Federal Budget 2023

Fabian @ Unsplash

All about the outcomes
Well, we might be seeing the beginning of the tipping point in the 'outcomes' movement.

Following significant investment in social outcomes contracting initiatives in NSW over the years and in Victoria more recently, the Feds have come to the party with a range of initiatives focused on outcomes in last night's 2024 Budget.

Here are a few of the highlights.

$100m Outcomes Fund

The biggest, and most significant, of these investments in our view is the commitment to a $100M Outcomes Fund. This funding will be set aside '...to make contractual payments to States, Territories and service providers based on delivering agreed, measurable outcomes through specific projects...' (Budget Paper 2, p.206, our emphasis added).

While the details appear still to be worked out, to qualify for outcomes payments you typically need, among other things:

• A laser-like focus on a cohort of individuals, their characteristics and support needs;
• An intervention/service that you have evidence will impact that cohort;
  
• A service performance target that you can be confident of hitting (for example an x% reduction in recidivism; a y% increase in long-term Out-of-Home Care placements, or a z% reduction in visits to the Emergency Department;
  
• A measurement framework that details what data you will collect that will verify your performance; &
  
• A financial projection that sets out how hitting your target saves costs and how much (typically in Net Present Value terms).
  

While there's still much we don't know, here is some further detail on what outcomes-based contracts are and how to secure them.

Get in touch with us if you'd like a confidential, no obligation discussion about your program, project or outcomes idea.

Other Budget News

There was also funding announced for other outcomes programs in last night's budget.

Aboriginal Education Outcomes
The budget has also flagged an investment of $40M over two years to schools in Central Australia to improve school attendance and education outcomes (BP2, p.83)

Recidivism
A further $10M will be invested over four years for justice reinvestment initiatives in Central Australia to reduce crime, contact with the criminal justice system and recidivism. (BP2, p.83)

Place-Based Initiatives
The Stronger Places Stronger People program will receive an extra $64M over six years to increase the program's footprint from six to sixteen communities.

Read about our work in Data Collaborations here.

Homelessness
The Government will commit a further $67.5M this coming financial year (2023-2024) to homelessness services across States and Territories. (BP2, p.201)