Governments in Australia have long wrestled with the problem of managing the performance of government business enterprises (GBEs). In December 1996 the Finance Minister commissioned Richard Humphry to provide an ‘internal review’ of Commonwealth GBEs. While Humphry acknowledged the reality of many GBEs remaining in public hands for ‘the foreseeable future’, his report encouraged GBEs to be run more closely along private sector lines. According to Wettenhall, the long-term ramifications for Australia are significant, and the unique role, qualities and responsibilities of public ownership are in danger of being sidelined.

Who Owns What? Some Implications of the Humphry Report on Government Business Enterprises

This paper investigates the motives and incentives behind the privatization of the South Australian Lotteries. Our analysis yields three main insights: first, short-term financial considerations we...

Ian Radbone

Papers

Public Enterprise Boards and Entrepreneurialism: The Case of the South Australian State Bank Disaster