The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) has released reports on two performance audits prompted by the Australian Public Service’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Auditor-General, Grant Hehir said both audits were conducted under phase one of the ANAO’s multi-year strategy, focusing on the effective, efficient, economical and ethical delivery of the Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The audits explored Services Australia’s enterprise risk arising from the rapid preparation and delivery of pandemic response measures, and the Department of Health’s procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) for emergency personnel and the National Medical Stockpile (NMS) with the help of Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources (DISER).
With respect to Services Australia, Mr Hehir found the Agency to be ‘largely effective” in managing the risks that accompanied the preparation and delivery of the rapid economic response measures.
“The Agency developed fit-for-purpose governance arrangements and scaled-up resourcing to meet increased demand,” Mr Hehir said.
“Services Australia adequately identified, addressed and communicated its risks except for risks related to welfare payment system access changes.”
He made no recommendations for improvement.
In respect of the Department of Health and DISER, the Auditor-General examined their emergency procurements of PPE, ventilators and COVID-19 test kits for the NMS.
“The COVID-19 NMS procurement requirement for PPE and medical equipment was met or exceeded,” Mr Hehir said, but “elements of Health’s procurement planning for the NMS could be improved.”
“Procurement planning was partially risk-based,” he said.
“Agreement with States and Territories about stockpiling responsibilities was not documented and stockpile information was not adequately shared.
“There were no protocols for emergency procurements.”
The Auditor-General made four recommendations to Health aimed at basing NMS procurement decisions on key strategic risks; collaborating with States and Territories to document procurement priorities; developing a mechanism for sharing stockpile information between jurisdictions; and establishing protocols for emergency NMS procurements.
The Auditor-General’s report on the Services Australia COVID-19 Measures and Enterprise Risk Management can be accessed online at this PS News link and the 64-page printed version at this link.
His report on the Department of Health: Planning and Governance of COVID-19 Procurements to Increase the National Medical Stockpile report can be accessed at this PS News link and his 92-page printed version at this link.
The ANAO’s audit team for Services Australia was Tracy Cussen, Fraser McEachan, Christine Preston, Michael Fitzgerald, Taela Edwards, and Peta Martyn.
The Office’s Department of Health audit team was Christine Chalmers, Zoe Pilipczyk, Irena Korenevski, William Richards, Matthew Rigter, Zhiying Wen, Song Khor, Ann MacNeill, Ammar Raza, Lesa Craswell, Rahul Tejani, and Deborah Jackson.
