The acceptance of audit recommendations by agencies in the current review was high and represented 96 per cent of the recommendations made. In addition, half of the recommendations in the 1998 audits have been adequately addressed and for over 70 per cent of recommendations there has been some measurable change in practices or performance.

But overall, most of these improvements have been incremental. And, for nearly one third of the recommendations, changes have not yet taken effect and there is a risk that the issue or problem contained in the original reports may persist. There is also a danger that current reporting arrangements may not provide Parliament sufficient assurance as to the extent accepted recommendations have been implemented and improvements have been achieved. 

To provide greater transparency and accountability, agencies, following a performance audit, should establish arrangements, such as an audit committee, to follow up on the progress of implementation of the recommendations and report on the progress of the implementation of recommendations in their annual report to Parliament.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #84 - released 21 June 2001

Correctional Industries (CIs) have come a long way in NSW.  CIs have grown to employ rates of inmates which rank amongst the highest in the world.  This is a commendable achievement by the Department. Whilst there are other notable achievements to date, the Audit Office believes that CIs have developed to a stage where they can, and should, tackle even more challenging issues.

The audit is found that to optimise the development of inmates for employability purposes, further actions are needed to improve CIs’ effectiveness. Among these is the option to shift the inmate development focus towards providing inmates with broader, foundational employability skills which are transferable to the wide variety of work they may pursue upon release. There would also be benefit in using more specific performance indicators to monitor and assess CIs’ achievements against this objective.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #83 - released 13 June 2001

The Police Service is in the process of undertaking a wide range of information technology and systems developments that are expected to improve the Service’s capabilities to apply intelligence information to the deployment of staff at Local Area Commands (LACs). Implementation of the current phase is to take place over the next eighteen months. The Audit Office considers that the developments are timely and when fully implemented should significantly contribute to the Police Service’s ability to be more proactive and provide for better staff deployment.

The Audit Office is of the view that the impact of these developments on the efficiency and effectiveness of rostering and tasking at LACs would be further enhanced by attention to gaps in systems and to restrictive staff allocation practices.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #70 - released 31 January 2000