Reports
Actions for Industry 2017
Industry 2017
The following report highlights the results of the financial audits of NSW Government entities in the Industry cluster. The report focuses on key observations and findings from the most recent audits of these entities. The report notes that TAFE NSW will continue to incur extra costs each year to produce reliable financial information due to deficiencies in its student administration system. TAFE NSW plans to replace its Student Administration and Learn
Actions for Energy rebates for low income households
Energy rebates for low income households
The Department of Planning and Environment provides more than $245 million in energy rebates to around 27 percent of NSW households. This report highlights that the department is not monitoring the rebate schemes to understand whether they are delivering the best outcomes. Most rebates are ongoing payments applied directly to energy bills reducing the amount payable by the householder. The structure of these rebates is complex and can be inequitabl
Actions for Universities 2016 Audits
Universities 2016 Audits
No qualified opinions were issued on the universities’ financial statements and the quality and timeliness of financial reporting continued to improve. The report found that all NSW universities recorded a surplus in 2016 with combined revenue growth exceeding expense growth by 1.1 per cent. Universities have diversified revenue sources and are now less reliant on government grants. Combined overseas student income exceeded domestic student income for th
Actions for Mining Rehabilitation Security Deposits
Mining Rehabilitation Security Deposits
The Department of Planning and Environment requires mining companies to rehabilitate sites according to conditions set in the mining development approval. The Department holds mining rehabilitation security deposits that are meant to cover the full cost of rehabilitation if a mining company defaults on its rehabilitation obligations. The total value of security deposits held has increased from $500 million in 2005 to around $2.2 billion in 2016, coveri
Actions for Contingent workforce - management and procurement
Contingent workforce - management and procurement
The Department of Industry, Transport for NSW and the Department of Education were not able to demonstrate that the use of contingent labour is the best resourcing strategy to meet their business needs or deliver value for money. NSW Government agencies use contingent labour to help deliver services to the community. The NSW Public Service Commission (PSC) defines contingent labour as people
Actions for 2016 - An overview
2016 - An overview
This report focuses on key observations and findings from 2016 audits and highlights key areas of focus for financial and performance audits in 2017. The quality and timeliness of financial reporting continued to improve across the NSW public sector in 2016. Only one qualified audit opinion was issued and most agencies signed their financial statements on time. We found the Government’s cluster governance arrangements were unclear and inconsisten
Actions for Managing the Amalgamation of the Greyhound and Harness Racing Regulatory Authority
Managing the Amalgamation of the Greyhound and Harness Racing Regulatory Authority
The Authority has achieved staff reductions and salary related savings in line with targets. That said, the amalgamation was not project managed effectively. It has been slow to implement some of its key objectives against plans and the costs of the amalgamation have increased to the extent that it is unable to meet key objectives. Stakeholders are dissatisfied with the amalgamation outcomes. This dissatisfaction would have been mitigated with bette
Actions for Managing Departmental Amalgamations
Managing Departmental Amalgamations
Both Commerce and DPI substantially achieved their stated amalgamation savings objectives as set by government. The departments are expected to achieve savings targets of about $150 million and $190 million respectively over their first four years. Our analysis indicates that there are two key factors in successful amalgamations. The first is effective early planning by departments based on clear objectives, supported by quick action. Second, significant