Volume Nine focuses on our financial audits of New South Wales government agencies in the environment, water, planning and infrastructure and family and community services. Some agencies in the Department of Premier and Cabinet are also included.

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 operated by government. The remaining stock is community housing and Aboriginal housing.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #234 - released 30 July 2013

NSW Health has reduced its energy use and greenhouse gas emissions by two per cent over the last four years. It is pleasing that annual emissions are now 15,000 tonnes less than they were four years ago. However, this was not sufficient to meet its target of an 11 per cent drop in emissions. 

Despite a reduction in energy use, energy cost in NSW Health has increased by nearly 50 per cent over the last four years to $120 million per annum. This is expected to increase by another 50 per cent in the next five years.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #231 - released 4 June 2013

The National Parks and Wildlife Service is spreading its resources too thinly, running the risk that the heritage significance of important assets will eventually be lost.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #230 - released 29 May 2013

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.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #228 - released 27 March 2013

The Government’s WRAPP initiative has achieved its intended outcome. The public sector has reduced the proportion of waste going to landfill from 27 per cent to eight per cent over the last six years, and has increased its use of recycled content materials. Most agencies have played their part, identifying how waste can be reduced and changing practices accordingly.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #181 - released 11 June 2008

At the time of our 2003 audit agencies were unable to measure the water quality in NSW rivers as they had not established a comprehensive and ongoing monitoring system for water quality. Agencies are now developing a monitoring system to measure the progress against the State Plan 2006 target to improve the condition of riverine ecosystems by 2015. It may not be possible to identify an overall trend in the condition of riverine ecosystems by the State Plan target date of 2015. This is because riverine ecosystems do not respond rapidly to change in the environment. A long period of time is required to collect sufficient data to establish a baseline for all indicators being used and to determine trends, particularly given the prolonged drought.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #180 - released 21 May 2008

Reliably supplying water to our State’s principal city, Sydney, is a major responsibility for the Government.

The community has been made keenly aware in recent years that inflows have been decreasing, and that Sydney has been using more water than is available. In April 2005 the water in Sydney’s storages dropped to 41.5 per cent of their capacity – the lowest level since the construction of Warragamba dam in 1960.

As Sydney continues to develop, it is expected that the demand for water will increase. The way that we use it will need to be sustainable, as it has a direct impact on our economy, our lifestyle and our environment.

In planning for the future the State’s water agencies face a range of uncertainties. But the task is vital.

This report informs Parliament and the community on the progress made - and what remains to be done - to ensure a reliable water supply for Sydney.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #135 - released 4 May 2005

Air is fundamental to our existence.

The quality of our air is a key issue for everyone. It directly affects our health. It also affects our environment, and can even affect our economy.

And air pollution does not respect geo-political boundaries. Pollution produced locally may have regional and global implications.

The substances which may pollute our air can interact in complex ways, which even the best scientists do not fully understand. Strategies that reduce some types of air pollution can make others worse.

All this points to the need for a well-planned and coordinated approach with effective monitoring, review and reporting.

The Government’s plans to address air quality issues place particular emphasis on pollution from road transport as a major contributor to air pollution. Managing these emissions is a critical issue facing governments everywhere, and is an important part of a broader challenge of developing sustainable cities.

This performance audit examines the New South Wales Government’s approach to managing air quality. It is also one of several by my Office in recent times with an environmental focus.

These audits contribute to an understanding of complex issues in public administration and to public debate on issues that affect us all.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #134 - released 6 April 2005

Periodically we review the extent to which agencies have implemented the recommendations they accepted from our earlier audits. This gives Parliament and the public an update on the extent of progress made.

Maintaining public infrastructure – whether social or economic – is a topic that is attracting significant attention.

In this follow-up audit, we examine changes following our April 2001 report on how well the Department of Housing managed its public housing maintenance.

Approximately 400,000 people in New South Wales live in public housing provided by the Department of Housing. The majority of these people are assessed as not being able to afford private rental.

The Department’s stock of some 138,000 housing units is valued at over $28.5 billion. Maintaining that stock in a condition that meets the needs of its tenants and minimises the long-term cost to the taxpayer is an ongoing challenge. Balancing expenditure between maintenance and expanding the housing stock is another challenge.

The findings from this audit should be of interest to all government agencies that are responsible for the maintenance of public infrastructure.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #131 - released 2 March 2005