PM&C continues to develop our approach to performance monitoring and reporting. In 2021, we undertook a substantial review of our performance reporting framework. Our 2021–2025 Corporate Plan introduced 5 key activities that better reflects the Department’s core work, aligns more closely to the Portfolio Budget Statements and the PGPA Act reporting requirements, and provides a better foundation to measure, track and report on our performance over time.
The PM&C reporting framework clearly sets out what we intend to achieve within the reporting period and over the 4 year life of the Plan. We continue to mature our performance measures and supporting targets (where appropriate) to provide a clearer reporting line from the Portfolio Budget Statements to the purpose, reported results and achievements in the Department’s Annual Performance Statement.
The performance reporting framework
PBS Outcome 1
Provide high quality policy advice and support to the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, portfolio ministers and Assistant Ministers including through coordination of government activities, policy development and program delivery.
Our Mission
To improve the lives of all Australians through high quality advice and support to the Government
Our purpose
To provide support to the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, portfolio ministers and Assistant Ministers to improve the lives of all Australians, including through coordination of government activities, effective policy advice and development, and program delivery.
Our 5 key activities reflect the Department’s core work that enables us to serve the Prime Minister and deliver the Government’s key priorities. They cut across the Department’s purpose and are used to demonstrate our achievement within the reporting period.
Intended results describe the impact, difference, result or outcome we want to achieve over the reporting period.
Performance measures are the tools we use to measure our progress or achievement against the intended results.
Targets are applied where appropriate and describe the results we are aiming for against each performance measure both within the reporting period and over the life of the Corporate Plan.
Methodologies and data sources describe the data, information, evidence, or performance information collected, analysed and reported to demonstrate achievement against the targets, performance measures, key activities, purpose and the PBS. In identifying appropriate methodologies to measure performance, we aim for a mixture of qualitative, quantitative, output, effectiveness and efficiency measures. Where pure efficiency measures are unavailable we aim to set proxy efficiency measures. Our measures are defined in line with the PGPA Act and the Department of Finance’s Resource Management Guides 131 and 132.
Data integrity
We have systems and controls in place to ensure the data, evidence and information we collect to support our claims of achievement are complete, accurate and reliable.
We take active steps to reduce bias in our data collection and assessment of our performance. These steps include using an independent provider to deploy our annual stakeholder satisfaction survey, analyse results and provide the Department with a fair, independent and robust analysis of our performance.
Developing our performance reporting framework
PM&C is committed to accurate, accountable and transparent performance monitoring and reporting. In the lead up to each reporting cycle we review the framework, consult widely and introduce changes aimed at improving the way we measure and report on our performance. This year the major changes are:
- changes to purposes
- changes to performance measures and targets. We have made changes to 11 performance measures, retired 6, replaced 3 and created 1. Changes were made to strengthen our compliance against PGPA Rule 16EA and in response to the ANAO annual performance statement audit released in May 2022. Details of changes to individual performance measures and the rationale for them can be found in the performance measure tables following.
Assessing our performance
Over the reporting period, business areas will be responsible for tracking, monitoring and reporting their performance against their relevant key activities. They will be required to use the predetermined performance methodology as outlined in this Plan, gather evidence, assess their performance using the results criteria table below and then assign a result rating for each key activity. Where a performance measure is supported by a target (or targets), reporting against the target(s) will be used to demonstrate performance against the measure and the key activity. Evidence and analysis will be provided to support claims of achievement against each key activity.
| Achieved | In the 2022–23 reporting period, the Department delivered against the performance measure. |
|---|---|
| On track | The performance measure is on track to be met over the forward estimates. |
| Partially Achieved | In the 2022–23 reporting period, the Department partially achieved against the performance measure and or reporting thresholds. |
| Not Achieved | In the 2022–23 reporting period the performance measure was not met. |