A performance audit into whether Court Services Victoria (CSV) provided the administrative services and facilities that Victorian courts need to effectively perform their functions has found that CSV could not show if it supported court services.
In his Report Administration of Victorian Law Courts, Auditor-General, Andrew Greaves said CSV had a key role in the court system, to support courts by managing facilities and providing administrative services, such as payroll and human resources.
“After seven years of operation, CSV cannot yet demonstrate if or how well its services support courts to perform their functions efficiently and effectively,” Mr Greaves said.
“For its first six years, CSV’s governing body, Courts Council, did not adequately direct CSV’s strategy, governance and risk management,” he said.
“This reduced CSV’s ability to drive more efficient and effective service delivery.”
Mr Greaves said the lack of strategic direction was compounded by the high turnover of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of CSV since it was established.
The Auditor-General said CSV had had four substantive CEOs and three acting CEOs in seven years.
“This has contributed significantly to CSV’s inability to clearly define its role in providing services to the jurisdictions,” he said.
“CSV’s current CEO has been in the role for over two years and has led work to reform CSV’s service delivery.”
Mr Greaves said CSV had improved its governance and risk management arrangements since 2019 and also aimed to improve its efficiency by reducing service duplication and undertaking a cost mapping exercise.
He said these goals should help it to more effectively support the court system.
“CSV’s new comprehensive strategic plan and clearer risk and governance arrangements should give Courts Council the tools to lead these improvements,” he said.
“CSV will also need to establish ways to measure its performance and capture data to support this.”
Mr Greaves made 13 recommendations to CSV across five key areas, that it set performance measures and produce an action plan to implement its strategic plan; increase service delivery efficiency and effectiveness; review governance arrangements and report on performance of governance groups; strengthen risk management oversight; and develop new Budget Paper No. 3: Service Delivery performance measures.
The Auditor-General’s 54-page Report can be accessed at this PS News link.
