The objective of the audit was to assess whether the award of funding under the Building Better Regions Fund was effective as well as being consistent with the Commonwealth Grant Rules and Guidelines.

This research reviews first homebuyer assistance programs in Australia and seven comparator countries: Canada, Finland, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Singapore and the UK.

In 2020–21, Victorian councils distributed more than $45 million in grants to individuals, businesses and community groups. This audit examines if fraud controls over local government grants well-designed and operating as intended.

This report makes 19 recommendations to bring grants administration into line with best practice. In addition to feedback from 26 stakeholder groups, the review considered grants administration guidelines from comparable jurisdictions, best practice risk assessment and assurance frameworks, and the existing New South Wales policy and legislative context.

This paper argues that there is an urgent need to create a grants administration framework that facilitates transparency and accountability.