The last financial account audited by the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) for the i-Taukei Affairs Board dates back to 2007. This information was presented by Auditor-General Finau Nagera to the Public Accounts Committee during a review of the audit reports for the Ministry of i-Taukei Affairs covering the years 2020, 2021, and 2022 in the General Administration Sector.
Nagera informed the committee that the OAG is currently waiting for the draft financial statements for 2008 and subsequent years to conduct their audits. She noted that these outstanding reports will be managed by external accounting firms.
The OAG expressed satisfaction with the progress of the provincial council financial reports, stating that they are only a few years behind. Nagera announced plans to finalize the financial accounts for 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 within the current financial year.
She mentioned that the OAG aims to audit 56 draft financial reports, with these audits being carried out internally rather than outsourced. Furthermore, there are plans to complete the 2023-2024 financial report in the subsequent financial year of 2024-2025, which would bring all provincial councils up to date.
Nagera emphasized that the Ministry of i-Taukei Affairs holds a supervisory role over the i-Taukei Affairs Board and provincial councils, ensuring accountability and timely reporting. This accountability extends not only to the Ministry but also to the OAG and the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, which ultimately reports to Parliament, the entity responsible for distributing funds to them.