Question

Discuss the role of the government auditor of fiji. Use a recent news article to highlight the importance of the government auditor in fiji

Answer 1

1. THE role of the Auditor-General is to support Parliament by holding the Government to account for how it spends public money. Alongside the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC), office of the Auditor-General (OAG) plays an important role in Commonwealth countries and Westminster style democracies

2. Both these institutions scrutinise and oversee how Government uses public sector resources and are thus essential institutions in economic governance. Through timely audit reports, accountability and transparency of the financial activities of the Government are assured

3. The audit reports prepared by the OAG and scrutinised by the PAC keep the citizens informed of the financial activities of the Government. Auditing reports, timely dissemination and public scrutiny of it is therefore regarded as a cornerstone of good governance

4. The audit findings and recommendations aim to promote integrity and accountability in the financial management affairs of Government. Apart from public consumption, the audit reports are also used by the Government to improve its systems and processes to ensure proper and effective use of public funds

5. The Auditor-General is one of the traditional “officers of Parliament” which often also include other such positions as the Ombudsman, Parliamentary Counsel and Chief Electoral Commissioner

6. Being officers of the Parliament, means their reporting responsibility is to the Parliament and they are independent of the Executive