| Recommendation: 31 | Review form, function and number of government bodies to make sure they remain fit for purpose | Overall status: Underway |
| Thodey guidance | Status | Delivery on Thodey |
|---|---|---|
| Finance to amend the Commonwealth Governance Structures Policy to include explicit guidance on the appropriate level of independence best suited to deliver different types of government functions. | Underway | Assessment against the Commonwealth Governance Structures Policy is required as per the Budget Process Operational Rules when seeking policy authority for a new Commonwealth entity or company or statutory office holder. Finance supports entities during assessment by reviewing and signing off that the requirements of the Commonwealth Governance Structures Policy have been met so that the appropriate number and form of new government bodies is controlled. Finance launched the Entity Start-Up Guide in August 2020. The guide provides support to those tasked with setting up a new Commonwealth entity efficiently and effectively. A review of the Commonwealth Governance Structures Policy digital guidance, hosted on the Finance website, is currently underway. |
Secretaries Board to instigate a targeted stocktake of existing Commonwealth government bodies and in-house departmental functions against the Policy. | Underway | The Australian Government Organisations Register (AGOR) provides information on the function, composition, origins and other details of approximately 1,300 Australian Government entities and bodies. A current review of the AGOR reporting categories is being scoped, with the intention to align the categories with the Commonwealth Governance Structures Policy – this will go to emphasising the connections between AGOR and the Commonwealth Governance Structures Policy. |
| Secretaries to undertake the stocktake within their portfolios and provide advice to ministers on potential changes where the principles are not met. | Underway | As above. |