Key findings of the Committee: 6.1 The Victorian Government should improve disclosure for PPP projects. 6.2 Judgements regarding what is in the public interest are inherently complex and contestable, and policy choices in the public interest cannot be reduced to objective technical calculations. 6.3 The Department of Treasury and Finance advised that at the early option appraisal stage of a PPP it undertakes a preliminary assessment of the public interest test and then completes a fuller analysis during the period when the business case is being developed. 6.4 The outcomes of the public interest test applied to PPPs in the Partnerships Victoria policy framework and the business case for the project are not publicly released. 6.5 The role of evaluation in protecting the public interest is crucial and there is a need to evaluate projects from the community's perspective. 6.6 The increasingly complex arrangements relating to PPPs present challenges in relation to public accountability. 6.7 The public sector capability to plan projects, formulate major project contracts and to monitor and manage compliance, should be strengthened to enable increased reliance on the public service for ensuring the public interest is met. |