Watchful State
§ Intensity

Composition, not counts

Not how many reports a body files, but — when it reports — how serious the findings are. On that measure the corpus’s hottest signals come from its smallest producers, and its biggest publishers run measurably cool.

The intensity of each watchdog

Output (log) against the share of findings graded severe. Dot size = systemic reach; colour = body type. Click a body for its live profile and most severe reports.

Output × severe-share, by oversight body
0255075100153060120250500950reports published (log)% of findings severeVictorian
Auditor-GeneralOmbudsmanAnti-corruptionRoyal CommissionProductivity CommissionInspector-GeneralIndependent review

The ANAO publishes several times more than the Victorian Ombudsman, yet the Ombudsman is roughly twice as likely to be severe. Counting reports, the ANAO dominates; weighting by intensity, one mid-sized state ombudsman out-signals it.

Which families run hot

Severity composition — the share of each family’s reports that are assurance (≤2), material (3), or severe (≥4). Click a row for the family’s live profile.

Assurance (≤2)Material (3)Severe (≥4)
Theme intensity — mean severity when the theme is present
Workforce and capability
3.64
Health and aged care
3.63
Data, privacy and records
3.60
Integrity, fraud and misconduct
3.60
ICT and cyber security
3.59
Infrastructure and asset management
3.59
Procurement and contracting
3.59
Service delivery
3.56
Financial management and controls
3.54
Regulation and enforcement
3.54
Defence and national security
3.52
Grants administration
3.50
Program design and effectiveness
3.50
Risk management and compliance
3.50
Governance and accountability
3.45
Environmental and land management
3.43
Data, privacy, and records
3.38

Conditional on appearing. Governance is near-universal and the least discriminating; the sharpest signals are workforce, health & aged care, integrity and cyber.

17.7%
The floor. Tasmanian Audit Office publishes 141 reports but grades just 17.7% of its findings severe — the coolest of any high-volume producer. Audit culture as much as administrative reality.