Shellharbour City Council is one of only five local governments in NSW to have achieved all five ‘Fit For the Future’ ratios published in the Audit Office Of NSW Report on Local Government to Parliament.

It was also one of only five councils to achieve all 11 of the Office of Local Government’s performance indicators. The other councils were Mosman Municipal Council, Randwick City Council, Strathfield Municipal Council and Willoughby City Council.

The Auditor-General for New South Wales, Margaret Crawford, released her report on the Local Government sector on Friday, which details Shellharbour City Council’s results.

The report focuses on key observations and findings from the 2017-18 financial audits of 135 councils in New South Wales and the 2016-17 audit of Bayside Council. It also includes commentary on three performance audits published in 2018.

The assessment focused on financial reporting, governance and internal controls, information technology, asset management, financial performance and sustainability.

Shellharbour Mayor Marianne Saliba said the city’s strong results have set the bar for other NSW Councils. She added that it was an extraordinarily good result for the community.

“Councillors and Council staff are extremely happy with the NSW Auditor-General’s report, but not surprised,” Cr Saliba said.

“This is a fantastic result for our city and reaffirms the integrity of Council’s strategies and long-term financial planning.

“The results in the report demonstrate the leadership of the elected Council, the professionalism and financial acumen of our staff, and the strategic delivery of services and infrastructure to our community,” Cr Saliba said.

Auditor-General for New South Wales, Margaret Crawford, said the audits were designed to add credibility to financial statements, enhancing their value to end-users.

“Also, the existence of such audits provides a constant stimulus to entities to ensure sound financial management,” Ms Crawford said.

“The report will help NSW Parliament understand the common challenges that councils face. It provides points of comparison for councils and signposts matters that will be the focus of future audits.

Importantly, the report and the interactive data tool that accompanies it, provides comprehensive and accessible information to citizens regarding the management and performance of their councils,” she said.

Full report: https://www.audit.nsw.gov.au/our-work/reports/local-government-2018

Media enquiries: Kelli Wells 0448 361 008.