SA Public Finance and Audit Act 1987

South Australia's fiscal transparency framework rests on the Public Finance and Audit Act 1987 (No. 49 of 1987), which has served as the primary financial management statute for nearly four decades. The PFA Act 1987 establishes the Auditor-General's Office (independence from executive, non-removal without parliamentary resolution), governs the Consolidated Account, requires annual financial statements, and authorises public borrowings. The Procurement Act 2004 governs government procurement above thresholds. SA has a Parliamentary Budget Unit (PBU) operating within the parliamentary secretariat, but it is not confirmed as a fully independent IFI or standalone legislative budget office (conservative fiscal_oversight_body = False, legislative_budget_office = False). The PFA Act 1987 is one of Australia's oldest fiscal transparency statutes still in primary use, predating the NSW and VIC reforms. SA tabled a Budget Reform Paper in 2022 examining options for modernisation. SA has an unusual constitutional provision: the Constitution Act 1934 (SA) has entrenched provisions requiring a referendum to be altered, affecting the Legislative Council. The Auditor-General's independence is confirmed from audit.sa.gov.au. Currency: AUD; fiscal year: 1 July-30 June. Source: legislation.sa.gov.au returns HTTP 403 (bot-block); PFA Act 1987 URL confirmed from audit.sa.gov.au ('About Us' page) and SA Parliament records.

Transparency Requirements