6.3 Discussion (Green) Papers and Policy (White) Papers
Ministers are to seek the approval of the Premier, in writing,
prior to the commissioning of work leading to a public discussion paper or to a
major policy review. There is to be no public announcement before consideration
by Cabinet. The Minister should provide the Premier with details of the
rationale for preparing the paper; how it relates to Government priorities, the
nature of options likely to be considered and whether it is inteneded to consult
with other portfolios. If consultation with other portfolios is intended, the
Minister should advise the Premier which portfolios will be involved.
Discussion Papers (Green) are prepared at the direction of a Minister. The
preparation and publication of a Discussion Paper is clearly understood to be
for the purposes of public discussion and comment. Discussion Papers do not
commit the government or a Minister either to the views expressed or to a
particular direction for future action. A statement to this effect must be
included as a foreword to all Discussion Papers, and "Discussion Paper Only"
should be printed on the centre top of each page.
Policy Papers (White) are papers or reports which embody a statement of
government policy on a topic of significance. Policy Papers are to be presented
as a Cabinet submission with security classification based on the sensitivity of
the document. They are prepared at the direction of a Minister, approved by
Cabinet and express a clear government policy framework.
The submissions to cabinet proposing approval of circulation of the papers
should include the rationale for the policy discussion or policy initiative, the
strategy for consultation, the public availability of any technical or
consultants' reports arising from the study and a timetable for the publication
and release of the reports.
Discussion and Policy Papers should be tabled in Parliament after being
cleared by Cabinet. Departments should consult with the Bills and Papers Office
at Parliament House on the appropriate number of copies for distribution to the
Parliament.
Discussion and Policy Papers should be widely distributed to achieve the
desired level of information dissemination, public discussion and comment. They
should normally be distributed to all areas of government, the Judiciary (where
appropriate), academic and other relevant parties (eg. employer and employee
groups, community and special interest groups, professional organisations).
It is crucial that Cabinet be advised candidly and succinctly on the result
of a Discussion or Policy Paper consultation process. This should include
quantitative assessment of support or otherwise for the proposal, as well as
qualitative judgements of submissions received. Ministers and Chief Executive
Officers should adopt the use of Discussion and Policy Papers for the
formulation of policy matters wherever necessary.
Last reviewed: 17 July, 2009
Last updated: 22 July, 2009
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