History of the Victorian Auditor-General's Office
When the Colony of Victoria was proclaimed (1 July 1851),
Charles Ebden was appointed to the Legislative Council as the first
Auditor-General at an annual salary of $1 200. His role was to
audit the costs, charges and expenses incurred in the collection,
maintenance and receipt of revenue under the direction of the UK
Parliament. The audit office staff of 1851 consisted of six
people.
In 1857, the position of Auditor-General was replaced by a group
of three Commissioners of Audit, under an Act of Parliament
setting out the basis of public sector auditing. With Federation in
1901, and the creation of Victoria as a state, came a new Audit
Act. The Act re-established the position of Auditor-General and
emphasised his independence. The Act also confirmed the duties and
responsibilities the Auditor-General was to perform on Parliament's
behalf.
By the turn of the century, the office had 59 staff who audited
over $200 million of government expenditure. Today, we have a staff
of around 150, and we are responsible for auditing around $50
billion of government expenditure.
The people who have held the position of Auditor-General since
1851 are listed below:
| Charles Hotson Ebden |
1851 - 1852 |
Auditor-General |
| Hugh Culling Earley Childers |
1852 - 1853 |
Auditor-General |
| Edward Grimes |
1853 - 1857 |
Auditor-General |
| Charles Hunt Symonds |
1857 - 1886 |
One of 3 Commissioners of Audit |
| Francis Jones |
1857 - 1885 |
One of 3 Commissioners of Audit |
| Alfred Agg |
1857 - 1886 |
One of 3 Commissioners of Audit |
| T W Jackson |
1885 - 1894 |
One of 3 Commissioners of Audit |
| Alfred William Howitt |
1895 - 1902 |
One of 3 Commissioners of Audit |
| J W Fosberry |
1887 - 1901 |
One of 3 Commissioners of Audit |
| Arthur Moorah |
1890 - 1902 |
One of 3 Commissioners of Audit |
| T R Wilson |
1894 - 1895 |
One of 3 Commissioners of Audit |
| Charles Alfred Topp |
1901 - 1902 |
One of 3 Commissioners of Audit |
| James Bagge |
1902 |
Auditor-General |
| James Hamilton Reid |
1902 - 1903 |
Auditor-General |
| Frederick Horatio Bruford |
1903 - 1919 |
Auditor-General |
| John Alexander Norris |
1919 - 1937 |
Auditor-General |
| Edward A Peverill |
1938 - 1957 |
Auditor-General |
| Redvers William Gillard |
1957 - 1965 |
Auditor-General |
| Arthur John Alliance Gardner |
1965 - 1970 |
Auditor-General |
| Bruce Hamilton |
1970 - 1977 |
Auditor-General |
| Brian Joseph Waldron |
1977 - 1986 |
Auditor-General |
| Richard Humphry |
1986 - 1988 |
Auditor-General |
| Chesleigh Antony Baragwanath |
1988 - 1999 |
Auditor-General |
| Wayne Cameron |
1999 - 2006 |
Auditor-General |
| Des Pearson |
2006 - 2012 |
Auditor-General |
Biographical information on all Auditors-General listed upto
Wayne Cameron can be found in the publication In the public interest - 150 years of the Victorian
Auditor-General's Office.
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