In April 2012 the Victorian Auditor General’s Office (VAGO) published a report on the performance measurement and reporting in Victorian Local Government. This report follows the analysis of 10 Councils across the state and follows previous similar reports. The major findings of the report are the lack of defined actions and initiatives in the planning across the councils leads to a poor performance measurement culture.

            This is in drastic contrast to a similar report from Western Australian office, which although outlines improvement opportunities does praise the improvements made in the state of Western Australia since the previous report.

            It seems the Victorian counterparts either haven’t grasped the recommendations from the 2008 report or alternatively have decided not to implement the recommendations. The failure to achieve the standard of planning and reporting recommended by VAGO is having a direct impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of the services delivered by councils across the state. The really bad news is the standard of performance reporting recommended by VAGO is far from being a benchmark and will in fact still ensure government performance remains below best practice.

Jason.