ANAO performance audit of the Strengthening Basin Communities

Program…

The Australian Government’s $200M Strengthening Basin

Communities Program aimed to help communities in the

Murray Darling Basin cope with reductions to water

available for irrigated agriculture.

The Audit Office looked at how well the Department for the

Environment administered the SBCP.MARCH 2014

The projects aimed to beef up community

planning and to improve the efficiency of water

use. The auditor considered that all of the

projects funded achieved positive results.

But, of the $200M allocated, this program only

implemented projects worth $81M. The

remaining funding was reapplied to Regional

Development programs

WHAT DOES IT SAY.

MARCH 2014

It looks like the guidelines issued by the department

weren’t coherent, making it difficult for applicants to

understand the evaluation criteria.

Then Environment departed from its own assessment

processes, without documenting reasons for doing so.

So the “transparency, accountability and, ultimately, the

equity of the assessment and selection process was

adversely affected’’.

WHAT ELSE DOES IT SAY.

MARCH 2014

There could have been a gap in communication

between proposal assessment and project

management. The auditor identified decisions to

tailor scoping for some projects that didn’t

tightly align with the merit assessment.

Project performance reporting was mixed, and

the auditor recommended a more consistent and

transparent approach be adopted the future.

WHAT ELSE DOES IT SAY.

MARCH 2014

• These were very complex projects, with pressured politics, and it looks like the program didn’t get going fast enough, or corral the pragmatism necessary to get things moving.

• If they can implement these ANAO recommendations, Environment staff could be the best grant managers in Canberra.

• The pity is that the rest of the funding was given to Regional Development!

The comments on these slides are the views of Tim Kirby, Sydney.

You should always read the report itself before putting your reputation, or any money, on the line.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN.

Tim Kirby, Sydney CA, CIA, LA-EMS

au.linkedin.com/in/timkirbysydney

MARCH 2014