The Fiji Roads Authority (FRA) left A$11.4 million — equivalent to FJ$11.4 million in the 2022–2023 financial year — unspent, the 2024 Auditor‑General’s Report tabled in Parliament has revealed. The report attributes the significant underspend to a mix of supply constraints, adverse weather and staffing shortfalls that hampered the Authority’s ability to deliver planned capital works.
According to the Auditor‑General’s findings, the FRA was unable to fully utilise the capital grant released in the third quarter of the financial year. As a result, the fourth‑quarter grant was withheld on the basis that sufficient funds remained to complete the year’s programmed works, a decision the report says directly contributed to the under‑utilisation of the 2022–2023 budget.
The OAG identified three principal operational obstacles. Shortages of key raw materials — notably bitumen and aggregates used for surfacing and pavement works — limited contractors’ capacity to progress projects. Adverse weather further disrupted construction schedules. And the report flagged a diminished technical capacity within the FRA, citing staff migration and difficulties in recruiting skilled engineers as factors that constrained project delivery.
The combination of supply chain and human‑resource pressures meant planned capital expenditure could not be executed at the intended pace, the report indicates. With contractors unable to source materials and engineering teams stretched, several programmes were left with uncompleted activities or delayed starts, leading management to hold back additional funding late in the year.
The Auditor‑General’s disclosure comes amid wider evidence of workforce pressures across the public sector. In recent reporting, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services disclosed multimillion‑dollar overtime payments to cover staffing gaps, while other employers in Fiji have reported recruitment and retention challenges. The OAG’s findings therefore echo broader concerns about the impact of migration and labour shortages on government service delivery and infrastructure projects.
The report has now been tabled in Parliament and is expected to form part of budget oversight and follow‑up scrutiny by MPs. The FRA will need to address the OAG’s observations on procurement and staffing if similar underspends and project delays are to be avoided in future financial years.
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