Internationally, privately-owned water systems have resulted in higher bills, largely because of rising interest costs, debt and dividend payouts. This report, commissioned by the Australian Services Union NSW & ACT, analyses the fiscal, economic and public health effects of privatising Sydney Water.

The Bushfire Local Economic Recovery (BLER) program was created after the 2019–20 bushfires. It is co-funded by the Commonwealth and NSW governments. This audit assessed how effectively the Department of Regional NSW and Resilience NSW administered rounds one and two of the BLER program.

This report outlines the Andrews Government's infrastructure policy and project commitments ahead of its third term in government, and includes an overview of public infrastructure investment and market dynamics.

The Victorian Liberals say the state's debt is larger than any other state and larger than NSW, Queensland and Tasmania combined. Verdict: the Victorian Liberal party claims are gilding the lily.

The Australian Leadership Index (ALI) captures public perceptions of Australian institutions over time across three dimensions of leadership for the greater good: Integrity, Contribution and Competence. In this report, the authors provide a snapshot of the ALI's findings on public perceptions of the Victorian government's...

Victoria’s integrity agencies have come together to present an evidence-based paper outlining the need for greater budgetary independence. This joint paper sets out a case to further strengthen the perceived and actual independence of these three officers of Parliament.

This report sets out recommendations for significant improvements to donations and lobbying regulations in Victoria. These recommendations are based on analysis of Victoria's regulatory framework and the experience of other Australian and comparable international jurisdictions and broader research.

This report finds that abuse of taxpayer-funded advertising is rife in Australia, with governments routinely spending public money to spruik their own achievements, especially in the lead up to elections.

The Australian economy faces the greatest series of financial risks in decades, as the odds of a global recession continue to increase. The authors of this report argue that the Victorian economy is particularly vulnerable to the economic shocks that are coming its way, because...

This updated chronology provides an overview of Victorian border closures in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19.

This report follows on from the report published last year entitled 2020 hindsight: the first 12 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The NSW Ombudsman's aim has been to look back on the second year of the pandemic and provide an account of what has been...

Public servants and the general public should be able to have confidence that public service appointments are made based on merit. This report seeks to address specific problems arising in two recent recruitment processes, as well as making recommendations for system-wide change to bolster the...

This document outlines the strategic role commissioning will play in transforming the delivery of community services in Western Australia.

Throughout this inquiry, the Committee heard about many barriers preventing culturally diverse older people from accessing the services they need when they need them. This report draws upon comprehensive evidence received from expert stakeholders and people with lived experience to make 61 findings and 76...

This report examines the merits of the Victorian government's decision to invest in the Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) project, as part of their overall 'Big Build' infrastructure policy.

This review aspires to influence a cultural shift, which encourages openness from the top, starting with Cabinet processes and a resulting shared focus on identifying and dealing with the challenges Queensland faces.

This report makes 19 recommendations to bring grants administration into line with best practice. In addition to feedback from 26 stakeholder groups, the review considered grants administration guidelines from comparable jurisdictions, best practice risk assessment and assurance frameworks, and the existing New South Wales policy...

This audit investigated if Victorian government advertising campaigns comply with the Public Administration Act 2004 and if they cost-effective.

This research highlights how the powers of detention in the Victorian government’s pandemic management legislation could be struck down for being incompatible with the Australian Constitution.

This inquiry was a first for the New South Wales Legislative Council, ensuring that parliamentary scrutiny of the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic continued at various times in 2020, 2021 and 2022 when the Legislative Council itself was either unable or not scheduled to...

The backdrop to the forthcoming federal and state budgets for 2022/23 is that Australia’s public debt has increased sharply during the pandemic since 2019 — and is projected to increase further. This report provides an update of measures of Australia’s public debt based on mid-year...

This inquiry’s terms of reference asked the Committee to examine the adequacy of Commonwealth support for Victoria, specifically Victoria’s GST share and the impact of the end of the no-worse-off guarantee.

After 12 months of collaboration that brought together thought leaders from industry, unions, governments, the community and educational institutions from across Victoria, the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) has published this summit playbook.

The Victorian government delivers a wide range of services that are vital for Victorians’ economic, financial and social wellbeing. It is important that the government can keep these services running during a disruption. This audit investigated if business continuity arrangements enabled the continuation of essential...

The Northern Territory government is seeking stakeholder and public feedback on this position paper, which sets the vision, purpose and implementation pathways to prioritise government investment in infrastructure.