Reports
Actions for Their Futures Matter
Their Futures Matter
The Auditor-General for New South Wales, Margaret Crawford, released a report today examining whether the Department of Communities and Justice had effective governance and partnership arrangements in place to deliver ‘Their Futures Matter’. Their Futures Matter was intended to place vulnerable children and families at the heart of services, and direct investment to where funding and programs deliver the greatest social and economic benefits. It was a f
Actions for Funding enhancements for police technology
Funding enhancements for police technology
This report focuses on how the NSW Police Force managed a $100 million program to acquire new technology. The program invested in technologies intended to make police work safer and quicker. These included body-worn video (BWV) cameras, smart phone devices, mobile fingerprint scanners and hand-held drug testing devices. The audit found that while the NSW Police Force mostly managed the ‘Policing for Tomorrow’ program effectively, investment decisio
Actions for Managing Injured Police
Managing Injured Police
Overall, the NSW Police Force’s approach to managing injured officers since 2006 is appropriate, focusing on notification and early intervention and the development of successful return to work plans. Early intervention and return to work are the key factors in successfully managing injured officers and reducing the cost of workplace injuries. The Force has not done this well in the past. Through the establishment of the safety command, the Force has bui
Actions for Working with Hotels and Clubs to Reduce Alcohol-Related Crime
Working with Hotels and Clubs to Reduce Alcohol-Related Crime
In NSW alcohol-related assaults have almost doubled over the last ten years. In 2006-07 there were 20,475 alcohol-related assaults excluding domestic violence incidents, up from 10,305 in 1997-98. In fact, the number of these assaults is increasing at a faster rate than total assaults. Incidences of alcohol-related malicious damage and offensive conduct have also increased, rising by 87 and 70 per cent respectively. Working with hotels and clubs to
Actions for Efficiency of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Efficiency of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) prosecutes the most serious criminal cases on behalf of the people of New South Wales. The ODPP says it is efficient. We acknowledge that the ODPP has many skilful and committed staff who work very hard to achieve good results for the people of NSW. It could not, however, provide sufficient evidence for us to reach a conclusion on its efficiency. We also identified some significant opportunities fo
Actions for Relocating Agencies to Regional Areas
Relocating Agencies to Regional Areas
Decisions to relocate government agencies to non-metropolitan areas are not made purely for cost reasons. They can also serve government policy objectives, such as promoting regional economic development. Regardless of the policy objectives that may exist, I would expect that decisions on individual agency relocations would be based on sound business cases. Those business cases would show how the relocation achieves any relevant government objectives, w
Actions for Implementing Asset Management Reforms
Implementing Asset Management Reforms
Hospitals, schools, public housing, roads, bridges, buses and trains are just some of the assets used by government in providing services to citizens. The NSW Government’s asset base is impressive in size - with a value of around $167 billion and with government plans to spend around $8 billion acquiring or replacing assets in the current year. Another $2 billion is spent each year on maintenance. Good asset management is very important to government;
Actions for Coordination of Rescue Services
Coordination of Rescue Services
Nearly 11,000 rescues are carried out each year in New South Wales, the majority involving motor vehicle accidents. In metropolitan areas we have three emergency services providing general land rescue - NSW Police, the Ambulance Service and the NSW Fire Brigades. The two volunteer services, the State Emergency Service and the Volunteer Rescue Association, generally cover the remainder of the State. Rescue arrangements in NSW are different to all other
Actions for Lease to Fox Studios Australia
Lease to Fox Studios Australia
The audit found that the process for the lease and development of the Showground site commenced on the basis that no Government moneys would be provided and no theme park activities would be allowed. However despite this a State Government subsidy of between $84.8m and $106.8m (in net present value terms) is to be provided for the development and the area of the Showground to be leased to Fox was extended to comprise 24.3 hectares of the 28.8 hectare sit