The Promises and Pitfalls of Prime Provider Models in Service Delivery: The Next Phase of Reform in Australia?

At a time of fiscal restraint and reductions in the size of the public sector, governments inAustralia are exploring new approaches to delivering public services. One model receivingattention is the prime provider approach. This is an approach where government contractsa lead or prime provider who in turn organizes and manages a group of sub-contractors. Inprime provider approaches, non-government organizations take on a quasi-government roleand this brings a new complexity into the relationships between the various actors involvedin developing and delivering public services. This article provides an overview of primeprovider approaches and, drawing on the limited research to date, poses questions that weview as being critical to the current debate. The aim is to provoke further discussion on thepotential impact of prime provider approaches