The Queensland Audit Office has found the state’s local government sector’s systems and processes deteriorated during the financial year.
Auditor-General, Rachel Vagg, yesterday tabled the Local government 2024 in Parliament, summarising the audit results of Queensland’s 77 councils and the entities they control.
“It highlights key insights and information from across our work and considers challenges and opportunities for the sector,” the Office said in a statement.
“We found that the financial statements of entities in the sector are reliable. However, while most councils met the statutory deadline for their statements, they are finalising them later. We also found that the sector’s control environment (its systems and processes) deteriorated this financial year.”
The Office made three recommendations to councils around implementing policies and procedures for ex-gratia payments, assessing climate risks, and reviewing water infrastructure assets.
“And we make two recommendations to the Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers around developing guidance material for ex-gratia payments and amending the sustainability guideline.”
Read the report: www.qao.qld.gov.au/reports-resources/reports-parliament/local-government-2024.
