The fair value of all financial assets and liabilities approximate their carrying amounts.
Note 26E. Credit Risk
The administered activities of the Department were not exposed to a high level of credit risk as the majority of financial assets are cash, receivables, advances and loans to State and Territory Governments.
The Department manages its credit risk by undertaking background and credit checks prior to allowing a debtor relationship. In addition, the Department has policies and procedures that guide employees in the debt recovery techniques that are to be applied.
The Department has assessed the risk of the default on payment and has allocated the following amounts to an impairment allowance account: Other receivables $317,000 (2011: $358,000).
The following table illustrates the Department's gross exposure to credit risk, excluding any collateral or credit enhancements.
The Department’s financial liabilities are trade creditors and grant payables. The exposure to liquidity risk is based on the notion that the Department will encounter difficulty in meeting its obligations associated with financial liabilities. This is highly unlikely as the Department is appropriated funding from the Australian Government and the Department manages its budgeted funds to ensure it has adequate funds to meet payments as they fall due. In addition, the Department has policies in place to ensure timely payment are made when due and has no past experience of default. The following tables illustrate the maturities for financial liabilities.
Maturities for non-derivative financial liabilities 2012