Public Value Accountability Starts Locally

Public Value Accountability Starts Locally

Submission to the Finance & Expenditure Select Committee

Over the past few months, I’ve had the opportunity to engage with the Finance and Expenditure Committee on its inquiry into performance reporting and public accountability. Drawing on my time at the Audit Office, Treasury, the IMF, and six years working alongside local leaders in Newlands, I’ve shared a simple message: accountability only works when it’s grounded in real public value.

That means shifting from transactional, short-term reporting to relational leadership, community intelligence, and outcome-focused decision-making. The Newlands resilience model shows what’s possible when communities and decision-makers work together, measure what truly matters, and build trust through transparency and shared ownership of results.

You can read my full submission here.