Each of these duties is as important as the others. The PGPA Act also contains a number of legislative tools that you can use to promote a culture of cooperation and operationalise cooperation at a transactional level. For more on these legislative tools see part 5 of this Guide. What policies of the Australian Government must I comply with? For non-corporate Commonwealth entities, you must govern your entity consistent with the policies of the Australian Government. is no exhaustive list of policies; however, relevant policies in the Finance portfolio include: . For corporate Commonwealth entities, any policies that will be listed in made by the Finance Minister and set out on the Finance website (as at 1 November 2016 there were no government policy orders). Are there key considerations in developing the purposes of my entity? The purposes of your entity are the strategic objectives that the entity intends to pursue over the reporting period. The aim of the purposes statement is to give context to the significant activities that the entity will pursue over the period covered by the plan. When constructing purposes statements, consider all sources that contribute to defining the objectives of your entity, such as: key government priorities and objectives (statements made under section 34 of the PGPA Act) Portfolio Budget Statements (outcomes and programs) enabling legislation administrative arrangement orders (AAOs) other relevant legislation other sources (e.g. national partnership agreements). The purposes of your entity need to be set out in your entity’s corporate plan ( of the PGPA Act). The performance framework in the PGPA Act requires you to report to Parliament on how your entity has performed in achieving its purposes. For further information on purposes, see . What can I do to promote the financial sustainability of my entity? Financial sustainability relates to managing risks, obligations and opportunities that are associated with your entity. Essentially this means you must protect the Commonwealth’s investment and equity in your entity ().
The compliance and reporting requirements imposed on others should focus on areas of high risk. Merely shifting the risk burden onto others, especially external service providers, may shift responsibilities away from where the risks are most effectively assessed and managed. Leveraging successful cooperative arrangements, underpinned by trust, can assist you to meet your obligations for the proper use of public resources. For a Commonwealth entity that plays a regulatory role or that is subject to specific legislative directions, this duty must be read subject to the legislation and in the context of the accountable authority’s responsibility for promoting the achievement of the purposes of the entity under of the PGPA Act. Resources Related guidance, and templates Government Collaborative – tools to support the sharing of knowledge, skills and resources in the pursuit of more effective, efficient and innovative solutions – policy and guidance for partnering with the private sector for the provision of public infrastructure and related services (state, territory and local), including guidance for classifying payments – arrangements for handling money by persons outside the Commonwealth PGPA Act 2013 – relevant sections 6. Improving performance and accountability While the PGPA Act provides you with flexibility to establish appropriate systems and processes to govern your entity to achieve its purposes, it also sets out requirements for performance monitoring and reporting to promote an appropriate level of accountability to Ministers, Parliament and the public for your entities’ use of public resources. For each reporting period, you must prepare and publish: