Reports
Actions for Government assistance to industry
Government assistance to industry
Governments provide assistance to industry for a number of reasons, including facilitating economic growth, increase employment, support regional development, or grow priority industries. This audit examined seven programs administered by the former Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services that provide at least $2 million per year in grants and subsidies to industry. This included the State Investment Attraction Sch
Actions for Identifying productivity in the public sector
Identifying productivity in the public sector
This report examines selected areas of government activity to see if sufficient information was available to identify and assess changes in productivity. The areas examined were primary and secondary school public education, acute inpatient care in NSW public hospitals, CityRail, the NSW Police Force, and the NSW Local Court. Productivity is commonly defined as the amount of output per unit of input. Parliamentary reference - Report number #256
Actions for Implementing performance audit recommendations
Implementing performance audit recommendations
NSW Government agencies have sound processes for implementing performance audit recommendations in Auditor-General’s Reports to Parliament. There are many cases of good practice. For example, some agencies formed a steering committee and developed a detailed plan to implement recommendations. Another incorporated the implementation of recommendations into both its business plan and the work plans of individual officers who were managing projects. Most ag
Actions for Government advertising 2015
Government advertising 2015
The Government Advertising Act 2011 requires the Auditor-General to conduct an annual performance audit to check NSW Government agency compliance with the Act. This audit focused on the Department of Premier and Cabinet’s (DPC) role in monitoring government agencies compliance with government advertising requirements, and examined advertising campaigns run by Destination NSW and the Sydney Opera House. Parliamentary reference - Report number #2
Actions for Large construction projects
Large construction projects
The independent assurance given to the NSW Government and sponsor agencies on the viability of large capital projects throughout their lifecycle is inadequate. Government policy is regularly not followed and not properly communicated to those responsible for implementing such policy. This audit sought to test the effectiveness of the NSW capital project assurance system - which includes gateway reviews and reporting - but significant levels of non
Actions for Country towns water supply and sewerage program
Country towns water supply and sewerage program
The Country Towns Water Supply and Sewerage Program has effectively promoted adoption of better management practices by local water utilities, but will not achieve its objective of eliminating the water supply and sewerage infrastructure backlog in urban areas of country NSW. The $1.2 billion Program aims to help local water utilities provide appropriate, affordable, cost effective and well-managed water supply and sewerage services in the urban a
Actions for Vocational education and training reform
Vocational education and training reform
The Department’s framework for VET reform has the potential to effectively achieve the government’s immediate objectives for the reform, which are associated with meeting its commitments under the National Partnership Agreement for Skills Reform without spending more. We found that the government is addressing VET reform objectives in the following order of priority: no extra cost (budget neutrality), TAFE viability, quality VET, access to VET for region
Actions for Sustaining Native Forest Operations
Sustaining Native Forest Operations
We found that Forests NSW has adequate estimates of how much timber is available from native forests, now and into the future. It uses an industry accepted process to develop estimates, but more could be done to improve reliability. For instance, yield estimates for the South coast, Eden and Tumut are well overdue for review. We also found that Forests NSW should have sufficient timber to meet its wood supply commitments which are fixed for periods up t
Actions for Better Practice Guide
Better Practice Guide
The Audit Office’s performance audit report, The Management of Intellectual Property (October 2001) addressed issues at the whole-of-government level and examined IP management in fourteen agencies. This Better Practice Guide draws on the audit report and seeks to build upon initiatives undertaken by the Premier’s Department and other agencies. Some of these initiatives are included under the heading of ‘Additional Information’ at the end of the guide.
Actions for Management of Intellectual Property
Management of Intellectual Property
The Audit Office is of the opinion that the good management of Intellectual Property (IP) by the public sector depends on an adequate and coordinated framework to guide agencies in developing their own policies. The current framework for IP is incomplete because it does not help agencies to develop policy, identify the IP assets that need to be managed, integrate management of IP with agency objectives, access expert help when they need it, enc