Autonomy and control in Australian agencies: Data and preliminary findings from a cross-national empirical study

This article is developed from data gathered through the analysis of a survey of 'agencies'; at Commonwealth and Australian Capital Territory (ACT) levels of government, undertaken as the Australian component of a cross-national empirical study of autonomy and control in non-departmental public sector organisations. It presents preliminary findings from one part of what is potentially a very important enterprise in comparative research, along with discussion of methodological issues which need to be confronted in many such comparative exercises. The data reveal that Australia agencies have been granted more autonomy than agencies in other countries contributing to this survey, though that autonomy varies markedly across functions such as personnel management and financial management. While the article represents just a snapshot in time in agency autonomy, we believe it provides a robust baseline for future changes in the way agencies are managed in the Australian public sector.