The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit has today tabled its report for the inquiry into Commonwealth Financial Statements 2023-24 and 2024-25, together with its Annual Report for 2025-26.
Commonwealth Financial Statements 2023-24 and 2024-25.
The Committee's report examines the findings from the Australian National Audit Office's audits of the Commonwealth Financial Statements for 2023-24 and 2024-25.
Committee Chair Mr Josh Burns MP said 'the IT control environment continues to account for the largest proportion of audit findings. It is clear to the Committee that IT governance and controls remain a persistent challenge for government entities'.
Mr Burns said the Committee also considered legislative non-compliance, including breaches of the Australian Constitution, which had increased across the two audit periods.
'While entities are taking active steps towards remediation, the Committee remains concerned by the number of breaches that persist across multiple audit cycles', Mr Burns said.
The growing use of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies across the public sector was also of interest to the Committee. Mr Burns commented that 'while the Committee did not investigate the use of AI across the public sector in depth, it will continue to monitor whether governance frameworks are keeping pace with the rate of adoption and the range of emerging use cases'.
Annual Report 2025-26
Under the Public Accounts and Audit Committee Act 1951, the Committee is required to report annually to the Parliament on the work it has undertaken. The report covers the Committee's activities in 2025–26, including non-inquiry activities in line with its legislative responsibilities.
The reports can be downloaded on the Committee's website.
