PGPA Newsletter 68

Finance is bringing a Digital First focus to some of its information assets as a way to improve the user experience. Using new tools, Finance is providing a different view of information about the government and its activities to the public, Parliament and other stakeholders. 

One of the most accessed sources of information on the Finance website is the Flipchart of PGPA Act Commonwealth entities and companies and the associated List. These are rich sources of information on the structure of the Commonwealth and the characteristics of Commonwealth entities and companies. These are currently provided in static form on the Finance website, with embedded links to enabling legislation and relevant website information and will continue to be available. 

New beta site

Finance has developed a new beta site (structure.gov.au) that allows you to access the information presented in the Flipchart and some details from the List in a more digitally enabled way. As an example, you can drill into an entity and company to understand the basis on which it was established, how it engages staff or if it is a Government Business Enterprise. You can also quickly filter entities by type or characteristic. For example, you can derive a list of entities which are inter-jurisdictional in nature or employ under the Public Service Act 1999. 

This work is centred around a Knowledge Graph. Knowledge Graphs are a new approach to managing information, a growing field of expertise which you interact with on a daily basis. Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google all use knowledge graphs to navigate the relationships between different sets of data to present new information. 

Knowledge Graphs are not just hyperlinks. They can analyse and draw linkages from original data sources and allow the visualisation of complex relationships between data sources, providing new insights into issues being explored and addressed.  

An early example of a visualisation of the representation of linked programs as reported in Portfolio Budget Statements is also provided on structure.gov.au. This example shows how entities are cooperating through their programs towards the achievement of outcomes of other entities – demonstrating one way in which the Australian Public Sector is joined up and working together to achieve common objectives. This work is informing Finance’s understanding of linked program reporting and thinking around linked program policy and the future expression of these programs.

Feedback requested

We are seeking your help in reviewing the new beta sites useability. You can assist by sharing your thoughts on the beta site, including ideas on the type of information you would like to be able to access so that we can look to provide more data and information on the site for stakeholders. You can do this using the feedback function available on the site. Following the analysis of the feedback received we propose to consult with you again in the coming months.

We look forward to receiving your feedback!

Finance is currently refreshing its suite of Resource Management Guidance (RMGs) to make them more accessible, to provide greater clarity of requirements and how to address these, and to make them more practically focussed by providing more and updated better practice examples.  

Work has commenced on refreshing the two RMGs on executive remuneration reporting (RMG 138 for Commonwealth entities and RMG 139 for Commonwealth companies) for release by end May 2021.  The refreshed guidance will take account of the two recommendations of the recently released Interim Report of the Performance Bonus Review. 

The first recommendation goes to the development of principles based guidance to assist with determinations on the payment of performance bonuses.  RMGs 138 and 139 will provide a link to this guidance and include discussion and guidance on the reporting of policies and practices with respect to the payment of at risk short term incentives, including performance bonuses.

The second recommendation goes to the accuracy and consistency of the reporting of remuneration details in the reporting tables in both annual reports and the Digital Annual Reporting Tool.  The refreshed guidance will provide more detail on how to complete the reporting tables.  This will be supplemented by upgrades being made to the Digital Annual Reporting Tool to improve point of entry validation controls. 

Further information and updates on the Performance Bonus Guidance, the refreshed executive remuneration guidance and updates to the Digital Annual Reporting Tool will be provided in PGPA Newsletters over the coming weeks.     

The Finance Minister has approved two amendments to the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Rule 2014 (PGPA Rule).

The Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Amendment (Infrastructure and Project Financing Agency) Rules 2021 was registered on 29 April 2021 and commenced on 1 May 2021. It makes an amendment to Schedule 1 of the PGPA Rule to:

• repeal the clause which prescribed the Infrastructure and Project Financing Agency (IPFA) as a listed entity for the purposes of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013; and
• replace the reference to the IPFA within the purposes of the National Faster Rail Agency.

As noted in PGPA Newsletter 67, IPFA was abolished as a separate Commonwealth entity effective 1 May 2021 and its role continues as a branded function within the Department of the Treasury. Further information can be found in the Explanatory Statement.

The Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Amendment (National Recovery and Resilience Agency) Rules 2021 was registered on 5 May 2021 and has two commencement dates. Amongst the amendments made to Schedule 1 of the PGPA Rule is the renaming of the Commonwealth entity, the National Drought and North Queensland Flood Response and Recovery Agency, to the National Recovery and Resilience Agency and, taking responsibility for the functions of the National Bushfire Recovery Agency in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet from 6 May 2021. Further information can be found in the Explanatory Statement.

The PGPA Rule and these amendments can be found here. These amendments will be compiled into the PGPA Rule shortly.

These amendments are also in the Table of Changes for 2020-21 which summarises key changes to the Flipchart.

The latest version of the Flipchart and its associated List of Commonwealth entities and companies can be found on the Finance website.

Comcover’s risk education  program has been developed to target four levels of desired capability for Australian Public Service officials:   

• Foundation – Encourages all Commonwealth officials, regardless of level or role to understand the basic risk management concepts of how risk is managed in the Commonwealth;
• Generalist – Supports Commonwealth officials, regardless of level, whose role requires them to engage with and apply their entity's risk management framework to successfully deliver outcomes;
• Specialist - Assists job role specialists who are required to design, implement and embed an entity's risk management framework. Specialists facilitate generalists and executives to fulfil their risk management responsibilities; and
• Senior Executive Service - Help inform SES to recognise key and emerging risk management issues and demonstrate risk leadership by fostering a positive risk culture in their entity and across the Commonwealth.

In 2021 Comcover is also conducting virtual workshops that are accessible to everyone located anywhere, as well as face to face workshops.

To enrol in the workshops and access more Comcover education opportunities please visit the Comcover Learning Centre at https://learningcentre.comcover.gov.au or call 1800-651-540 and select Option 2.

Did you know that Finance has a PGPA eLearning program? The program is a self-learning tool aimed at Commonwealth officials. The course will empower you with the knowledge to understand and work with the Commonwealth Resource Management Framework and to understand your responsibilities under the PGPA Act and Rule.