Preliminary pages
Foreword
The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit, as
prescribed by the Public Accounts and Audit Committee Act 1951 examines
all of the reports of the Auditor-General tabled in the Parliament. This report
details the findings of the Committee’s examination of the audit reports tabled
between September 2009 and May 2010, during the 42nd Parliament.
This report is presented on behalf of the Committee of the previous Parliament,
which undertook all of the public hearings.
The Committee examined nine reports covering a range of
agencies and identified a number of areas of ongoing concern, including grants
administration, the implementation of new technology, risk management and data
integrity.
The Committee reviewed the administration of grants by the
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). The Committee
acknowledged the benefits to Australian health flowing from research supported
by the NHMRC grants system and noted the upheaval caused by the NHMRC’s recent
separation from the Department of Health and its move to a statutory agency.
The Committee recognised that NHMRC is still consolidating its new status but
was pleased to see evidence of a tightening in administrative practices,
processes and procedure.
The Committee examined the implementation of the Change
Program by the Australian Taxation Office. While the Committee noted the
significant productivity gains within the Tax Office, it expressed concern
about the extent of ongoing client dissatisfaction with the system and the
subsequent undermining of confidence in the integrity of Australia’s taxation
system. The incoming Committee will continue to monitor this situation at the
next Biannual Hearing with the Taxation Commissioner.
The Committee also expressed concern over the long term
issue of staff churn at AusAID, particularly in light of the growing demands
placed on the agency by Australia’s expanding aid program. The Committee
acknowledged that AusAID is taking positive steps to combat the effects of
staff churn on the agency and recommended that AusAID report back to the JCPAA
within twelve months of the tabling of this report on the effectiveness of the
draft workplace plan in alleviating this issue.
The Committee reviewed audit reports on a number of
controversial topics including the National Broadband Network request for
proposal process, the coordination and reporting of Australia’s climate change
measures and the Building the Education Revolution program. The Committee
identified issues with risk management, data integrity and reporting processes
and the effect these issues have had on implementation and delivery.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the previous
Committee, chaired by Sharon Grierson MP, for their work. The incoming
Committee recognises the important role that the process of scrutinising the
reports of the Auditor-General plays in holding the executive and its agencies to
account, and looks forward to continuing that process. The Committee will
continue to work with the Auditor-General to strengthen accountability and
transparency and public administration across the Australian government.
Robert Oakeshott MP
Chair