Foreword
Cabinet is the pre-eminent decision-making body of government and is responsible for the development and coordination of government policy. Cabinet collectively, and Ministers individually, have a primary duty to ensure that policy and other decisions are robust and serve the public interest.
The Queensland Cabinet Handbook plays a major role in injecting the necessary rigour into the process so that Ministers can be confident their decisions are based upon sound information which has been gathered and presented in accordance with their collective needs.
During recent years, the Queensland Government has made a significant contribution to documenting and refining the processes and procedures that support the decision-making capacity of Cabinet.
In Queensland, we are committed to transparency of government processes and this edition of the Handbook has been drafted with the aim of providing clearer guidelines on consultation and policy coordination. This edition also takes into account the administrative and policy changes which influence the development, presentation and processing of Cabinet business.
The Queensland Cabinet Handbook is compulsory reading for officers who are in any way associated with the Cabinet process so that they may be guided, and make a positive contribution to Cabinet's efficient functioning. I would also recommend the Handbook to other people who wish to gain an appreciation of the machinery of government processes generally and how they interact within a Westminster style of government.
The Queensland Cabinet Handbook is just one volume in a suite of documents called Governing Queensland. Other volumes in this series describe policy and legislative development practices in Queensland Government agencies and provide administrative and financial guidelines for ministerial officers and direction for current and intending members of boards. Access the Governing Queensland suite of handbooks in Governing Queensland: Government Handbooks.
Anna Bligh MP
Premier of Queensland
Last reviewed: 17 July, 2009
Last updated: 22 July, 2009
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