Reports
Actions for Managing Contaminated Sites
Managing Contaminated Sites
NSW Government agencies with large landholdings need to better manage their contaminated sites. When contaminated sites are reported to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) there are long delays in assessing the extent of contamination. The EPA also lacks the management controls to ensure that all significantly contaminated sites are actively monitored and key milestones for remediation are met. Parliamentary reference - Report number #
Actions for Making the Most of Government Purchasing Power - Telecommunications
Making the Most of Government Purchasing Power - Telecommunications
The Auditor-General has found that agencies have consistently failed to negotiate the best price for their telecommunication contracts and are not getting value for money because of inadequate contract and expense management processes. The audit examined six agencies to assess whether the government was getting value for money from its telecommunications contracts. It again raised problems with the way NSW government agencies manage contracts.
Actions for Use of Purchasing Cards and Electronic Payment Methods
Use of Purchasing Cards and Electronic Payment Methods
NSW government agencies are not making sufficient use of purchasing cards and EFTs to pay for goods and services. There are potential savings in processing costs of around $22 per transaction from purchasing cards and over $7 when using EFTs instead of cheques. Parliamentary reference - Report number #243 - released 5 June 2014
Actions for Government Advertising 2012-13
Government Advertising 2012-13
The following report assessed the activities of the two agencies in relation to their government advertising campaigns in 2012-13 and tested compliance by tracking a campaign through from development to dissemination. Parliamentary reference - Report number #236 - released 23 September 2013
Actions for Cost of Alcohol Abuse to the NSW Government
Cost of Alcohol Abuse to the NSW Government
The NSW Government does not estimate or report the total cost of alcohol abuse. The Audit Office of New South Wales’ sponsored research estimates it costs the government over $1 billion a year, or around $416 from each NSW household. Parliamentary reference - Report number #235 - released 6 August 2013
Actions for Making the Best Use of Public Housing
Making the Best Use of Public Housing
There are 55,000 eligible applicants on the social housing waiting list, with some people waiting for more than ten years to get a house. The waiting list could be more than 86,000 by 2016 unless things change. Social housing only meets about 44 per cent of need in New South Wales even though we have the largest social housing portfolio in Australia. Social housing falls into three groups. About 80 per cent is public housing which is owned and ope
Actions for Reducing Ambulance Turnaround Time at Hospitals
Reducing Ambulance Turnaround Time at Hospitals
NSW Health has put in place initiatives to reduce the time ambulance crews have to wait at a hospital before they are able to leave and attend to other calls. Despite these actions, ambulance crews are waiting longer at NSW hospitals. Crews now wait on average nearly 32 minutes at a hospital before handing over a patient, up from about 24 minutes seven years ago. Parliamentary reference - Report number #233 - released 24 July 2013
Actions for Managing Operating Theatre Efficiency for Elective Surgery
Managing Operating Theatre Efficiency for Elective Surgery
Waiting times for elective surgery will continue to increase if NSW Health does not improve its management of operating theatres. On the positive side NSW public hospitals are performing more elective surgery than in previous years and are treating patients substantially within national clinical timeframes. However, more operations will be needed as targets are getting tighter and demand is growing. Parliamentary reference - Report number #232&n
Actions for Management of the ClubGRANTS Scheme
Management of the ClubGRANTS Scheme
The ClubGRANTS scheme gives tax rebates to clubs for supporting their local community. Since 2002, $417 million of ClubGRANTS tax rebates have been given to clubs. The scheme recognises the valuable role played by registered clubs in their local communities. However, the public must have confidence that the scheme is delivering genuine services to the community. Parliamentary reference - Report number #229 - released 2 May 2013
Actions for Managing Gifts and Benefits
Managing Gifts and Benefits
Overall, the audited entities are managing some aspects of gifts and benefits effectively but other aspects require improvement. We found that all five entities had gifts and benefits policies that addressed some but not all of the attributes of a sound policy. All five have communicated their gifts and benefits policies to staff and external stakeholders, although in each case we identified opportunities to better communicate their policies.