APPENDIX A
Inquiry into contracting out of government services
Referred 4 November 1996
The Finance and Public Administration References Committee, noting the necessity
for public accountability of all government services provided by private contractors, will
examine:
(a) How best to ensure that the rights, interests and responsibilities of consumers,
contracted service providers and government agencies can be defined and protected;
particularly
(i) whether contracting out arrangements should be governed by written contracts
between the government agency and the service provider in all cases;
(ii) whether contracts should contain standard clauses dealing with matters such as
responsibility for record keeping; complaints and dispute resolution procedures;
allocation of responsibility between the contracting agency and the contractor in the
event of financial or other loss on the part of the consumer; and
(b) The adequacy of tendering procedures adopted by government agencies in contracting
out services.
(c) Whether the jurisdiction of the Ombudsman's Act 1976 should be extended to
ensure that it covers all contracted out government services.
(d) Ministerial responsibility to Parliament for contracted out services, noting that
in other parliamentary systems it has been argued that, with regard to corporatised or
contracted out government services, Ministerial responsibility extends only to policy
issues and does not encompass questions of day-to-day management and operation.
(e) Whether government, to meet its responsibilities for policy making, should have
access to all files; information etc generated by private-sector contractors in meeting
their contractual obligations.
(f) Whether and to what extent claims of commercial-in-confidence should be accepted as
limiting the right of Parliament to examine contractual arrangements between government
agencies and service providers.
The reference was extended on 27 May 1997 as follows:
(g) All aspects of outsourcing the information technology (IT) requirements of
Commonwealth departments and agencies, with particular reference to:
(i) the range of IT requirements of Commonwealth agencies;
(ii) the costs and benefits of IT outsourcing,
(iii) the privacy implications of IT outsourcing and the need for privacy protection
for sensitive information held by Commonwealth agencies,
(iv) the adequacy of measures proposed to ensure public accountability for taxpayers'
funds and public scrutiny of service providers,
(v) the approach being adopted by the Office of Government Information Technology to
the outsourcing of IT,
(vi) the means by which opportunities for in house bids and the domestic IT industry
can be maximised,
(vii) the employment implications of IT outsourcing, and
(viii) the experience of other jurisdictions with IT outsourcing and the international
implications for Australia of IT outsourcing.
APPENDIX B
SUBMISSION LIST
Sub No. Name/Organisation
- Mr John Mayger
- Department of the Senate
- Australian Law Reform Commission (2)
- Mrs Marion Wright
- Public Sector Management Office, WA Ministry of the Premier and Cabinet
- Community and Public Sector Union (3)
- Environment Industry Development Network
- Mr Peter Boardman
- Environment Management Industry Association of Australia Limited
- Community Services Australia
- Comcare Australia
- Family Services Australia Ltd
- Environmental Management Services Pty Ltd
- Victorian Government
- Employment Services Regulatory Authority (2)
- Commonwealth Ombudsman
- Centre for Citizenship and Human Rights, Deakin University
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
- Department of Defence
- Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs
- Australian Customs Service
- Public Sector Research Centre, UNSW
- Australian National Audit Office (2)
- TNT Australia
- Department of Veterans' Affairs
- Department of Primary Industries and Energy
- Standards Australia
- Australian Archives
- Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission
- Attorney-General's Department
- Department of Administrative Services
- Women's Emergency Services Network, WESNET Inc.
- Department of Finance
- Department of Industry, Science and Tourism, Bureau of Consumer Affairs
- Institution of Engineers, Australia
- Department of Health and Family Services
- Dr Nicholas Seddon
- Ms Eileen Wood
- Privacy Commissioner, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (2)
- Dr Clare Burton
- Professor Richard Mulgan
- Australian Information Industry Association Limited
- Ms Lyn Pysden
- Office of Government Information Technology
- Department of Veterans' Affairs
- Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd
- The Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia (ADCA)
- Ms Jane Holesgrove
- Melbourne Catholic Social Services
- Australian Catholic Social Welfare Commission
- Dr Edward Lewis, Australian Defence Force Academy
- Records Management Association of Australia
- Social Justice Committee of the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn
APPENDIX C
PUBLIC HEARINGS PROGRAM
3 April 1997 - Canberra Australian National Audit Office
Department of Employment, Education Training and Youth Affairs
Department of Finance
Department of Industry, Science and Tourism
Public Sector Research Centre, University of New South Wales
4 April 1997 - Canberra
Commonwealth Ombudsman
Department of Administrative Services
Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs
Evans, Mr Harry, Clerk of the Senate
16 May 1997 - Canberra
Administrative Review Council
Attorney-General's Department
Seddon, Dr Nicholas, Australian National University
19 May 1997 - Melbourne
Community and Public Sector Union
Drake Personnel Ltd
Employment Services Regulatory Authority
Freiberg, Professor Arie
Hodge, Mr Graeme
Industry Commission
Warren, Mr Ian
20 May 1997 - Sydney
Australian Law Reform Commission
Environment Management Industry Association of Australia
Harris, Mr Tony, NSW Auditor-General
Privacy Commissioner
Standards Association of Australia
TNT Australia |
4 July 1997 Canberra Australian Archives
Australian Bureau of Statistics
Australian Customs Service
Australian Information Industry Association
Australian National Audit Office
Australian Taxation Office
Commonwealth Ombudsman's Office
Community and Public Sector Union
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
Department of Communications and the Arts
Department of Defence
Department of Social Security
Department of Transport and Regional Development
Department of Veterans' Affairs
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
Office of Government Information Technology
Mulgan, Professor Richard, Australian National University
Public Service and Merit Protection Commission
5 September 1997 - Canberra
Australian Computer Society
Australian Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association
Department of Industry, Science and Tourism
Jackson, Mr Robert, Compucat Research
Lewis, Dr Edward, Australian Defence Force Academy
Office of Government Information Technology
Ross, Mr Geoffrey, Randata
Weill, Professor Peter, University of Melbourne |
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