A report on the audit results of seven State-owned entities in the transport sector has been presented to Parliament.
Auditor-General, Brendan Worrall said the entities were the Department of Transport and Main Roads, Queensland Rail, Cross River Rail Delivery Authority, Gladstone Ports, North Queensland Bulk Ports, Port of Townsville, and Ports North.
“We found that financial statements in the transport sector are reliable, but some internal controls can be improved,” Mr Worrall said.
He said the entities needed to strengthen their controls over procurement (documenting conflict of interest declarations) and expenditure, payroll processes, the security of their information systems, and supplier and employee information.
“The most common internal control weakness we continue to identify across the public sector relates to security of information systems and controls over supplier and employee information,” Mr Worrall said.
“Transport entities must put strong controls in place to protect their information and assets.”
He noted that the transport sector was able to maintain services through the COVID-19 pandemic without significant additional costs or interruption.
“Transport entities implemented new technology, such as remote access and electronic signature approvals, so they could continue to operate effectively,” the Auditor-General said.
“There were financial impacts on the entities, mostly due to decreased patronage of public transport, lower rent from tenants facing financial hardship, and lower revenue from vessel services relating to the tourism industry (like cruise ships).”
He said the ongoing impacts of the pandemic would continue to be a challenge to the sector.
The Auditor-General’s 25-page report can be accessed at this PS News link.
