The NSW Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will hear from representatives from NSW Police and the Division of Local Government concerning the management of drug and other high profile exhibits and proper monitoring of local councils.
In his relevant report, the Auditor‐General made a number of recommendations to ensure that drug and other high profile exhibits are properly managed by NSW Police. While work is progressing, the Committee has concerns about delays in specific areas.
“Ensuring that the NSW Police has an accurate record and properly manages the high profile exhibits they hold, is very important,” Committee Chair, Jonathan O’Dea MP said. “These exhibits can present a risk to the health and safety of police officers, and could present significant risks if they are misplaced, stolen or damaged.”
“The Auditor‐General highlighted some concerns with current practices in this area and while some progress has been made, other actions are still outstanding. These changes need to be implemented as soon as possible to protect the safety of police officers and the public.”
In its performance audit on Monitoring Local Government, the Auditor‐General found that the Division of Local Government did not have adequate information to monitor important aspects of council performance.
“Local councils play a big role in service delivery and it is imperative that their performance meets the expectation of their communities,” Mr O’Dea said. “This is one of the reasons why this Committee has repeatedly called for follow‐the‐dollar powers to be given to the Auditor‐General to enable him to directly audit local government.”
“The Committee is eager to hear what else has been undertaken to ensure the proper monitoring of local government activity.”
The hearing will be held on Monday 23 June from 10.00 am, as part of the Committee’s follow‐up of the Auditor‐General’s performance audits September 2012 – March 2013.
For more information about the Public Accounts Committee hearing, please visit: www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/publicaccounts
Media Contact: Mr Jonathan O'Dea MP, Committee Chair
Phone: 0418 241 500
