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National Partnership Performance Reporting

In November 2008, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) endorsed a new Intergovernmental Agreement on Federal Financial Relations (IGA). The IGA included a new form of payment - National Partnership (NP) payments - to fund specific projects and to facilitate and/or reward states and territories that deliver on nationally significant reforms.

NPs are designed to allow flexibility around how objectives are achieved, while ensuring that all parties to the agreement are accountable to the public for achieving the objectives, outcomes and outputs specified in a NP. Further, NPs are time limited, and therefore any associated performance reporting will also be time limited.

In March 2010, the Ministerial Council on Federal Financial Relations released Federal Finances Circular No. 2010/01 on developing NPs. This circular includes the following references to the Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision:

  • In the case of reward payments, and otherwise as applicable, performance benchmarks must be agreed with the relevant data collector. The [Secretariat for the Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision] and the COAG Reform Council must be consulted on the design of the performance benchmarks. [para F]
  • To assist consideration of the appropriate treatment of expiring National Partnerships, provision for a review of the National Partnership should be incorporated in the agreement. The review should be scheduled to report no later than 12 months prior to the expiry date for the agreement... Where possible, reviews should be conducted independently of, or jointly by, the parties to the agreement. Reviews should also be conducted consistently with the role of the COAG Reform Council in monitoring the aggregate pace of reform - for example, reviewers should consult with the Council, the Productivity Commission and the Secretariat for the Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision. [para 40]

Note: The COAG Reform Council ceased operations on 30 June 2014.

Read Developing National Partnerships - Federal Finances Circular No.2010/01 (PDF - 256 Kb) for full details (external link).

Reports


National Partnership Agreement on Hospital and Health Workforce Reform

Schedule C (subacute care) of the National Partnership Agreement on Hospital and Health Workforce Reform specifies that the States and Territories will provide reports against annual growth targets to the Steering Committee.
National Partnership Agreement on the Elective Surgery Waiting List Reduction Plan

Paragraph 17 of the National Partnership Agreement on the Elective Surgery Waiting List Reduction Plan specifies that the COAG Reform Council (CRC) will assess the performance of each State and Territory against the performance benchmarks in Schedule A of the agreement. States and territories must provide a report to the Commonwealth against the performance indicators set out in Schedule B of the agreement for three reporting periods (Para. 18 and 19).
National Partnership Agreement on Essential Vaccines

Paragraph 40 of the National Partnership Agreement on Essential Vaccines specifies that the COAG Reform Council will annually assess the performance of each State and Territory against the improvement areas referred to in Clause 35(b) of the agreement and subject to the detailed arrangements in Schedule F.
National Partnership Agreement on Youth Attainment and Transitions

Paragraph 61 of the of the National Partnership Agreement on Youth Attainment and Transitions specifies that the COAG Reform Council is required to prepare assessment reports for the following performance benchmarks specified in the agreement: