Performance and Compliance Audits in Progress
Planned Completion: March 2019
Audit objective
The objective of the audit is to form an opinion on the effectiveness and efficiency of Tasmania Prison Service’s financial management of its custodial facilities.
Background
In Tasmania, corrective services are primarily the responsibility of the Corrective Services Output within the Department of Justice which provides community and custodial correctional services via Community Corrections and the Tasmania Prison Service.
Tasmania Prison Service currently operates five custodial facilities, the main facility being the Risdon Prison Complex which houses medium and maximum-security units.
Audit Plan: Tasmanian Prisons
Planned Completion: March 2019
Audit objective
The objective of this audit will be to express an opinion on the effectiveness of the management of student attendance and engagement in Years 7 to 10.
Background
Research, including sources cited on the Department of Education website, shows attendance and engagement affect student attainment and future achievements.
Student engagement is complex as there are many factors that affect student participation aside from those that a teacher can influence, including peer pressure, performance anxiety, mental health, family and other social issues. A student who is disengaged in one class may be an active participant in another.
This audit will examine how effectively Department of Education is collecting information about student attendance and engagement and whether that information is used to improve students’ levels of educational risk.
Audit Plan: Student attendance and engagement: Years 7 to 10
Planned Completion: April 2019
Audit objective
The objective of the audit is to assess the performance of Emergency Departments in Tasmania’s four major hospitals and to express an express an opinion on whether the Emergency Departments are performing efficiently and effectively.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee of Public Accounts also requested that this audit consider:
Background
On 1 July 2015, the Tasmanian Government established the Tasmanian Health Service (THS) by amalgamating the three Tasmanian Health Organisations (North, North West and South), which prior to 2012 were themselves part of the Department of Health and Human Services. The establishment of a single state-wide delivery structure was to improve the coordination of services and reduce duplication in both administrative overheads and clinical support services. In late 2017, the government announced further changes to the structure of THS with the public hospital managers now able to directly consult with Department of Health and Human Services.
THS is governed by the Tasmanian Health Organisations Act 2011 and is responsible for delivering integrated services that maintain and improve the health and wellbeing of Tasmanian’s in accordance with the Service Agreement between the Minister for Health and THS.
Department of Health and Human Services as the purchaser of health services from THS under the Agreement, is responsible for maintaining the Agreement and for providing recommendations to the Minister for Health on changes to the Agreement. As purchaser and system manager, it is the responsibility of Department of Health and Human Services to ensure THS performance against the requirements of the Agreement is monitored and managed.
Audit Plan: Emergency department audit
Planned Completion: August 2018
Audit objective
The examination objective is to determine whether the Department of State Growth effectively and efficiently administers grants.
Background
In May 2017, the Tasmanian Audit Office received a request to review a grant provided under the Regional Tourism Infrastructure and Innovation Fund, which was administered by the Department of State Growth.
In September 2017, the reviewer concluded that an examination of the Department’s grants administration process would be appropriate.
Audit Plan: Plan for the Examination of State Growth
Other audits can also be entered into by arrangement.
If you have any information that you believe could be useful to us, please write to us at:
Tasmanian Audit Office GPO Box 851 Hobart TAS 7001