Reporting on local government performance: follow-up

Why this is important

Relevant and reliable performance information is essential to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of council services and decision-making.

In our 2019 engagement, Reporting on Local Government Performance, we examined how effectively councils used the Local Government Performance Reporting Framework (LGPRF) to communicate performance information.

We also examined the role of Local Government Victoria, part of the then Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) – now the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) – in developing the LGPRF and providing ongoing support and guidance to councils. Local Government Victoria has since moved to the Department of Government Services (DGS).

We found that the LGPRF was not realising its full potential because it lacked good outcome measures, data was reported inconsistently between councils and some of the reported data was unreliable.

We made 11 recommendations for DELWP and selected councils to improve their performance reporting through use of the LGPRF. All recommendations were accepted, and as of the end of 2023, were reported to have been completed. 

What we plan 
to examine

We will assess acquittal of the recommendations from the 2019 engagement Reporting on Local Government Performance.

Who we plan 
to examine

DGS, DEECA, Moonee Valley City Council, City of Casey, Horsham Rural City Council, Baw Baw Shire Council and the Borough of Queenscliffe (councils in scope of the 2019 engagement).