About this report or communique
Strong independent oversight bodies are an essential part of the integrity and accountability framework that provides Parliament and citizens with trust and confidence in their governments.
ACAG has published the latest assessment of independence of Auditors General. The results show that legislative reform over the last 5 years in QLD, VIC and NSW has strengthened the independence of the Auditor-General in those states, while Tasmania has slipped from equal 4th to 7th in the 2025 ranking. The executive summary report can be accessed here.
The key vulnerability in the Tasmanian legislation is the lack of transparency in provision of financial resources, and autonomy from the executive government of the day. This principle requires the role of parliament to be one of decision making not merely advising the executive in relation to annual budgets. It also requires that the Auditor-General can operate Audit Tasmania in a way that is free of restrictions on recruitment of contemporary skills, remuneration of employees and procurement of up-to-date technology.
The full report provides examples of better practice, including express legislative provisions to guide positive reform. We look forward to working to update and strengthen provisions in the Audit Act (2008) (Tas). Independence of the Australasian Auditors General Report 2025