Redland City Council says it is continuing to implement improvements identified by the Queensland Audit Office (QAO) as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen governance and internal controls.
It comes as the Audit Office’s latest Status of Auditor-General’s Recommendations 2025 report urges councils across Queensland to strengthen long-term financial and asset management practices.
The report tracks how well state and local government entities have acted on hundreds of recommendations made between 2016–17 and 2023–24 to improve governance, planning, and service delivery.
Across 79 public sector entities, including 27 councils, the Audit Office found that only 43 per cent of 362 recommendations had been fully implemented, while more than half (56 per cent) remain outstanding.
Of the five previous recommendations made for Redland City Council, three have been fully implemented and two partially implemented.
The partially implemented recommendations relate to improving the quality of long-term forecasts and financial planning by:
- maintaining complete and accurate asset condition data and asset management plans, and
- engaging directly with the community on future service levels.
The report identified strategic and operational planning, information systems and data management, and workforce capability and planning as the areas where councils and agencies have made the least progress.
Auditor-General Brendan Worrall said some of the most persistent gaps dated back almost a decade.
“Twelve recommendations from our 2016–17 report on the long-term sustainability of local government remain outstanding,” Mr Worrall said.
“Some councils told us they continue to face challenges such as limited forecasting capability, reliance on external contractors, and outdated IT systems that hinder integration between finance and asset functions.”
Local governments reported that competing priorities and a lack of funding had delayed implementation of recommendations aimed at improving financial planning and asset management.
The report found councils had fully implemented only 26 per cent of the 72 recommendations they were asked to review, with 71 per cent still outstanding.
A significant number of these came from the Audit Office’s 2023–24 report Improving Asset Management in Local Government, which urged councils to adopt a more holistic approach to managing community infrastructure, ensure their asset management plans are up to date, and report progress to their audit committees.
While Redland City Council was not specifically named among those lagging behind, the Audit Office’s findings underline sector-wide challenges faced by growing urban councils.
Many, like Redlands, are balancing infrastructure renewal, population growth, and service delivery within tight financial frameworks.
In a letter to Queensland Auditor-General Rachel Vagg, Redland City Council confirmed that two audit recommendations remain in progress, with mitigating controls already being implemented to support their completion.
Chief Executive Officer Louise Rusan said Council valued the insights provided through the audit process.
“Council values the insights provided through these reviews and recognises their importance in strengthening our processes and controls,” Ms Rusan said.
“I would also like to acknowledge the Queensland Audit Office’s ongoing efforts to ensure recommendations are appropriately actioned.
“These reports provide Council with assurance that suitable measures are being taken to maintain and enhance a robust control environment.”
The QAO said several councils had begun reviewing and updating their asset management plans but noted that most had yet to finalise them.
“Sound long-term planning is critical for councils to ensure they can sustainably deliver services and maintain assets for their communities,” Mr Worrall said.
“Without clear priorities and accurate asset data, councils risk deferring maintenance or underinvesting in essential infrastructure.”
Council said it welcomed the review and remained committed to ensuring all recommendations were implemented as part of its continuous improvement framework.
The full report and interactive dashboard showing each entity’s progress are available at www.qao.qld.gov.au/status-auditor-generals-recommendations-dashboard.
