The Queensland Audit Office

One of the roles of the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services (the department) is to protect children and young people who have been harmed or are at risk of harm. For the year ending 30 June 2014, the department provided about $1.65 billion in grant funding to approximately 2 700 government and non-government organisations. Of this funding, 32 per cent, or around $522 million, was for child safety services.

When providing services to vulnerable children and young people, organisations—both government and non-government need to collaborate, and to do so quickly and easily. Sharing relevant information at the right time is critical to the safety and well-being of a child or young person. This was a clear finding in a 2014 coroner's inquest into the death of a child. It is also important to maintain confidentiality of information. Appropriate physical and computerised security arrangements have to be put in place to safeguard data from unauthorised access and disclosure—either accidental or deliberate.

Forensic service branches across various government agencies provide expert analysis and advice on civil emergencies, criminal investigations, and the coroners’ inquiries into reportable deaths.

These services are increasingly important in detecting crime and convicting criminals. Delays to forensic testing and analysis can reduce the chances of successfully detecting and apprehending offenders and can delay the administration of justice. Failures of quality assurance in the system can lead to the failure of prosecutions and, in extreme cases, to miscarriages of justice.

The availability of an increasing range of forensic tests along with the more regular use of forensics for volume crime (such as burglary, robbery, and vehicle crime) has increased the number of tests conducted in all jurisdictions, including Queensland. While beneficial, this growth can also have significant cost, resource and efficiency implications.

The vocational education and training sector provides skills-based training to assist individuals in finding employment or to help them advance within a current position. Under the Annual Vocational Education Training Investment Plan, the state government has committed $810.7 million to help individuals gain skills that lead to job opportunities and sustainable employment.

The plan is supported by a vocational education and training investment framework that aims to support demand-driven funding arrangements and support disadvantaged learners. It also aims to contribute towards public providers—enabling them to compete in the vocational education and training market.

TAFE Queensland is the state’s largest public provider of vocational education and training. It was established on 1 July 2013 as an independent statutory body under the TAFE Queensland Act 2013. There are other providers of vocational education and training, including universities.

The number of private training providers in the market has expanded, each offering skills-based training across accredited courses. The current vocational education and training model is intended to provide a greater variety of courses for individuals to choose from, while providing successful learning and employment outcomes for students.
 

A cyber-attack is defined as a deliberate act through cyber space to manipulate, disrupt, deny, degrade, or destroy computers, networks, or the information they contain. In Australia, the responsibility for managing and preventing cyber security threats lies with the federal, state and territory governments. As government delivers more and more services online, the risk of cyber security attacks increases. The Queensland Government has established a cyber security unit with a whole-of-government focus to combat potential threats.

The 2017 Threat Report by the Australian Cyber Security Centre states that cybercrime remains a pervasive threat to Australia’s economic prosperity with growing criminal expertise in targeting specific businesses. It also states that cybercrime will continue to be an attractive option for criminals. According to this report, between July 2016 and June 2017, the Australian Signals Directorate responded to 671 cyber security incidents that were considered serious enough to warrant operational responses. Cyber security is an evolving risk and departments need to be vigilant in assessing and addressing it.

Sustainability is a key factor in determining the longevity of councils all around Australia. Limited federal funding has challenged councils to review their services and ensure their resources are used effectively to get better outcomes for their respective communities.

In managing financial sustainability, it is important that councils are aware of what services they provide, the cost of these services, and how they can improve delivery to achieve cost- efficiency.

Coal seam gas (CSG) is an important resource in Queensland with over 90 per cent of Australia’s CSG reserves in the Bowen and Surat basins. In Queensland, $63 billion has been invested to produce liquefied natural gas. Other jurisdictions are reliant on Queensland’s CSG to satisfy their energy demands.

CSG activities are subject to approval processes and regulations to minimise their environmental impact and ensure the safety of their activities. The Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy and the Department of Environment and Science are responsible for administering and enforcing CSG sites in Queensland.

There were 1 127 CSG wells operating in Queensland at June 2012, which grew to 5 324 by June 2017. Proactive risk management is required to:

• protect local water supplies and farming land
• manage the impact of CSG activities on areas of regional interest
• provide fair conditions for landholders
• ensure the health and safety for all personnel.

In March 2019, the Queensland Under Treasurer referred concerns to the Auditor-General about the delivery of the SPER ICT project. This project forms part of a broader transformation program of work—the SPER Business Transformation Program.

Under a new SPER business model, SPER will be an in-house debt collection agency that pursues outstanding debt and enables hardship debtors to better discharge their penalty debt. SPER’s new business processes require the support of a new ICT system. In March 2016, SPER entered into a contract with a vendor to provide the ICT services and system implementation.

The Auditor-General has agreed to conduct a performance audit focused on the effectiveness of the governance of the SPER ICT project delivery.

Mine workers are at risk of developing a range of occupational mine dust lung diseases. Disease is caused by long-term exposure to high concentrations of respirable dust, generated during mining and quarrying activities. They include a range of occupational lung conditions including:

• coal workers’ pneumoconiosis
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• silicosis
• asbestosis.

These diseases are usually found in workers who have had many years of exposure to high concentrations of respirable mineral dust. The diseases may take several years to develop.

Coal workers’ pneumoconiosis is the most commonly known form of mine dust lung disease. It is commonly referred to as ‘black lung disease’. Coal workers’ pneumoconiosis was thought to have been eradicated in Queensland.

The first case of the disease reported to the Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy was in May 2015, despite a diagnosed case in 2006 (there was no reporting requirements in 2006 for diagnosed cases). Between May 2015 and 31 December 2018, 33 confirmed cases of coal workers’ pneumoconiosis were reported to the Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy.

Following the acknowledgement of coal workers’ pneumoconiosis in 2015, the Queensland Government commissioned an independent review by the Monash University Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, in collaboration with the University of Illinois at Chicago (the Monash Review). In July 2016, the Monash University Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health completed its review and made 18 recommendations, all of which were supported by the government.

Following the Monash Review, on 15 September 2016, Queensland Parliament established the Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis Select Committee to inquire into the re-identification of coal workers’ pneumoconiosis. 

The initial terms of reference focused on the re-identification of coal workers’ pneumoconiosis amongst mine workers in Queensland. This was extended on 23 March 2017 to include the end-to-end production of coal.

The committee tabled five reports in total, Reports 2 and 4 are relevant to this audit. Report 1 was an interim report with no recommendations made. Report No.3 made one recommendation regarding the exposure draft of the Mine Safety and Health Authority Bill 2017 while Report No.5 did not have any further recommendations.

In response to the Queensland Child Protection Commission of Inquiry, the Queensland Government is implementing a new child and family support system over the next 10 years. It is intended to have a greater focus on supporting families in providing a safe and secure home for their children.

This response reinforces that parents and families are responsible for the care and safety of their children, with the government's role being to support parents and families by providing the right services at the right time for those in need. Implementing the reforms will require a fundamental shift in the way government agencies, child safety professionals, and community organisations work with vulnerable families, and with each other.

The Queensland Government is investing $406 million over five years from 2014–15 to 2018–19 to better support the state’s most vulnerable families and children.