By Meegan Reinhard, Senior Director, Performance Audit Services Group, Australian National Audit Office
As you may have seen from other PASAI announcements, I have recently concluded my secondment to the PASAI Secretariat and returned to the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO). I very much enjoyed the last 7 months filling the Program Director position with lead responsibility for performance audit and wanted to share some of my reflections (to complement the newsletter article I wrote a year ago when I concluded my role at the Auditor-General’s Office of Papua New Guinea).
While the purpose of my Program Director role was to support and coach the auditors of the region, I know that I equally learned a lot from them too. Which I think is important to remember and reflect on as I return to my home SAI.
I continued to be struck by the generosity and resilience of the staff in the region. I don’t know whether I could hop on a boat for audit fieldwork a few weeks after a boating disaster on the same route … but that is the reality that multiple teams conveyed to me, and they did it for their colleagues and because they believe deeply in the value of the work that they are producing. [side note: perhaps a future audit topic on maritime safety has merit]
I’ve also been very impressed with the audit topics that have been suggested by the teams. I think the Pacific predisposition to support family and community leads to topics that have a strong focus on the impacts being felt by the citizens of their country. Such topics can be tough emotionally, but lead to reports that can make a real difference in how the government is administering a program and making sure that the best possible outcome is achieved for the public. ANAO only has a mandate to look at national programs and funding (with each Australian state and territory having its own independent office to audit sub-national agencies), and this can make connecting to the end-user of national government programs a bit harder at times.
In some instances, the impact of government programs on the ground can also be seen more slowly in Australia. For example, while climate change is acknowledged to be occurring in Australia, it reveals itself seasonally in extended droughts and bushfires. On the other hand, people in many Pacific Islands get a daily visual reminder of the immediate threat they face in the form of rising sea levels. This makes the audit work take on greater meaning. You aren’t just trying to preserve the world for your future generations, but the family members that you already know and love.
I think that without detracting from PASAI’s focus on capacity building support for the Pacific Island offices there is room to raise awareness and appreciation among the other offices on the similarities and differences faced by auditors across the region. In August I arranged an online panel of 4 Pacific Island auditors discussing their experiences and motivations for performance auditing to an audience of Australian and New Zealand colleagues. The webinar was very well received, and similar future panels could be a great opportunity to find more people that have an interest and capacity to support the work of PASAI.
While my time with PASAI has ended, I am still very interested in staying involved with Pacific auditing matters, so don’t be surprised if you continue to see me around the place. In fact, I am a certified IntoSAINT facilitator, so if you are interested in arranging an integrity self-assessment for your office, please contact Sarah Markley for more information.
Thank you all for your support for me in the PASAI role, and I’m very pleased that Karen Wong has accepted the Program Director role longer term. I know Karen will do great in the role.
Farewell (for now), Meegan
Participants at the Kiribati Audit Office IntoSAINT assessment workshop in August 2026 (alongside fellow facilitators Belinda Rynhart [The Audit Office New Zealand] and Paola Rigby [The Audit Office of New South Wales])
Wishing all my best to the teams undertaking the cooperative performance audits looking at skilled worker shortages affecting achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (this photo was taken at the recent training workshop held in Palau, with special guest, Public Auditor Nino Tewid)
