PGPA Newsletter 111

Finance is rebuilding the Finance.gov.au website to make it more modern, accessible and easier to use.

To help improve how the site is organised and how you find information, we invite you to take part in a user testing activity called Tree testing.

What is tree testing?
Tree testing helps check if users can find what they need on a website. Participants are given a task and a list of menu options, then asked to choose where they would go to complete the task.

• Time required: 10–15 minutes
• Purpose: To test how well the current menu structure works
• How to participate: Visit Finance Tree Testing

This activity is anonymous and will close on COB Tuesday 23 September 2025. Your feedback will help improve how information is organised on the Finance website.

Your opinion is important to us! If you are interested in being part of future user testing activities, please contact corporateengagement@finance.gov.au.

Finance has released a new RMG, RMG 208 - Managing conflicts of interest and confidentiality with the non-government sector.

The RMG has been developed to support officials across Commonwealth entities in applying risk-based principles to manage potential conflicts and confidentiality risks, particularly in contexts involving engagement with the non-government sector.

The guide introduces a standard conflict of interest (COI) definition, outlines risk-based principles and provides case studies illustrating how to manage COI across various contexts involving government engagement with the non-government sector. It also offers tailored principles for handling confidentiality risks in similar engagement.

This RMG complements other integrity initiatives, including:

• the COI Better Practice Model, which supports tailored internal COI management across agencies.
• the National Anti-Corruption Commission’s (NACC) guide: Conflicts of interest and corrupt conduct: a guide for public officials which offers practical advice to Commonwealth public officials on managing COIs to reduce the risk of corrupt conduct. 

For any questions, please contact Comcover@comcover.com.au.

Updates have been made to our Commonwealth performance framework guidance. There are no policy changes in these updates.

RMG-129 Reporting performance information in Portfolio Budget Statements
The updates include:

• Additional guidance on how to report performance information in the Portfolio Additional Estimates Statements (PAES), including better practice examples (available under Performance information in PAES)
• New 2025–26 PAES Performance reporting Table template (available in the right-hand menu under Tools and templates)
• New examples on ways to report Linked Programs from the 2025–26 Portfolio Budget Statements (available under Direction 5: Linked programs).

RMG-131 Developing performance measures
The updates include:

• New examples and Better practice principles featured under each of the performance measure requirements.
• New guidance on Targets, where reasonably practicable to set a target.
• Additional guidance on using mapping and structural techniques in corporate plans and examples on ‘Contributing to achieving common objectives’ (on Performance measures, purposes and/or key activities).
• Additional considerations within Tools, techniques and considerations for developing performance measures (see the ‘Considerations’ column).

RMG-132 Corporate plans for Commonwealth entities and RMG-133 Corporate plans for Commonwealth companies were updated on 11 August.
The updates include:

• new better practice examples
• clearer guidance on publishing requirements and new guidance on seeking extensions to publishing deadlines
• enhanced guidance on publishing a varied corporate plan
• updated reporting years to reflect current 2025–26 reporting period.

For any questions, please contact PGPA@finance.gov.au.

• Annual Report Template for NCEs
• Annual Report Template for CCEs
• Annual Report Template for Commonwealth companies
• Corporate Plan Template for Commonwealth entities
• Corporate Plan Template for Commonwealth companies

• faster page load times
• quicker access to newly published content
• cleaner, more intuitive data presentation.

Did you know you are able to print or download Resource Management Guides (RMGs)
The print or download functionality replaces the need for static PDF versions of RMGs. Users can print or download an entire RMG by simply clicking on the ‘printer’ icon displayed on the top right-hand corner on each web page of an RMG.



Simply follow these steps:

• click on the printer icon on the top right-hand corner of the RMG web page,
• select “Print entire document (for PDF ready version)” or “Print this page”,
• then select ‘Background Graphics’ under Print Options (under ‘More settings’) for the best viewing format.

This will allow you to print or save as a PDF to your respective drive or desktop.

For any questions, please contact PGPA@finance.gov.au.