Premier Gladys Berejiklian has tasked the state's auditor with conducting an unprecedented review of the funding arrangements and management of four key independent agencies, including the Independent Commission Against Corruption and the NSW Electoral Commission.

The government - in a written request to Auditor-General Margaret Crawford, sent in the past fortnight - has asked for a review of the corruption watchdog, the elections authority, the NSW Ombudsman and the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.

The Audit Office has yet to begin its inquiries or formally notify the agencies but has begun preliminary work to establish how long the work will take and its cost.

NSW Auditor-General Margaret Crawford. Credit:AAP

Government sources indicated they expected a conclusion in the next six months and had hopes Ms Crawford would be able to identify savings in the organisations' bureaucracies.