Audits of ACT public housing maintenance work boosted after failings found

The territory government has boosted the number of checks it completes on public housing maintenance work, after an audit found oversight of the chief contractor, Spotless, was found to be 'inadequate'.

That audit found the work completed under the government's $48 million contract with Spotless to maintain over 10,000 public houses was not being audited properly as to ensure quality of the work.

Despite the audit finding a series of problems in Spotless' management of its, and its subcontractors work the government last year renewed the multi-million dollar contract last August for two years.

Housing Minister Yvette Berry on Thursday officially responded to the audit report, saying the government had implemented all 18 of the ACT Auditor-General's recommendations.

She said the government was also talking to stakeholders including the Tenants Consultative Group, unions and industry players on what more could be done to improve public housing.

Ms Berry said the government had reviewed the 'performance management system' for the contract, resulting in savings that allowed an extra $1.3 million be put towards actual maintenance work in 2016-17.

"In comparison to the 2015-16 financial year, the changes implemented have resulted in over 600 additional planned maintenance jobs which have a major positive impact on tenants' lives," she said.

Ms Berry also said the government had ordered Spotless to complete a 'root cause analysis' to identify the problems, but did not detail the findings of that analysis in the assembly.

She said the changes made since the audit would help to ensure between seven and eight per cent of all public housing maintenance jobs were audited, a one per cent increase on the contracted amount before the audit last year.

A Housing ACT spokeswoman said the contract with Spotless was renewed in order to run a new procurement process for public housing maintenance.

She said the directorate had talked to tenants, workers and local businesses about the future of contract and that "further announcements on the procurement process soon".