Robert Oakeshott (Lyne, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit I present the following reports: Report 436: Review of the 2011-12 Defence Materiel Organisation major projects report; and Report 437: Review of Auditor-General's reports Nos 2 to 10 (2012-13).

In accordance with standing order 39(f) the reports were made parliamentary papers.

by leave—The first report I have tabled today is the committee's Review of the 2011-12 Defence Materiel Organisation major projects report. This was the fifth annual major projects report to be produced by the audit office and the DMO. This year's report covers 29 projects with a combined budget of over $47 billion. The committee's aim in reviewing the MPR is to help to maximise transparency and accountability in the Defence acquisition process. The committee has made a range of recommendations directed towards this. Out of courtesy, the committee's deputy chair will shortly seek leave to make some additional comments on this report and its recommendations. I will focus my comments on the review of the Auditor-General's reports on the Indigenous programs.

The committee reviewed three audit reports on government programs and services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians—the second report that I have tabled today. These are important days for Australia as we try to reconcile many issues for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and how Australian public policy does or does not deliver. Want for better is strong, and effort is commendable. Despite more success stories in recent times in service delivery and community empowerment, the frustrations of failure remain unacceptably high.

On reviewing nine reports presented to the parliament by the Auditor-General between August and November 2012 the committee concentrated its detailed scrutiny on an audit of the Australian government coordination arrangements for Indigenous programs. The committee extended the scope of its inquiry to include two other audit reports tabled by the Auditor-General earlier in 2012 which were similarly focused on the delivery of services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The committee chose to focus on this topic due to: firstly, our responsibility to verify that the large amounts of government spending in this area are efficient and effective; secondly, the need to make sure public policy is helping to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the best way possible; and, thirdly, the fact that the focus on coordination issues gets to the heart of what needs to be done to improve the availability and accessibility of services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

A key message from the committee's review of the three audits was the need for stronger, clearer and more effective leadership across government. This requires a lead agency for Indigenous affairs with authority, and a clear mandate to oversee expenditure, monitor outcomes, define priorities and drive actions at a whole-of-government level. FaHCSIA has made commendable progress recently in approving the level of coordination between government agencies. However, the committee was not convinced that the current arrangements provided the authority needed to drive outcomes as effectively as possible. With this in mind, the committee has recommended that the Prime Minister commission a review of leadership and collaboration arrangements for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs, with a goal of strengthening the authority of the lead agency to drive outcomes across departments. The committee has also recommended an explicit, whole-of-government strategy for: capacity development to overcome the current, piecemeal approach to this issue; improvements to the availability of location based data on Indigenous expenditure and outcomes; updates on efforts to measure outcomes in priority remote service delivery communities; and options to be pursued for improving Indigenous representation in decision-making processes.

Of course, what matters most is results. As a nation we are progressing on a long road of correcting open wounds of the past and finding ways to walk together in the future. For all of us, an Australian culture celebrating 40,000 years has so much more strength than one confined to 200-odd years. Finding ways to achieve this under, within and around existing Crown law is our great challenge. I am pleased that there have recently been signs of real progress being made in some areas. Sustained efforts to improve leadership and coordination in Indigenous service delivery will be central to this progress being built upon into the future.

On behalf of the committee I sincerely thank the organisations and individuals who participated in this inquiry for their time and their valuable input. I also thank the committee secretariat once again for its very good work in putting up with all committee MPs. I commend the reports to the House.

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