Performance reporting and
accountability for national reform
Media Release
Call for clarity on reform agenda goals
21 September 2010
The organisation established to scrutinise the COAG reform agenda has called on governments to more clearly define their goals.
The COAG Reform Council has released the first progress report, COAG reform agenda: Report on progress 2010, on whether governments are achieving what they set out to across COAG’s entire reform agenda.
“This is the most comprehensive economic, social and environmental reform agenda ever pursued cooperatively by all nine Australian governments,” Chairman of the COAG Reform Council, Mr Paul McClintock AO, said.
COAG has agreed a reform agenda that will boost productivity, increase workforce participation and mobility and deliver better services to the community; as well as achieve the broader goals of closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage, social inclusion and environmental sustainability.
“We’ve looked at a range of reforms and found that governments are doing a fair bit of what they said they would do, but we’ve also found that it’s not clear in all cases how the reform agenda will achieve its objectives,” Mr McClintock said.
“If we are going to be able to paint the bigger picture of whether governments are improving the wellbeing of Australians, we need COAG to more clearly articulate its vision and the pathways to reach it,” Mr McClintock said.
The council’s report commends governments for agreeing simplified financial arrangements that focus on cooperation, outcomes and public accountability–an important foundational achievement of the reform agenda.
“The COAG Reform Council is urging governments to continue to drive the necessary cultural change to build on these reforms–to transform the way they do business together.”
“This will take time, political leadership and determined effort. The council encourages COAG to stay the course of reform.”
Download the full report at www.coagreformcouncil.gov.au/reports/progress.cfm.
Media contact: Megan Staunton, 02 9329 7368, 0419 346 890
