Built to
The standards behind policy management
The policy cycle, impact analysis, evidence-based policy, consultation principles, rules as code, human rights and privacy statements, records and versioning, decision authority, sunset and review.
| Standard | Source | Requirement | Where it shows up here |
|---|---|---|---|
| The policy cycle | Australian Policy Handbook (Althaus, Bridgman and Davis); Cabinet and council decision-making handbooks | Identify, analyse, consult, decide, implement, evaluate, with a record at each step. | Draft, consult, clear, adopt, apply and review are stages on every policy, each with its record. |
| Impact analysis | Australian Government Guide to Policy Impact Analysis (2023); NSW Better Regulation Principles; UK Better Regulation Framework; EU Better Regulation Toolbox; OECD Regulatory Policy Outlook | State the problem, the options, the costs and benefits, who is affected and how, before the decision. | Options assessed on every version; the impact agent tests the rule on the live caseload and reports count, direction, distribution and cost (GL-PM-04). |
| Evidence-based policy | Productivity Commission guidance; What Works centres; OECD | Every position cites what informed it, with sources. | The evidence base is attached to the version, drawn from research, data on the platform, submissions and rules feedback; no evidence, no clearance (GL-PM-03). |
| Consultation | IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation; the Gunning principles (consult when proposals are formative, give enough information and time, take responses into account); OECD Open Government | Consult early with the evidence and the question; read every submission; show the response. | Release by the executive with question, period and evidence; submissions synthesised by theme with the response on the next version (GL-PM-02, 05). |
| Rules as code | OpenFisca; Better Rules (NZ); NSW rules-as-code pilots; Rules as Code (OECD OPSI) | Express the rule in a form the services can run, so the policy and the system never drift. | Every version carries a machine-readable rule; the impact agent runs it; on adoption the rules owner applies it to the service (GL-PM-08). |
| Human rights and privacy statements | Human rights charters (Vic, ACT, Qld; UK s 19 HRA statements); Privacy impact assessment guidance (OAIC) | State compatibility and privacy impact with the position. | Statements on every version; privacy and equity clearances by the officers responsible (GL-PM-07). |
| Records and versioning | ISO 15489; public records legislation; Cabinet and council minute practice | Positions and clearances are records; nothing overwritten; who decided what is on the record. | Versions are immutable once in consultation or clearance; every change is a new version with a note and an author; adoption carries the instrument reference (GL-PM-06). |
| Delegation and decision authority | Instruments of delegation; Local Government Act resolutions; ministerial decision records | Only the person or body with authority adopts; the record names them. | Adoption held for the minister, executive or council named on the policy; release for consultation by the executive (GL-PM-01, 02). |
| Sunset and review | Legislation Act staged repeal; regulatory stock reviews; council policy review cycles | Every policy has a review date; amended instruments trigger review. | Review dates on every policy in force; an instrument amendment flags the policies citing it (GL-PM-09). |
| Plain language and accessibility | ISO 24495-1; WCAG 2.2 AA | Positions a person can read; screens usable with assistive technology. | Positions written as a sentence; public pages for policies in force and open consultations. |