The Background and Context

‐ ANAO Report No.10 2014–15 Administration of the Biodiversity Fund Program 31 Figure 1.1: Example of a Biodiversity Fund program project site Source: ANAO site visits. Invasive willows cleared from a creek bed, to be followed by revegetation with local native plantings. Discretionary grants

1.9 In

addition to the grants selected through the competitive, merit‐based assessment process, there were an additional four discretionary grants awarded under the Biodiversity Fund program, with a total value of 7.65 million ranging from 176 000 to 6 million. The projects funded through these discretionary grants involved: the provision of vegetation planting guides and workshops in 2012; research services in support of monitoring and evaluation activities; the restoration of native forest in Tasmania; and identifying and documenting new plant and animal species. ANAO Report No.10 2014–15 Administration of the Biodiversity Fund Program 32 Administrative arrangements

1.10 The

Biodiversity Fund program is managed by the Biodiversity Conservation Division BCD within Environment. BCD is responsible for the delivery of a number of environmental programs 33 , with the divisional structure aligned to operational activities, such as policy development, program planning, grant assessment and selection exercises, and program implementation rather than individual programs. As at 30 June 2014, BCD had around 160 staff, mostly based in Canberra. 34 Audit objective, criteria, scope and methodology

1.11 The

objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of the Environment’s administration of the Biodiversity Fund program.

1.12 To

form a conclusion against the objective, the ANAO adopted the following high‐level criteria:  governance arrangements were appropriate;  grant assessment processes to select funded projects under the program were open, transparent, accountable and equitable;  negotiation and management of funding agreements with approved applicants was sound; and  effective monitoring, reporting and evaluation arrangements were established to determine the extent to which the program has achieved its objectives.

1.13 The

ANAO examined Environment’s assessment of grant applications and the funding agreements for approved projects under the Biodiversity Fund program. The audit did not examine other aspects of the LSP or related programs.

1.14 In

undertaking the audit, the ANAO:  reviewed departmental files and program documentation;  interviewed andor received written input from departmental staff and relevant stakeholders, including grant recipients, chairs of the assessment Moderation Groups, and peak environment groups; 33 These include the Biodiversity Fund program, the former Caring for Our Country initiative, and new programs such as the Green Army and the National Landcare Programme. 34 There are a small number of staff located in Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.