Auditor-General slams Labor’s slow reporting

The auditor-general has rebuked the State Government for the time it’s taking to publicly release annual reports, arguing taxpayers have the right to timely information on what’s going on.

The Palaszczuk Government is weakening transparency, accountability and trust by delaying the release of its spending, according to the state’s auditor-general.

Brendan Worrall has rebuked the government for the time it’s taking to publicly release annual reports that reveal the financial performance of its departments, arguing taxpayers have every right to timely information on what’s going on.

In his State Entities 2021 report, Mr Worrall said the government was “consistently” tabling reports to parliament “just in time” to meet legislative deadlines, but highlighted how recent annual reports in the health portfolio were held back nearly three months after they were finished and had been late three of the past four years.

In a beefing up of a recommendation made last year to improve timeliness that was ignored, he has now suggested law change to stipulate the maximum number of days between financial statement certification and tabling and that ministers should prove “exceptional circumstances” for delays.

Auditor-General Brendan Worrall. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jono Searle

Government entities were “accountable to parliament and the public for how they use public resources” and taxpayers shouldn’t be made to wait for information that becomes less relevant with time, Mr Worrall wrote.

“The timeliness of financial statements being made publicly available has deteriorated since 2019,” Mr Worrall wrote.

“This serves to weaken transparency and accountability … and contribute to less trust in the integrity of government”.

Opposition treasury spokesman David Janetzki said the Auditor-General’s assessment was scathing.

“This report is further proof that Labor has abandoned integrity,” Mr Janetzki said.

“We welcome the Auditor-General’s call for legislation to provide for more timely report releases.

“Timely information is vital for preserving public trust in government.”

Meanwhile, the Auditor-General found previous warnings around weak internal controls had not been heeded.

“These include entities not securing their information systems, checking changes to supplier details or reviewing payroll reports,” Mr Worrall wrote.

He found some departments weren’t reviewing payroll and, in some cases, this was resulting in staff overpayments.

“Entities also need to ensure there are clear policies and manuals for payroll and procurement processes, and that grants are approved by people with the appropriate financial delegations,” he said.

“These actions will help to prevent fraud and accidental overpayments and ensure value for money is achieved.”