The Audit Office of New South Wales is a statutory authority, established under the Government Sector Audit Act 1983, that conducts audits for the Auditor-General.

We audit the entire New South Wales public sector. These audits help Parliament hold government accountable for its use of public resources.

What we do

Our people specialise in financial and performance audits and we’re proud of how our work promotes the effective use of public resources and the continuous improvement of government services.

Financial audits provide an independent opinion on NSW government entities’, universities’ and councils’ financial statements. They identify whether their financial statements comply with accounting standards and relevant laws, regulations and government directions.

Performance audits review whether public money is spent effectively, efficiently, economically and in accordance with the law. Legislation allows the Treasurer, ministers and both Houses of Parliament to request that we perform other audit or audit-related services. These can include audits of agencies’ compliance with specific legislation, directions and regulations.

Our resources:

• 284 full-time equivalent employees at 30 June 2021
• $54.2 million revenue from government entities, councils and universities for audits of their financial statements and other assurance activities
• $11.7 million from the government for our performance and compliance audits and Auditor-General’s Reports to Parliament
• 30% of our financial audit work delivered in partnership with external Audit Service Providers.

Our vision: Our insights inform and challenge government to improve outcomes for citizens.

Our purpose: To help Parliament hold government accountable for its use of public resources.

Our Values

• Pride in purpose: Our work is important so we set high standards and strive for excellence. Our insights drive better government and through that we have a real impact on issues that affect the people of New South Wales. 
• Curious and open-minded: Our people are empowered to look outward, find the best ways and question the status quo.  We are constantly curious and open to challenge. 
• Valuing people: People are at the heart of what we do. Every member of our team. Our stakeholders. The people of New South Wales. We support, trust and respect our people. We embrace and celebrate our diversity. We work as a team. 
• Contagious integrity: Behaving with the highest levels of integrity is fundamental to who we are.  We set a high standard and inspire others to do the same. We set the example.
• Courage (even when it's uncomfortable): We are impartial and objective. We listen and learn and strive for a balanced view. But we are not afraid to ask the uncomfortable questions and speak the uncomfortable truth.

Our main stakeholders: NSW Parliament | NSW state government entities | NSW local government councils | NSW universities

We have a strong desire to engage effectively with external stakeholders to ensure delivery of high quality audits that lead to improved public sector reporting and performance.

The majority of our stakeholder engagement focuses on auditees through the audit of their financial statements and reviews of their performance.

Our graduate program builds strong career foundations and develops audit professionals focused on improving public sector performance and accountability, that will make a difference in the community.

At the Audit Office of New South Wales, we play an important role in holding government accountable. Our people specialise in financial and performance audits, and we are proud of how our work promotes the effective use of public resources and the continuous improvement of government services.

As part of our graduate program, you will be mentored by experts and supported to pursue qualifications and membership with Australia’s professional accounting bodies.

Our graduates are uniquely exposed to a broad array of government organisations, varying from very small to very large public sector entities, departments, corporations, companies and local councils. Why limit yourself to one agency or organisation when you can work with many?

People are our key asset, and we invest in and support them. We have developed a reputation for producing talented and high performing audit professionals, and for providing a balanced workplace that fosters collaboration and lifelong learning.

A career at the Audit Office of New South Wales will challenge and reward you. Ultimately, you will grow into a connected and experienced audit professional who helps bring about positive outcomes for the people of New South Wales.

If this sounds like you, please get in contact with us. We look forward to welcoming you.

Margaret Crawford
Auditor-General for New South Wales

The Audit Office is a rewarding, challenging and impactful place to work, and our graduate program has a reputation for launching excellent careers.

Our brand, reputation and opportunities for personal and career development have enabled the Audit Office to attract and recruit high quality employees. This has positively impacted our ability to sustain a regular supply of specialist talent and our capacity to meet auditee needs.

The Audit Office of New South Wales is recognised as a centre of excellence within the professional services sector. For almost 200 years, the Auditor-General has assisted the Parliament of NSW to hold government accountable for its use of public resources. We do this by conducting independent audits across a diverse client base in sectors including health, education, transport, local government, superannuation and energy.

We have a people focussed culture built on trust, support, and respect. Our culture is supported by values of integrity, curiosity and open-mindedness, speaking out when we need to, and ultimately taking pride in the important work we do.

At the Audit Office, you won’t be restricted to one task on repeat. We want our graduates to get real-life experience with our clients and immerse themselves in all aspects of auditing.

Hear from our current graduates:

The difference is….

Hands-on experience

Why limit yourself to one organisation when you can work with many? Few roles expose you to such interesting and diverse clients. With a mandate to audit the entire NSW government, including local government, you will gain exposure to pretty much every type of industry!

Access to ongoing personal and professional development

The Audit Office provides excellent professional development opportunities. Ongoing formal and informal training will complement your on-the-job learning.

Throughout the year, we work with you to set clear goals and ensure you are continuously building on your knowledge and skills. Discuss your career prospects and preferences with your manager and track your goals and achievements using our online performance management and development system.

Support to gain your professional qualification

For those completing professional accounting qualifications, we will support you in your studies by providing you with a mentor, study and exam leave, and reimbursement of fees. We understand how gruelling work and study can be and we are committed to helping you make the most of your time, delivering on-the-job experience and knowledge that directly supports your pursuit of a professional accounting qualification.

We also support relevant tertiary studies, including a wide array of post-graduate qualifications, with generous study leave and fee reimbursement schemes.

Flexible work practices

At the Audit Office we don’t just talk about work-life balance, we actually do it!

We have a culture of looking after each other. Our deadlines can mean that some months are extremely busy and it’s all hands-on deck to get the job done. Things can get a little hectic when you’re auditing the entire NSW public sector! It’s worth it though – we give you flexibility at less busy times of the year to balance things out.

You'll learn a modern international standard audit methodology and will be able to apply sophisticated data analysis audit tools and approaches.

We value the fresh and different ideas our graduates bring

Innovation and creativity are highly valued and nurtured at the Audit Office. We encourage contributions from staff at all levels. If you have a particularly fabulous idea, you may even find yourself nominated for an award as part of our recognition program – the ‘Audies’. The program, run by staff for staff, recognises excellence in both individuals and teams, and awards are presented twice a year by the Auditor-General.

Coming to work will be fun!

We work hard, but we make sure that all our people have plenty of opportunities to connect with each other and have fun. Celebrating diversity is something we take very seriously, and our warmth and support is on show regularly at the many social and special events.

Although undoubtedly important, it's not just about academic results

Equally important is an inquiring mind, an adaptive mindset, leadership qualities and motivation. You’ll need integrity, maturity, resilience and tenacity together with well-developed oral and written communication skills, the ability to work successfully in a team environment and a keen interest in auditing and the public sector. We’re seeking graduates with accounting degrees recognised by CAANZ, CPA Australia or IPA.

Below is a list of skills and attributes we look for when choosing graduates to join our team.

Job experiences and challenges that we are looking for:

• worked in a team
• been involved in extra-curricular activities such as volunteering, sporting teams and university or community groups
• been mentored or coached, or tutored someone
• completed an internship or overseas gap year
• been recognised for achievement (for example, at university or in your community)
• been a military or emergency services reserve.

Functional and organisational knowledge:

• worked in a team
• been involved in extra-curricular activities such as volunteering, sporting teams and university or community groups
• been mentored or coached, or tutored someone
• completed an internship or overseas gap year
• been recognised for achievement (for example, at university or in your community)
• been a military or emergency services reserve.

Capabilities:

• written and verbal communication
• client awareness
• listening skills
• teamwork
• ability to assess and solve problems
• innovative thinking
• results orientation
• learning style (including being proactive and applying what is learnt).

Personal attributes:

• motivation 
• effective interpersonal skills
• being a team player
• time management
• resilience
• courage and confidence
• initiative
• ability to connect and network 
• aligned ethics and values.

Are you looking to excel in a career where you can make a difference?

Do you want exposure to every type of industry in New South Wales? 

People are our key asset and we are building our pool of talented and high performing audit professionals through our dedicated graduate program.

The Audit Office of New South Wales graduate program will provide you with a career that will challenge and reward you. Ultimately, you will grow into a connected and experienced audit professional who helps bring about positive outcomes for the people of New South Wales.

Our graduate program will provide you with a strong career foundation. It will be part of an ongoing journey to becoming an audit professional who is focused on improving public sector performance and accountability and making a real difference in the community.

Graduates who join our program have a passion for making a positive difference for the people of NSW and want to jumpstart their professional career in a dynamic, purposeful and supportive organisation.

The program offers comprehensive training, excellent progression and promotional opportunities, a competitive remuneration package, full support to gain your professional qualification, flexible work practices, attractive working conditions and the latest in computer technology.

As a new graduate, you will be allocated to a ‘neighbourhood’ (a large talent pool of auditors) and commence your practical, on-the-job training in our financial audit branch. This means you’ll be out in the field and working with your very own auditees – forget about being stuck in an office cubicle!

You will also be assigned a ‘Friendly Face’ who is somebody who has recently joined the Audit Office as a graduate. They'll help you transition smoothly into your role and will answer any questions you have.

You will receive CA/CPA study support. There’s also ongoing learning and development through on-the-job training and a structured, formal learning program.

Your development journey

We know that continuous learning is important. The Audit Office is committed to providing learning and development opportunities for all employees to succeed in their role and grow their career. When you join the Audit Office, you’ll experience regular formal technical and soft skills training which you will then apply on the job with coaching and support from your team.

Your learning and development program offers:

• virtual soft skills, including presenting virtually, running effective virtual meetings and coaching virtually
• Aboriginal cultural competency awareness eLearning for all employees 
• advanced Aboriginal competency training (pilot) 
• client documentation training 
• discovering resilience webinar and digital wellbeing series 
• mandatory training for all employees on bullying and harassment, workplace health and safety, code of conduct, cyber security and disability awareness job application and interview skills to support employees participating in internal recruitment campaigns
• a variety of online learning through LinkedIn Learning.

Who we’re looking for:

Although important, it's not just about academic results.

Equally important is an inquiring mind, an adaptive mindset, leadership qualities and motivation. You’ll need integrity, maturity, resilience and tenacity together with well-developed oral and written communication skills, the ability to work successfully in a team environment and a keen interest in auditing and the public sector. We’re seeking graduates with accounting degrees recognised by CAANZ, CPA Australia or IPA.

We are looking for graduates who:

• have strong written and verbal communication skills
• demonstrate resilience when faced with changing circumstances 
• have courage and confidence
• display excellent teamwork skills
• have client awareness and are results oriented
• demonstrate the ability to assess and solve problems 
• are innovative thinkers
• have a strong learning focus, are proactive and apply what is learnt
• have aligned ethics and values.

So, you’ve made it through our rigorous selection process. What's next?

Once you receive an offer

Between receiving an offer and your first day at work, we’ll help you feel part of the team by introducing you to your 'Friendly Face'.

Our Friendly Faces joined the office as graduates recently, and they'll help you transition smoothly into your role and will answer any questions you may have. You’ll be able to find out exactly how a new graduate copes with the demands of professional life.

You’ll also be invited to our all staff event in November so you can get a good feel for what's happening at the Audit Office before you start work at the end of January.

First few weeks on the job

You’ll begin life at the Audit Office with a formal two-week induction program that includes technical training, professional skills development, an introduction to the work culture, insights and interactions with the Auditor-General, the Deputy Auditor-General and the leadership team.

After your induction you’ll join a Neighbourhood (a large talent pool of auditors) and commence your practical, on-the-job training in our financial audit branch. This means you’ll be out in the field and working with your very own auditees - forget about being stuck in a little office cubicle to learn the ropes!

We equip and support you to conduct your audits with confidence. We do this by exposing you to our auditees from the outset, and by guiding you through a structured, formal training program that includes both technical and soft skills training.

Plus, your Friendly Face will be on hand to help with anything you need.

Setting you up for success

When you join our graduate team, you're given tailored support from our Learning and Development team. This includes half-yearly methodology training and a range of external courses to ensure you excel in your role.

We offer CPA/CA study support (including leave for study and exam days), and access to a range of online training courses.

Additionally, you will have the ongoing support of your team and colleagues across all levels of the organisation. And you can be assigned a mentor if you choose.

Throughout the year, we work with you to set clear goals and ensure you are continuously building on your knowledge and skills, including annual performance agreements and professional growth discussions.

Visit our website to learn more about our career development options and all of the other great things on offer at the Audit Office.

More than just life at the desk

There are so many opportunities to enjoy the social side of work.

Each year our recreation club (the ReClub) hosts a fun 'Launchies' event to welcome all our graduates, and help everyone connect and settle in. Last year this included a mini Olympics and picnic at the Royal Botanical Gardens, and in previous years it's involved a scavenger hunt through the city, bowling and much more.

Later in the year ReClub hosts our Annual Dinner where our graduate cohort gets to have some fun and get creative!

Other social events include regular Happy Hour, sports competitions, trivia nights, Melbourne Cup celebrations and lots more.

But best of all, our grads tell us that they love coming to work. They learn so much at the Audit Office, make lifelong friends and develop a valuable professional network.

Working on audits that generate insights to improve outcomes for the people of New South Wales gives our graduates a purposeful career and our supportive workplace makes everyday a rewarding one.

So, you’ve made it through our rigorous selection process. What's next?

Once you receive an offer

Between receiving an offer and your first day at work, we’ll help you feel part of the team by introducing you to your 'Friendly Face'.

Our Friendly Faces joined the office as graduates recently. They'll help you transition smoothly into your role and will answer any questions you may have. You’ll be able to find out exactly how a new graduate copes with the demands of professional life.

You’ll also be invited to our all staff event in November so you can get a good feel for what's happening at the Audit Office before you start work at the end of January.

First few weeks on the job

You’ll begin life at the Audit Office with a formal two-week induction program that includes technical training, professional skills development, an introduction to the work culture, insights and interactions with the Auditor-General, the Deputy Auditor-General and the leadership team.

After your induction you’ll join a Neighbourhood (a large talent pool of auditors) and commence your practical, on-the-job training in our financial audit branch. This means you’ll be out in the field and working with your very own auditees - forget about being stuck in a little office cubicle to learn the ropes!

We equip and support you to conduct your audits with confidence. We do this by exposing you to our auditees from the outset, and by guiding you through a structured, formal training program that includes both technical and soft skills training.

Plus, your Friendly Face will be on hand to help with anything you need.

Setting you up for success

When you join our graduate team, you're given tailored support from our Learning and Development team. This includes half-yearly methodology training and a range of external courses to ensure you excel in your role.

We offer CPA/CA study support (including leave for study and exam days), and access to a range of online training courses.

Additionally, you will have the ongoing support of your team and colleagues across all levels of the organisation. And you can be assigned a mentor if you choose.

Throughout the year, we work with you to set clear goals and ensure you are continuously building on your knowledge and skills, including annual performance agreements and professional growth discussions.

Visit our website to learn more about our career development options and all of the other great things on offer at the Audit Office.

More than just life at the desk

There are so many opportunities to enjoy the social side of work.

Each year our recreation club (the ReClub) hosts a fun 'Launchies' event to welcome all our graduates, and help everyone connect and settle in. In 2019, this included a mini Olympics and picnic at the Royal Botanical Gardens, and in previous years it's involved a scavenger hunt through the city, bowling and much more.

Later in the year, ReClub hosts our Annual Dinner where our graduate cohort gets to have some fun and get creative!

Other social events include regular happy hours, sporting competitions, trivia nights and lots more.

But best of all, our grads tell us that they love coming to work. They learn so much at the Audit Office, make lifelong friends and develop a valuable professional network.

Working on audits that generate insights to improve outcomes for the people of New South Wales gives our graduates a purposeful career and our supportive workplace makes everyday a rewarding one.

Interview with our 2020 graduates on life at the Audit Office: https://youtu.be/I1EY186S0zk

1. A career with benefits

We offer excellent working conditions, plenty of career progression opportunities and a competitive remuneration package. Did you know that many of our audit leaders, several directors and even our Assistant Auditor-General started in our graduate program?

2. Variety of work

Why work for just one government agency when you can work with them all? We audit the entire New South Wales public sector and a career with us will see you work with many different people who operate the State’s most important assets and institutions. You’ll be challenged and developed through the broad diversity of issues and clients we work with.

3. Comprehensive training

We help our graduates build the necessary technical, management and leadership skills so you will have everything you need to take the next step in your career with us. We’ll invest in supporting you to become an auditor of the future, providing training in the latest international standard audit methodology and sophisticated data analytics audit tools.

4. Study support

We know that your education doesn’t end when you join us. It’s why we are pleased to fund professional qualifications like CAANZ, CPA Australia, IPA and other relevant postgraduate degrees and offer study leave to help you prepare for exams. We want to you to thrive at work and become the high performance auditor you want to be.

5. Real work-life balance

We don’t just talk about work-life balance, we live it! Yes, there are busy periods each year but on average, you’ll work a 35-hour week. This means more time for study, friends, family, hobbies and interests. On a case-by-case basis, we also offer a range of flexible working arrangements such as part-time work, a compressed working week, job sharing, career breaks, paid parental leave, study leave, family and community service leave, and leave without pay. The Audit Office is committed to supporting flexible work arrangements that help employees balance their work-life priorities. Our flexible work practices provide our employees with choice in the way they work, within the context of their roles, creating a diverse, skilled and motivated workforce capable of delivering quality products and efficient services.

6. The feel-good factor

When you work with us, you’re looked after from the moment you receive an offer to join us! This includes:

• our Friendly Face program with staff who joined us through the graduate program, available to support you and answer questions about being a graduate at the Audit Office
• recognising excellence in individuals and teams through an official recognition program run by staff with the support of senior leadership, with awards given out twice a year
• fresh fruit, discount gym memberships, free flu shots and social sport competitions are just some of the ways we help keep you feeling great
• having fun and relaxing with colleagues through our recreation club events, including harbour cruises, end-of-year parties, Friday Happy Hour drinks, scavenger hunts and lots more
• opportunities to make a difference in the community, such as participating in our OzHarvest food drive.

7. We support who you are

We are proud to have a workforce that consists of staff from over 42 countries and who speak some 27 languages. We celebrate this diversity regularly through events such as Eid, Diwali, Lunar New Year, International Women’s Day, Harmony Day, NAIDOC week and Mardi Gras. We require all staff to participate in training that focuses on improving cultural awareness, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and are continually working to bring more women into leadership roles, with half our leadership team currently women.

8. Chance to have your say and grow an organisation

We highly value innovation and creativity. It’s a core part of our culture and features in our corporate strategy. Innovation is nurtured and supported and we encourage contributions from staff at all levels to shape the direction of the office. Our leaders are focused on how we engage with staff to build the audit office of the future.

9. Secondments

A career at the Audit Office can be more than being a financial auditor. Staff have opportunities to join another team internally on a temporary basis, such as performance audit or working in our corporate services teams. There are also opportunities to grow outside the Audit Office through gaining experience at other audit offices both interstate and overseas, another government agency or even a private sector accounting firm.

10. Travel opportunities

Experience the diversity of New South Wales (and the comfort of a hotel bed after a hard day’s work) as you visit clients across the state. But it’s not just state travel. Our staff have travelled to the Solomon Islands as part of our twinning arrangement with the country’s audit office as well as the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong. We hope to resume international travel in the near future.

Our people come from many different backgrounds and cultures and we respect the unique point of view each person brings to our business. Diversity makes us a more vibrant, interesting and ultimately stronger organisation and is fundamental to our values and culture.

About 40% of our staff come from a non-English speaking background and about 54% are women. We are proud of the fact that we proactively support staff with disabilities and follow the principle of inclusion in everything we do.
In November 2021, we launched our Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility Roadmap 2021–2025 which supports our commitment to ensuring we have a diverse workplace that is representative of our community. This roadmap provides a platform for the Audit Office to ensure meaningful employment opportunities to all employees regardless of culture, disability, gender or background. We are working towards breaking down any barriers that may exist to allow us to build a stronger, more innovative workforce. The roadmap outlines short and medium-term objectives across four focus areas. It also identifies specific Audit Office targets that are meaningful to our organisation and that help us measure our progress towards achieving the NSW Government targets.

We celebrate many cultural festivals including Diwali, NAIDOC, Lunar New Year, Harmony Day and Eid. These celebrations help us recognise the diversity of our workplace and encourage our people to learn more about other cultures and diversity groups.

We welcome people to the Audit Office who share this attitude to change and the increased diversity such change brings.

We want our employees to feel comfortable and safe to be their true selves. We’re a strong supporter of the LGBTIQ+ community.

This is an area of ongoing development and we are currently looking at other initiatives and opportunities for those in the LGBTIQ+ community to celebrate alongside colleagues. We are also working to ensure those within the community are encouraged to voice any suggestions they may have.

Disability inclusion

There are no barriers to our people being able to excel in the work they do.
 
We have an ongoing commitment to meet the needs of people with disability and increase accessibility to information, services and the workplace. Each year we celebrate International Day of People with Disability, and all staff are trained in Disability Awareness. We implement training, development and job design solutions for staff with disability, and provide these staff any required work-related adjustments.

We continue to ensure that training programs are accessible, and that all service information is available in accessible formats. In 2020-21 we increased the accessibility of our external products by providing on the job accessibility training to some of our reports teams and by utilising alt text for images. To increase representation of people with a disability we are developing a strategy which includes investigating and implementing a disability internship.

It's our goal that all staff with a disability feel included at all times. We are working with partner organisations to identify more employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Equal opportunity

We believe that no matter what your gender is, you deserve the same opportunities to excel in your chosen profession.

We are working to eliminate gender discrimination and remove barriers to equal participation.

We continuously look for ways of promoting gender equity and improve working conditions for women. Additionally, we provide opportunities to participate in external events that promote women’s leadership.

We celebrate International Women’s Day every year.

Our policies to support flexible work apply equally to all genders and enable all our people to better balance career responsibilities with workload.

The Audit Office Reconciliation Roadmap

The Audit Office Reconciliation Roadmap sets out how we aim to strengthen relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous peoples through commitment, employment, community engagement, cultural competency and procurement.

The CareerTrackers program

The Audit Office is partnered with CareerTrackers, a nationwide non-profit which aims to support Indigenous students and promote inclusion within the workplace. This program allows our interns to grow and develop both professionally and personally during their time with us. One of our goals is that they join us long term at the end of their university degree. Feedback from the program has indicated that we have created a safe place for Indigenous Interns to work here.

Aboriginal cultural competency training

We believe that education also plays an important role in creating an inclusive environment. It’s why every staff member undergoes cultural awareness training to expand understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Banner image: 'Yarning Circle' by Caitlin Liddle, Audit Office Indigenous Internship Program participant used with permission.