REDLAND City Council’s internal audit has uncovered weaknesses across several key areas, with councillors told of inconsistent processes, unclear responsibilities, and outdated procedures that could expose the organisation to reputational and financial risks.
Presenting the findings at this week’s Council meeting, Councillor Wendy Boglary said the Audit and Risk Management Committee (ARMC) had reviewed five completed audits from the 2024–2025 plan covering workforce planning, legislative compliance, fleet management, IT disaster recovery and infrastructure charges.
“Common findings from all five audits included that processes and controls were applied inconsistently, roles and responsibilities were not always clear, and some policies, procedures and work instructions were outdated, incomplete or still in draft form,” Cr Boglary said.
She said the audits also revealed “gaps in various levels of governance, controls and oversight”, which increased the risk of non-compliance, inefficiencies and reputational damage.
“These are serious issues for Council to manage — both reputationally and financially,” she said.
Cr Boglary said one of the most concerning findings related to the fleet management audit, which identified ongoing weaknesses despite the area being reviewed only three years ago.
“It was disappointing to note that fleet, after being reviewed only three years ago, still has concerns regarding weaknesses in governance, monitoring and operational controls, including lack of transparency and inconsistent documentation,” she said.
She said the audit found “car allowance processes were inconsistently applied, maintenance costs were not tracked, and guidelines were outdated or unclear”.
“All of these issues raise concerns about inefficiencies, non-compliance, and potential reputational or financial impacts,” Cr Boglary said.
The report prompted Councillor Paul Golle to question whether there were discrepancies in vehicle expense claims.
“Did I hear correctly when you said there were vehicle expense claims that were disproportionate?” Cr Golle asked.
“I thought you said something along the lines that there were discrepancies around vehicle claiming — I would expect that’s for kilometre claims on a fleet vehicle, and with reimbursement through the ratepayer-funded system.”
Cr Boglary deferred to officers for clarification, noting that some details may be confidential.
“I’ll refer that through the Chair to our officer to answer,” she said, before later adding: “That’s the work of the audit, and as someone said the other day, we’re on that audit and we have to trust the officers, councillors and external people involved to deal with what comes out of any review — good or bad.”
Mayor Jos Mitchell reminded councillors that the discussion needed to remain within the scope of the report.
“I don’t think that level of depth is in the scope of the report,” the Mayor said.
Councillor Tracey Huges also urged respect for due process, noting that the audit follow-up had already been scheduled.
“We can see on page 8 of the report that there’s a fleet management follow-up audit in the program to review the implementation of recommendations from the recent fleet management audit,” Cr Huges said.
“From those words, I believe we can be reassured that whatever the issues are, they are being addressed.”
Deputy Mayor Julie Talty moved to clarify that the audit did not suggest wrongdoing by any individual.
“I’d really like it reiterated that there is no allegation or suggestion of wrongdoing on the part of anyone,” Cr Talty said.
“This is about recommendations for best practice in probity — ensuring systems and protocols are strengthened.”
Cr Boglary closed the discussion by emphasising the importance of robust governance and external oversight.
“It shows the strength of having external people — external auditors — and an Audit Committee that can support staff,” she said.
“When gaps are found, we can support them in implementing recommendations to strengthen governance and their processes.”
Recommendations have been made to strengthen internal controls and governance, with the fleet audit findings being progressed as a “high priority”.
“The committee has a strong interest in seeing improvement in process and internal controls, with a follow-up audit added to review the completion of these recommendations,” Cr Boglary said.
The Audit and Risk Management Committee will continue to monitor implementation of the recommendations, with an update due at its March meeting.
