Attachment A: Summaries of Work Program evaluations and audits completed in 2008-09

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Evaluations

Program:	Legal Aid for Indigenous Australians (LEGA) program
Agency:	Attorney-General’s Department (AGD)
Value:	$58.0 million in 2007-08
Program objective:	To better prioritise and target available resources to ensure that Legal Aid services are responsive to established policy priorities and community needs, and to provide the best possible quality of service to individual clients.
Evaluation objective:	To assess the efficiency, effectiveness and economy of the management and operations of the LEGA Program.

The Australian Government has funded legal services for Indigenous people since 1971. The LEGA program, which is administered by the Attorney-General’s Department, is delivered through nine contracted providers located in metropolitan, regional and remote locations across Australia. The evaluation found that overall the LEGA Program is meeting its primary objective of improving the access of Indigenous Australians to high-quality and culturally appropriate legal aid services, so that they can fully exercise their legal rights.

The Office made five recommendations for improvements in overall program management and in the management of arrangements and relationships with service providers, including provider contracts and improving the capacity of service providers.

Program:	Service Delivery in Remote Indigenous Communities
Agency:	Cross Portfolio
Value:	n/a
Program objective:	n/a
Evaluation objective:	To report on the efficiency, effectiveness and impact of Australian Government arrangements for the administration of Indigenous programs in remote communities.

This evaluation examined perspectives held by Indigenous community organisations on the Australian Government’s arrangements for the delivery of Indigenous programs in remote areas. The evaluation focused on 52 remote communities in the Northern Territory, Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia and sought community organisations’ perspectives on how well Australian Government departments are delivering services into these communities. Overall the evaluation found that organisations generally felt they had good relationships with Australian Government departments and that most programs were generally aligned to community needs. Organisations often were not able to readily distinguish between the different levels of government in terms of service delivery responsibilities and felt that further improvements could be made to stability and flexibility of funding and to the level of administrative burden associated with funding agreements.

The evaluation made eight recommendations covering issues relating to strengthening operational relationships between Australian Government departments and service providers and reducing the administrative burdens on providers.

Program:	Law and Justice Advocacy Development Program (LJADP)
Agency:	Attorney-General’s Department
Value:	$2.495 million in 2007-08
Program objective:	The LJADP aims ‘to support Indigenous Australians in developing policy, law reform projects and delivering community legal education and information’.
Evaluation objective:	The objectives of the evaluation were to examine and assess: the efficiency of AGD’s funding allocation process the effectiveness of the LJADP and AGD's use of monitoring and evaluation to assess effectiveness the impacts arising from the LJADP that contribute to changes in policy and practice.

The LJADP aims to support Indigenous Australians in developing policy, law reform projects and delivering community legal education and information. The evaluation examined the effectiveness of the LJADP and the efficiency of the Attorney-General’s Department’s funding and monitoring arrangements. The evaluation found that there was lack of clarity about what outcomes the program seeks to achieve, how funded activities are intended to achieve program objectives, and how such progress will be measured. To improve the management of the LJADP, the report recommended that the Attorney-General’s Department should review the program’s funding arrangements, grants administration and performance management arrangements.

The evaluation made two recommendations to integrate the program into the Legal Aid for Indigenous Australians program and to improve the existing performance indicators.

Performance Audits

Program:	Aboriginals Benefit Account (ABA)
Agency:	Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
Value:	$96.2 million in 2008-09
Program Objective:	To contribute to the recognition and protection of land rights in the Northern Territory by the effective and efficient administration of those provisions in the Aboriginal (Northern Territory) Land Rights Act 1976 (the Act) which provides for the operation of the ABA.
Audit Objective:	The objective of this audit was to examine and report on the efficiency, effectiveness and economy of the ABA, and its overall management. The audit examined the major functions of the ABA, particularly: receipt of royalty-equivalent monies and interest payment of monies to land councils for administrative expenses payment of monies to land councils for distribution to royalty associations payments for the benefit of Aboriginal people living in the Northern Territory.

The ABA is a Special Account of the Australian Government established for the receipt and distribution of statutory royalty-equivalent monies generated from mining on Aboriginal land in the Northern Territory. The audit found there were significant opportunities to improve the accountability frameworks for royalty-equivalent payments made from the ABA and for the grants made from the ABA for the benefit of Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory.

The audit made ten recommendations to improve the administration and transparency of the ABA and to improve its performance reporting.

Program:	English as a Second Language – Indigenous Language Speaking Students (ELS-ILSS)
Agency:	Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR)
Value:	$7.2 million in 2006
Program Objective:	To facilitate the entry of eligible Indigenous students into education by providing intensive English language tuition to each eligible student.
Audit Objective:	The objectives of the audit were to: assess the effectiveness of DEEWR’s management of ESL-ILSS including its program administration, monitoring and reporting arrangements assess the appropriateness of existing funding and program design arrangements identify and discuss opportunities for these arrangements to improve, including resourcing implications.

The ESL-ILSS program is one element of the Indigenous Education Program funded under the Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Act 2000. The ESL-ILSS aims to facilitate the entry of eligible Indigenous students into education by providing intensive English language tuition to each eligible student. The audit identified a number of opportunities to revise aspects of the ESL-ILSS program's design and performance monitoring and evaluation arrangements to help improve its effectiveness.

The audit made three recommendations covering program design, funding methodology and monitoring and reporting.

Program:	Indigenous Land Corporation (ILC) Follow-Up Audit on Aspects of the ILC’s National Indigenous Development Centre
Agency:	Indigenous Land Corporation
Value:	n/a
Program Objective:	n/a
Audit Objective:	The objective of the audit was to assess the ILC’s progress in implementing Recommendation No.3 of the February 2007 report, Performance Audit of the Indigenous Land Corporation. The audit also had regard to any changed circumstances, or new administrative issues, affecting implementation of the recommendation.

In February 2007, the Office completed an audit of the ILC. As part of that audit, the Office recommended that the ILC strengthen its approach to assessing strategic projects and that in particular more attention be given to the management arrangements of the National Indigenous Development Centre project. The follow-up audit found that the ILC has implemented this recommendation.

Program:	Australian Hearing Special Program for Indigenous Australians (AHSPIA)
Agency:	Department of Health and Ageing and Department of Human Services
Value:	$4.75 million in 2007-08
Program Objective:	To improve Indigenous access to hearing health care programs and services for clients eligible under the Australian Government Hearing Services Program.
Audit Objective:	To assess the efficiency and effectiveness of Australian Hearing’s management and delivery of AHSPIA to improve access to hearing services for Indigenous Australians

AHSPIA is funded as a community services obligation and administered by the Office of Hearing Services within the Department of Health and Ageing. The program is delivered through 131 Outreach Sites, which are established across Australia to provide culturally appropriate hearing services to eligible Indigenous Australians. The audit found that AHSPIA is achieving its objective of providing a more flexible service delivery model but that further refinements to the program’s administration could increase its effectiveness.

The audit made eight recommendations.

Program:	Community Agents Program (CAP)
Agency	Centrelink
Value:	$5.6 million in 2007-08
Program Objective:	To contract out basic Centrelink information provision services and application receipt services to community organisations to ensure that Indigenous people in remote communities are not disadvantaged by their remoteness from Centrelink offices.
Audit Objective:	To assess the efficiency, effectiveness and economy of the operation of the program and identify any areas where performance of the program can be improved.

CAP is designed to assist Indigenous people living in remote communities to gain access to Centrelink services. Delivering a support program like CAP in remote areas is challenging. The lack of adequate infrastructure and the ability to attract and retain suitable staff are key issues that affect the quality of service delivery. The Office considered that while the intent of the program is sound, Centrelink’s administration of the program could be improved.

The audit made seven recommendations covering location, resourcing and support of CAP agents and reporting arrangements for the program.

Program:	Indigenous Professional Support Units (IPSU)
Agency:	Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
Value:	$6.2 million from November 2006 to November 2008
Program Objective:	The objectives of IPSUs are to: provide high quality, flexible and innovative professional advice, support and training to staff in eligible Indigenous-run child care services work collaboratively and provide advice and support to Professional Support Coordinators and Inclusion Support Agencies on the needs of Indigenous child care workers and strategies for addressing these needs.
Audit Objective:	The objectives of the performance audit were to: assess the effectiveness and efficiency of DEEWR’s management and administration of the IPSU initiative assess the effectiveness and efficiency of IPSUs’ management of funding, including service delivery and performance management arrangements, and the processes in place to assess eligible services’ support needs work collaboratively and provide advice and support to Professional Support Coordinators and Inclusion Support Agencies to assist these agencies to provide culturally appropriate inclusion and professional support for Indigenous children.

IPSUs provide professional development, advice and resources for eligible Indigenous childcare services. They are managed under the Professional Support Program, which is a component of a larger Inclusion and Professional Support Program that aims to support and enhance the inclusion and professional development needs of childcare services. The audit examined the management of IPSUs by DEEWR and service delivery arrangements. Overall, the audit found that IPSUs have been effective in assessing and addressing Indigenous childcare services’ needs.

The audit made four recommendations covering program planning, design and performance monitoring and reporting arrangements to strengthen program management.

Program:	Indigenous Community Volunteers (ICV)
Agency:	Indigenous Community Volunteers
Value:	One-off grant of $20 million in 2003-04
Program Objective:	To provide opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to develop community and human capacity in order to improve their quality-of-life, health, social and economic wellbeing and membership entitlement within Australian society.
Audit Objective:	The performance audit examined the efficiency and effectiveness of ICV in providing volunteer services and achieving skills transfer to Indigenous Australians in order to support social and economic development.

ICV is a not-for-profit organisation and the audit concluded that it has been successful in delivering volunteer projects. However, the impacts of these projects have not been measured, as ICV’s project management processes and performance frameworks are not sufficiently developed to support the assessment of skills transfer outcomes at either the project or community levels.

The audit made ten recommendations to improve the operation of ICV and its ability to demonstrate the achievement of its outcomes.

Program:	School Nutrition Program (SNP)
Agency:	Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
Value:	$6.397 million in 2007-08
Program Objective:	SNP aims to achieve two main policy goals: to contribute to improved school attendance and engagement by providing breakfast and lunch to school aged children attending schools in prescribed communities to provide employment opportunities for local Indigenous people.
Audit Objective:	The objective of the performance audit was to assess whether the SNP is operating efficiently and effectively and is progressing towards its intended outcomes.

The SNP is an important aspect of the NTER aimed at improving school attendance. The audit concluded that the achievement of the program’s objective of improving school attendance and engagement could not be solely, or significantly, attributed to the SNP. While the audit identified a number of positive practices and outcomes relating to program implementation, there are opportunities to improve program planning and design, governance arrangements, service delivery and performance management arrangements. There is also a need for DEEWR to address the program’s subsidiary aims and the sustainability of the program.

The audit made seven recommendations including in the areas of program planning, overall sustainability of the program and strengthened performance reporting.

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