Councils' corporate services—or 'back office' functions—are the internal services that support council staff and give them the tools necessary to deliver services to the community. Councils vary in how they organise corporate functions across business units, but the key corporate activities within councils include finance, human resources, IT, governance, strategy, communications, records management, revenue and payroll.
Councils must both plan for and review services to ensure they are financially sustainable and designed to meet community needs. Although service planning and review is not explicitly required by the Act, councils must adhere to the Best Value Principles, which specify that services must:
Victoria's 79 local councils provide a wide range of services including health, social welfare, waste, recreation, infrastructure, planning and emergency management. Services vary significantly across councils, depending on the demographics, size, location, and priorities of each community.
Victoria's 79 local councils deliver wide-ranging services, such as health, social welfare, waste, recreation, infrastructure, planning and emergency management. Services vary across councils, depending on the demographics, size, location and priorities of each community. Councils are required to provide some services by law, and there are others they choose to provide.
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ABC |
activity-based costing |
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ABEF |
Australian Business Excellence Framework |
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ABS |
Australian Bureau of Statistics |
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ACELG |
Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government |
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Bayside |
Ordered to be published
VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT PRINTER September 2018
PP No 438, Session 2014–18
Dear Presiding Officers
This audit assessed whether councils achieve value for money from their library services.
We assessed how well selected library services plan, monitor and review their services to find service efficiencies and meet community needs. We also examined whether funding and investments into statewide library initiatives are supporting councils to improve their library services.
This audit assessed whether planning processes and early works have adequately prepared the Melbourne Metro Tunnel Project for the main tunnel and stations works.
We reviewed planning processes including the development of the project business case (defining the problem, strategic options analysis, demand forecasts, and benefits definition), stakeholder consultation, site acquisition and preparation, land clearance and demolitions, environmental effects studies and other statutory planning.