A performance audit into the National Indigenous Australians Agency’s (NIAA) administration of the funding for remote housing in the Northern Territory (NT) has found the Agency to be “partly effective”.
In his Report, Remote Housing in the Northern Territory, Auditor-General, Grant Hehir said that in March 2019, the Commonwealth and NT Governments entered into the National Partnership for Remote Housing Northern Territory to improve housing conditions and reduce overcrowding in 73 NT remote communities and the 17 Alice Springs town camps.
Mr Hehir said that as of 30 September last year, only 363 (19 per cent) of the 1,950 bedrooms agreed under the Partnership had been completed.
“The development of the National Partnership was partly effective,” Mr Hehir said.
“The National Partnership largely aligns with the Closing the Gap policy objectives, and does not duplicate other sources of Australian Government funding for remote housing in the NT,” he said.
“However, the National Partnership Implementation Plan has significant weaknesses, and advice to the Minister did not include analysis of some of the National Partnership’s key parameters.”
Mr Hehir said NIAA had been partly effective in assessing the delivery of the program of works under the National Partnership.
He said NIAA had not fully developed or implemented a risk-based approach to verifying the NT Government’s achievement against National Partnership targets.
He said the National Partnership was the first inter-Governmental agreement on remote housing to include the four NT Land Councils in the governance framework as NIAA had ensured a role for the Land Councils.
“However, NIAA has not been effective in managing the risks associated with the potentially conflicting priorities of the National Partnership,” the Auditor-General said.
He said the Agency was also been ineffective in completing the large program of work in just over four years; ensuring that housing quality wass improved; that Aboriginal communities were effectively involved in decision-making; and local Aboriginal people and businesses delivered the work.
“In addition, NIAA has not gained assurance that the NT Government is meeting its commitment to contribute $550 million to remote housing over the life of the National Partnership,” he said.
Mr Hehir made five recommendations to NIAA aimed at revising the National Partnership Implementation Plan, gaining assurance over information reported by the NT Government, and implementing a risk management plan.
The Auditor-General’s Report can be accessed at this PS News link and the 76-page printable version at this link.
The Audit team was Isabelle Favre, Elizabeth Robinson, Graeme Corbett, Deborah Jackson and Daniel Whyte.
