Robust Reverse-Accountability in the Budget Process: Lessons from the Independent Review of the Australian Parliamentary Budget Office

Abstract

Whereas Legislative Budget Offices (LBOs) provide an important mechanism for accountability and transparency in the budget process, a further step in developing a robust fiscal accountability ecosystem lies in the creation of reverse-accountability of institutions such as the LBO itself. In Australia, this is done through periodic independent reviews of the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), and this discussion paper draws lessons from the successful completion of such review conducted in early 2017, with a view to understanding its implications for robust reverse-accountability in budgeting.