Latest news with #CarolineSpencer
ABC News
3 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
SmartRider public transport upgrade among IT projects over budget, WA auditor-general finds
Perth residents are no closer to being able to use their phones or debit cards to tag on for public transport because a highly anticipated SmartRider upgrade is six-and-a-half years behind schedule and way over budget. That's one of the findings of a new auditor-general report that revealed most of the WA government's major IT projects have blown out in cost and time, and that called for better transparency. The auditor-general's office looked at 10 major projects being delivered by the government, including the firearms licensing and registering system and electronic medical records. In total, those projects are currently $1.6 billion over budget, with eight of them delayed. The SmartRider technology is already used in many other capital cities across the globe, but the report revealed its introduction in WA is significantly behind schedule, with the project not due to be completed until June 2026. It was originally supposed to be finished by December 2019. A central agency called the Office of Digital Government (DGov) is tasked with overseeing the digital transformation of the public sector, but it is not involved in every state government IT project. "The projects that were subject to these oversight mechanisms and solid frameworks actually performed much better," WA Auditor-General Caroline Spencer told ABC Radio Perth. "It's the ones that were internally funded … that didn't have those good project governance and oversight mechanisms that had the biggest problems." That includes the SmartRider technology, which the report estimated will come in about $7 million over budget. Premier Roger Cook said it was likely projects involving complex IT systems, like the SmartRider upgrade, blew out because of developments in technology. "Particularly as the IT evolves over the term of that program, you are given new opportunities around scope," he said. "In the ticketing system in the [Public Transport Authority], as they're starting to get to the back-end of that program, other opportunities come up. "[It's] still a $60 million program. We've been given the opportunity to capture other issues which expands the scope of that and may expand the cost, but no decision has been made in relation to that." Information on the status and cost of these projects is not readily available to the taxpayer. Ms Spencer said it was even difficult for her office to access it because figures in annual reports and budget papers tended to be inconsistent. "Good reporting and transparency is really, really important to decision-makers to make sure that when a project gets off track, informed decisions are made to bring it on track, and they don't just linger and run on without proper scrutiny and oversight," she said. The report provided an example of what a digital dashboard could look like to make the information public. But Ms Spencer said while improvements were being made, nothing had been set in stone. "The commitment to increasing transparency of major projects, whether they be infrastructure projects or IT projects, is still a work in progress," she said.
West Australian
12-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Water watchdog under fire: Just five inspections in North West for two trillion litres of allocations
There were only five on-ground inspections of water licence holders in the North West in four years, despite the region containing almost half of the water entitlement for the entire State. A scathing report released on Wednesday by the Office of the Auditor General found the government agency in charge of monitoring licence holders was not doing 'anywhere near enough' to protect water resources across WA and could not be confident licence holders weren't taking water illegally. The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) is tasked with monitoring more than 12,000 water licences across WA. The licences are used for everyday life, industry, mining and agriculture, with 78 per cent of all water used across the State drawn from underground aquifers. These free licences allow for the extraction of more than four trillion litres of water annually — enough water to fill more than 1.7 million Olympic swimming pools. In the North West there are 907 licences for a combined water entitlement of 2045 gigalitres, or two trillion litres. But only five on-ground inspections were held in the North West between 2021 and 2024. In the Ord River Irrigation Area, DWER failed to follow the recommendations of its own specialists who determined that based on scientific evidence and research, 10 per cent of licensees should be inspected annually. Auditor General Caroline Spencer found that while DWER carried out more than 2000 compliance activities a year, that number had decreased over the past three years and most activities were desktop reviews of unverified meter readings and information reported by licence holders. On-ground inspections also decreased, dropping State-wide by 67 per cent between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2024. Ms Spencer said despite increasing demand for water and a drying climate, DWER couldn't be confident that licence holders were meeting their licence conditions and that water was being extracted appropriately. 'This audit shows that DWER is not doing anywhere near enough to adequately protect our water resources, with compliance activities in recent years reactive and ad hoc,' she said. 'Poor management, over-extraction and illegal taking of water all threaten the long-term sustainability of our groundwater supplies and creates an uneven playing field for operators who are doing the right thing. 'As regulator, DWER has a critical role to ensure those licensed to extract and use water comply with their licence conditions.' Reports by the OAG in 2003 and 2009 also found the regulator's monitoring of water use in WA was not sufficient to ensure the resource was not being taken illegally. The report noted DWER had few staff to carry out on-ground inspections and while some compliance activities were performed by licensing officers, there were only seven dedicated compliance officers. In a response to the findings, DWER said it welcomed the report, would review its findings and implement improvements. It said the audit was held during a transitional period for its water assurance activities and while improvements were under way. 'An increase in enforcement activity under the Rights in Water and Irrigation Act 1914, including the issuing of daily penalty notices, resulted in record fines for water assurance enforcement activities in 2024,' it said.
The Advertiser
11-06-2025
- General
- The Advertiser
'Poor management': regulator in hot water over licences
In one of Australia's driest states, authorities are not monitoring how much water is being pumped from the ground or if it's taken legally, a report says. Western Australia's auditor-general found that the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) was not enforcing the conditions on the more than 12,000 water licences. Often handed out for free, the licences allow more than four trillion litres of water to be extracted annually - enough to fill more than 1.7 million Olympic swimming pools. "DWER is not doing anywhere near enough to adequately protect our water resources, with compliance activities in recent years reactive and ad hoc," Auditor-General Caroline Spencer said. "Poor management, over extraction and illegal taking of water all threaten the long-term sustainability of our groundwater supplies and create an uneven playing field for operators who are doing the right thing." The report, tabled in state parliament on Wednesday, said the department's compliance checking activities have decreased over the past three years. Most are desktop reviews of unverified meter readings, with information reported by licence holders. On-the-ground inspections decreased by 67 per cent during the audit period from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2024, weakening the department's understanding of compliance. "Only five per cent of licence holders were visited in that time (and) in 2023-24, half of the regions saw no inspections all," Ms Spencer said. There is also no effective deterrence of future non-compliance because they are not prioritised for investigation. It's the third report by the Office of the Auditor-General that has found issues with the planning and monitoring of water use in WA. During the three years of the reporting period, 87 per cent of potential incidents of non-compliance were never assigned to a staff member to investigate. There was also no effective guidance to help staff assess the severity or impact of non-compliance. The report said this risked inconsistent outcomes or ineffective enforcement options. "(The regulator) needs to improve its enforcement approach, including more timely actions to address potential incidents of non-compliance and to better deal with and deter future breaches," Ms Spencer said. The department accepted the report findings and said it had improved its water compliance and enforcement functions "Since June 2024, there has been an increase in enforcement activity, including the issuing of daily penalty notices, which has resulted in a significant fine for water assurance enforcement activities in the current financial year," it said. The opposition accused the government of negligence. "This is a staggering failure of oversight ... the government has no idea whether it's being used lawfully or sustainably," water spokesman Peter Rundle said. In one of Australia's driest states, authorities are not monitoring how much water is being pumped from the ground or if it's taken legally, a report says. Western Australia's auditor-general found that the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) was not enforcing the conditions on the more than 12,000 water licences. Often handed out for free, the licences allow more than four trillion litres of water to be extracted annually - enough to fill more than 1.7 million Olympic swimming pools. "DWER is not doing anywhere near enough to adequately protect our water resources, with compliance activities in recent years reactive and ad hoc," Auditor-General Caroline Spencer said. "Poor management, over extraction and illegal taking of water all threaten the long-term sustainability of our groundwater supplies and create an uneven playing field for operators who are doing the right thing." The report, tabled in state parliament on Wednesday, said the department's compliance checking activities have decreased over the past three years. Most are desktop reviews of unverified meter readings, with information reported by licence holders. On-the-ground inspections decreased by 67 per cent during the audit period from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2024, weakening the department's understanding of compliance. "Only five per cent of licence holders were visited in that time (and) in 2023-24, half of the regions saw no inspections all," Ms Spencer said. There is also no effective deterrence of future non-compliance because they are not prioritised for investigation. It's the third report by the Office of the Auditor-General that has found issues with the planning and monitoring of water use in WA. During the three years of the reporting period, 87 per cent of potential incidents of non-compliance were never assigned to a staff member to investigate. There was also no effective guidance to help staff assess the severity or impact of non-compliance. The report said this risked inconsistent outcomes or ineffective enforcement options. "(The regulator) needs to improve its enforcement approach, including more timely actions to address potential incidents of non-compliance and to better deal with and deter future breaches," Ms Spencer said. The department accepted the report findings and said it had improved its water compliance and enforcement functions "Since June 2024, there has been an increase in enforcement activity, including the issuing of daily penalty notices, which has resulted in a significant fine for water assurance enforcement activities in the current financial year," it said. The opposition accused the government of negligence. "This is a staggering failure of oversight ... the government has no idea whether it's being used lawfully or sustainably," water spokesman Peter Rundle said. In one of Australia's driest states, authorities are not monitoring how much water is being pumped from the ground or if it's taken legally, a report says. Western Australia's auditor-general found that the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) was not enforcing the conditions on the more than 12,000 water licences. Often handed out for free, the licences allow more than four trillion litres of water to be extracted annually - enough to fill more than 1.7 million Olympic swimming pools. "DWER is not doing anywhere near enough to adequately protect our water resources, with compliance activities in recent years reactive and ad hoc," Auditor-General Caroline Spencer said. "Poor management, over extraction and illegal taking of water all threaten the long-term sustainability of our groundwater supplies and create an uneven playing field for operators who are doing the right thing." The report, tabled in state parliament on Wednesday, said the department's compliance checking activities have decreased over the past three years. Most are desktop reviews of unverified meter readings, with information reported by licence holders. On-the-ground inspections decreased by 67 per cent during the audit period from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2024, weakening the department's understanding of compliance. "Only five per cent of licence holders were visited in that time (and) in 2023-24, half of the regions saw no inspections all," Ms Spencer said. There is also no effective deterrence of future non-compliance because they are not prioritised for investigation. It's the third report by the Office of the Auditor-General that has found issues with the planning and monitoring of water use in WA. During the three years of the reporting period, 87 per cent of potential incidents of non-compliance were never assigned to a staff member to investigate. There was also no effective guidance to help staff assess the severity or impact of non-compliance. The report said this risked inconsistent outcomes or ineffective enforcement options. "(The regulator) needs to improve its enforcement approach, including more timely actions to address potential incidents of non-compliance and to better deal with and deter future breaches," Ms Spencer said. The department accepted the report findings and said it had improved its water compliance and enforcement functions "Since June 2024, there has been an increase in enforcement activity, including the issuing of daily penalty notices, which has resulted in a significant fine for water assurance enforcement activities in the current financial year," it said. The opposition accused the government of negligence. "This is a staggering failure of oversight ... the government has no idea whether it's being used lawfully or sustainably," water spokesman Peter Rundle said. In one of Australia's driest states, authorities are not monitoring how much water is being pumped from the ground or if it's taken legally, a report says. Western Australia's auditor-general found that the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) was not enforcing the conditions on the more than 12,000 water licences. Often handed out for free, the licences allow more than four trillion litres of water to be extracted annually - enough to fill more than 1.7 million Olympic swimming pools. "DWER is not doing anywhere near enough to adequately protect our water resources, with compliance activities in recent years reactive and ad hoc," Auditor-General Caroline Spencer said. "Poor management, over extraction and illegal taking of water all threaten the long-term sustainability of our groundwater supplies and create an uneven playing field for operators who are doing the right thing." The report, tabled in state parliament on Wednesday, said the department's compliance checking activities have decreased over the past three years. Most are desktop reviews of unverified meter readings, with information reported by licence holders. On-the-ground inspections decreased by 67 per cent during the audit period from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2024, weakening the department's understanding of compliance. "Only five per cent of licence holders were visited in that time (and) in 2023-24, half of the regions saw no inspections all," Ms Spencer said. There is also no effective deterrence of future non-compliance because they are not prioritised for investigation. It's the third report by the Office of the Auditor-General that has found issues with the planning and monitoring of water use in WA. During the three years of the reporting period, 87 per cent of potential incidents of non-compliance were never assigned to a staff member to investigate. There was also no effective guidance to help staff assess the severity or impact of non-compliance. The report said this risked inconsistent outcomes or ineffective enforcement options. "(The regulator) needs to improve its enforcement approach, including more timely actions to address potential incidents of non-compliance and to better deal with and deter future breaches," Ms Spencer said. The department accepted the report findings and said it had improved its water compliance and enforcement functions "Since June 2024, there has been an increase in enforcement activity, including the issuing of daily penalty notices, which has resulted in a significant fine for water assurance enforcement activities in the current financial year," it said. The opposition accused the government of negligence. "This is a staggering failure of oversight ... the government has no idea whether it's being used lawfully or sustainably," water spokesman Peter Rundle said.
West Australian
11-06-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
'Poor management': regulator in the dark over water use
Authorities are not monitoring how much water is being pumped from the ground in one of Australia's driest states or if it's taken legally, a report says. Western Australia's auditor-general found that the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) was not enforcing the conditions on the more than 12,000 water licences. Often handed out for free, the licences allow more than four trillion litres of water to be extracted annually - enough to fill more than 1.7 million Olympic swimming pools. "DWER is not doing anywhere near enough to adequately protect our water resources, with compliance activities in recent years reactive and ad hoc," Auditor-General Caroline Spencer said. "Poor management, over extraction and illegal taking of water all threaten the long-term sustainability of our groundwater supplies and create an uneven playing field for operators who are doing the right thing." The report, tabled in state parliament on Wednesday, said the department's compliance checking activities have decreased over the past three years. Most are desktop reviews of unverified meter readings, with information reported by licence holders. On-the-ground inspections decreased by 67 per cent during the audit period from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2024, weakening the department's understanding of compliance. "Only five per cent of licence holders were visited in that time (and) in 2023-24, half of the regions saw no inspections all," Ms Spencer said. There is also no effective deterrence of future non-compliance because they are not prioritised for investigation. It's the third report by the Office of the auditor-general that has found issues with the planning and monitoring of water use in WA. During the three years of the reporting period, 87 per cent of potential incidents of non-compliance were never assigned to a staff member to investigate. There was also no effective guidance to help staff assess the severity or impact of non-compliance. The report said this risked inconsistent outcomes or ineffective enforcement options."(The regulator) needs to improve its enforcement approach, including more timely actions to address potential incidents of non-compliance and to better deal with and deter future breaches," Ms Spencer said. The opposition accused the government of negligence. "This is a staggering failure of oversight ... the government has no idea whether it's being used lawfully or sustainably," water spokesman Peter Rundle said. The department has been contacted for comment.
Perth Now
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
'Poor management': regulator in the dark over water use
Authorities are not monitoring how much water is being pumped from the ground in one of Australia's driest states or if it's taken legally, a report says. Western Australia's auditor-general found that the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) was not enforcing the conditions on the more than 12,000 water licences. Often handed out for free, the licences allow more than four trillion litres of water to be extracted annually - enough to fill more than 1.7 million Olympic swimming pools. "DWER is not doing anywhere near enough to adequately protect our water resources, with compliance activities in recent years reactive and ad hoc," Auditor-General Caroline Spencer said. "Poor management, over extraction and illegal taking of water all threaten the long-term sustainability of our groundwater supplies and create an uneven playing field for operators who are doing the right thing." The report, tabled in state parliament on Wednesday, said the department's compliance checking activities have decreased over the past three years. Most are desktop reviews of unverified meter readings, with information reported by licence holders. On-the-ground inspections decreased by 67 per cent during the audit period from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2024, weakening the department's understanding of compliance. "Only five per cent of licence holders were visited in that time (and) in 2023-24, half of the regions saw no inspections all," Ms Spencer said. There is also no effective deterrence of future non-compliance because they are not prioritised for investigation. It's the third report by the Office of the auditor-general that has found issues with the planning and monitoring of water use in WA. During the three years of the reporting period, 87 per cent of potential incidents of non-compliance were never assigned to a staff member to investigate. There was also no effective guidance to help staff assess the severity or impact of non-compliance. The report said this risked inconsistent outcomes or ineffective enforcement options."(The regulator) needs to improve its enforcement approach, including more timely actions to address potential incidents of non-compliance and to better deal with and deter future breaches," Ms Spencer said. The opposition accused the government of negligence. "This is a staggering failure of oversight ... the government has no idea whether it's being used lawfully or sustainably," water spokesman Peter Rundle said. The department has been contacted for comment.
