Past Events
IMPACT Conference 2025 Perth
The Office of the Auditor General of Western Australia hosted the fourth International Meeting of Performance Audit Critical Thinkers (IMPACT) conference in Perth in April 2025.
With the theme of Performance auditing with insight, influence and independence, delegates engaged in a series of insightful presentations and discussions, focusing on the most pressing issues in performance auditing today, as well as broader contextual insights and thought-provoking ideas.
Key topics included efficiency and effectiveness in auditing, workforce insights, the application of emotional intelligence and critical thinking to influence change, and the paramount importance of maintaining independence.
Beyond key lessons and learning shared, the conference also reminded auditors of the incredibly important role they play. Auditor General of Western Australia, Caroline Spencer opened the conference addressing the vital and evolving role performance auditors play by serving public interest in a climate of global challenges, upheaval and declining trust in public institutions.
The conference saw a variety of speakers share their valuable insights and experiences with delegates, while facilitating networking and collaboration opportunities, strengthening connections and shared purpose across the audit community.
The conference was held at the Ritz-Carlton Perth, in Elizabeth Quay. Recordings from the IMPACT can be found on the OAG YouTube channel.
COMPACT 24
hosted by the Office of the Auditor-General Western Australia
The Commonwealth Online Meeting of Performance Audit Critical Thinkers 2024 (COMPACT 24) conference took place online on the 2nd of May 2024.
Themed ‘A People-Centric Approach to Performance Audit’, the key focus was on methods of engagement and considerations for engaging end-users in an audit, specifically when the end-users are vulnerable or difficult to reach people.
Keynote speaker Jacqueline McGowan-Jones, Commissioner for Children and Young People Western Australia, provided insights on how information is used, innovative methods for reaching a diverse range of opinions from young individuals, and any challenges or considerations audit offices should be mindful of when engaging with this demographic. The second keynote speaker Carla Ware, New South Wales Audit Office, First Nations Performance Audit Leader, shared her experiences in designing and leading performance audits on issues impacting First Nations communities, as well as insights into engaging difficult to reach communities. Also included in the COMPACT program was a panel discussion made up of five Performance Auditors from around Australia highlighting the risks and benefits they found when engaging with end-users in a recent audit.
COMPACT Program WA COMPACT 2024 Program.pdf
Attendance
Links to the TEAMS conference were distributed via Australian audit office representatives prior to the conference date. If you wish to add your email for future events, please send details to jenni.tierney@acag.org.au
IMPACT Conference 2023 Canberra
The Australian National Audit Office hosted IMPACT 2023 in Canberra on 19 & 20 April 2023.
The overarching theme of the conference was The Auditor of the Future. There were two sub themes: technology as a tool; and technology and the impact on the auditor. The conference explored the exponential rate at which technology is developing and its effect on the future of audit including:
- the top challenges faced by audit institutions as they adapt to this new technology-driven future.
- how audit institutions can make better use of big data, analytics, and artificial intelligence in its work
Another area of focus was ethics in the delivery of government programs. Greater scrutiny of ethical frameworks looks beyond technical compliance and towards operating within the intent of established rules and frameworks, alongside community expectations of integrity.
ANAO hosted this exciting two-day conference featuring insights from audit experts and leaders of the Australian public sector as well as international speakers. This included special guest speaker, Li Cunxin, renowned dancer, artistic director, known for his bestselling autobiographical novel “Mao’s Last Dancer”.
Delegates from Europe, North America and the Asia Pacific region, attended including:
- performance auditors
- public servants interested in improvement and evaluation
- evaluators
- evidence-based policy practitioners
- professionals in integrity organisations
- anyone interested in the role of external audit in democracies
The conference was held at The Hotel Realm, The National Ballroom, 18 National Circuit
Barton ACT 2600
IMPACT Conference 2020 Melbourne:
the third conference was planned for Melbourne in 2020 but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
IMPACT Conference 2018 Sydney
The Audit Office of New South Wales hosted IMPACT 2018 in Sydney on 19 and 20 March 2018, bringing together the perspectives of Australian and international speakers to discuss the biggest challenges facing government.
Billed as a conference for big thinkers who need to understand how the public sector is changing, topics included changing government landscapes, the value of social impact, citizen-centred auditing and the auditor of the future. The use of emerging data technologies in the auditing process, the role of public audit in the face of unprecedented change and how artificial intelligence could play a role in the audit of the future were also areas of focus.
In delivering IMPACT 2018, Margaret Crawford, the then Auditor-General of New South Wales acknowledged that performance audit is a very broad discipline and there are many great examples of innovation in practice, both in Australia and overseas, and that we must keep looking outwards and learn from the work of others, fostering innovation and ensuring continuous improvement.
Keynote speaker Peter Shergold, Chancellor, Western Sydney University and National President, Institute of Public Administration Australia, discussed ‘Public Service in a Time of Uncertainty’ examining five key challenges to democratic governance and their implications on the role of public servants, and highlighting how the moral agency which public servants exercise on a daily basis has become more important than ever.
The program is here: NSW IMPACT 2018 Program FINAL web version.pdf
The conference was held at the Aerial UTS Function Centre, within the university district of the Sydney CBD at Level 7, UTS Building 10, 235 Jones Street, Ultimo.
Inaugural IMPACT Conference 2016 Queensland
The inaugural IMPACT Conference was hosted by the Queensland Audit Office on 15 and 16 March 2016.
This two-day confidence brought together leaders, practitioners, industry experts and academics from across the globe to discuss the future of performance auditing.
Day one focused on global and public sector trends from futurists, thought leaders and academics. Attendees explored developments in performance auditing, discussed opportunities for change and heard from key audit stakeholders.
Day two was collaborative and covered the practical application of new ideas from prioritising audit topics to the contemporary use of data analytics, case studies and more.
Speakers included:
- Dr Keith Suter, Futurist, thought leader
- Professor Gary Banks, Chief Executive and Dean, ANZOG
- Professor AJ Brown, Professor of Public Policy and Law, Griffith University
- Mr Grant Hehir, Auditor-General of Australia
- Dr Patricia Strong, Lecturer and researcher University of New South Wales
- Dr Phillip Gould, Australian Bureau of Statistics
- Mr Andrew Greaves, Auditor-General of Queensland
The program is attached here: Queensland IMPAC