Page 1774 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
… based on the relatively unsophisticated analysis allowed by the available data, it is apparent that the ACT Audit Office has been able to operate in a way that achieves high productivity of its staff, despite the small size of its operations.
So it is small, but it is very productive. That is a compliment to the staff of the audit office, but it is also a compliment to the leadership of the Auditor-General. He then goes on to a finding at the top of page 35:
Notwithstanding the small population of the ACT, the Territory Government delivers much the same range of services as the larger State governments. To provide the ACT Legislative Assembly with a comparable level of assurance as to the efficiency and effectiveness of those services, there is a need for a broadly comparable performance audit program in the ACT.
That is what many of us have been asking for for years—that is, that the auditor be funded to deliver that comparable performance audit program in the ACT. What does he say about the current performance audit program? On page 37 he says:
In my view the existing performance audit function is viable, but just so.
It is hanging on there by the skin of its teeth; it is just viable. We should not have a just viable performance audit. This is where the savings can be made. He goes on to say:
The size of the program provided by the current funding level makes it difficult for the Office to plan a series of successive audits on a particular theme (such as environmental protection, governance, risk management).
It is difficult for the Auditor-General to deliver ongoing advice on how to improve the services of the ACT government, thereby making savings and hopefully achieving that $1 to $9 ratio.
He goes on to finish this section by saying:
It is an inevitable consequence of the small size of the Territory’s population and tax base that some services will cost substantially more in per capita terms than in the larger states. How much the people of the Territory should pay towards the Audit Office’s performance audit program is a decision that its elected representatives must judge.
I welcome that last paragraph, because that is what I am attempting to do in my legislation. The independent performance auditor goes on about the quality of the material coming out of the ACT audit office. In section 6.1.2 on page 39 he finds:
The Auditor-General’s various reports are well-written and effective in informing Members of the Legislative Assembly and other readers of matters that are relevant to them in meeting their roles and responsibilities.
She is value for money, they are doing a good job, they are well organised, we are getting good results out of it. Apart from that, the reports are well written and
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video