NSW Government response to the Final Report of the Commission of Audit

In mid-2011 the NSW Government established a Commission of Audit to develop a framework for the future of the NSW Public Sector. The intent of the Audit was to assess the current manner of operating within the NSW Public Sector, describe the ideal state of operation and make recommendations on how to improve public sector management and governance in NSW. The Commission of Audit has been conducted in two parts. •    a Financial Audit comprising a review of the State’s finances and fiscal strategy; and •    an Expenditure and Management Audit. The Expenditure and Management Audit was conducted by an independent Advisory Board chaired by David Gonski AC and a small secretariat led by Kerry Schott. Its findings have been presented in two reports: •    the Interim Report into Public Sector Management (Interim Report); and •    the Final Report into Government Expenditure (Final Report). The Interim Report was presented to the Government in January, making 52 recommendations to improve public sector management and governance in NSW. The Government supports the substance of the Interim Report’s findings and will be pursuing the recommendations as it moves to reform NSW public administration. The Interim Report, the Financial Audit Report and a press release outlining the Government’s position were released publicly on 22 February. The Final Report makes 132 recommendations to improve public sector management and service delivery in NSW. It builds on the Interim Report and sets out broad principles and directions for expenditure in the context of the Government’s policies, key strategies and priorities, and also provides recommendations for change. The Government is broadly supportive of the reform directions identified in the Final Report and will account for its recommendations as it pursues reform to the public sector. The Government is determined to build a world class public service that is effective and able to achieve outstanding service delivery for the people of NSW