Purposes
Finance has four purposes:
- budget and financial advice, management and reporting—support the government to deliver its fiscal targets and policy objectives
- governance—foster leading public sector practice
- transformation—innovate and improve public sector operations and reform the management and operations of public assets
- services—manage efficient, cost-effective services to and for the government.
Operating environment
Finance’s central role in supporting government decision making, particularly in relation to meeting the government’s fiscal policy objectives and broader reform agenda, results in a complex operating environment influenced by a number of factors:
- global and national issues that both drive and impact on government fiscal policy decision making
- rapid economic and social changes in Australia requiring the Australian Public Service to have a modern, responsive and flexible approach
- changing policy frameworks that continue to position the public sector to meet government and community expectations—including a modern public sector that delivers programs and services efficiently and effectively
- a complex legislative and legal environment that affects the design and passage of legislation and the delivery of the government’s agenda
- continuing public sector reform within a constrained fiscal environment
- opportunities created by an adaptable and professional workforce, changes in technology, and improved cross-entity and cross-government collaboration.
