Ultimate accountability for the delivery of government services rests with government in a Partnerships Victoria project, even though the contractual responsibility for certain deliverables is transferred to the private party. The reporting and procedural obligations of the government party include:
• Ministerial accountability to Parliament and the people (including accountability for government's contracting activities);
• complying with the Financial Management Act 1994 and the Financial Management Regulations and Directions, designed to achieve a high standard of public financial management and accountability;
• complying with the Audit Act 1994, if required, by assisting the Victorian Auditor-General's Office to undertake a performance audit to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the management of public resources by the procuring agencies, or service delivery through contracts with private providers (under its 'follow-the-dollar' powers);
• meeting the Partnerships Victoria Requirements, including:
- ensuring that all contract directors and relevant members of their teams undertake appropriate training within 12 months of their appointment, unless they have existing contract management experience or credentials;
- regularly reporting to DTF and consulting with DTF on matters including changes in control, refinancing, material modifications and augmentations, and any dispute resolution;
- publishing both the contract and project summary within 60 days of financial close;
- complying with whole-of-government probity standards and practices. Government must meet a high standard of probity in its commercial contracts, and act as a 'moral exemplar' in contracting by behaving fairly and ethically;
• adhering to administrative law remedies, including the Ombudsman's jurisdiction and the Freedom of Information Act 1982; and
• complying with privacy obligations in relation to personal information in the hands of the government under the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014.