Overview
During 2008-09, the Office of Evaluation and Audit (Indigenous Programs) [the Office] completed eleven evaluations and audits from its Work Program. Five of these had been commenced in 2008-09 while the others had been commenced prior to 2008-09. There were twelve evaluations and audits in progress as at 30 June 2009; six of these will be completed in the first quarter of 2009-10.
Compiling a Work Program that reflects the priorities of government is an important activity for the Office. The Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER) meant a major change in Indigenous program delivery in 2007-08 and was an area of significant expenditure commitments. The government has identified ‘Closing the Gap’ as its priority for Indigenous Affairs and 2008-09 saw further reforms to delivery arrangements with the development of a range of agreements and partnerships under the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) framework to achieve the Closing the Gap targets.
The Office’s Work Program has been developed to reflect these priorities. During 2008-09 the Office completed a performance audit of the NTER School Nutrition Program and commenced work on a performance audit of Government Business Managers, a key element of the NTER. The 2009-2012 Work Program has been designed around the COAG agreed Building Blocks and reflects a primary emphasis on early childhood, schooling and housing, which are critical areas in achieving the Closing the Gap targets.
Over the year, the Minister for Finance and Deregulation published six evaluation and audit reports. The Minister also tabled two audit reports. These reports are available on Finance’s website.