Letter to the Minister

The Hon Paul Kirby MLA
Minister for Primary Industry and Resources
Parliament House
DARWIN NT 0800

Dear Minister

In accordance with the provisions of the Public Sector Employment and Management Act 1993, I am pleased to present you with the annual report on the performance and achievements of the Department of Primary Industry and Resources for the year ended 30 June 2019.

Pursuant to the Public Sector Employment and Management Act 1993, the Financial Management Act 1995 and the Information Act 2002, including in my capacity as Accountable Officer, I advise that to the best of my knowledge and belief:

proper records of all transactions affecting the department are kept and that employees under their control observe the provisions of the Financial Management Act 1995, the Financial Management Regulations and Treasurer’s Directions
procedures within the department afford proper internal control and a current description of such procedures is recorded in the accounting and property manual which has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Financial Management Act 1995
no indication of fraud, malpractice, major breach of legislation or delegation, major error in or omission from the accounts and records exists
in accordance with the requirements of section 15 of the Financial Management Act 1995, the internal audit capacity available to the department is adequate and the results of internal audits have been reported to me
the financial statements included in the annual report have been prepared from proper accounts and records and are in accordance with Treasurer’s Directions
the employment instructions issued by the Commissioner for Public Employment have been satisfied
the department took steps to uphold all Public Sector Principles, outlined in Part 1A of the Public Sector Employment and Management Act 1993, with no significant failures to uphold them
the department has implemented processes to achieve compliance with the archives and records management provisions as prescribed in Part 9 of the Information Act 2002.

In addition, the Chief Executive of the Department of Corporate and Information Services (DCIS) advised me on 14 August 2019 that, in relation to items a) and e), and to the best of her knowledge and belief, proper records are kept of transactions undertaken by DCIS on behalf of the department, and the employees under her control observe the provisions of the Financial Management Act 1995, the Financial Management Regulations and Treasurer’s Directions.

The DCIS Chief Executive also advised that the Auditor-General has conducted compliance audits during the year to provide reasonable assurance that DCIS has maintained appropriate controls and record keeping practices.