What are the key ongoing reports and inquiries featured on the Productivity Commission website?

Updated

The Productivity Commission (PC) at pc.gov.au features a rotating set of ongoing reports and public inquiries that cover government services, Indigenous outcomes, and productivity policy. The homepage highlights current work such as Closing the Gap, the Report on Government Services, the Five pillars of productivity, and Transforming government organisations, alongside open calls for submissions and public hearings. Because inquiry status, submission deadlines, and publication dates change over time, treat the homepage as a snapshot and verify current details on the site itself.

The main ongoing reports and inquiries

The PC describes its role as providing "independent research and advice to Government on economic, social and environmental issues affecting the welfare of all Australians." Its featured work falls into a few recurring categories:

Item What it covers Policy area
Closing the Gap Review of progress on outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians Indigenous affairs
Report on Government Services Comparative data on the delivery of government services Government services
Five pillars of productivity Research framing on productivity drivers Economic policy
Transforming government organisations Inquiry into how government bodies operate and change Public sector reform

These are not one-off publications. The PC maintains them as ongoing reporting or multi-stage inquiries, which is why the site lists them with dates and status labels rather than as finished documents.

How the site presents current work

The homepage mixes several types of entries, and reading the labels matters:

  • Inquiries with future dates — for example, "Transforming government organisations" (16 Sept 2026) and "Early childhood education and care system in rural, regional and remote communities" (8 Oct 2026). These indicate scheduled reporting or milestone dates.
  • Calls for submissions — for example, "Business reporting requirements" (9 Sept 2026) and "Closing the Gap Review 2026" (7 Sept 2026). These are open invitations for public input.
  • Ongoing reporting — recurring outputs such as the Report on Government Services that are updated rather than replaced.

The site also states: "Open submissions and public hearings encourage you to have your say in Australia's public policy formation." That is the mechanism by which these inquiries gather evidence before forming recommendations.

Why the dates and status can change

Inquiry timelines shift. A date shown on the homepage may be a target for a draft report, a final report, or a submission deadline, and these can move. The PC itself notes that it posts about "current inquiries, events and calls for submissions, as well as our findings and links to reporting as soon as it's released." That means the most reliable way to check whether something is still open is to open the specific inquiry page, not to rely on the homepage listing.

How to find a specific report or inquiry

  1. Use the "Search inquiries and reports" function on the site to look up a topic by name.
  2. Open the individual inquiry page to see its current stage, key dates, and any open submission window.
  3. Check the "Ongoing reporting" section for recurring publications like the Report on Government Services.
  4. If you want updates pushed to you, the site offers email alerts via a Subscribe option, plus social channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Instagram, YouTube).

What to keep in mind

  • The featured items span very different policy areas — Indigenous affairs, government service delivery, and productivity — so a single "PC report" is not one thing.
  • Submission calls and public hearings are the public's entry point into these inquiries; the site explicitly invites issues and suggestions for ways forward.
  • Because the homepage is a live snapshot, confirm any deadline or publication date on the relevant inquiry page before acting on it.