The Commonwealth Grants Commission’s (CGC's) purpose is to provide advice and recommendations to the Australian Government on the relative fiscal capacities of the states and territories as the basis for distributing GST revenue to achieve fiscal equalisation amongst the states and territories.

The CGC’s purpose is pursued through:

• research and analysis that is of high quality and fit for purpose
• effective secretariat support to the commission’s chair and members
• sound corporate governance and financial management.

The CGC is an advisory body only. It does not administer government programs or grants.

Accountable authority
Mr Michael Willcock, Secretary of the Commonwealth Grants Commission, was the accountable authority for the entire reporting period.

Organisational structure
The membership of the commission during 2018–19 consisted of a part-time Chairperson and three part-time members.

The Secretary has responsibility for providing advice to the Chairperson and members on matters relating to the CGC’s functions. Staff were organised in two branches, each headed by an Assistant Secretary. A separate corporate services section reported directly to the Secretary. The CGC’s organisational structure at 30 June 2019 is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1 Organisational structure as at 30 June 2019