In a month where billionaire entrepreneurs are reaching for the stars (or at least the edge of space), we thought it was timely to share our research and recent experiences about the audit topics that are trending in the Local Government audit universe. Councils are probably aware that the NSW Audit Office has recently published […]

The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has updated its Essential Eight (8) Maturity Model in July 2021 to counter the sophistication of different levels of adversaries rather than just being aligned to the intent of a mitigation strategy. The ACSC asserts that the maturity model is focused on "Windows-based internet-connected networks", and while it could […]

Current challenges for CFOs Most Chief Financial Officers are under time pressure – having to do more with less. Not only does the CFO have to ensure the controls over transaction processing are in place and the reporting ticks over like clockwork, but he/she also has to provide financial insight and significantly contribute to the […]

The buzz term of recent years in local government has been ‘smart cities’ – a pretty exciting concept for those people working at the heart of delivery services in our communities. Billions of connected devices instantly translate our physical world into the digital realm by capturing and analysing data about our surroundings in real time. […]

Cash transactions are slowly dwindling in Australia. The Reserve Bank’s 2019 Consumer Payments Survey found that only 32% of in-person transactions are conducted in cash, with the fall in small transactions (i.e. under ten dollars) particularly pronounced given “tap and go” technologies. The percentage of cash transactions has decreased even further over the past year, […]

Privacy Awareness Week is a global campaign that highlights the importance of maintaining privacy and raises awareness for public sector agencies about how to protect the personal information of the people they serve. Respecting privacy is important because it can be highly personal. We are all different, and everyone has different ideas about their privacy. […]

Amongst all the doom and uncertainty associated with Covid-19, there was one tangible benefit that emerged for most organisations. That was that they were compelled to review the currency and efficacy of their Business Continuity Management (BCM) framework and implement (in real-time) their Business Continuity Plan (BCP).

Pen tests are frequently mentioned in the media, yet when they are reported, their results are never released. That keeps the results confidential and secure – and ensure hackers can’t decompile them for their own further nefarious uses. However, for the external viewer, there is always an element of mystery and IT technical complexity surrounding these tests.

The provisions of the NSW Local Government Act 1993 require that all Councils review their full suite of Integrated Planning and Reporting (IP&R) documents within nine months of the election.

As we settle into 2021 – a year that must be better than 2020 – it is important to consider emerging risks and test the design of controls.

Without a robust Probity Plan you are essentially “playing chicken” with every major procurement move you make – the consequences of not having a plan are significant.