Audits in progress
V/Line Passenger Services
V/Line, a public sector corporation, is Australia’s
largest regional public transport operator—in 2015–16, it carried
17.7 million train and coach passengers. However, V/Line has
struggled to deliver on its operational performance thresholds and
targets in a challenging environment, consistently failing to meet
its targets for punctuality. Additionally, overall customer
satisfaction for regional trains over the past three years has
fallen.
V/Line faces the challenge of improving its
performance in the face of expected further passenger increases and
in a strict fiscal environment.
This audit will examine how V/Line is managing these current and
future challenges. It will also examine the support provided by the
Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and
Resources, and the Department of Treasury and Finance.
The report is expected to be tabled in August 2017.
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Internal Audit Programs
The audit aims to establish how well
departments are using their internal audit resources.
Each public sector entity is required to
establish, maintain and resource an internal audit function that is
independent of management. This internal audit function is overseen
by the audit committee and encompasses both internal resources and
the activities of the agency’s externally appointed internal
auditors.
Over several years, numerous performance
audits have questioned the effectiveness of agencies’ use of
internal audit resources. Recurring issues relate to the adequacy
of internal audit resources—their capacity and capability—and to
the whether the way they are used within the risk and control
environments of each entity maximises their value and impact.
This audit will examine the resourcing and
deployment of internal audit effort within each department, and its
operational effectiveness as one ‘line of defence’ within
departmental assurance frameworks.
The report is expected to be tabled
in August 2017.
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Effectively Planning for Population Growth
Current forecasts indicate that Victoria’s
population could reach up to 10 million by 2051, with 2.2 million
people in regional areas and 7.8 million in greater Melbourne. This
audit will highlight whether long term strategic planning for rapid
population growth is occurring in an effective, integrated manner.
A focus on maternity and early childhood services in areas
experiencing significant population growth provides an opportunity
to provide a case study of integration and coordination of planning
efforts across agencies.
The objective of the audit is to assess the
effectiveness of strategic planning for population growth,
focussing on birthing, maternal and child health and funded
kindergarten services.
The report is expected to be tabled
in August 2017.
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Managing the Level Crossing Program
The Level Crossing Removal Program aims to remove 51 crossings
by 2022—including 20 by 2018—at an estimated cost of $5–6 billion.
At June 2015, three packages of works involving 17 level crossings
were underway. The Level Crossing Removal Authority was established
to oversee the program. The program aims to improve productivity by
creating more reliable and efficient transport networks and better
connected and safer local communities.
The audit will assess the effectiveness, efficiency and economy
of the existing program and planning for the future direction of
level crossing removals in the state. The audit will also assess
whether the program has realised the expected benefits, such as
network efficiencies.
The report is expected to be tabled in
November 2017.
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Assessing benefits from the Regional Rail Link project
The $3.65 billion RRL opened on 21 June 2015. The project
involved construction of additional tracks between Southern Cross
Station and West Werribee, two new stations at Wyndham Vale and
Tarneit, upgrades to Footscray, West Footscray and Sunshine
stations, and signalling upgrades along the whole corridor.
The main aim of the project was to separate regional V/Line
services to Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong from Melbourne’s
electrified suburban network, thereby increasing rail capacity and
reliability. The project was delivered ahead of time and under
budget, although there were several scope and budget revisions
after the initial announcement of the project in 2009.
The project was expected to provide a range of community,
economic, environmental and transport benefits. Early positive
outcomes from the project include 342 extra regional train services
each week between Melbourne and Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo. As a
result, the number of passengers on the regional rail network has
grown by 20 per cent—it now carries more passengers than at any
point in its history.
Some issues emerged shortly after the RRL project opened, with
passengers raising concerns about reliability, overcrowding and
irregular spacing of services—particularly in Wyndham Vale and
Tarneit. In January 2016, regional services were also disrupted
when V/Line’s VLocity trains experienced higher-than-normal wheel
wear, largely due to tight curves in the track design and
lubrication practices on some sections of the RRL.
The report is expected to be tabled in
November 2017.
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Last updated on 22/06/2017