OCM providing assurance that effective controls were in place around the management of MidCoast Council’s waste management facilities.
MidCoast Council’s waste management centres are one-stop facilities for the reuse, recycling, and disposal of waste in the MidCoast region. They include licensed landfills, community recycling centres, and tip shops.
There are seven such centres operating within the council local government area (LGA). Apart from the Gloucester waste management centre, all the other centres are operated by JR Richards and Sons and their sub-contractors. These are: Bulahdelah waste management centre; Stroud waste management centre; Taree waste management centre; Tea Gardens waste management centre; Tuncurry waste management centre and the Minimbah waste management centre. The services of all seven centres include waste facility operations and waste collections.
As a recognised leader in the provision of assurance services to Local Government, OCM was engaged as the internal audit service provider for MidCoast Council. In undertaking this role, OCM conducted various engagements and comprehensive assessments into selected areas of council, one of which was the waste management facility.
The role of OCM was to provide assurance that there were effective controls in place around the management of the council’s waste management facilities, as well as the proper functioning of the depot. The review concentrated on the following areas: legislative compliance and governance, incident management, environmental compliance, contract management, inventory management, and fleet management.
By embracing innovative technology solutions, engaging the community and following environmental regulations, the council successfully addressed waste management challenges and achieved positive results from the evaluation. For example, the council’s delivery program for 2022-2026 and operational plan for 2022-2023 clearly includes projects and significant deliverables relating to waste services that will be achieved over the period of the plan. The council developed a waste management strategy focusing on the sustainable management of waste until 2030. Cascading down from this strategy, council has also developed: a ten-year waste service action plan which was approved in June 2022, and a waste services business plan, approved in December 2022.
Furthermore, our review revealed that the council’s ten-year community strategic plan for 2022-2032 also included objectives and deliverables pertaining to waste services. OCM also identified areas for improvement and provided council with a comprehensive report which addressed these findings.
The outcomes of our review were presented to council management leading them to establish a work program to address the identified issues and agreed-upon actions.
OCM respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands across Australia and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present.
