Appendix Volume 1

Towards Responsible Government
Appendix to the Report of the National Commission of Audit – Volume 1

Contents

• Introduction

• Terms of reference

• 1 – Principles of Good Government

• 2 – The role of government

  • 2.1 What do Australians expect their governments to do?

  • 2.2 What should governments do?

• 3 – What do governments do in Australia today?

• 4 – Portfolio overviews

  • 4.1 Agriculture Portfolio

  • 4.2 Attorney-General's Portfolio

  • 4.3 Communications Portfolio

  • 4.4 Defence Portfolio

  • 4.5 Education Portfolio

  • 4.6 Employment Portfolio

  • 4.7 Environment Portfolio

  • 4.8 Finance Portfolio

  • 4.9 Foreign Affairs and Trade Portfolio

  • 4.10 Health Portfolio

  • 4.11 Department of Human Services

  • 4.12 Immigration and Border Protection Portfolio

  • 4.13 Industry Portfolio

  • 4.14 Infrastructure and Regional Development Portfolio

  • 4.15 Prime Minister and Cabinet Portfolio

  • 4.16 Social Services Portfolio

  • 4.17 Treasury Portfolio

  • 4.18 Department of Veterans' Affairs

  • 4.19 Parliamentary Departments

• 5 – How does the government provide and fund its services?

  • 5.1 How the government appropriates money

  • 5.2 Accountability

  • 5.3 List of 194 'Principal Bodies'

• 6 – Approach to government and new fiscal rules

  • 6.1 Fiscal framework and rules

  • 6.2 Better management of the Commonwealth's balance sheet

  • 6.3 Budget reporting and the Charter of Budget Honesty

• 7 – Fiscal and economic assumptions

  • 7.1 Methodology of budget aggregate projections

  • 7.2 Methodology of programme projections

• 8 – Reforming the Federation

  • 8.1 Background

  • 8.2 Rationalising roles and responsibilities

  • 8.3 Addressing vertical fiscal imbalance

  • 8.4 Improving horizontal fiscal equalisation

• 9 – Managing expenditure growth

  • 9.1 The Age Pension

  • 9.2 The National Disability Insurance Scheme

  • 9.3 A pathway to reforming health care

  • 9.4 The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme

  • 9.5 Family Tax Benefit

  • 9.6 Paid Parental Leave and child care

  • 9.7 Schools funding

  • 9.8 Defence and national security

  • 9.9 Aged care

  • 9.10 Carer payments

  • 9.11 Unemployment benefits and the minimum wage

  • 9.12 Disability Support Pension

  • 9.13 Higher education

  • 9.14 Foreign aid