Improving performance reporting and accountability

The PGPA Act sets out requirements for performance planning and reporting to promote accountability to ministers, the Parliament and the public for the use of public resources.

For each reporting period, you must prepare and publish:

• a corporate plan that sets out the purposes of your entity
• if you receive appropriations from the Parliament, Portfolio Budget Statements, which provide budgetary information related to your corporate plan and annual performance statements
• an annual report, which must be tabled in the Parliament and contain annual performance statements, that reports on the financial and non-financial performance of your entity. 
   

The corporate plan is the principal planning document for your entity. Corporate plans must cover at least four reporting periods and address:

• the purposes of your entity
• the environment in which your entity will operate
• how your entity’s performance will be measured and assessed
• the capability of your entity, including the key strategies and plans that your entity will implement to achieve its purposes
• the risk oversight and management systems of your entity.

Unless otherwise provided by legislation, the corporate plan must be:

• given to your minister and the Finance Minister as soon as practicable after it is prepared and before it is published. To meet the requirement to give the corporate plan to the Finance Minister, a copy of your corporate plan should be sent to the Department of Finance at PGPA@finance.gov.au.
  • Entities do not need to send a copy of the corporate plan to the Office of the Finance Minister directly.
• published on your entity’s website by the last day of the second month of the reporting period. For most entities, this will be by 31 August each year.

Keeping accounts and records

You must ensure accounts and records are kept that:

• explain your entity’s performance in achieving its purposes and enable measurement and assessment of that performance
• record and explain your entity’s transactions and financial position.