Public Service Accountability

​​← Australia's Political Leadership​

Programs such as the NDIS, childcare, aged care and Indigenous services involve substantial public expenditure and affect the lives of millions of Australians.

These services are already subject to regulation, financial auditing and administrative oversight. However, formal reviews may not always identify problems experienced by service users, families, employees and communities until serious harm, waste or misconduct has already occurred.

Independent and verifiable public feedback could provide an additional source of evidence. It could help identify recurring problems, compare the performance of service providers and give governments earlier warning of failures requiring attention.

In childcare and aged care, this may also help reveal patterns of concern involving safety, neglect or abuse before they become major institutional failures.

Question:

To what extent do you agree or disagree that publicly funded services should be required, as part of their funding agreements, to participate in independent public feedback systems designed to improve accountability, reduce waste and achieve better outcomes?

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Open Democracy Perspective

This is how PByT feedback could operate as a practical instrument of Open Democracy. Financial audits measure how money is spent, while regulation assesses compliance with formal standards. Verified feedback adds the lived experience of the people who use, deliver and depend upon public services.

Together, these sources of evidence could provide a more complete picture of performance and help governments intervene earlier when problems emerge.