The Victorian Auditor-General’s (VAGO) latest report has called out the Allan Labor Government for not being transparent when reporting on the service delivery and financial expenditure outcomes of government departments.
The Victorian Government’s Resource Management Framework (RMF) outlines mandatory financial and performance reporting requirements for VictorianGovernment departments. These performance metrics provide key information to the Victorian community as to how their money is being spent and how outcomes are achieved.
The Fair Presentation of Service Delivery Performance 2024 report confirmed Victorian taxpayers continue to be denied proper transparency, resulting in the community being unable to “properly assess performance and cannot fully hold government to account for its performance.”
The VAGO report found:
- All departments made changes to their performance statements that do not allow the Parliament and the community to properly assess their performance.
- VAGO was unable to verify the accuracy of results for 61 per cent of Department of Treasury and Finance (DTF) performance measures and identified issues in the calculation documentation for 76 per cent of DTF’s performance measures.
- The community cannot have full confidence that all performance results published by DTF between 2019-20 and 2024-25 are accurate.
- In each of the last three years VAGO found that much of the output information reported by departments is not relevant or reliable.
- Only one department correctly reported changes in line with the RMF’s requirements.
This report follows recent confirmation that under the Allan Labor Government, Victoria’s net debt is growing by $80 million a day and is set to reach a record $187.8 billion by 2027-28.
ALiberals and ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾s Government will implement a Plan for Financial Integrity, which will include a legislated Charter of Budget Honesty to with clear, enforceable rules to hold government accountable for how Victorians’ money is spent and the outcomes their investment achieves.
Shadow Treasurer, Brad Rowswell, said: “This report is further evidence Labor cannot manage money and Victorians are paying the price.
“After 10 years of Labor and 10 Labor budgets, Victoria has the highest unemployment, highest property taxes and the most debt of any state in the nation.
“With net debt growing by $80 million a day, Victorians deserve full transparency over the true state of our books and how Labor is spending Victorians’ money.
Shadow Minister for Finance, Jess Wilson, said: “Victorian taxpayers are being deliberately kept in the dark as to how Labor is spending their hard-earned money and what they have to show for it.
“Year after year, the Allan Labor Government fails to meet basic requirements for open, transparent and relevant financial reporting.
“Only a future Pesutto Liberals and ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾s Government will end Labor’s decade of mismanagement and to restore integrity to Victoria’s finances.”
