List of recommendations

2.47The Committee recommends that the Department of Home Affairs provide an update to the Committee within six months of the tabling of this report regarding the implementation of recommendations arising from the 2022 independent budget review and actions taken by Government and the department to improve its budget sustainability and structural misalignment between the department’s baseline budget situation and its core activities.

2.48The Committee recommends that the National Disability Insurance Agency provide an update to the Committee within six months of the tabling of this report on any gaps between its projected and actual costs for the 2022-23 financial year and how this has compared with previous years since the start of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

2.79The Committee recommends that the Minister for Finance review the matter and accept the Committee’s conclusion that the payment of compensation to terminate the Attack Class submarine project from appropriations provided for non-operating expenses should not have occurred and was against the spirit, if not the letter, of the Appropriations Acts.

2.80The Committee recommends that the Minister for Finance consider providing additional clarity in the coverage of the Appropriation Bills, including clearly defining an ‘equity injection’ or ‘equity funding’ as non-operating expenditure in the terminology and framework used for the Appropriation Bills.

2.118The Committee recommends that in light of the constant optimism biases which disguise the true situation in relation to public sector cyber-security the Government consider implementing an assurance regime on agencies’ self-reporting to government on the cybersecurity aspects of the Protective Security Policy Framework, at least on a risk basis if not across all entities, and adopt appropriate assurance measures as recommended by the Australian National Audit Office.

2.119The Committee recommends that the Attorney-General’s Department developappropriate performance measures to be included in its annual performance statement of its effectiveness in promoting compliance with the cyber security components of the Protective Security Policy Framework.