Departments report on their initiatives' performance, which DTF tracks. This provides the government with useful information on service user outcomes and emerging risks.  

But DTF and departments do not consistently measure changes in demand for the services where savings are expected, and they do not calculate actual savings. 

This means the government cannot know if the savings underpinning budget reductions are being achieved.

Covered in this section:

We made 7 recommendations to address our findings. The relevant agencies have accepted the recommendations in full or in principle. 

What we examined

Our audit followed 2 lines of enquiry:

1. Does the Department of Treasury and Finance (DTF) provide and consistently apply Early Intervention Investment Framework (EIIF) guidance and processes to support evidence-based submissions and advice to the government?

2. Is departments’ reporting on EIIF initiatives comprehensive and evidence based?

To answer these questions, we examined:

Download a PDF copy of Appendix C: Audit scope and method.

Download a PDF copy of Appendix B: Abbreviations, acronyms and glossary.

Download a PDF copy of Appendix A: Submissions and comments.

Victoria Police does not consistently use evidence when it identifies camera sites. This is because its criteria for identifying camera sites cannot always be supported by evidence. It also does not always keep complete records during this process.

Jenoptik and Victoria Police’s processes to capture images, verify offences and issue infringements work well. But the department and Jenoptik breached the regulations’ privacy requirements by keeping images for longer than allowed. 

The department commissioned an independent evaluation of the program in early 2025, 2 years after it began. But the department did not collect baseline data about road accidents, serious injuries and deaths linked to distracted driving or not wearing a seatbelt, or on public attitudes. 

Existing data does not reliably identify which accidents, injuries and fatalities are caused by distracted driving or not wearing a seatbelt. The department will not establish a method to get this information until at least mid-2026.

We made 5 recommendations to address our findings. The relevant agencies have accepted 4 recommendations in full and one recommendation in part.

What we examined

Our audit followed 2 lines of inquiry: 

1. Are the Department of Justice and Community Safety (the department) and Victoria Police managing the distracted driver and seatbelt detection camera program (the program) appropriately?

2. Is the department evaluating the program's contribution to road safety?

To answer these questions, we examined: