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 audit reports tabled
between February 2009 and September 2009.
The nine reports chosen by the Committee cover a range of
agencies and highlight a number of areas of concern, including the
environmental impact of government procurement practice, the efficiency of
government IT systems and data management and ongoing issues within the aged
care sector.
The Committee was impressed by the progress being made by a
number of departments in achieving better practice in green office procurement
and sustainable office management. However, we are concerned at the seeming
lack of urgency and leadership at a sector-wide level and are making a number
of recommendations to help correlate and disseminate best practice across
government departments and agencies. In particular the Committee is recommending
that the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts take a
leadership role in promoting environmental management systems and develop a
best practice environmental management system template with minimum standards
for reporting.
Examination of the Defence Materiel Organisation’s management
of the M113 Armoured Personnel Carrier Upgrade Project again highlighted
ongoing concerns over scope changes and lengthy delays to Defence projects.
Despite being assured that appropriate processes are in place to keep decision
makers informed of scope changes, the Committee is concerned at the apparent
lack of administrative discipline in implementing these processes. Accordingly
we have asked the Defence Materiel Organisation for details on how it is
ensuring staff adhere to the existing processes. Although the M113 project is
expected to meet a completion deadline of December 2010, it is still assessed
as ‘high risk’, therefore the Committee has asked Defence and the Defence
Materiel Organisation to report back to us on the progress of the project.
On a related matter, the Committee reviewed the planning and
approval of Defence Major Capital Equipment Projects to determine whether the
two-pass approval process is being implemented effectively. The audit report identified
a number of anomalies between process and practice and the Committee made three
recommendations aimed at ensuring the accuracy of documentation, records and
submissions.
The Committee was satisfied from its inquiry into the
quality and integrity of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs income support
records that, although the system has experienced difficulties, there have been
no instances of incorrect payments being made to DVA clients. However, we are
concerned at the discrepancies and errors identified in the audit report and
the lack of progress in implementing a comprehensive and accurate electronic
database for the Department. There is potential for a detrimental flow-on effect
with regard to client payments and service delivery. The Committee has asked the
Department of Veterans’ Affairs to report back to us on the implementation of
the new information technology system.
On examining the review of the management of the Movement
Alert List (MAL) by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), the
Committee was particularly concerned over the number of Australian citizens
listed on the system. We are satisfied that the Department has substantially
reduced this number since the audit but urge DIAC to revise its policy and
guidelines regarding the recording of Australian citizens on the system, to
ensure a consistent approach is taken in future. Of further concern to the
Committee is the lack of performance data available making it difficult to
assess MAL’s effectiveness. We have asked the Department to identify and report
back to the Committee on specific instances where MAL has influenced decisions
on visa and citizenship applications.
The Committee also examined the Department of Immigration
and Citizenship’s management of the Settlement Grants Program. The Committee is
concerned that the effectiveness of the Settlement Grants Program is not being
satisfactorily monitored and evaluated to determine if it is meeting its
objective to help new arrivals to settle into Australian society. We are not
convinced that enough is being done to identify and respond to the needs of
immigrants at a local level and support programs specifically tailored to those
needs. We have therefore asked the Department to report back to the Committee
detailing how the effectiveness of the Program is being measured with regard to
data collection and community consultation.
In this batch of reports, we pursued an ongoing interest in
the aged care sector by reviewing two audits: the planning and allocation of
aged care places and capital grants and the protection of residential aged care
accommodation bonds. The first audit assessed the effectiveness of the
Department of Health and Ageing’s management of the planning and allocation of
aged care places and capital grants, in accordance with the Aged Care Act
1997. The Committee is pleased to note that, overall, the planning and
allocation of aged care places and capital grants by the Department is
operating effectively.
The second audit was designed to assess the Department of
Health and Ageing’s administration of prudential arrangements for the
protection of residential aged care accommodation bonds. The Committee
understands the importance of these bonds to the capital growth of aged care
facilities and acknowledges that to date no aged care clients have suffered the
loss of their bonds. However, we are concerned at the potential for loss to
occur and would like to see the prudential regulation strengthened with more
attention paid to risk management implementation and ongoing monitoring. To
this end, we have asked the Department to report back to the Committee on the
implementation of the ANAO recommendations.
Finally, the Committee looked at the construction of the
Christmas Island Immigration Detention Centre. While the Committee recognises
that it is difficult at this distance to apportion blame, we are gravely
concerned at the mismanagement of Commonwealth funds for this project. The
substantial discrepancy between the initial cost estimate and final cost of the
project and the apparent failure to identify significant risk factors in the
project are of particular concern. The Committee feels that more could have
been done during the planning stage to develop a realistic estimate of the cost
of the project and is not satisfied with the argument that the uniqueness of
the project led to such serious miscalculation of costs and risks.
The Committee acknowledges that this project was a catalyst
for the implementation by Finance of the two-stage Cabinet approval process and
the Gateway Review process. We have recommended that the Australian National
Audit Office undertake an audit to determine the effectiveness of the
implementation of both these processes in mitigating risk for Commonwealth
construction projects.
Sharon Grierson MP
Chair
Membership of the Committee
Chair
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Ms Sharon Grierson MP
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Deputy
Chair
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Mr Petro Georgiou MP
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Members
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Hon Dick Adams MP (from 17/08/09)
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Senator Guy Barnett
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Hon Arch Bevis MP
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Senator Mark Bishop
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Hon Bronwyn Bishop MP
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Senator David Bushby (until
02/02 /10)
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Mr David Bradbury
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Senator David Feeney
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Mr Jamie Briggs MP
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Senator Helen Kroger (from
02/02/10)
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Mr Mark Butler MP (until
15/06/09)
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Senator Kate Lundy
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Ms Catherine King MP
Hon Sussan Ley MP (from
03/02/10)
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Mr Shayne Neumann MP
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Mr Stuart Robert MP (until
03/02 /10)
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Committee Secretariat
Secretary
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Mr Russell Chafer
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Research
Officers
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Mr Shane Armstrong
Dr Stewart Ashe
Dr Narelle McGlusky
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List of abbreviations
ACAR
|
Aged Care Approvals Round
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ADF
|
Australian Defence Force
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AFP
|
Australian Federal Police
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AGD
|
Attorney-General’s Department
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ANAO
|
Australian National Audit Office
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ASIO
|
Australian Security Intelligence
Organisation
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BOB
|
Border Operations Branch
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CDF
|
Chief of Defence Force
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CDG
|
Capability Development Group
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CIIDC
|
Christmas Island Immigration
Detention Centre
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CMAL
|
Central Movement Alert List
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CSA
|
Child Support Agency
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Customs
|
Australian Customs and Border
Protection Service
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DAC
|
Departure Authorisation
Certificate
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DAL
|
Document Alert List
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DCDM
|
Defence Capability Development
Manual
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DCP
|
Defence Capability Plan
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Defence
|
Department of Defence
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DFA
|
Department of Finance and
Administration
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DFAT
|
Department of Foreign Affairs and
Trade
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DIAC
|
Department of Immigration and
Citizenship
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DICE
|
Data Integrity Cleanup Exercise
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DIMIA
|
Department of Immigration and
Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs
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DIPs
|
Data Integrity Problems
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DITRDLG
|
Department of Infrastructure,
Transport, Regional Development and Local Government
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DMO
|
Defence Materiel Organisation
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DoHA
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Department of Health and Ageing
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DOTARS
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Department of Transport and
Regional Services
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DPO
|
Departure Prevention Order
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DPR
|
2003 Defence Procurement Review
(Kinnaird Review)
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DSTO
|
Defence Science and Technology
Organisation
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DVA
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Department of Veterans’ Affairs
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ECP
|
Enhanced Compliance Program
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ELF
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Enhanced Land Force
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EPAC
|
Enhanced Passenger Assessment and
Clearance
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Finance
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Department of Finance and
Deregulation
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FMS
|
Feedback Management System
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GMP
|
Guaranteed Maximum Price
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GMS
|
Grants Management System
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ICT
|
Information and Communication
Technology
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IT
|
Information Technology
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JCPAA
|
Joint Committee of Public
Accounts and Audit
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MAL
|
Movement Alert List
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MPR
|
Defence Materiel Organisation
Major Projects Report
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NatO
|
DIAC’s National Office
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NPOC
|
Net Personnel Operating Cost
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NSC
|
National Security Committee of
Cabinet
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OACQC
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Office of Aged Care Quality and
Compliance
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PACE
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Passenger Analysis, Clearance and
Evaluation system
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PAL
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Person Alert List
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PIA
|
Privacy Impact Assessment
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PM&C
|
Department of Prime Minister and
Cabinet
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POE
|
Post Occupancy Evaluation
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PRB
|
Prudential and Approved Provider
Regulation Branch
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PWC
|
Public Works Committee
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RAR
|
Royal Australian Regiment
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RIF
|
Remote Input Function
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SES
|
Senior Executive Service
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SGP
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Settlement Grants Program
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SRL
|
Systems Readiness Level
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STOs
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DIAC’s State and Territory
Offices
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The Principles
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User Rights Principles 1997
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The Scheme
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Accommodation Bond Guarantee
Scheme
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TRA
|
Technical Risk Assessment
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TRL
|
Technology Readiness Levels
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UIN
|
Unique Identification Number
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UNSCR
|
United Nations Security Council
Resolution
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VSC
|
Veterans’ Service Centre
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White Paper
|
Defence White Paper 2009
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List of recommendations
2 Green Office Procurement and Sustainable Office
Management
Recommendation 1
That taking into account the findings of the Government
Leadership in Sustainability Taskforce, environmental management systems be
made mandatory across all agencies of the Australian Government.
Further, that the Department of the Environment, Water,
Heritage and the Arts take the lead in developing a best practice environmental
management system template with minimum standards for reporting.
Recommendation 2
That Medicare Australia enter into stewardship agreements with
its information and communication technology suppliers when its contracts are
next scheduled for renewal.
Recommendation 3
That the Department of Environment, Heritage and the Arts
draft and promote an explicit policy that product stewardship clauses be the
preferred option for public sector information and communication technology
(ICT) in all cases where ICT assets are not to be re-sold or gifted at the end
of their working life.
Recommendation 4
That the methodology used and results of the Department of the
Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts desktop and server virtualisation
project be disseminated to the other audited agencies.
Recommendation 5
That the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency
create separate targets for commercial and passenger vehicles in the Defence
white fleet to allow for a stronger focus on the environmental performance of
the Defence white fleet.
3 Management of the M113 Armoured Personnel Carrier
Upgrade Project
Recommendation 6
That the Defence Material Organisation (DMO) provide a brief
report to the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) within six
months of the tabling of the Committee’s report on the steps taken to ensure
DMO staff adhere to the existing processes to inform decision makers of scope
changes.
Recommendation 7
That the Department of Defence and the Defence Materiel
Organisation (DMO) provide the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit
(JCPAA) with a brief report detailing the progress of the M113 upgrade process,
and the likelihood of the project being completed by the revised target date of
December 2010.
4 Quality
and Integrity of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Income Support Records
Recommendation 8
The Committee recommends that the Department of Veterans’ Affairs
(DVA) report back to the Committee at the conclusion of the review of the
agency’s information technology systems and provide the Committee with details
of the system chosen, the implementation plan and how the plan will address the
Australian National Audit Office’s recommendations.
Recommendation 9
That the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) provide the
Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) with a copy of the review
of the DVA’s data entry system and procedural controls as soon as practicable
after the tabling of the Committee’s report.
5 Management of the Movement Alert List
Recommendation 10
The Committee recommends that the Department of Immigration
and Citizenship (DIAC) report back to the Committee on the effectiveness of the
Movement Alert List (MAL) after implementing Recommendation Number 3 from the
Australian National Audit Office Report No. 35 2008-09 which requires DIAC to
identify instances where MAL has alerted its decision makers to information
that has been the reason, or part of the reason, for decisions on visa and
citizenship applications. The report from DIAC should be presented to the
Committee within six months of this report being tabled.
6 Settlement Grants Program
Recommendation 11
The Committee recommends that the Department of Immigration
and Citizenship (DIAC) provides a brief report to the Joint Committee of Public
Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) detailing how DIAC is measuring the effectiveness of
the Settlement Grants Program (SGP) under the new performance framework
including:
type
of data collected;
methodology
used to collect data; and
methods
of consultation with local communities.
Recommendation 12
The Committee recommends that the Department of Immigration
and Citizenship (DIAC) report within 12 months of tabling this report on the
implementation and progress of the new Grants Management System (GMS)
specifically addressing the issues raised in Australian National Audit Office
Audit Report No 36 2008-09 with regard to the functionality of the GMS for the
Settlement Grants Program (SGP).
8 Construction of the Christmas Island Immigration
Detention Centre
Recommendation 13
The Committee recommends that the Department of Finance and
Deregulation (Finance) provide to the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and
Audit (JCPAA) the results to date of the implementation of the Post Occupancy
Evaluation process and the Lessons Learned workshops as soon as such
information is available.
Recommendation 14
The Committee recommends that the Australian National Audit
Office (ANAO) undertake an audit into the effectiveness of the implementation
of the two-stage Cabinet approval process and the Gateway Review process in
mitigating risk for Commonwealth construction projects since their
introduction.
9 Planning and Approval of Defence Major Capital Equipment
Projects
Recommendation 15
The Committee recommends that when preparing submissions
Defence develop a procedure to ensure that any divergence from the generic
guidance provided in the Defence Capability Development Manual (DCDM) is
authorised at an appropriate level and to record:
any
modifications to the capability development approval process contained in the
Defence Capability Development Manual (DCDM) for a project; and
reasons
for diverging from the generic model.
Recommendation 16
The Committee recommends that Defence work with the Department
of Prime Minister & Cabinet (PM&C) to amend the Cabinet Handbook
to accurately reflect the more specific risk measurement process developed by
Defence which should be included in submissions for both first and second pass
assessment.
Recommendation 17
The Committee recommends that Defence ensure that Cabinet
submissions for future major capital equipment projects provide advice that is
clear and consistent, and include the following:
Technology
Readiness Level (TRL) and System Readiness Level (SRL) scores for each option;
description
of likelihood and consequence of risk based on these ratings.
The Committee further recommends that Defence develop a
procedure to ensure that staff involved in Technical Risk Assessments (TRAs)
have a clear understanding of System Readiness Level (SRL) measurements so that
the figure provided precisely reflects risk levels.
10 Protection of Residential Aged Care Accommodation Bonds
Recommendation 18
The Committee recommends that the Department of Health and
Ageing (DoHA) report back to the Committee within twelve months of the tabling
of this report on DoHA’s implementation of Recommendation Number 3 from the
Australian National Audit Office Report No. 5 2009-10, outlining progress
towards monitoring whether or not bonds and bond income is being used according
to the requirements of the Aged Care Act 1997.