Department of Agriculture, Forestries and Fisheries urged to improve

The review, completed by two former and two current senior public servants, is part of a pilot of the assessments, which were discontinued in 2016 but resurfaced by the Albanese government.

It lands in the shadow of financial troubles for Agriculture, which had adopted austerity measures after its cash reserves were depleted, and subsequently received a $127 million lifeline in the May budget.

Funding troubles were tied primarily to fees and charges failing to rise in line with the cost of service delivery, in addition to strain caused by biosecurity threats and trade disruptions. Delays in finalising the funding split caused by the department's fifth Machinery of Government change in 10 years also "excaberbated" matters, the review added.

The reviewers - former public servants Robyn Kruk and Liz Carroll, the Australian Bureau of Statistics' Jenet Connell and Infrastructure's Lisa La Rance - commended the department's "highly specialised and committed staff".

They also noted the eight-week review did not allow time to "focus on the more positive, historical aspects of DAFF's capability".

But the report focused on key improvements the department must make in order to show stakeholders it "has its house in order", including that it should "encourage a more proactive leadership culture with a sense of urgency to have a seat at the policy table".

Stakeholders and partners perceived the department as out of the loop on government priorities such as sustainability, climate change, First Nations people and a net zero emissions target.

There is more work to be done on financial management too, the reviewers found, by strengthening reporting and forecasting.

"DAFF does not currently have the systems in place to reliably understand its financial circumstances at any given point in time," they wrote.

"It cannot reliably forecast how actual expenditure is tracking against estimates."

In response, department secretary Cindy Briscoe recognised "the need for some immediate improvements", adding the department would develop an action plan to implement key recommendations.

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: