NSW Public‐Sector Audit Committees: A Survey Of Practice

Abstract

In Australia, public‐sector support for the establishment of audit committees has come from the New South Wales Auditor‐General's Office, the Australian National Audit Office and the New South Wales Public Accounts Committee. The NSW Treasury has also issued guidelines which provide the “official” prescriptions for audit committee membership and functions. The concept of independent audit committees is not new. Their benefits in both the public and private sectors are widely accepted in the US and Australia‘. This paper examines the adoption of audit committees in NSW public‐sector organisations, perceptions of their importance and the degree to which they comply with guidelines.