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Consideration transferred

The Committee of the Legislative Assembly referred this Auditor-General’s report to the Health and Environment Committee on 16 June 2023. On 13 February 2024, the Legislative Assembly amended Schedule 6 of the Standing Rules and Orders of the Legislative Assembly, establishing the Health, Environment and Agriculture Committee, and transferred the Auditor-General's report to the Health, Environment and Agriculture Committee for consideration.

Overview

Role of the Auditor-General 

The role of the Auditor-General is to provide Parliament with independent assurance of public sector accountability and performance. This is achieved through reporting to Parliament on the results of its financial and performance audits.

About the Auditor-General Report

View: Auditor-General Report 14: 2022-23 - Health outcomes for First Nations people

Auditor-General Report 14: 2022-23 Health outcomes for First Nations people (the audit report), examines the effectiveness of strategies implemented by Queensland Health (QH) to improve health outcomes for First Nations people. 

The audit report examines areas directly within the control of QH, like how it delivers culturally appropriate health care, its role as a health system manager, and how it manages the challenges of delivering services to First Nations people in remote areas. 

The audit report notes that many of the opportunities to improve health outcomes are beyond QH’s immediate control, like economic, education, housing, and environmental factors. Those factors were not examined in the audit report, however it noted that they present significant challenges that require sustained focus and coordination across government. The audit report also concluded that improving health outcomes is tied to QH’s partnerships with other stakeholders, like the community-controlled health sector.

The audit report concluded that QH can do more to improve health outcomes for First Nations people, with First Nations people still overrepresented in measures that indicate a lack of culturally appropriate care. The audit report acknowledges that providing health care to people in remote communities is an ongoing challenge, and that although QH and the Hospital and Health Services have embedded First Nations leadership and displayed a commitment to culturally appropriate care, more is still needed to improve culturally appropriate care across Queensland.

The nature of the challenges faced, the steps taken to address those challenges, and the further changes that are recommended to address ongoing issues are covered in detail in the audit report. The audit report makes 6 key recommendations (p 5) and the department’s response to those recommendations is in the Appendix to the report.

Referral to Committee 

Standing Order 194B provides that the Committee of the Legislative Assembly shall as soon as practicable after a report of the Auditor-General is tabled in the Assembly refer that report to the relevant portfolio committee(s) for consideration. 

The Health and Environment Committee is responsible under section 94 of the Parliament of Queensland Act 2001 for assessing the integrity, economy, efficiency and effectiveness of government financial management by examining government financial documents and considering reports of the Auditor-General.

The Committee of the Legislative Assembly referred the Auditor-General’s report to the Health and Environment Committee on 16 June 2023.