Cabinet Handbook - The Department of the Prime Minister and ...

Cabinet submissions
23. 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.
24. Any documents conveying substantive material to the Cabinet, including audio-visual
presentations, must be covered by a Cabinet submission and are subject to the rules and procedures of
the submission process.
25. The Cabinet Secretary is responsible for setting standards for the form and content of submissions
and accompanying presentations. The Cabinet Secretariat plays both a gate keeping and advisory role to
ensure that those standards are met.
26. The Cabinet submission process provides guidance and templates to assist ministers and their
departments to draft concise documents which:
(a) set out the benefits, disadvantages and risks associated with the proposed policy;
(b) explain any linkages to the delivery of the Government’s strategic priorities;
(c) explain the implementation challenges, the level of risk and a high level response to these; and
(d) highlight any public expenditure implications.
27. 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.
28. 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.
Ministerial statutory decisions
29. Special considerations apply to protect the integrity of the relevant statutory decision-making
process when a minister brings an item to the Cabinet on a statutory decision or action he or she
intends to make. The Cabinet cannot make, or appear to make, a decision that the statute requires a
minister (officer or agency) to make. Accordingly, the submission should be drafted on the basis that,
consistent with the law, it is seeking to have a policy view taken into account by the independent
decision-maker; it should not be drafted as an instruction.
Cabinet memorandums
30. Cabinet memorandums are papers which are submitted by departments rather than ministers,
generally in response to requests by the Cabinet (or a Cabinet committee) for supplementary
information or the development of options. Authority is required before a memorandum can be brought
forward, in the same way as for submissions. Departments cannot initiate a memorandum without
authority being in place.
22