1.1
The Annual Report of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (the Committee) is presented pursuant to Section 8B of the Public Accounts and Audit Committee Act 1951.
1.2
The Committee is one of the oldest of the Parliament, first established in 1913. The Committee is also one of the Parliament’s most autonomous. The Act allows the Committee to initiate its own inquiries, unlike most other parliamentary committees, which receive references from Ministers or a House of the Parliament.
1.3
The Committee’s key work is to oversee the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO), the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013(PGPA Act), the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), and scrutinise Defence acquisition and sustainment. Further information on the Committee’s role is available at Appendix B.
1.4
In 2016–17, the Committee’s high level of activity carried forward from last year, with 10 active inquiries that examined matters contained in 18 Auditor-General reports. The other activities undertaken by the Committee in 2016‑17 included:
1.5
The Committee has carried on the tradition of ensuring proper scrutiny of the use of public resources by the Executive and all Commonwealth agencies. In this respect, the Committee made 17 recommendations in the reports tabled.
1.6
The Committee has continued its engagement with other Public Accounts Committees and attended this year’s conference of the Australasian Council of Public Accounts Committees.