A performance audit into how prepared all eight Government Departments were for major disruptions prior to the pandemic has found that most of their business continuity arrangements were inadequate.
In his Report, Business Continuity During COVID-19, Auditor-General, Andrew Greaves said he also examined how effectively the Departments implemented their business continuity arrangements during COVID-19 to maintain prioritised services.
Mr Greaves said he did not look at the State’s emergency response to the pandemic.
“Before the pandemic, most Departments’ business continuity arrangements were inadequate,” Mr Greaves said.
“This meant that their response to restoring and maintaining their prioritised services was reactive and less efficient and effective than it could have been.
“Nonetheless, Departments’ incident management structures allowed them to quickly set up teams, provide clear communication and make decisions.”
He said this helped Departments make changes and prioritise services.
“The failure to adequately plan and prepare for a long-term disruption to services from a major event — and specifically, a pandemic — is compounded because, for many years, a pandemic has been recorded as a State-significant risk,” he said.
“Further, tests of business continuity planning arrangements in 2018 and 2019 found significant weaknesses in them, but many of these were not addressed.”
Mr Greaves said Departments could be better prepared for foreseeable major disruptions by regularly testing their business continuity plans and treating them as living documents.
The Auditor-General made eight recommendations in total, five to all Departments on improving business continuity preparation and reporting following disruptions; two to the Departments of Premier and Cabinet and Treasury and Finance about whole-of-Government business continuity arrangements; and one to the Departments of Justice and Community Safety, Health and Families Fairness and Housing about developing standalone pandemic plans.
The Auditor-General’s 85-page Report can be accessed at this PS News link.
