PGPA legislation, associated instruments and policies

Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013

The Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (PGPA Act) establishes a coherent system of governance and accountability for public resources, with an emphasis on planning, performance and reporting.

The PGPA Act applies to:

picture of the flipchart

The Flipchart of PGPA Act entities and companies provides a comprehensive list of the government bodies subject to the PGPA Act.            
 

Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Rule 2014

The Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Rule 2014 (PGPA Rule) and other legislative instruments establish the requirements and procedures necessary to give effect to the governance, performance and accountability matters covered by the PGPA Act.           
 

Links to the official and most current versions of the PGPA Act and Rule are available in the right hand menu under Policies, legislation and guidelines.

 

PGPA associated instruments and policies

The following table provides the instruments and policies of the Australian Government that are currently in effect under, or support, the PGPA Act. The table also outlines who they apply to.

Instruments and Policies

NCEs

CCEs

CCs
PGPA Rule 2014

Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs)

CCEs prescribed in section 30 PGPA Rule 
Commonwealth Grants Rules and Guidelines (CGRGs)

  
PGPA Financial Reporting Rule 2015

 
PGPA Investment Authorisation 2024  10 prescribed CCEs entitled to maintain investments under s59 of the PGPA Act 
PGPA (Relevant Company) Rule 2016  prescribes relevant companies under s 85 PGPA Act

Rules establishing Commonwealth Corporate Entities:

PGPA (Establishing the Australian Digital Health Agency) Rule 2016

PGPA (Establishing Old Parliament House) Rule 2016

 

 

Policies of the Australian Government include:

Commonwealth Risk Management Policy

Commonwealth Governance Structures Policy

Australian Government Charging Framework

Procurement connected policies

Supplier Pay on-Time or Pay Interest Policy

Whole-of-government ICT policy

Whole-of-government arrangements for the purchase of certain goods and services

Procurement related policies apply to CCEs prescribed in section 30 PGPA Rule 
Government policy orders (to apply policies of the Australian Government to corporate Commonwealth entities) 

 

Finance Minister’s delegation of powers and functions in PGPA legislation

The Finance Minister has delegated some powers and functions in the PGPA Act to accountable authorities of non-corporate Commonwealth entities (in accordance with section 107(1)).

Delegates must comply with the directions in the delegation instruments.

The current delegations instruments took effect 1 September 2022:

The following table lists the relevant amendments to the current delegation from the Finance Minister to Accountable Authorities of Non-Corporate Commonwealth Entities:

Finance Minister’s Delegations

PGPA (Finance Minister to Accountable Authorities of Non-Corporate Commonwealth Entities) Delegation 2022

 

Amendment Delegation Title

Commencement 

Changes

PGPA (Finance Minister to Accountable Authorities of NCEs) Amendment Delegation 2024 (No. 2)

1 July 2024

Amendments to Schedule 1, Part 6 relating to indemnities concerning the approval of legal assistance under Appendix E of the Legal Services Directions 2017.

The following table lists the relevant amendments to the current delegation from the Finance Minister to Finance Secretary:

Finance Minister’s Delegations

PGPA (Finance Minister to Finance Secretary) Delegation 2022

                                                                                                                                                          

Amendment Delegation Title

Commencement 

Changes

PGPA (Finance Minister to Finance Secretary) Amendment Delegation 2024 (No.1) 

1 July 2024

Amendments to Schedule 1, Part 3 relating to indemnities concerning the approval of legal assistance under Appendix E of the Legal Services Directions 2017.
The current delegation instruments are available in the table above and in the right hand menu under Policies, legislation and guidelines. Superseded versions are available in the right-hand menu under Superseded Delegations.
If you would like information in relation to superseded PGPA delegations or have any queries related to PGPA delegations, please contact us at PGPA@finance.gov.au.

In addition to the above:

GPO Dot points
 

Powers and functions that can be delegated

Accountable authorities of non‑corporate Commonwealth entities can delegate the powers listed below, functions or duties in the PGPA Act to officials (in accordance with section 110(1)(a)).

PGPA Act
Section 23
  • power to approve commitments, enter into, vary and administer arrangements (including other CRF money arrangements)
Section 24
  • power to establish advisory boards
Section 36
  • duty to prepare budget estimates for the entity
Section 45
  • duty to establish an audit committee for the entity
Section 46
  • duty to prepare the annual report for the entity
PGPA Rule
Section 10
  • duty to prevent, detect and deal with fraud
Section 11
  • duty to recover debts


Accountable authorities of non‑corporate Commonwealth entities can subdelegate the powers listed below in the PGPA Act to officials that are delegated to them by the Finance Minister (in accordance with section 110(1)(b), (5) and (6)).

PGPA Act
Section 53
  • power to conduct banking business in Australia
Section 56
  • power to use credit cards to borrow
Section 60
  • power to grant certain indemnities, guarantees or warranties on behalf of the Commonwealth
Section 63
  • power to modify the terms and conditions for amounts owing to the Commonwealth
Section 66
  • power to authorise a gift of relevant property
Section 77
  • power to repay amounts paid to the Commonwealth
PGPA Rule
Section 25
  • power to authorise the payment of an amount owed to person at time of death


Accountable authorities of certain specified non‑corporate Commonwealth entities can also subdelegate the powers listed below.

PGPA Act
Section 53
  • power to conduct banking business in Australia
Section 58
  • power to invest relevant money in authorised investments
Section 63
  • power to modify the terms and conditions for amounts owing to the Commonwealth


Powers, functions and duties that cannot be delegated

The powers, functions or duties in the PGPA Act, listed below, cannot be delegated by the accountable authority (section 110(2)).

PGPA Act
Section 15
  • duty to govern the entity (along with section 21 - duty to govern an entity in a way that is not inconsistent with the policies of the Australian Government)
Section 16
  • duty to establish and maintain systems relating to risk and control
Section 17
  • duty to encourage cooperation with others
Section 18
  • duty in relation to requirements imposed on others
Section 19
  • duty to keep responsible Minister and Finance Minister informed
Section 20A
  • power to give written accountable authority instructions
Section 35
  • requirement to prepare corporate plan for the entity
Section 37
  • requirement to have records about performance of the entity
Section 38
  • requirement to measure and assess the performance of the entity
Section 39
  • requirement to prepare annual performance statements for the entity
Section 41
  • requirement to have accounts and records for the entity
Section 42
  • requirement to prepare annual financial statements for the entity
Section 43
  • requirement to include audited annual financial statements in the entity's annual report
PGPA Rule
Section 29
  • requires an accountable authority to ensure any arrangement entered into relating to the receipt, custody or expenditure of other CRF complies with Rule subsection 29(2) (note that this is not a power to enter into other CRF arrangements. The power to enter into arrangements in the PGPA Act including other CRF arrangements comes from section 23 and this power can be delegated).

Finance Secretary Direction

Commonwealth entities that produce the Portfolio Budget Statement must meet the requirements under the Finance Secretary Direction. The current Finance Secretary Direction on the Requirements for Performance Information in Portfolio Budget Statements was issued on 21 August 2022.

For further information, see Reporting performance information in Portfolio Budget Statements (RMG 129) in the right hand menu under Tools and templates

 

Duties of accountable authorities to comply with Government Policy

An accountable authority of a non-corporate Commonwealth entity must govern their entity in a way that is not inconsistent with relevant policies of the Australian Government. Finance has developed guidance to support accountable authorities, in consultation with the Australian Government Solicitor.

This guidance is also available in the right hand menu under Tools and templates.

 

Government Policy Orders

An accountable authority of a corporate Commonwealth entity must comply with policies specified in a government policy order made by the Finance Minister.

For a corporate Commonwealth entity or Commonwealth company that is subject to a Government Policy Order:

  • the accountable authority of the corporate Commonwealth entity (section 22(3) PGPA Act) or the directors of the company (section 93(3) PGPA Act) must ensure the Government Policy Order is complied with by:

their entity or company and any subsidiaries of their entity or company, so far as practicable.

  • the corporate Commonwealth entity (section 17BE(e) PGPA Rule) or company (section 28E(d) PGPA Rule) must include details of the Government Policy Order in their annual report
  • non-compliance with the Government Policy Order may constitute significant non‑compliance with finance law and will need to be disclosed to the responsible Minister by the corporate Commonwealth entity (section 19 PGPA Act) or the company (section 91 PGPA Act) as soon as practicable.

Current Government Policy Orders

GPO DateGPOApplies to
24 August 2017Public Governance, Performance and Accountability (Charging for Regulatory Activities) Order 2017Australian Grape and Wine Authority           
Australian Maritime Safety Authority      
Civil Aviation Safety Authority           
Comcare           
Director of National Parks           
Food Standards Australia New Zealand           
National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority           
Sydney Harbour Federation Trust

 

Resource Management Guides

A suite of Resource Management Guides (RMGs) are available to support you in meeting the requirements of the PGPA Act and Rule.

An index of RMGs available on the Finance website is included in the right hand menu under Tools and templates. 

RMGs are developed with a digital-first focus and updated in real time and should be your first point of reference. Printed or saved versions are only current at the time of printing, so be sure to use the digital version in the first instance. RMG updates are notified through the PGPA Newsletter, issued via email and available under Latest News.

Any comments or questions on the RMGs should be sent to PGPA.


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