committee (in constituting an Ethics Working Party) and NSW Treasury (in seeking to introduce a risk management approach to the public sector). These initiatives place fraud control into a broader context of effective ethical management, which is where it belongs.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #48 - released 25 March 1998