Victoria: The Place To Be

Dept. for Vic. Communities

Home > Partnerships and projects > Best Value

• Print this page
• Make text size default
• Make text size large

Best Value

Best Value Policy

The Best Value Principles replaced CCT in 1999. The Best Value approach enables councils to determine the most effective means of providing a service to the community. The Local Government Act 1989 (as amended) sets out the six principles that councils must observe.

Best Value Principles

The Government’s objectives in introducing legislation for the Best Value Principles (PDF 35kb) are to foster:

Local accountability

That councils be accountable to their own communities for:

• the provision of services
• the performance of the organisation in accordance with the Best Value Principles

Whole-of-organisation response

That a council’s implementation of the Best Value Principles be a whole-of-organisation response applied through its corporate planning responsibilities including all its services and functions.

Consultation on performance

That a council demonstrate its accountability for the implementation of the Best Value Principles by measuring and reporting on its performance to its community against objectives and targets that are set by the council after consultation with its community.

Best Value outcomes

That the Best Value Principles framework delivers enhanced service and organisational performance across the local government sector and that the sector be able to demonstrate to the State Government that it has achieved these objectives.

Benefits, not costs

That the implementation of the Best Value Principles framework does not incur costs that outweigh the benefits of applying the Best Value Principles framework, particularly in relation to small rural councils.

Encourage innovation

That the Best Value Principles framework encourages councils to adopt innovative and creative responses to service delivery, including a range of partnering relationships.

Former Best Value Commission

The Local Government Best Value Commission was established in December 2000 by the Minister for Local Government, to provide independent advice on whether:

• the implementation of Best Value Victoria is delivering better outcomes to the community
• Best Value Victoria is meeting the policy objectives of the State Government
• any policy adjustments and/or support to the local government sector are needed

A review of the work of the BCV was completed in October 2007. This review was in keeping with an election policy commitment “to review the work of the Best Value Commission to ensure its objectives keep up with rapid changes in community demand for local government services and innovations in local government service delivery”.

The review assessed how the Commission can best be used to provide the sort of support Councils need. A discussion paper (PDF 136 kb) has been developed to assist the Review. Councils, local government peak bodies and selected organisations had been invited to make submissions. Two forums were also organised.

In view of the review findings (PDF 90 kb), the Minister for Local Government accepted the recommendation to dissolve the Best Value Commission. This was in recognition of how much Best Value has become part of the way council business is conducted and that councils are largely able to continue improving on their own.

The Government will continue to work with councils and their peak bodies to improve local government performance and accountability and ensure that the gains made through Best Value is continually built upon.

The Commission's last term ended on 31 December 2007 and will not be re-established.


This page contains downloadable documents. In order to view PDF documents you will require Adobe Reader. To view other file types such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint and ZIP, other tools may be required.

Top