Our audit followed 2 lines of inquiry:
1. Is the Free TAFE initiative enabling Victorians to access training for priority skills?
2. Can the department demonstrate that the Free TAFE initiative is performing as expected?
To answer these questions, we examined:
Download a PDF copy of Appendix D: Worker support payments.
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.
The department’s monitoring and evaluation arrangements show program activity, such as payments made and number of participants.
But they do not always provide reliable information. Data gaps, manual entry and inconsistent verification reduce confidence in the accuracy and completeness of reported results.
The department designed worker and business support packages in line with the government’s Better Grants by Design guide. The department made most support payments according to program rules and followed the required formulas for calculating compensation.
But the department cannot provide sufficient assurance for over $1.61 million in worker and business support payments. This is because the department has not consistently applied administrative, record keeping or quality assurance processes when assessing eligibility and making payments.
The program is helping eligible workers and their families with support services, financial support and training and employment funding.
But many workers have moved from full-time employment to less secure positions. The department cannot demonstrate if workers’ new jobs are meeting their needs or employment outcomes are sustainable.
The program’s business grants and support packages have helped businesses to stay open and compensate for lost income. But the department has not yet verified job creation or retention outcomes arising from this support.
We made 4 recommendations to address our findings. The department accepted all recommendations in full.
Our audit followed 2 lines of enquiry:
1. Are the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action's (the department) processes to administer forestry transition grants and support payments in line with relevant guidelines?
2. Is the Forestry Transition Program (the program) supporting eligible workers and businesses that need assistance to transition from reliance on native timber harvesting?
To answer these questions, we examined: