Regulator Performance Framework
The Australian Government has committed to boosting productivity and cutting red tape by $1 billion a year. All Government agencies, including regulators, are being supported to review and reduce regulatory burden on individuals, businesses and community organisations. To measure the performance of regulators in achieving the Government’s goal, a Regulator Performance Framework (the Framework) has been developed.
For the purposes of the Government’s deregulation agenda, a regulator is a Government body that administers, monitors, or enforces regulation.
What is the Framework?
The Australian Government has developed a framework to measure the performance of regulators. The Framework consists of a set of six Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that will enable the performance of regulators, and their engagement with stakeholders, to be measured.
These outcomes-based KPIs are designed to articulate the Government’s overarching expectations of regulator performance
- Regulators do not unnecessarily impede the efficient operation of regulated entities
- Communication with regulated entities is clear, targeted and effective
- Actions undertaken by regulators are proportionate to the regulatory risk being managed
- Compliance and monitoring approaches are streamlined and coordinated
- Regulators are open and transparent in their dealings with regulated entities
- Regulators actively contribute to the continuous improvement of regulatory frameworks.
These KPIs are supported by measures of good regulatory performance to assist regulators in assessing their achievement of the KPIs.
Hearing Services Program
The Department is committed to work with stakeholders to review and streamline the regulatory burden associated with participating in the program. Measuring performance through the use of the Framework encourages collective identification of ways to reduce red tape and administrative processes related to participating in the program.
The Department is committed to the principles of good practice regulation.
Our role and our stakeholders
Hearing loss affects one in six Australians and can have a significant impact on independence, participation in community life and the ability to communicate with others. The program aims to reduce the impact of hearing loss by providing eligible people with access to hearing services. The program is managed by the Department of Health.
Our overarching mission is to
Support access to quality hearing services for eligible clients, provide better targeted hearing services, and support research into hearing loss prevention and management.
While the purpose of the Framework is to encourage regulators to minimise the impact of carrying out their regulatory objectives, with a particular focus on the regulated industry, we have a broader remit, as outlined above. Therefore, we have developed outputs and activity-based evidence as required by the Framework, as well as additional outputs to demonstrate that we are fulfilling our obligations.
Implementation of the Framework by the Hearing Services Program
The Framework commenced from 1 July 2015, and regulatory performance will be assessed annually, with the first assessment period being the 2015-16 financial year. External reviews of selected regulators will also be undertaken every three years.
The Australian Government Hearing Services Program (the program) has developed a set of performance metrics with which to measure its performance against the six Framework KPIs.
Annual self-assessment
At the end of each financial year the program will undertake a self-assessment of its performance from a review of this evidence.
Stakeholder representative groups, the Hearing Care Industry Association and the Service Provider Consultative Group, will review the evidence and provide an independent assessment. A report will be written from these assessments.
Publishing the program’s report
The program is required to publish reports on the outcomes of its annual self-assessments and any external reviews of its performance. These reports will identify the extent to which the program is achieving the Framework KPIs and highlight any areas for improvement.
The latest annual Self-Assessment report can be located on the Department of Health’s Website.
The Annual Self-Assessment reports can be read in conjunction with the reports that will be produced against the Framework KPIs. Other reports detailing information about our regulatory and corporate activities include
Further information on the Regulator Performance Framework
For more information on the Department of Health’s Regulator activities including the latest published Hearing Services Program Annual Self-Assessment Report visit the Department of Health’s Website on Regulator Performance Framework.
Further information on the Regulator Performance Framework can be found on the Cutting Red Tape website.