Terms of reference for the Report on Government Services

Purpose

The Report on Government Services (RoGS) provides information on the equity, effectiveness, and efficiency of government services across Australia. The RoGS contributes to the wellbeing of all Australians by supporting transparency and accountability and encouraging improvements in these services.

The RoGS is produced by the Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision (the Steering Committee) under the oversight of the Council on Federal Financial Relations (CFFR).
The Steering Committee is to report annually on the RoGS to the Heads of Treasuries (HoTs).

The Steering Committee is responsible for data collection and reporting of the RoGS in an accessible format that supports government accountability to the public.
The Steering Committee will ensure that data collection processes are administratively simple and cost effective, avoiding duplication and minimising data collection burden wherever possible.
The Steering Committee will implement an annual program of review and continuous improvement.

The RoGS applies a consistent conceptual framework to measure government service delivery and performance across service areas. Service area objectives describe the desired goals of a service. Performance indicators measure the extent to which service area objectives are met.
The Steering Committee’s guiding principles – detailed in the charter of operations – inform the approach to reporting in the RoGS, including an emphasis on reporting best available, timely, and meaningful data, and capturing the total cost incurred by governments in delivering services. These principles are consistent with the principles for performance indicators in the Intergovernmental Agreement on Federal Financial Relations.

A Secretariat located within the Productivity Commission is responsible for providing administrative support to the Steering Committee to meet its ToR in producing the RoGS. The Secretariat also undertakes research and analysis to highlight issues of policy interest (e.g., innovative practice). The Secretariat is a neutral body and does not represent any jurisdiction.

Steering Committee representation, governance and decision-making processes, and policies and principles for reporting are set out in a supporting charter of operations, which should be read in conjunction with this document.
The charter of operations also outlines the Steering Committee’s relationship with its technical working groups.