As part of our commitment to accountability and transparency, agencies include information in their Estimates and Annual Reports on:
- the quality of their policy advice
- the satisfaction of their ministers with the policy support provided by the agency.
This information is also used by agencies to better understand and improve performance – and thereby support better government decision making.
Quality of policy advice
Agencies include in their Estimates a target numeric score for the quality of their policy advice, and report their actual performance in their next Annual Report, using the Policy Quality Framework.
Which agencies report on a policy quality score?
Agencies with a policy appropriation, or policy category within a multi-category appropriation, are required to report on a policy quality score.
What is the Policy Quality Framework?
The Policy Quality Framework sets out a common set of standards that specify what good quality policy advice looks like. The Policy Quality Framework is to be used by all agencies from 1 July 2019 to assess the quality of policy advice papers and calculate their policy quality score.
Download the Policy Quality Framework summary
Download the Policy Quality Framework full version
How to use the Policy Quality Framework
We’ve developed a guide for agencies on using the Policy Quality Framework to assess policy advice papers which covers:
- why assessing policy advice is important
- how to set up quality of advice assessment panels
- how to conduct panel meetings
- how to score advice papers using the Policy Quality Framework
- how to report the agency’s policy quality score.
Download the Guide on panels and process for assessing policy advice papers
For a full description of the benefits of using the Policy Quality Framework, see our page on Policy Quality.
Satisfaction of the Minister
Agencies signal in their Estimates that they will report policy performance using a numeric score for the satisfaction of their minister/s with the policy support provided by the agency, and report their actual performance in their next Annual Report, using the Ministerial Policy Satisfaction Survey.
Which agencies report on a ministerial policy satisfaction score?
Agencies with a policy appropriation, or policy category within a multi-category appropriation, are required to report on a ministerial policy satisfaction score.
What is the Ministerial Policy Satisfaction Survey?
The Ministerial Policy Satisfaction Survey contains a common set of questions that agencies use to assess their minister’s satisfaction with the services provided by the policy advice function. We’ve designed a new survey with agencies that is aligned to the refreshed Policy Quality Framework. The new survey is to be used by all agencies from 1 July 2019.
Send an email to [email protected] to request a copy of the new survey.
How to use the Ministerial Policy Satisfaction Survey
We’ve developed a short guide for agencies on how to use the Ministerial Policy Satisfaction Survey which covers:
- setting an optional performance target
- conducting the survey with your minister
- developing a score based on the results
- using the results for improving performance.
Where to go for more information
If you have any questions on the Policy Quality Framework or Ministerial Policy Satisfaction Survey, email us at [email protected].
Any questions or enquiries on the Estimates reporting should be directed to the Treasury at [email protected].