Queensland’s Auditor General says seven of the state’s 77 councils have not yet completed last year’s financial statements, and as many as 17 are yet to conduct required cyber security training for their staff.
The Courier Mail has reported on report findings that have called into question the quality of financial reporting that Auditor General Brendan Worrall says is likely due to poor accounting practices and a shortage of skilled staff.
A further finding that 48 of Queensland’s 77 councils are financially unsustainable comes as no surprise to the Local Government Association of Queensland, which recently estimated the gap between what councils receive and what they spend on community needs to be $360M annually.
LGAQ CEO Alison Smith said Councils have reached “a tipping point where they and their communities cannot continue to fund the services and infrastructure that are properly the responsibility of State and Federal governments and the private sector.”