The Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) has not audited any financial accounts for the i-Taukei Affairs Board since 2007. This information was presented by Auditor-General Finau Nagera to the Public Accounts Committee during discussions on the Ministry of i-Taukei Affairs and the review of audit reports for 2020, 2021, and 2022 regarding the General Administration Sector.
Nagera indicated that the OAG is currently awaiting the submission of draft financial statements for 2008 and the years that followed, which will be necessary for performing audits. She noted that these outstanding reports would be handled by external accounting firms.
The Auditor-General expressed satisfaction with the progress of financial reports from the Provincial Council, stating that they are only a few years behind. The OAG aims to finalize the financial accounts for the years 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 within the current financial year.
Nagera highlighted that 56 draft financial reports are planned for audit by the OAG itself, with no outsourcing for this task. Furthermore, the OAG aims to complete the financial report for 2023-2024 in the subsequent financial year (2024-2025) to ensure all provincial councils are up to date.
She emphasized that the Ministry of i-Taukei Affairs serves a supervisory role for the i-Taukei Affairs Board and provincial councils, ensuring their accountability and timely reporting, not only to the Ministry but also to the OAG and the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, which ultimately reports to Parliament for fund allocation.