Parliament passes amendments to Audit Act

KUALA LUMPUR: The Dewan Rakyat has passed the Audit (Amendment) Bill 2024, aimed at giving greater authority to the Auditor-General to enhance governance and accountability in the public sector.

The Bill to amend the Audit Act 1957 (Act 62), was passed by a voice vote after being debated by 26 MPs from both sides of the divide.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M. Kulasegaran said that the amendments in the Bill are crucial to empowering the National Audit Department to build public trust in the nation’s administration by providing independent and objective audits of government expenditures.

“The National Audit Department plays a vital role in the framework of good governance by ensuring that government activities and expenditures are conducted responsibly and ethically.

“With the amendment, I am confident that the National Audit Department will become a stronger institution, contributing to a more mature democracy in our country,” he said when winding up the debate on the Bill on Wednesday (July 3).

The first reading of the Bill was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat on June 27 by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform), Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

Meanwhile, the National Audit Department, in a statement, noted that the amendments to the Audit Act will have a positive impact through the audit scope on the management of public funds.

Additionally, it said it will ensure that audit recommendations are given serious consideration and appropriate action is taken by all parties, including ministries, departments and government agencies, as well as any bodies, including companies receiving public funds.

According to the department, 35 MPs from both the government and opposition participated in an engagement session with Azalina last Monday, which included a presentation by the Auditor-General on the contents of the proposed amendments.

“The existing Audit Act has not been amended since 1991 (33 years ago) and needs to be strengthened in line with current developments concerning governance and the management of public funds.

“The amendments also aim to enhance the role of the Auditor-General in ensuring checks and balances through three main types of audits: financial statement audits, performance audits of programs or activities of ministries/departments/government agencies, and management audits of government companies,” the statement added. – Bernama