Reports
Actions for Transport 2016
Transport 2016
Financial reporting within the Transport Cluster continues to improve with reported misstatements down 96 per cent since 2011-12 to just three in 2015-16, according to a report released today by the NSW Auditor-General, Margaret Crawford.
Actions for CBD and South East Light Rail Project
CBD and South East Light Rail Project
Transport for NSW did not effectively plan and procure the CBD and South East Light Rail (CSELR) project to achieve best value for money according to a report released today by NSW Auditor-General, Margaret Crawford.
Transport for NSW is on track to deliver the project, but it will come at a higher cost with lower benefits than in the approved business case.
Parliamentary reference - Report number #278 - released 30 November 2016
Actions for Justice 2016
Justice 2016
Overcrowding in the NSW prison system continues to worsen along with the backlog of cases in the District Court, according to a report released by the New South Wales Auditor-General, Margaret Crawford on the annual financial statements audits in the Justice cluster.
Actions for Fraud Survey
Fraud Survey
In a report released today, the NSW Auditor-General, Margaret Crawford provides a snapshot of reported fraud in the NSW public sector and an analysis of NSW Government agencies’ fraud controls based on a survey of 102 agencies.
Actions for Implementation of the NSW Government’s program evaluation initiative
Implementation of the NSW Government’s program evaluation initiative
The NSW Government’s ‘program evaluation initiative’, introduced to assess whether service delivery programs achieve expected outcomes and value for money, is largely ineffective according to a report released today by NSW Auditor-General, Margaret Crawford.
Government services, in areas such as public order and safety, health and education, are delivered by agencies through a variety of programs. In 2016–17, the NSW Government estimates that it will spend over $73 billion on programs to deliver services.
Parliamentary reference - Report number #277 - released 3 November 2016
Actions for Preventing and managing worker injuries
Preventing and managing worker injuries
Police officers and firefighters in NSW are benefiting from an improved focus on preventing and managing injuries, according to a report released today by the NSW Auditor-General. However, the audit found these gains may not be enough to offset risks associated with increasing common law claims, and death and disability scheme costs.
‘Emergency service workers face dangerous situations and traumatic scenes’ said the Auditor-General ‘and are at a significant risk of injury and illness. While the NSW Police Force and Fire & Rescue NSW have made positive shifts towards more proactive injury prevention and better return to work programs and practices, both face significant cost issues.’
Parliamentary reference - Report number #275 - released 13 October 2016
Actions for Monitoring food safety practices in retail food businesses
Monitoring food safety practices in retail food businesses
New South Wales has a lower rate of foodborne illness than the national average. This reflects some good practices in the NSW Food Authority’s approach to monitoring food safety standards. It also is a factor of the long-standing commitment by local councils’ to ensuring retail food businesses meet these standards.
To ensure foodborne illness remains low, the Authority needs to better monitor its arrangements with councils which inspect retail food businesses on its behalf, and receive additional and more timely information from councils on compliance with food safety standards.
Parliamentary reference - Report number #274 - released 15 September 2016
Actions for Performance frameworks in custodial centre operations
Performance frameworks in custodial centre operations
The effectiveness of Corrective Services NSW’s performance framework is limited because organisational key performance indicators (KPIs) do not cascade to public correctional centres, according to a report released today by the Acting New South Wales Auditor-General, Tony Whitfield.
'As a result, individual public correctional centres could not be assessed on how well they are contributing to overall Corrective Service objectives, and it is difficult to vary performance expectations in response to changing operating environments', said Mr Whitfield. 'Its commissioning and contestability project is designed to address these issues', he added.
Parliamentary reference - Report number #267 - released 3 March 2016
Actions for Managing Risk in the NSW Public Sector
Managing Risk in the NSW Public Sector
The Audit Office is of the opinion that, while agencies are aware of the need to manage risk, their risk management falls short of better practice. Many agencies do not consider their risk management to be adequate. The survey suggests that some agencies, mainly those in the Public Trading Enterprise Sector have approached risk management in a systematic way and in accordance with the principles of better practice standards. Others, mainly departments not subject to commercial imperatives, have yet to progress the management of risk beyond the traditional response of insuring against the more common types of risk. Thus there is a danger that with a number of agencies, risk may not be managed adequately, especially in the General Government Sector.
Parliamentary reference - Report number #98 - released 19 June 2002