Commonwealth Grant Guidelines
5Public Reporting
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5 Public Reporting
5.1 Effective disclosure and reporting arrangements for grants administration is essential for reasons of transparency and public accountability. Reliable and timely information on grants awarded is a precondition for public and parliamentary confidence in the quality and integrity of grants administration.
Web-based reporting requirements
5.2 An agency must publish, on its website, information on individual grants (as defined in paragraph 2.5) no later than fourteen working days after the grant agreement for the grant takes effect.[51]
5.3 The default position is that all agencies must report all grants[52] awarded on their website.[53]
5.4 Agency staff must identify whether a grant agreement contains confidentiality provisions.
5.5 There may be circumstances where agency staff determine that public reporting of grants in accordance with the CGGs is contrary to the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act), other statutory requirements, or the specific terms of a grant agreement.
a. In these circumstances, the relevant agency staff must publish as much information as legally possible. For example, it may be possible to omit the name of the grant recipient and other personal information that may contravene the Privacy Act, but report other grant details.
b. The reasons for not reporting fully must be documented by agency staff.
c. Agency staff should also take all reasonable steps to ensure that future grant agreements contain provisions that do not prevent the disclosure of information.
5.6 Where agency staff assess that publishing grant information in accordance with the CGGs could adversely affect the achievement of government policy outcomes, the responsible Minister may seek an exemption from the Finance Minister. The responsible Minister must write to the Finance Minister detailing the rationale for exemption. Agency staff should consult with Finance before commencing this process.
5.7 Grants information must be retained on an agency’s website for at least two financial years. Where it is not practicable to do so (for example, due to the exceptional volume of grants needing to be maintained on the website) agencies must retain appropriate records, consistent with their accountability obligations, and ensure the records are available on request.