About this report or communique
Auditor-General’s Annual Plan 2026-27
I am pleased to present my Annual Plan for 2026-27, pursuant to section 11 of the Audit Act 2008 (Audit Act). It is the statement of intent for what I plan to achieve in the coming year.
The Premier’s 2026 State of the State address highlighted why public sector audit is more important than ever. From my perspective, the address signalled that government is accelerating major project delivery, embracing AI, restructuring agencies, and seeking budget savings to manage fiscal sustainability without undermining services. Audit plays a key role in maintaining transparency, accountability, and trust while making recommendations to support better decision making and more sustainable long term results.
In a letter tabled in Parliament on 4 December 2025, the Premier and Treasurer committed to ensuring that funding to Audit Tasmania over the forward estimates supports at least six (6) performance audits per annum. The revenue from appropriation included in the 2026-27 State Budget is not sufficient to meet that commitment. It remains the preferred position of the Auditor-General that performance audits should be fully funded through appropriation as they are for the purpose of reporting to Parliament.
An option of raising fee revenue may be necessary to meet the commitment of 6 performance audit reports if the appropriation revenue remains at the reduced level of $2.4 million rather than the $3.1 million requested. See appendix on page 23 for more information.
Suitable coverage can only be achieved with adequate independence. My contribution to the Department of Treasury and Finance’s review of the Audit Act, which started in 2024, has focused on ensuring the Auditor-General role is more independent from Executive Government. As noted in the Australasian Council of Auditors General 2026 Independent Report, this can be achieved through:
- more transparency, and greater involvement from the Public Accounts Committee, in setting Audit Tasmania’s budget to match the level of audit coverage Parliament requires
- ensuring the Auditor-General can make decisions on Audit Tasmania’s operations without needing to seek approval from Government
- the practice of some state entities to limit the Auditor-General’s access to their information reduces the Auditor-General’s ability to provide the Parliament with comprehensive reports.
I will continue to provide advice to the Government and Parliament regarding updating and strengthening the Audit Act.
Martin Thompson
Auditor-General
22 June 2026