Improving public financial accountability:
the way forward
PUBLIC ACCOUNTS Paul McLeay MP
COMMITTEE
Chair, PAC

Sunlight is the best disinfectant

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
COMMITTEE The Committee

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
COMMITTEE Inquiry into State Plan Reporting
Three themes:
• Manage the risks of performance budgeting
• Adapting parliamentary processes
• Community engagement

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
COMMITTEE Adapting Parliament

an unrestrained pattern of
‘making mincemeat’ of
benevolent politicians and
policy makers who are
transparent in what they
want to achieve and how,
will undoubtedly do away
with the results-oriented
management and policy
model very soon.
Netherlands Minister for Finance, 2000

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
COMMITTEE Community Engagement
Gives life and balance to performance budgeting

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
COMMITTEE Community Engagement
Gives life and balance to performance budgeting
 Identifies community priorities

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
COMMITTEE Community Engagement
Gives life and balance to performance budgeting
 Identifies community priorities
 Fosters ownership and support

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
COMMITTEE Community Engagement
Gives life and balance to performance budgeting
 Identifies community priorities
 Fosters ownership and support
 Good ideas and information

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
COMMITTEE Community Engagement
Gives life and balance to performance budgeting
 Identifies community priorities
 Fosters ownership and support
 Good ideas and information
 Provides reality check on performance

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
COMMITTEE State Plan consultation

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
COMMITTEE State Plan consultation
31

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
COMMITTEE State Plan consultation
100

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
COMMITTEE State Plan consultation
2&2

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
COMMITTEE State Plan consultation

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COMMITTEE State Plan consultation
300

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
COMMITTEE State Plan consultation
In setting priorities the Government held:
•
•
31 community forums 1,247
A peak representative forum involving 100 groups
• Two fora for ethnic communities
• Two fora for young people
•
•
•
Over 300 written submissions
1,247 website feedback forms
4,000
Extensive agency consultations with stakeholder groups
• Around 4,000 people and organisations provided feedback
• Around 50,000 visited the State Plan website
50,000

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
COMMITTEE State Plan consultation
The ability to get beyond the gatekeepers of
what local opinion is was really powerful, and
‘ordinary people’ actually have a better
understanding of the notion of a budget
constraint and that you cannot do everything
than a lot of people who were there to push
particular barrows. So you got some very
good conversations going on around
discussion group tables about what really is
our priority locally? It is not to do everything.
Head of Premier’s Delivery Unit

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
COMMITTEE
Participative budgeting in Porto Alegre

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COMMITTEE Dialogue with the city, Perth WA

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
COMMITTEE Conclusion
Way forward for financial accountability:
• Manage the risks of performance budgeting
• Adapt Parliament to analyse performance data
• Engage community to keep it real