This audit focuses on the M4 handback. It looks at whether the road will be in good condition when the State gets it back, and whether it will cope with the extra traffic after the toll is removed. These are critical issues for taxpayers and motorists. Taxpayers don’t want to be responsible for a large repair bill and motorists don’t want to be stuck in traffic jams.

To ensure that future private sector partnerships (PPP) deal adequately with handback, we recommend that the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA):

• ensure deeds spell out an appropriate inspection and testing program to determine repairs required to bring roads up to a satisfactory condition at handback (p.11)
• ensure deeds link condition standards and maintenance approaches to changing industry standards and approaches over the life of the PPP (p.11)
• consider including in deeds a requirement that operators provide a performance bond or similar security over the cost of handback repairs (p.11)
• review the lessons learnt from the M4 tollway handback and determine whether it should seek to negotiate changes to existing tollway deeds to better deal with handback, by June 2010 (p.11)

Parliamentary reference - Report number #193 - released 27 October 2009

The audit’s overall conclusion is that Lands and Maritime are broadly achieving outcomes consistent with the IPART report on administering domestic waterfront tenancies. But a lack of collaboration between the agencies is contributing to poor customer service. Inconsistencies with the IPART report recommendations and operational differences between the two agencies result in different rents and conditions for tenants in the two agencies. The differences are having a significant impact on customer service.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #191 - released 23 September 2009

The Magistrates Early Referral into Treatment program (MERIT) diverts adult defendants with drug problems from the local court into a drug treatment program. Recent studies of MERIT outcomes indicate that MERIT is a highly appropriate intervention program for Aboriginal defendants. It has improved the health of participants, including significant reduction in drug use and significant improvement in mental health. Better justice outcomes include lower rates of imprisonment and reduced rates of reoffending.

Overall, the ability to identify MERIT clients, the eligibility criteria, the location and the ability of MERIT teams to engage with Aboriginal defendants are key factors that limit MERIT’s capacity to treat Aboriginal defendants. MERIT needs to overcome these barriers. If MERIT is to be a truly mainstream program, it must adapt to meet the needs of all who should participate.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #189 - released 5 August 2009

Overall radiotherapy services are managed in a reasonably efficient and effective manner. Much is being done to further improve efficiency and effectiveness, and more can be done. While New South Wales has a number of well-established radiotherapy treatment centres, the high capital cost limits their availability in all hospitals. Some patients need to travel long distances and be away from their homes for up to seven weeks. The projected growth in demand for radiotherapy services will further challenge NSW Health and it needs to more clearly demonstrate how it will have the right facilities in the right place at the right time.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #188 - released 23 June 2009

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 site to allow Fox also to develop a family entertainment park.

The audit also found that the process commenced under the former Government were intended to ensure that no one party was placed above another however, the actual processes employed up to the General Election in March 1995 were so flawed as not to be relied upon to select a preferred proponent or to justify dispensing with a tender process.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #44 - released 8 December 1997

Following a resolution of the Legislative Council, the Audit Office has undertaken a performance audit of the Eastern Distributor. For a number of reasons, The Audit Office is not in the position to determine “whether the proposed toll and concession period represents the best deal”. In part this is the result of time constraints which do not allow a careful analysis of many toll and concession options. Similarly, the audit does not answer “whether the current proposal represents the best environmental outcome”. But each of these issues (toll and concession and environmental consequences) is discussed in the audit report.

The Audit Office recommends that the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA), for any further major project of this type, ensures that it establishes a process which allows all decision makers to have a thorough understanding of the reasonableness of the proponents’ offers and their implications for the State and for the public. The Audit Office also recommends that the RTA should at the outset consult with TCorp in respect of each major project put to tender.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #42 - released 31 July 1997

The audit reviewed policies and practices in large government and non-government residential centres to determine if policies and practices protected the human and legal rights, safety and dignity of residents.

The report indicates that practices in both government and non-government centres fail to protect adequately the human and legal rights, safety and dignity of residents. Factors contributing to this situation are the absence of minimum criteria for the protection of residents’ human and legal rights, safety and dignity, inadequate policies to direct service delivery, the absence of staff training to reinforce practices, low levels of supervision and the absence of effective monitoring systems to trigger a response to service deficiencies. Even where policies have been developed to guide practices, the nature of institutional care (the environment renders some policies ineffective), inadequate implementation, inadequate monitoring of practices and lack of compliance results in the centre’s failure to protect people living there.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #40 - released 26 June 1997

Improving immunisation levels has been a policy priority for NSW and Commonwealth governments since the early 1990s. Along with other States they are pursuing a range of initiatives aimed at reaching immunisation target levels above 95% by the year 2000. At such levels, the occurrence of vaccine preventable diseases is minimised and their spread prevented.

There is considerable support for this policy from the public, the medical profession and all levels of government. However, like much in public health, it depends for its success on effective cooperation between many participants, both nationally and locally, with competing demands on their time and resources.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #38 - released 12 June 1997

Following a request from the NSW Legislative Council in September 1996, a performance audit into various matters affecting the operation of the New South Wales Department of Agriculture was undertaken by The Audit Office.

Among the recommendations from this report, the Audit Office found that:

• An economic appraisal should be undertaken before all major developments, including rationalisation plans, are implemented. It should include details of anticipated benefits from the changes planned, so that their achievement can be evaluated after implementation.

• Government policies should be made explicit or else established by directives in writing. Planning Infrastructure and human resources should be planned to maximise efficiency and effectiveness. If Government chooses alternatives that have higher costs or lower benefits for the Department, then these should be explicitly funded.

• The Department should strengthen its system of internal control by strengthening the role of the Board of Management as a means of management control, directing an overhaul of the Charter of the Internal Audit Committee and using it to drive the Department’s internal audit function and ensuring implementation of an effective financial management information system.

Parliamentary reference - Report number #36 - released 27 March 1997