On this page
Implementation
The Cabinet Handbook sets out rules and procedures to support informed Cabinet decision‑making. Portfolio ministers are responsible for:
- ensuring their proposals can be implemented
- ensuring that the Cabinet is sufficiently informed of any implementation challenges or risks (including implementation and evaluation plans)
- providing ministerial oversight and regular tracking of progress to ensure policies are implemented properly and any problems can be addressed as soon as possible.
Budget process
The Budget process is the decision‑making process for allocating public resources to the government’s policy priorities.
It is through the Budget process that the government gains Parliament’s authority to spend relevant money through the passage of annual appropriation acts and other legislation that establishes special appropriations.
The major administrative and operational arrangements for the government’s Budget process are outlined in the Budget Process Operational Rules [PDF 1.2MB] (BPORs).
It includes the development of policy proposals and management of the budget estimates. It also includes requirements related to considering how programs and activities will be implemented and evaluated.
Assurance Framework for Digital and ICT Investments
Digital Transformation Agency
The Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) has whole‑of‑government responsibility for managing strategic coordination and assurance oversight functions for digital and ICT investments.
This is across the entire project lifecycle, from early planning through to project delivery and realisation of planned benefits.
The DTA provides ministers, the secretaries’ digital and data committee and other key stakeholders with confidence that digital and ICT investments:
- are being designed well
- are optimised to deliver value for the APS
- if funded, will achieve their investment objectives.
Minimum requirements
The Assurance Framework for Digital and ICT Investments [PDF 1.0MB] sets out the minimum requirements [PDF 177KB] for agencies.
Assurance plan
All in‑scope investments must proactively prepare and maintain a fit‑for‑purpose Assurance Plan. This includes outlining how the investment will apply the Key Principles for Good Assurance [PDF 1.0MB].
When applied effectively, these principles drive good decision‑making and support successful delivery.
Investment oversight framework
The Whole‑of‑Government Digital and ICT Investment Oversight Framework (IOF) requires agencies to engage with the DTA when developing any digital and ICT‑enabled investment proposals.
The DTA assesses all proposals subject to the IOF against whole‑of‑government digital and ICT policies, best practices and standards to ensure proposals are aligned strategically with the Australian Government’s digital and ICT objectives.
Approval process
The ICT Investment Approval Process (IIAP) assists agencies to develop robust business cases and support the effective implementation of digital and ICT‑enabled proposals.
The DTA determines which proposals are subject to the IIAP by assessing several criteria, including whether a proposal has financial implications of $30 million or more (regardless of whether the proposal is partly or totally internally funded internally).
Assurance reviews
The Australian Government Assurance Reviews process supports government decision‑making on high‑risk and high‑cost New Policy Proposals (NPPs) from Non‑Corporate Commonwealth Entities and the Senior Responsible Officials (SROs) charged with the subsequent delivery of key projects and programs.
Under the Assurance Reviews policy, the Department of Finance is responsible for recommending the application of Cabinet‑mandated Assurance Reviews. The Assurance Reviews process consists of two forms of assurance that can be commissioned by government (usually when it considers an NPP):
- Gateway Reviews – a series of independent, short, intensive assurance reviews whose primary purpose is to support SROs charged with delivering projects and programs with independent assurance at critical points during a project’s or program’s lifecycle.
- Implementation Readiness Assessments (IRAs) – independent assessments that assist consideration of high-risk proposals, particularly where they are not suitable for Gateway Reviews either due to short implementation timeframes or not meeting the financial threshold.
The Assurance Reviews Unit in Finance administers the Australian Government Assurance Reviews process (RMG‑106 Guidance on the Assurance Reviews Process provides an overview and practical information about Assurance Reviews) including coordination and administration.
Risk assessments
The Australian Government’s Risk Potential Assessment Tool (RPAT) standardises the assessment and presentation of risks associated with NPPs to inform Cabinet deliberations.
Entities must complete an RPAT for all NPPs with financial implications of $30 million or more.
The RPAT is used by the Department of Finance to determine whether to recommend the application of Cabinet‑mandated Assurance Reviews.
For more information about RPATs visit RMG‑107 Risk Potential Assessment Tool General Guidance.
Policy impact analysis
The Australian Government Guide to Policy Impact Analysis helps policy makers develop advice to support decision making with a focus on how proposals affect people, businesses and community organisations. This includes measuring the broader economic, social and other impacts that are likely to eventuate for each option under consideration.
Policy Impact Analysis is the Government's ex-ante evaluation tool for proposals that have a more than minor impact and that place obligations on Australians.
The impact analysis framework ensures decision makers are provided with the necessary evidence base to make the decisions that are based on an understanding of the overall benefit that is expected to be received by Australians.
An Impact Analysis (IA) is required for any government decision, if that decision is likely to have more than a minor impact on businesses, community organisations, or individuals.
The Office of Impact Analysis must be consulted on IA requirements for all Cabinet submissions.
Impact Analysis framework
The IA Framework outlines 7 key questions that should be considered as the starting point when developing new policy proposals, including one specific to evaluation.
Answering these 7 questions during the policy design process ensures you:
- clearly define the problem you are trying to solve through presentation of the best available data. This data can serve as the 'counterfactual' for ex-post evaluation
- provide information to decision-makers about how people, community organisations and businesses are likely to be affected by the policy and how the costs and benefits fall across these groups.
Evaluation planning
Question 7 of the IA framework encourages entities to effectively plan their monitoring and evaluation arrangements:
- How will you evaluate your chosen option against the success metrics?
Using the guidance, tools and resources in this toolkit, entities can refine their response to Question 7 and consider evaluation early in the policy design process.
The toolkit is useful for people who are new to evaluation processes, and can help to ensure fit‑for‑purpose evaluation arrangements are planned for effectively before a decision is finalised.
In cases where data availability limits agencies from including high quality quantitative analysis on the problem and the expected impacts of the preferred solution in an IA, good evaluation practice will ensure that future IAs in this area will be higher quality.
Post implementation reviews
The Government's Impact Analysis framework requires entities to complete Post Implementation Reviews (PIRs) under certain circumstances.
PIRs focus on the policy implementation and deeply evaluate its progression. They focus on ex-post data, rather than ex‑ante information, which highlights the successes and failures of a policy’s effectiveness in practice.
The OIA provides guidance and the ACE provides informal feedback and assessment throughout the process.