Australian Sub-National Compacts with the Not-For-Profit Sector: Pathways to cross-sector cooperation

Introduction

“…Along the way, each jurisdiction has wrestled with the tensions inherent in managing a diverse portfolio of NFP service providers with diverse values, organisational cultures, operating environments and capabilities (Butcher 2015).…”

Conclusion

“…It should be noted that the DCSP Policy is only one of a number of instances in which state and territory governments have attempted to forge a new settlement with those parts of the NFP sector on which they depend. All states and territories have, for instance, flirted with the development of framework agreements or compacts with the NFP sector (Butcher 2015a). In recent times, compacts appear to have lost some of their allure, leading governments (and the sector) to focus their efforts on practical matters affecting their operations, such as streamlining tendering processes and/or reducing red tape (McGregor-Lowndes and Ryan 2009; Department of Family and Community Services 2012).…”

The Three Sector Solution

“…In Chapter 4, David J. Gilchrist forensically examines Western Australia's Delivering Community Services in Partnership (DCSP) Policy. The DCSP Policy was hailed at the time of its commencement in 2012 as a thoroughly pragmatic approach to cross-sector relations (Butcher 2015a), but, three years on, Gilchrist finds that the sector's view of the success (or otherwise) of the policy is mixed, owing to 'frustration with inconsistent approaches being used across agencies and a perception of increased administrative burden'.…”

“…It should be noted that the DCSP Policy is only one of a number of instances in which state and territory governments have attempted to forge a new settlement with those parts of the NFP sector on which they depend. All states and territories have, for instance, flirted with the development of framework agreements or compacts with the NFP sector (Butcher 2015a). In recent times, compacts appear to have lost some of their allure, leading governments (and the sector) to focus their efforts on practical matters affecting their operations, such as streamlining tendering processes and/or reducing red tape (McGregor-Lowndes and Ryan 2009; Department of Family and Community Services 2012).…”