Published on 03 March 2026
Norfolk Island Regional Council (Council) reaffirms its commitment to working closely with the Australian Government’s Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts (Department) to strengthen the delivery of state-type services on Norfolk Island.
A performance audit report by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) was tabled in the Federal Parliament on 10 December 2025. The report reviewed the delivery agreements for three external territories of Australia: Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Norfolk Island. The report found that the Department had established largely fit-for-purpose governance arrangements for the delivery of services on Norfolk Island and is partly effective in managing these arrangements. For those interested in reading the full report it can be viewed here: www.anao.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-12/Auditor-General_Report_2025-26_13.pdf
The report made four recommendations relating to risk management, performance management, record keeping and conducting periodic reviews of services and agreements to determine whether they are effective. The ANAO also suggested that the Department improve their contract management practices by specifying that the Service Delivery Agreement (SDA) extension has explicit start and end dates and what terms and conditions apply, and monitor complaints on service delivery to inform ongoing decisions on the effectiveness of the arrangements.
Council’s priority is to continue working collaboratively with the Department, during the current Service Delivery Agreement negotiations to strengthen the SDA for Norfolk Island. This includes clear KPIs and ensuring Council is adequately resourced to deliver these important services for the community.