‘A watchdog without resources is not a watchdog’: Labor accused of letting key accountability body languish

Labor has been accused inadequately funding one of the central institutions safeguarding public administration, with transparency advocates and independent David Pocock criticising commitments for the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) in this week’s budget. Parliament’s Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit has previously warned the Albanese government that the auditor general’s financial position is unsustainable and of “serious concern” – even as the number of government agencies and functions subject to oversight expands significantly. Tuesday night’s budget included new annual funding of $99.8m for the ANAO , a below inflation increase from the 2025–26 budget appropriation of $98.2m. The budget papers show the ANAO’s average staffing level dropping from 435 in 2025-26, to 421 in 2026-27. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email The funding comes amid warnings the ANAO will already struggle to meet its targets for audit reviews of the work of government departments and major spending programs. The agency is charged with supporting accountability and transparency, through independent reporting to the parliament. In October last year, the auditor general, Caralee McLiesh, told Senate estimates hearings the ANAO had been operating in deficit continuously for the past eight years, a position she described as no longer sustainable. …