This audit considered Infrastructure Canberra’s management of Territory properties leased or licensed to community organisations. This includes community centres, childcare centres, former schools converted into community spaces, cottages and depots.

Community facilities are valuable social and financial assets for the Territory, which support the delivery of important services. Effective management of these facilities helps the Territory maintain and utilise them appropriately so they can support community needs over the long term.

• A lack of asset management planning increased the risk of poor investment decisions, ineffective maintenance and weak oversight of public assets;
• Weaknesses in how Infrastructure Canberra allocates and manages tenancies reduce transparency, consistency and fairness; and
• Poor maintenance practices limit Infrastructure Canberra’s ability to demonstrate maintenance is conducted promptly and to an appropriate standard.

• Asset management plans should allow for clear and consistent decision-making about the future of community facilities and their ongoing maintenance.
• Tenanting a property at a below market rate can provide advantages. The process for allocating community facilities and determining tenant costs should be transparent, consistent and fair.
• Agreements between the Territory and community organisations to tenant community facilities should be recorded and up to date so that both parties’ obligations are clear and community organisations can plan ahead.

The audit made ten recommendations to improve the way Infrastructure Canberra manages community facilities. Recommendations included developing asset management plans, improving policies and procedures related to facility allocation, agreement management and fees, ensuring appropriate contractual arrangements with maintenance suppliers and enhancing monitoring and quality assurance of maintenance activities.