PGPA Newsletter 91

Reporting performance information in Portfolio Budget Statements RMG-129 has been updated to reflect:

Commonwealth entities' executive remuneration reporting guide for annual reports RMG-138 has been updated to reflect:

Commonwealth companies' executive remuneration reporting guide for annual reports RMG-139 has been updated to reflect:

If you have any feedback on our RMGs or need further information in relation these updates, please contact us at PGPA@finance.gov.au

Note that updates to Performance RMGs 131, 132, 133 and 134 will be completed shortly. These updates will be notified in the next edition of the Newsletter.

In the last PGPA Newsletter (90), we advised that an Annual Reports Community of Practice forum was held on 4 April 2023. Questions asked during the forum and their responses have now been published to the Digital Annual Reports GovTEAMS Community.

Consistent themes across the questions asked during the Community of Practice include:

If you have any Annual Report queries or would like to join the Digital Annual Reports GovTEAMS Community contact us at dar@finance.gov.au.

An Introduction to Annual Reports targeted online sessions were held from 15 to 17 May 2023. Slide presentations, questions taken and their responses, and recordings of each session have now published to the Digital Annual Reports GovTEAMS Community.

These sessions noted that Finance is introducing a new Digital Annual Reporting Tool for drafting your annual report content for the 2022-23 reporting cycle. We will be writing to Commonwealth entities and companies in early June to request details of users that will require access to the new Tool and seeking details of users that will require training.

If you have any Annual Report queries or would like to join the Digital Annual Reports GovTEAMS Community contact us at dar@finance.gov.au.

Finance will be hosting a Performance Community of Practice on Regulator Performance session on Tuesday 13 June at the Department of Finance and via GovTEAMS.

The session will provide entities that perform regulatory functions with a better understanding of performance reporting requirements in relation to publishing their 2023–24 Corporate Plan.

 

If you identify as a Commonwealth entity that performs regulator functions, including both standalone regulators and those located within policy departments, register for the Performance Community of Practice on Regulator Performance now.

If you are not sure whether you have regulatory functions, please contact the Regulator Performance Team.

Please refer to RMG-128 and RMG-132 for further guidance:

As part of our commitment to stewardship, Finance has launched a new webpage which provides a one stop shop for career and technical resources for accounting and finance professionals in the Australian Public Service.

The page, APS Accounting and Finance Profession Resources, includes information on networks to help accounting and finance professionals stay connected with their peers.

For further information contact us at: APSAccountingFinanceWorkingGroup@finance.gov.au

Finance has launched a new Commonwealth Balance Sheet User Guide to help readers of the Budget Papers better understand the major assets and liabilities which form part of the Australian Government’s balance sheet, in particular those presented in Budget Paper No.1 (and is complementary to new analysis that was provided in 2023-24 as part of Statement 10, Appendix B of Budget Paper No.1). The Guide explains the key terms and concepts used in the balance sheet, the reporting framework and the composition of each line item. The Guide also provides links to relevant Commonwealth Government publications on each of these topics.

The Commonwealth Balance Sheet User Guide can be found here. 

For further information contact us at: AccountingPolicy@finance.gov.au

Portfolio Budget Statements and Portfolio Additional Estimates Statements provide information to Parliament and the public on the proposed allocation of resources to the achievement of the Government’s outcomes, and assists Senate Estimates committees with their examination of the annual Appropriation Bills and the Budget.

Finance publishes regular guidance to assist entities in preparing their Portfolio Budget Statements and Portfolio Additional Estimates Statements. To find out more, visit the Portfolio Budget Statements page.

For further information contact us at: Budget_Framework@finance.gov.au

Finance hosts a suite of RMGs that support the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (PGPA Act) Commonwealth entities and companies to meet the requirements of the PGPA framework. The guides are hosted on the Finance website. An index of RMGs can be found on the Finance website. The index allows users to navigate the available guidance quickly and can be sorted alphabetically, by number, or by topic.

An RMG explains the legislation or policy requirements in plain language supporting entities in the application of the PGPA framework. A number of RMGs also provide examples of good practice.

RMGs are evolving to support a ‘self-help’ environment, refocusing from the ‘why’ to the ‘how’ and enabling stakeholders to interact with information in real time. This work is ongoing. The guides are available electronically which means they can be updated as required in real time, this ensures stakeholders are informed of policy and legislative amendments quickly - allowing Finance to support stakeholders efficiently and effectively.