Policy and legislation

Decisive Consultants offers specialised services and expertise in policy and legislation to support public sector agencies including government departments and divisions, specialised government organisations, government enterprises, local government, universities and statutory authorities.

Policy services

  • analysis of policy issues
  • design of policy options
  • preparation of policy documents for decision makers
  • design of policy instruments
  • implementation planning
  • development of policy capacity
  • coordination of major policy projects
  • stakeholder consultation
  • high level briefings on policy issues and solutions
  • reconciliation of competing policy priorities
  • Independent research

Legislative services

  • legislative review
  • development of new legislation
  • preparation of drafting instructions
  • preparation of Cabinet documents and other decision making documents
  • review and analysis of draft Bills and regulations
  • analysis of legislation for policy implications
  • implementation planning

Governance and Integrity

Decisive Consultants offers governance development and improvement services by building effective companies and public institutions and improving performance. Accountability requirements, ethical obligations, resource limits, administrative efficacy and public and political expectations need to be balanced against each other. Good governance, with structures and practices designed especially for their purpose, is essential to the success of public institutions.

Governance improvement

  • Capacity building of public institutions and companies
  • Understanding the rule of law
  • Corruption prevention
  • Managing conflicts of interest and whistleblowing
  • Organisational stability and agility
  • Succession planning and development
  • Delegation and reporting

Governance development

  • Organisation structure and decision making support for effective governance
  • Accountability structures, processes and culture
  • Transparency of policies, programs and decision making
  • Public-private nexus in good governance; governance of government-owned or managed enterprises; institutional frameworks for well-governed commerce
  • Public-community nexus for good governance; stakeholder identification and consultation; building public confidence

Special governance arrangements

  • Major events
  • Temporary institutions
  • Grants programs
  • Awards and honours
  • Large scale policy projects and reviews
  • Enforcement, regulatory services and prosecutions

Ethics and Integrity

  • Ethics advice
  • Systems to improve accountability
  • Counter corruption arrangements
  • Anti-corruption institutions
  • Ethical capability within organisations
  • Integrity of consultation process
  • Probity of relationships
  • Conflict of interest issues

Understanding Government

Decisive Consultants has special understanding of how government works, and how you can improve your ability to work with government, be more effective within government, and impact on government decision making. The complexity and scale of government decision making can add significant costs to businesses working with government. And the legitimate voice of business can be lost in complex policy debates and departmental and cabinet processes. There are also challenges for those within government. Multiple reporting lines, powerful central agencies and limited access can frustrate ability to make an impact, even from the inside.

Focus

  • Companies dealing with government
  • Peak industry bodies wanting to influence government
  • Specialised government organisations dealing with departments
  • Government businesses, companies and enterprises
  • Professional service providers with government clients

Working with government

  • Strategy development
  • Skills development about government operations
  • Preparation of key documents
  • High level briefings

Working within government

  • Understanding government relationships
  • Developing budget and policy documents
  • Preparing submissions
  • Executive coaching

Please note: We do not provide government relations services. Understanding how government works enhances transparency in both government and business. Ethically managed government relations firms provide one legitimate avenue for engagement. Decisive Consultants is able to refer interested clients to firms that provide ethical, high quality services. We are proud to work with clients to enhance their understanding of how government decisions are made.

Breakthrough

Decisive Consultants can help you breakthrough tough problems, transform organisational performance, dramatically improve administration, align the corporate centre to strategy, and resolve personnel problems.

Problem breakthrough

  • Issue analysis and reframing
  • Consultation
  • Mediation and reconciliation of differences

Management breakthrough

  • Performance feedback
  • Resolution of outstanding problems
  • Executive coaching and development
  • Organisational alignment
  • Change management
  • Value from organisational overheads

Administration breakthrough

  • Systems and process design
  • Efficiency review
  • Administrative competence building

Policy and governance training

Policy Skills is your pathway to building policy capacity personally, in your team, and across your organisation. Policy Skills programs build your capacity to deliver effective policy. Policy Skills is a set of high quality programs delivered by Decisive Consultants together with Foresight Consulting. Training is available in-boardroom (at your facilities – a major cost saving for you) or fully catered at our facilities in all Australian capitals and New Zealand. Training includes:

  • public policy essentials – for those needing to understand how government works
  • advanced public policy – to take your ability to influence a step further
  • leading and managing public policy – for senior executives and program leaders
  • corporate governance – for company and institutional leaders wanting to enhance organisational performance and relationships
  • writing policy documents – maximising the impact of policy documents
  • accountability – an essential but sometimes forgotten link in the chain of good governance in any organisation
  • complaint management – skills to manage complaints and turn difficult situations into positve organisational learning
  • discrimination – understanding and building on diversity in the workforce and stakeholder base
  • decision making – legal and practical aspects of good decision making in the public sector

Recent Posts

The Australian Policy Handbook, by Catherine Althaus, Peter Bridgman and Glyn Davis aust-policy-handbook‘This authoritative guide to the practice and process of public policy in Australia combines sound analysis and practical know-how in a handbook of great value to students, teachers and practitioners.’ – Professor Allan Fels, AO, Dean, Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG)