Australian National Audit Office Reviews

The ANAO published two performance audits in 2018–19 that examined aspects of ABS business.

The first of these was the Report on Statistical Business Transformation Program – Managing Risk which began in late 2017 and was finalised in August 2018. This review identified areas of improvement in the oversight of risk that have been comprehensively addressed through the finalisation of the new Enterprise Risk Management Framework.

The second review of relevance was the Closing the Gap report which looked at the arrangements for monitoring, evaluating and reporting progress towards ‘Closing the Gap’ in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage. The review found that the ABS had successfully collated and reported data to the support agencies with program oversight responsibilities. The ABS has accepted, and is implementing, the recommendation that quality assurance checks and approvals are more systematically documented.

Statistical Business Transformation Program - Gateway Reviews

The ABS has been the subject of five Gateway Reviews of the Statistical Business Transformation Program (SBTP), the most recent being in January 2019. These reviews are conducted on behalf of the Department of Finance.

The January 2019 review looked at the Program in relation to: policy context and strategic fit; business case and stakeholders; risk management; review of current phase; assessment of intended outcomes and benefits; and readiness for next review phase. In addition to a comprehensive review of program documentation, the review team interviewed senior staff from across the ABS. The ABS received positive feedback from the review team about the commitment and professionalism of all the staff interviewed.

The ABS has accepted and is addressing the six recommendations made by the Gateway Review Team.

The next mid-stage review of the Program is scheduled for mid-November 2019.

Other reviews

There were no other external reviews in 2018–19 that had a significant effect on the operations of the entity, with no reports issued by the Commonwealth Ombudsman.

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner issued a decision (AICmr 7) on 25 February 2019 where part of the ABS’ decision to withhold information under s55K of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 was set aside and a new decision was made by the Information Commissioner. There were no other individual or administrative review decisions of significance to the ABS.

There were no adverse comments or findings relating to the ABS from the Auditor-General, the Commonwealth Ombudsman, or courts or tribunals during 2018–19.

Submissions to parliamentary committees

Table 6.2 Submissions to parliamentary committees 2018-19