Allocation of Resources

  • Legislation and Implementation

BACKGROUND AND CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS

Australia invests sizeable amounts of resources in child-related programs. However, the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) noted that the State party does not use a child-specific approach for budget planning and allocation in the national and state/territories level budgets, making it practically impossible to identify, monitor, report and evaluate the impact of investments in children and the overall application of the Convention in budgetary terms.

Therefore, the CRC recommended that Australia:

  • Establish a budgeting process which adequately takes into account child needs at the national, state and territory levels, with clear allocations to children in the relevant sectors and agencies, as well as specific indicators and a tracking system;
  • Establish mechanisms to monitor and evaluate the efficacy, adequacy and equitability of the distribution of resources allocated to the implementation of the Convention; and
  • Define strategic budgetary lines for children in disadvantaged or vulnerable situations that may require affirmative social measures (for example, children of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Island descent and children with disabilities) and make sure that those budgetary lines are protected even in situations of economic crisis, natural disasters or other emergencies.

MINIMUM STANDARDS UNDER THE CONVENTION

  • Article 4: The government should undertake all appropriate legislative, administrative, and other measures for the implementation of the rights recognized in the present Convention. With regard to economic, social and cultural rights, governments shall undertake such measures to the maximum extent of their available resources

DEVELOPMENTS

Areas lacking progress

NATIONAL: Absence of budget allocation indicators and tracking

It is important that the government document and analyse spending at all levels to make children visible in the budget. A child-specific approach would identify the proportion of public funds spent on children and determine how well the government is fulfilling its obligation to invest in children to the maximum extent of available resources. Despite the CRC’s recommendation, the Australian government does not consistently measure the allocation of budgetary resources to programs and policy for the benefit of children.

NATIONAL: Absence of mechanisms to monitor the distribution of resources

The absence of a child-friendly budget means there is no effective accountability mechanism to link date to decision-making and resource allocation. This is inconsistent with the Australian government’s obligations under article 4.
The Productivity Commissioner provides an annual report to help inform improvements to the effectiveness and efficiency of government services. [1] The Productivity Commission also reports on whether policy, programs and interventions are achieving positive outcomes for Aboriginal people in general. [2] The Australian Government has not commissioned the Productivity Commission (or any other independent body) to monitor and support the effective allocation of resources for children. This is needed to evaluate the efficacy, adequacy and equitability of the distribution of resources allocated to the implementation of the Convention.

NATIONAL: Lack of protected budgetary lines for disadvantaged children

In the 2013-2014 budget, the Australian government have committed to investing $1.6 billion to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. [3] This Budget commits to investing $19.3 billion over seven years from 2012-13 to deliver DisabilityCare Australia. [4] Although these commitments may benefit Indigenous people and disabled people generally, the Australian government has not made a specific commitment to providing budgetary lines for disadvantaged children that are protected in the event of economic crisis, natural disasters or other emergencies.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The Australian government should:

  • Establish a budgeting process which adequately takes into account child needs at the national, state and territory levels, with clear allocations to children in the relevant sectors and agencies, as well as specific indicators and a tracking system.
  • Establish mechanisms to monitor and evaluate the efficacy, adequacy and equitability of the distribution of resources allocated to the implementation of the Convention.
  • Define strategic budgetary lines for children in disadvantaged or vulnerable situations that may require affirmative social measures (for example, children of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Island descent and children with disabilities) and make sure that those budgetary lines are protected even in situations of economic crisis, natural disasters or other emergencies.

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS

  • The Australian government should provide an ongoing mandate to a qualified independent body such as the Productivity Commission to monitor and support the effective allocation of resources for children in a way that is informed by international best practice.

FOOTNOTES

  1. Australian Government, Productivity Commission, Report of Government Services, 2013 http://www.pc.gov.au/gsp/rogs/2013
  2. Steering Committee for the review of Government Service Provision, 2012 Indigenous Expenditure Report, http://www.pc.gov.au/gsp/ier/indigenous-expenditure-2012 (accessed on 14 January 2014)
  3. The Honourable Jenny Macklin MP, Continued Investment to Close the Gap, 14 May 2013 http://www.dss.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/05_2013/indigenous_budget_statement_2013-14_0.pdf, p1  (accessed on 14 January 2014)
  4. Australian Government, “Budget 2013-14 – Budget Speech” http://www.budget.gov.au/2013-14/content/at_a_glance/html/at_a_glance.htm (accessed on 14 January 2014)
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