Engagement

McGrathNicol was engaged by the ANAO to undertake a comprehensive performance audit of the Australian Customs Service’s (Customs’) management and coordination of enforcement and surveillance operations in the Southern Ocean.

Challenges

In undertaking the audit, we had to coordinate fieldwork in six key Government stakeholder agencies including the: Australian Fisheries Management Authority; Australian Antarctic Division; and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. We also facilitated discussions with stakeholders from the private sector.

Significant elements of the information collected as part of the audit were highly classified. The audit team had to ensure that the evidence collected as part of the audit was stored and handled securely and that security issues were not discussed with or disclosed to the public.

Approach

The audit method comprised:

+         the review of relevant Customs’ and other Australian Government agencies’ documentation;

+         interviews with Customs officers in Adelaide, Hobart and Canberra;

+         interviews with key program stakeholders including the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and Department of Foreign Affairs
           and Trade;

+         interviews with key private sector stakeholders including: the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources; P&O  
           Maritime Services Pty. Ltd.; and Austral Fisheries Pty. Ltd; and

+         developing a comprehensive report for tabling in the Australian Federal Parliament.

Outcomes

The review was tabled in Parliament on 30 September 2008 (Audit Report No.6, 2008-09, Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing in the Southern Ocean).

All recommendations were agreed without qualification by Customs and stakeholder agencies.