A performance audit of the process for awarding grants under the Department of Home Affairs’ Safer Communities Fund has found the awards to be ‘partly effective’ and ‘partly consistent’ with the Commonwealth Grant Rules and Guidelines.
In his Report, Award of Funding under the Safer Communities Fund, Auditor-General, Grant Hehir said the Department had not been subjected to a performance audit of a grants program since the Commonwealth Grant Rules and Guidelines were introduced.
Mr Hehir said the Safer Communities program was intended to address crime and anti-social behaviour by funding crime-prevention initiatives, such as fixed and mobile CCTV and lighting.
“It is also aimed to protect schools, pre-schools and community organisations that are facing security risks associated with racial and/or religious intolerance,” he said.
“The award of funding was partly effective and partly consistent with the Commonwealth Grant Rules and Guidelines and largely appropriate grant opportunity guidelines were in place.”
Mr Hehir said, however, applications were not assessed fully in accordance with the guidelines and funding decisions were not appropriately informed by Departmental briefings.
“For the majority of decisions, the basis for the decisions was not clearly recorded,” he said.
The Auditor made five recommendations, four to the Department of Home Affairs and one to the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources.
“The recommendations addressed program design, the assessment of applications and advice to decision-makers,” Mr Hehir said.
“All five recommendations were agreed to.”
The Auditor-General’s 78-page Report can be accessed at this PS News link and online at this link.
The Audit team was Hannah Conway, Tessa Royal, Swatilekha Ahmed, Tiffany Tang, Amanda Ronald, Tessa Osborne, Jessica Carroll, Jocelyn Watts, Josh Carruthers and
Brian Boyd.
