Heads of government (now the Council of Australian Governments or COAG) established the Review of Government Service Provision (the Review) to provide information on the effectiveness and efficiency of government services in Australia. A Steering Committee, comprising senior representatives from the central agencies of all governments, manages the Review with the assistance of a Secretariat provided by the Productivity Commission. The Review was established in 1993 to:

• provide ongoing comparisons of the performance of government services
• report on service provision reforms that governments have implemented or that are under consideration.

The Report on Government Services, now in its fifteenth edition, is a tool for government. It has been used for strategic budget and policy planning, and for policy evaluation.

Services included in the 2010 Report:

Early childhood, education & training

— Children’s services (chapter 3)
— School education (chapter 4)
— Vocational education and training (chapter 5)

Justice

— Police services (chapter 6)
— Court administration (chapter 7)
— Corrective services (chapter 8)

Emergency management

— Fire, ambulance and road rescue services (chapter 9)

Health

— Public hospitals (chapter 10)
— Primary and community health (chapter 11)
— Breast cancer detection and management, and specialised mental health services (chapter 12)

Community services

— Aged care services (chapter 13)
— Services for people with disability (chapter 14)
— Protection and support services (chapter 15)

Housing

— Public housing and mainstream community housing, State owned and managed Indigenous housing, Indigenous community housing and Commonwealth Rent Assistance (chapter 16)