Governance Arrangements for Australian Government Bodies
The Department of Finance and Deregulation (Finance) released a governance policy document in August 2005 entitled Governance Arrangements for Australian Government Bodies (Governance policy document). This document outlines principles for helping to determine the most appropriate structures and governance arrangements for Australian Government bodies.
Governance Arrangements for Australian Government Bodies PDF Version [
1.3 MB ]
The Governance policy document is complemented by the List of Australian Government Bodies and Governance Relationships which provides a broad overview of the administrative, legal and financial structures of the Australian Government.
The Governance policy document was developed following the Review of the Corporate Governance of Statutory Authorities and Office Holders.
Review of the Corporate Governance of Statutory Authorities and Office Holders
Mr John Uhrig AC was appointed in November 2002 by the Australian Government to conduct a review of the corporate governance of Commonwealth statutory authorities and office holders.
The objective of the review was to identify issues surrounding existing governance arrangements and to provide options for Government to improve the performance and get the best from statutory authorities and office holders, and their accountability frameworks.
The review was asked to develop a broad template of governance principles and arrangements that the Government could extend to statutory authorities and office holders, and potentially beyond, to a wider range of public sector bodies.
Uhrig Report
Uhrig Report RTF Version [
1.4 MB ]
Uhrig Report PDF Version [ 41 KB ]
Government Response
The former Minister for Finance and Administration, Senator the Hon Nick Minchin, announced the Government response to the Uhrig Report on 12 August 2004. The media release, including the Government's response to the specific recommendations of the report, is available at the National Library of Australia's Pandora archive [
].
Ministers assessed the governance arrangements of over 160 Australian Government statutory authorities, companies and office holders within their portfolios, against the report's governance templates and principles.
The former Minister for Finance and Administration, Senator the Hon Nick Minchin, coordinated the implementation of the Government's response to the Uhrig Report. Senator Minchin released a progress report on 5 January 2006, available at the National Library of Australia's Pandora archive [].
Governance Implementation Updates
March 2005
Governance Implementation Update - March 2005 RTF Version [ 560 KB ]
Governance Implementation Update - March 2005 PDF Version [ 130 KB ]
February 2006
Governance Implementation Update - February 2006 RTF Version [ 554 KB ]
Governance Implementation Update - February 2006 PDF Version [ 26 KB ]
May 2007
Governance Implementation Update - May 2007 RTF Version [ 618 KB ]
Governance Implementation Update - May 2007 PDF Version [ 34 KB ]
Contact for information on this page: LRB@finance.gov.au