INTHEBLACK February / March 2026 - Magazine - Page 15
Dr Caralee McLiesh PSM FCPA
is Australia’s first female
Auditor-General and leads
a team of 400 at the Australian
National Audit Office.
Her experience during the
COVID-19 pandemic as secretary
and chief of the New Zealand
Treasury shaped her approach
to serving citizens.
IF DR CARALEE MCLIESH PSM FCPA
needs a reminder of the value of strong and
transparent government institutions that act
with integrity, she thinks back to her time
spent as secretary and chief executive
of the New Zealand Treasury.
During the years of the COVID-19
pandemic, McLiesh had more than a front-row
seat. She was on the field in a role of
consequence as new policies and support
mechanisms were developed and launched.
She saw the effect on the ultimate stakeholders
in good government — individuals.
That experience reshaped the way she thinks
about institutions, risk, flexibility and the value
and purpose of public money. It led to her
becoming the first female Auditor-General for
Australia, a role that makes her accountable
for ensuring responsible, efficient and
high-performing government departments,
policies and projects.
Her work during the pandemic, McLiesh
says, “was some of the toughest and most
meaningful work I’ve done. It reinforced
to me that good financial management
isn’t always about more rules. It is about
fit-for-purpose rules and knowing
when to be flexible while still upholding
public value.”
In her role as auditor-general, leading the
Australian National Audit Office (ANAO),
she is now in a position to influence how
all Australian government departments,
agencies, policies and projects operate
from a flexible position of strength.
BETTER OUTCOMES
McLiesh’s definition of her job is clear.
“The Auditor-General is an independent
officer of the Parliament of Australia
and provides assurance over how public
money and government powers are used.”
McLiesh oversees audits that
drive accountability and better
outcomes for Australians, while
strengthening public sector
performance.
With the ANAO, her remit is broad.
She leads a team of around 400 people
to conduct three main types of audits:
financial statement audits (typical accounts
audits), performance statement audits
(non-financial performance of government
entities) and performance audits (a deep
dive into the performance of a particular
activity of an agency).
In each case, McLiesh and her team
look into whether government activity
is being delivered in an efficient and
effective way, and whether it is ethical,
economical and for the purposes intended
by Parliament.
Performance audits are those in which
citizens can see a visible line from audit to
outcomes. “They are a deep-dive examination
into whether a government activity — a
program, a policy or a grant — has been
implemented effectively and efficiently,”
she says. “So they are about value for money.
They are about governance, risk, service
delivery or outcomes.”
The resulting reports do not gather dust.
Each contains a set of recommendations
to address gaps identified in performance.
Those recommendations have real impact.
“They are almost always agreed to,” she
says. “Change in agencies on the basis
of what we recommend leads to better
performance and ultimately better outcomes
for people in Australia.”
A DELIBERATE STYLE
McLiesh, whose department in 2024–25
conducted a total of 353 audits, is aware
of the effect of attention from the ANAO
on departments, teams and individuals.
In fact, she is happy to use this reputation
to improve performance, even when audits
are not being run.
intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au 15
