NEWS RELEASE

For immediate release
January 30, 2003

Auditor General encourages improvement in government’s performance reporting

VICTORIA —  The Auditor General Wayne Strelioff today released a report on his review of the quality of government’s performance reporting entitled “Building Better Reports: Our Review of the 2001/02 Reports of Government.” Strelioff reviewed the annual reports of 40 government organizations because he believes that these reports have the potential to be a key means of meeting the accountability obligations government owes the public

Strelioff concluded that annual reports are only at the early stages of reflecting good performance reporting principles. “This means,” he said, “annual reports don’t yet allow readers to fully appreciate or assess government’s performance. I was not particularly surprised by this given the circumstances under which these reports were created.” The 2002 annual reports were produced at a time when the principles that guide performance reporting were still evolving and during a year of significant government restructuring and reorganizing.

The Auditor General encourages all government organizations to move swiftly toward reflecting good performance reporting principles in their annual reports, and he has promised to do the same. “Making this happen will require a strong commitment on the part of government to improve its performance reporting, and government’s response to my report suggests this commitment is there,” he said. Government has committed to continuously enhancing its public performance reporting and to continue to work with the Office of the Auditor General to establish performance reporting principles that can guide good public reporting in British Columbia.

This report is available:

Toll free enquiries by dialing Enquiry BC at 1-800-663-7867 (in Vancouver 604 660-2421) and requesting a transfer to 387-6803.

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