Graduates at VAGO!

James Holloway (Financial Auditor)

I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Ballarat, graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce/Management double degree.

I saw the graduate position I took up at the Victorian Auditor-Generals Office as an excellent opportunity to start my career in accounting. It’s a very well-respected organisation and, amongst other things, is responsible for the reviewing expenditure of public monies.

I started my graduate year in the Justice portfolio working with a range of clients including the Department of Justice, Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation and Parliament. In this portfolio there were a large number of audits to be completed, so every week we were moving to a new client. It was very exciting being able to work in a different environment every week.

After my first year I rotated into the Treasury portfolio, and currently work with clients such as the Department of Treasury and Finance and the Department of Premier and Cabinet. This was is great experience for me because the big departments are very different to the smaller entities.

I have also had the opportunity to work on the Victorian State Budget, which was an entirely different job altogether. Reviewing the budget required me to learn a different set of skills, and the limited timeframe was both highly challenging and rewarding.

Coming from the country it was easy to fit in at VAGO. Everyone is really friendly and we have a very active social club.

Roberta Cole (Financial Audit Senior)

I completed a Bachelor of Business (Accounting and Economics/Finance) at Swinburne University in 2005 and am currently working as a Senior Financial Auditor at the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office (VAGO).

I commenced as a graduate in 2006. I have been given numerous opportunities to develop and enhance my skills as an auditor, which has lead me to the role of audit senior.

This role involves assisting management in conducting financial audits, providing guidance and supervision of team members, undertaking complex components of financial audits and developing strong professional relationships with our clients.

I have worked on a range of audit projects during my time at VAGO with the most challenging and exciting areas being the review of the Estimated Financial Statements for the State and the Annual Financial Report of Victoria. I have also worked on key reports to parliament, giving me the opportunity to develop a skill set outside my technical competencies.

I became interested in working for the public sector, particularly the Audit Office, as I saw it as an opportunity to not only obtain a career within the accounting industry, but to also play a part in providing assurance to parliament, and indirectly the wider community, on the accountability and performance of the Victorian Public Sector.

This year I will complete the Chartered Accountants Program. It has been a challenging experience to study while working in a full time job, however, with committed support from VAGO, it has made the challenge easier. In the future I would like to complete a Masters in Financial Accounting with the support of VAGO and gain skills to develop throughout the organisation.

Mohini Sashindranath (Financial Auditor)

After completing my degree in Applied Accounting and the examinations towards gaining membership of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (UK), I moved to Australia to pursue a career in accounting and to reunite with my family.

I spent two and a half years in country New South Wales working in a medium-sized accounting firm. My role included tax compliance work, business services, preparation of financial statements for sole traders, partnerships, companies, trust and self managed superannuation funds as well as the audit of trust accounts, self managed superannuation funds, clubs and other entities. The exposure I received into the various disciplines of the accounting profession was invaluable. My penchant for auditing became evident during this time.

When the opportunity arose in 2007 to work at the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office, I saw this as my chance to be in an organisation that was highly valued by the public and was committed to promoting continuous improvement.

Not being the one to get in to routines, auditing at VAGO gives me the chance to meet different people and work across a range of clients. In the two years I have been at VAGO, I have worked in the Local Government portfolio, Treasury portfolio, Education portfolio and on other Parliamentary products.

The most interesting jobs I have worked on include the Melbourne Olympic Parks Trust, the Melbourne Recital Centre and the Annual Financial Report for the State of Victoria, which consolidates the financial results of approximately 650 agencies within the state.

The dynamic environment, constant challenges and satisfaction of having something you worked on tabled in Parliament makes being here worthwhile! I have also realised what it feels like to be valued and to be able to add value.

Allan Choong (Financial Auditor)

I have a Bachelor of Commerce and Economics from Monash University and am currently working in the Justice, Education and Early Childhood Development portfolio.

I started at VAGO in 2008 and have enjoyed my first year as a graduate.

I was initially working in the Transport portfolio and was involved with several audits of well-publicised projects. These included the audits of the Eastlink Freeway, Southern Cross station and the Myki transport system. Being involved with these audits presented various challenges such as liaising with senior management, meeting deadlines and being given full responsibility of certain areas of the audit. While my tasks seemed daunting at first, my senior colleagues were always approachable and helpful.

We have also travelled to clients within Victoria. Our team went to Geelong and Bendigo for two weeks to inspect the finance policies and procedures of regional offices of Country Fire Authority

VAGO also encourages a good work/life balance and provides adequate support for CA/CPA study, which I have found to be beneficial when prioritising time between work andstudy. I have recently commenced my CA studies and the office has been very flexible in allowing me to take study leave.

Eleni Pappas (Analyst Performance Audit)

I studied Information Technology and Business majoring in Accounting at the Queensland University of Technology. In February 2007 I began my first role within VAGO as a graduate IT Auditor in the Financial Audit division. In October 2008, I initiated a secondment within VAGO to the Performance Audit division as an Analyst.

Throughout university my work experience had always been in Accounting. On graduation, I wanted to branch out and try something different, something that utilised both my IT and Accounting skills, at a place where I would not be pigeonholed as a graduate. Deciding on IT Audit as a career was the first step, choosing VAGO as an employer was next. I knew that working for VAGO would be a great introduction to the IT Audit profession because of the broad range of clients only available in the public sector, and the office's particular emphasis on staff training.

I have not been disappointed. Within my first year as an IT Auditor my work ranged from audits of small to medium sized councils and agencies such as VicForests through to high risk and complex audits such as the Department of Treasury and Finance, Shared Services Centre, State Revenue Office and Monash University. In addition, I was given the opportunity to work with my director on a limited scope performance audit of Project Rosetta, the state’s identity management system.

As an analyst, I am currently working on the performance audit of the Integrated Courts Management System (ICMS), with two senior VAGO staff members. After the research and evidence gathering stage, we will prepare a report on the progress and viability of the $45 million ICMS project, which will be tabled in Parliament in May.

As a representative of VAGO, I have had the opportunity to work with and interview many senior government officers including, various departmental CEOs and CIOs, Heads of Jurisdictions, Project Managers, Executive Directors as well as senior officers within our office. As a 24 year old, I have found these opportunities for learning are invaluable and will stand me in good stead for the rest of my career.