NSW Audit Office - Awareness - Issue 2005 07 - August 2005

AWARENESSccounting and Auditing Developments ISSUE VII - AUGUST 2005AUDIT OFFICE 1 AUDIT OFFICE UPDATEUPDATEFollow-up Performance Audit Report ACCOUNTING 5 UPDATEState Rescue Board of NSW: AUDITING 14Coordination of Rescue Services UPDATEINTERNATIONAL 15BackgroundUPDATENearly 11,000 rescues are carried out each year in New South Wales, the majority involving motor vehicle accidents. MISCELLANEOUS 16PUBLICATIONSIn metropolitan areas, we have three emergency services providing general land rescue: NSW Police, the Ambulance Service and the NSW LEGISLATIVE 17 Fire Brigades. The two volunteer services, the State Emergency Service CHANGES UPDATEand the Volunteer Rescue Association, generally cover the remainder of PREMIER’S 18the state.DEPARTMENTRescue arrangements in NSW are different to all other mainland UPDATEstates. Elsewhere, the trend in metropolitan areas has been towards consolidation with only one provider of rescue services. AUDIT OFFICE 19BETTER PRACTICEThe State Rescue Board was set up in 1989. Its primary role is to ensure GUIDESefficient and effective rescue services are maintained throughout the state. In this audit, we examined how well placed the Board was to provide assurance to Parliament and the community that the organisation of rescue services in NSW best serves those in need of rescuing.Audit OpinionThe number of agencies and volunteer organisations involved in rescue presents challenges to how best to coordinate ...