6.0 Consultation
Consultation is a fundamental and mandatory part of the development of all Cabinet submissions. Departments initiating a Cabinet submission must ensure they consider the interests of other departments and relevant external stakeholders.
Consultation should occur early in the development of the proposal, with the subsequent Cabinet submission consultation phase providing an opportunity to check that all views have been considered, and where unresolved issues remain, to ensure that both supportive and alternate views of agencies and other stakeholders, are accurately presented in the final submission. Therefore, consultation commences as soon as possible, prior to the preparation of the Cabinet submission, and carries through to Ministerial clearance of the final submission.
The confidentiality of Cabinet matters attaches by definition to the consultation process, including participants.
Departmental staff preparing a submission for Cabinet's consideration should seek the approval of either the Minister or the Chief Executive Officer before commencing consultation on policy proposals within government and the community. Cabinet approval must be sought prior to consultation on major policy reviews and the release of Public Discussion papers.