Appointing the right members to a council’s audit committee allows for informed, effective oversight. Effective audit committees have members with the right mix of skills and experience who understand the risks facing the entity.

COVID-19 has affected the cash flows of many public sector entities. Their ability to earn revenue may have decreased, potentially permanently, and they are implementing cost reduction strategies.

We have experienced COVID-19 impacts on working arrangements, our community and the economy. These impacts may result in material changes to the financial performance and position of many public sector entities.

Financial uncertainty, disrupted working arrangements, and health concerns are creating stress within workforces and impacting the future of organisations globally.

In November 2019 we published our latest report on the results of the financial audits in the health sector. We included the Department of Health and 16 hospital and health services (HHSs) in this report.

Queensland’s state and local governments make significant investments in the public infrastructure they need to deliver public services.

A lot of councils in Queensland, and in the rest of Australia, are focused on improving their financial sustainability.

The Office of the Chief Advisor—Procurement has published new guidelines for disclosing government-awarded contracts. And for using and disclosing confidentiality provisions.

We sometimes assess how effective entities are in monitoring and managing major projects and programs. For example, we may look at how effective an entity is in monitoring progress, and managing situations when things don’t go to plan.

Long-term contracts need to be well managed, so agencies can realise the expected benefits.