Auditor General report shows declining standards of accountability and transparency
30th June 2023
The latest report of the WA Auditor General has again raised concerns about the standard of reporting and accountability in State Government departments according to the Shadow Treasurer Dr Steve Thomas.
“The final audit report for the 2021-22 financial year has continued the trend of recent years in that there are increased delays and more audit qualifications” Dr Thomas said.
“The Auditor General was raising concerns about delays in departmental reporting two years ago, but the trend appears to be getting worse, not better.
“This report today follows an interim report from December which highlighted that only 123 of the state’s 132 entities were able to be audited on time, and in those entities 35 qualification matters were identified.
“Now that the final nine entities are included, the number of qualifications has jumped to 45, which is a record high for our state.”
The Auditor General report says that “final results for the June 2022 cycle are stark, and worse than we anticipated in the first report”.
“There was also a record number of control weaknesses identified (452), which should also be warning to us all.
“Of particular concern, the report also highlights that entities are not adequately remedying issues identified in previous reports” Dr Thomas said.
The report notes that “The percentage of findings unresolved from the prior year increased to 39% (Figure 4). Of particular concern, is that there was a 65.5% increase in the number of unresolved significant issues.”
“There is a definite downward trend in the standard of reporting in the Western Australian Public Sector, which is the opposite of the “gold standard transparency” we were promised by the incoming Labor Government in 2017” Dr Thomas said.
“While I acknowledge that shortages of staff is an issue, it is not an excuse for slipping standards.
“The audit process is a critical part of accountability and transparency, and while failing to meet both the timeframes and the standards required occasionally occurs, the obvious downward trend in these areas is not acceptable.”
Ends.
Media contact: Dr Steve Thomas 0427 908 717