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Evaluation of the Networking the Nation program - Fact sheet

The key components of the evaluation are:

1. The Efficiency of Program Administration. This part of the evaluation has assessed the costs of the administrative processes of the NTN Program. It has considered the extent to which the Program complied with the Australian National Audit Office (ANAOs) best practice administrative procedures required for grant Programs including:

• application assessment
• decision-making (including the role and input of the NTN Board)
• grant deed management
• audit control and examined the risk management practices of the Program.

The Report has made a number of recommendations for the concluding phases of the NTN Programs and a number of recommendations for future Departmental Programs.

Core Processes

NTN processes compares well with the ANAO standards for:

NTN processes are generally consistent with the ANAO standards for:

Governance Processes

The level of administrative support to the NTN Board has been consistently of the highest quality (this issue is not directly addressed by the ANAO).

NTN processes compare well with the ANAO standards for:

The report identifies that a more systematic approach to introducing, monitoring, documenting, and communicating administrative change would have benefited the Program. (This issue is not directly addressed by the ANAO)

The ANAO Guide refers Program managers to the Australian New Zealand Standard on Risk Management. The Report notes the review by Walter Turnbull Associates and recommends a more formal approach by the Department to managing Program and project risks.

Resource Management Processes

The financial management systems used by NTN are generally robust but the multiple funding bases have been complicated by the lack of an integrated grant and financial management system. (This issue is not directly addressed by the ANAO)

NTN compares well with the ANAO standard for:

The report notes difficulties with:

The reports notes the early introduction of an online grants management system and the need to review the system to ensure improvements in the development of a Departmental wide Grants Management system.

2. NTN Program Outputs. This part of the evaluation is documenting what the Program has achieved in terms of the tangible assets and services delivered to communities as a consequence of NTN funding (eg the extent to which mobile phone coverage has been increased, the number of Internet Access Centres established etc.).

The Highlights of the Report of Goods and Services made available by NTN Projects to local communities as at July 2002 demonstrates:

- A total of around $180 million has been allocated to recipients from the specified NTN funds, of which around $133 million had been paid to funding recipients.
- Funding recipients have contributed a further $84 million; 'other sources' e.g. users, local councils and community contributions have contributed a further $49 million; hence the NTN funds have been increased by more than 60 per cent.
- Project managers have indicated that NTN funded projects have created around 730 full time employment positions and 830 part time positions.
- Around 290 towns received a service by the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) or Points of Presence (POPs) created with the assistance of NTN funding.
- Around 220 projects offered training and available usage figures indicate that more than 171 700 people were trained.
- Public Internet access facilities have been installed in more than 1,400 locations and these have had over 610 000 users.

A further inventory report will be forwarded to funding recipients to report on the goods and services provided as at July 2003.

3. NTN Program Impacts/Outcomes. This part of the evaluation will assess the extent to which the Program achieved the desired objectives of enhancing telecommunications infrastructure and services, increasing service availability, and reducing disparities in access to services. This part of the Evaluation will also seek to determine what the 'actual' social and economic impacts of the Program were on rural, regional and remote Australia; how beneficial (in terms of quantity and quality) the projects were to the communities; whether the benefits would have occurred anyway or whether they were achieved in substitution for other benefits foregone; and how the benefits (both tangible and intangible) stacked up against the costs.

4. Lessons Learned. This element of the evaluation will attempt to draw together the previous elements of the evaluation to identify the lessons that have been learned (e.g. the things that could have been done better or more cost effectively).

Document ID: 6392 | Last modified: 6 February 2008, 1:36pm