Introduction
The Office was established in the Department of Finance and Deregulation (Finance) by section 193W(1) of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act 2005 (the Act). The Office is a division of the Financial Management Group.
Under the Act, the Office reports on its evaluations and audits to the Minister for Finance and Deregulation (the Minister).
The head of the Office is the Director of Evaluation and Audit (the Director). Section 193ZA(2) of the Act provides that the Director is to be engaged under the Public Service Act 1999 and appointed by the Minister. Section 193ZB(2) provides that the term of the Director’s appointment must not exceed five years. At 30 June 2009, the acting Director was Andrew Pope. The previous Director, Colin Plowman, resigned from the position on 25 February 2009.
Section 193ZA(4) of the Act requires that the Director provide the Secretary of Finance with a report on the operations of the Office each year for inclusion in the department’s Annual Report.
Role of the Office of Evaluation and Audit (Indigenous Programs)
The Office provides objective advice to the Australian Government about the management and performance of its programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It makes recommendations about how relevant programs can be improved, and how the Australian Government can deliver better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The Office’s reports can be tabled in the Parliament or published, at the discretion of the Minister, increasing the accountability of Australian Government bodies delivering relevant programs. Six evaluation and audit reports were published during 2008-09 and two reports were tabled in the Parliament.
Section 193W(2) of the Act provides that the purposes of the Office are to:
- evaluate or audit relevant programs1 administered by Australian Government bodies
- evaluate or audit the activities of any individual or organisation that has received funding under any relevant program
- report to the Minister on those evaluations or audits and to report to other Ministers in accordance with the directions of the Minister.
Section 193ZG of the Act provides that the Director may, for the purposes of a particular evaluation or audit, examine documents relating to the government agency, organisation or individual that is being evaluated or audited. The Director is entitled to full and free access to such documents and may take copies or extracts from such documents. The Director may also, by notice in writing, require a person to answer questions or produce documents for the purposes of an evaluation or audit.
Footnotes:
The Act defines a relevant program as a program, or a program component, under which money is provided, including on loan, or a guarantee is given, or an interest in land or other property is transferred, for the purpose of furthering the social, economic or cultural development of Aboriginal persons or Torres Strait Islanders.