Independent audit opinion

Auditor General

7th Floor Albert Facey House 469 Wellington Street Perth
MAIL TO: Perth BC PO Box 8489 Perth WA 6849
TEL: 08 6557 7500     FAX: 08 6557 7600

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT
To the Parliament of Western Australia
Department of Mines and Petroleum

Report on the Financial Statements

Opinion

I have audited the financial statements of the Department of Mines and Petroleum which comprise the Statement of Financial Position as at 30 June 2017, the Statement of Comprehensive Income, Statement of Changes in Equity, Statement of Cash Flows, Schedule of Income and Expenses by Service, Schedule of Assets and Liabilities by Service, and Summary of Consolidated Account Appropriations and Income Estimates for the year then ended, and Notes comprising a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory information, including Administered transactions and balances.

In my opinion, the financial statements are based on proper accounts and present fairly, in all material respects, the operating results and cash flows of the Department of Mines and Petroleum for the year ended 30 June 2017 and the financial position at the end of that period. They are in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards, the Financial Management Act 2006 and the Treasurer’s Instructions.

Basis for Opinion

I conducted my audit in accordance with the Australian Auditing Standards. My responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Statements section of my report. I am independent of the Department in accordance with the Auditor General Act 2006 and the relevant ethical requirements of the Accounting Professional and Ethical Standards Board’s APES 110 Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (the Code) that are relevant to my audit of the financial statements. I have also fulfilled my other ethical responsibilities in accordance with the Code. I believe that the audit evidence I have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for my opinion.

Responsibility of the Director General for the Financial Statements

The Director General is responsible for keeping proper accounts, and the preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards, the Financial Management Act 2006 and the Treasurer’s Instructions, and for such internal control as the Director General determines is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the Director General is responsible for assessing the agency’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Western Australian Government has made policy or funding decisions affecting the continued existence of the Department.

Auditor’s Responsibility for the Audit of the Financial Statements

As required by the Auditor General Act 2006, my responsibility is to express an opinion on the financial statements. The objectives of my audit are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes my opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of the financial statements.

As part of an audit in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards, I exercise professional judgment and maintain professional scepticism throughout the audit. I also:

• Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for my opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.
• Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the agency’s internal control.
• Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by the Director General.
• Conclude on the appropriateness of the Director General’s use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the agency’s ability to continue as a going concern. If I conclude that a material uncertainty exists, I am required to draw attention in my auditor’s report to the related disclosures in the financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify my opinion. My conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of my auditor’s report.
• Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the financial statements, including the disclosures, and whether the financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.

I communicate with the Director General regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that I identify during my audit.

Report on Controls

Opinion

I have undertaken a reasonable assurance engagement on the design and implementation of controls exercised by the Department of Mines and Petroleum. The controls exercised by the Department are those policies and procedures established by the Director General to ensure that the receipt, expenditure and investment of money, the acquisition and disposal of property, and the incurring of liabilities have been in accordance with legislative provisions (the overall control objectives).

My opinion has been formed on the basis of the matters outlined in this report.

In my opinion, in all material respects, the controls exercised by the Department of Mines and Petroleum are sufficiently adequate to provide reasonable assurance that the receipt, expenditure and investment of money, the acquisition and disposal of property and the incurring of liabilities have been in accordance with legislative provisions during the year ended 30 June 2017.

The Director General’s Responsibilities

The Director General is responsible for designing, implementing and maintaining controls to ensure that the receipt, expenditure and investment of money, the acquisition and disposal of property, and the incurring of liabilities are in accordance with the Financial Management Act 2006, the Treasurer’s Instructions and other relevant written law.

Auditor General’s Responsibilities

As required by the Auditor General Act 2006, my responsibility as an assurance practitioner is to express an opinion on the suitability of the design of the controls to achieve the overall control objectives and the implementation of the controls as designed. I conducted my engagement in accordance with Standard on Assurance Engagements ASAE 3150 Assurance Engagements on Controls issued by the Australian Auditing and Assurance Standards Board. That standard requires that I comply with relevant ethical requirements and plan and perform my procedures to obtain reasonable assurance about whether, in all material respects, the controls are suitably designed to achieve the overall control objectives and the controls, necessary to achieve the overall control objectives, were implemented as  designed.

An assurance engagement to report on the design and implementation of controls involves performing procedures to obtain evidence about the suitability of the design of controls to achieve the overall control objectives and the implementation of those controls . The procedures selected depend on my judgement, including the assessment of the risks that controls are not suitably designed or implemented as designed. My procedures included testing the implementation of those controls that I consider necessary to achieve the overall control objectives.

I believe that the evidence I have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for my opinion.

Limitations of Controls

Because of the inherent limitations of any internal control structure it is possible that, even if the controls are suitably designed and implemented as designed, once the controls are in operation, the overall control objectives may not be achieved so that fraud, error, or noncompliance with laws and regulations may occur and not be detected. Any projection of the outcome of the evaluation of the suitability of the design of controls to future periods is subject to the risk that the controls may become unsuitable because of changes in conditions.

Report on the Key Performance Indicators

Opinion

I have undertaken a reasonable assurance engagement on the key performance indicators of the Department of Mines and Petroleum for the year ended 30 June 2017. The key performance indicators are the key effectiveness indicators and the key efficiency indicators that provide performance information about achieving outcomes and delivering services.

In my opinion, in all material respects, the key performance indicators of the Department of Mines and Petroleum are relevant and appropriate to assist users to assess the Department’s performance and fairly represent indicated performance for the year ended 30 June 2017.

The Director General’s Responsibility for the Key Performance Indicators

The Director General is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the key performance indicators in accordance with the Financial Management Act 2006 and the Treasurer’s Instructions and for such internal control as the Director General determines necessary to enable the preparation of key performance indicators that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the key performance indicators, the Director General is responsible for identifying key performance indicators that are relevant and appropriate having regard to their purpose in accordance with Treasurer’s Instruction 904 Key Performance Indicators.

Auditor General’s Responsibility

As required by the Auditor General Act 2006, my responsibility as an assurance practitioner is to express an opinion on the key performance indicators. The objectives of my engagement are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the key performance indicators are relevant and appropriate to assist users to assess the agency ‘s performance and whether the key performance indicators are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes my opinion.

I conducted my engagement in accordance with Standard on Assurance Engagements ASAE 3000 Assurance Engagements Other than Audits or Reviews of Historical Financial Information issued by the Australian Auditing and Assurance Standards Board. That standard requires that I comply with relevant ethical requirements relating to assurance engagements.

An assurance engagement involves performing procedures to obtain evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the key performance indicators. It also involves evaluating the relevance and appropriateness of the key performance indicators against the criteria and guidance in Treasurer’s Instruction 904 for measuring the extent of outcome achievement and the efficiency of service delivery. The procedures selected depend on my judgement, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the key performance indicators. In making these risk assessments I obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the engagement in order to design procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances.

I believe that the evidence I have obtained is sufficient and appropr iate to provide a basis for my opinion.

My Independence and Quality Control Relating to the Reports on Controls and Key Performance Indicators

I have complied with the independence requirements of the Auditor General Act 2006 and the relevant ethical requirements relating to assurance engagements. In accordance with ASQC 1 Quality Control for Firms that Perform Audits and Reviews of Financial Reports and Other Financial Information, and Other Assurance Engagements, the Office of the Auditor General maintains a comprehensive system of quality control including documented policies and procedures regarding compliance with ethical requirements, professional standards and applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

Matters Relating to the Electronic Publication of the Audited Financial Statements and Key Performance Indicators

This auditor ‘s report relates to the financial statements and key performance indicators of the Department of Mines and Petroleum for the year ended 30 June 2017 included on the Department’s website. The Department’s management is responsible for the integrity of the Department’s website. This audit does not provide assurance on the integrity of the Department’s website. The auditor’s report refers only to the financial statements and key performance indicators described above. It does not provide an opinion on any other information which may have been hyperlinked to/from these financial statements or key performance indicators. If users of the financial statements and key performance indicators are concerned with the inherent risks arising from publication on a website, they are advised to refer to the hard copy of the audited financial statements and key performance indicators to confirm the information contained in this website version of the financial statements and key performance  indicators.

COLIN MURPHY
AUDITOR GENERAL
FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Perth, Western Australia

30 August 2017