The framework depicts the Review's focus on outcomes, consistent with demand by governments for outcome oriented performance information. This outcome information is supplemented by information on outputs. Output indicators are grouped under equity, effectiveness and efficiency headings. Heads of government (now the Council of Australian Governments or COAG) established the Review of Government Service Provision (the Review) to provide information on the effectiveness and efficiency of government services in Australia. The general framework reflects the service process through which service providers transform inputs into outputs and outcomes in order to achieve desired objectives. For each service, governments have a number of objectives that relate to desired outcomes for the community. To achieve these objectives, governments provide services and/or fund service providers. Service providers transform resources (inputs) into services (outputs). The rate at which resources are used to make this transformation is known as `technical efficiency. A number of the objectives (or desired outcomes) for each government funded service are similar across jurisdictions, although the priority that each jurisdiction gives to each objective may differ. The Steering Committee's approach to performance reporting is to focus on the extent to which each shared objective for a service has been met. |