Cabinet submissions
20. The Cabinet submission process is the key mechanism for enabling informed decision‐making in the Cabinet and therefore adherence to the process is critical to the proper exercise of the principle of collective decision‐making.
21. Any documents conveying substantive material to the Cabinet, including presentations, must be covered by a Cabinet submission and are subject to the rules and procedures of the submission process.
22. The Cabinet Secretary is responsible for setting standards for the form and content of submissions and accompanying presentations. Cabinet Division plays both a gate keeping and advisory role to ensure that those standards are met.
23. The Cabinet submission process provides guidance and templates to assist ministers and their departments to draft concise documents which:
- set out the benefits, disadvantages and risks associated with the proposed policy
- explain any linkages to the delivery of the Government’s strategic priorities
- explain the gendered impacts and consideration of gender responsive budgeting, impacts on Indigenous peoples and other impacts of the policy
- explain the implementation challenges, the level of risk and a high level response to these
- highlight any public expenditure implications.
24. Submissions should contain recommendations for consideration by Cabinet or a Cabinet Committee, which set out the decision that the sponsoring minister seeks the Cabinet or the Cabinet Committee make in response to the submission.
25. Of equal importance are the circulation and lodgement requirements (many of which are built into the development of the submission) that ensure appropriate consultation occurs prior to the item coming before the Cabinet.
26. Ministers are responsible for the submissions they submit to the Cabinet and are expected to be fully conversant with them. Ministers bringing forward submissions are also responsible for ensuring that the consultation necessary to enable a fully informed decision to be taken occurs at both ministerial and officials levels. It is particularly important that there is agreement on factual matters, including costs.
27. Additional documentation that has not been submitted as part of the Cabinet submissions process, following the procedure set out in this Handbook, cannot be brought into the Cabinet room. In the case when there is critical information that cannot be included in or attached to a submission, approval must be sought from the Cabinet Secretary prior to the Cabinet or Cabinet Committee meeting.
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