Good governance is about applying sound practices in making decisions. The Australian National Audit Office observes that good governance reflects a number of characteristics:
■ strong leadership and continuous improvement;
■ maintaining governance systems and processes that are fit for purpose;
■ planning, engaging with risk, innovation, and performance monitoring, evaluation and review; and
■ promoting openness, transparency and integrity.67
Good governance processes improve confidence in government decision making. Conversely, poor governance arrangements will erode confidence in decision making and the quality of decisions.
Given the inter-connected nature of many areas of public policy, improving performance and meeting public expectations requires increasing sophistication in governance arrangements. A strong focus on stakeholder engagement and collaboration, and 'whole of government' perspectives will be needed. This can also require analysis of emerging issues that may bear on the future ability to deliver results.68
As noted in the subsections below, there is scope for improvement in governance standards in the infrastructure sectors in the following areas:
■ infrastructure planning and project selection;
■ corridor protection;
■ intergovernmental relations; and
■ post-completion reviews.
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67. Australian National Audit Office (2014), p. 10
68. Australian National Audit Office (2014), pp. 16-17