Cabinet Budget Review Committee: For reference

[Fares_Fair]

3.2 Cabinet Budget Review Committee

The CBRC is a core Standing Committee that has a primary role of considering matters with financial or budgetary implications for the government. Initiatives or proposals that cannot be funded from existing appropriations must be directed to CBRC in the first instance for consideration. At the direction of the Premier or Cabinet, CBRC may also consider other issues that require dedicated or longer-term scrutiny or otherwise might best be considered in the Committee environment. Refer to Section 3.1.1 for CBRC membership.

Generally stakeholder Minister(s) will be invited to meetings to provide input into deliberations on submissions. CBRC may decide that following its deliberations on a matter, it should be referred to Cabinet for consideration of wider policy components by the full Ministry.
•3.2.1 Financial information to be agreed by the Treasury Department
•3.2.2 Matters to be considered by the Cabinet Budget Review Committee
•3.2.3 Consideration of major communication campaigns
•3.2.4 Consideration of public sector enterprise bargaining matters

3.2.1 Financial information to be agreed by the Treasury Department

Given the pre-eminent role of CBRC in considering financial matters at whole of government level, it is essential that financial information supporting the Committee's deliberations is comprehensive and reliable. The provision of unreliable or incomplete financial information will significantly impact on CBRC's ability to make appropriate and informed decisions on proposals.

Consequently it is essential that the Treasury Department's expertise is sought on financial information within submissions to give CBRC a high degree of confidence in the primary information underlying its decisions.

In drafting CBRC submissions involving financial considerations, originating agencies must consult closely with the Treasury Department and agree on costing information in the submission. Where the submission arises or follows on from earlier CBRC consideration, and costing information has been amended since the original submission, it must also be agreed with the Treasury Department and a comprehensive explanation on the changes given within the submission.

CBRC will not consider the proposal if the prior agreement of the Treasury Department to financial information has not been received and reflected in a proposed submission.

3.2.2 Matters to be considered by the Cabinet Budget Review Committee

Matters that would typically be considered by CBRC include:
•matters that would have a significant budgetary impact;
•cyclical whole of government budget deliberative processes including those involving operational budget
determination and mid year budget reviews;
•governmental or departmental negotiating positions and outcomes on significant industrial relations issues. Refer to Chapter 3.2.4 "Consideration of public sector enterprise bargaining matters";
•proposals that would require funding supplementation beyond that of the normal approved budget allocation to the originating portfolio;
•approval of all major, sensitive, controversial, major impact, and/or television or equivalent advertising campaigns, for Queensland Government agencies. This includes in-flight videos, inserts and publications into state-wide or interstate publications. Refer to Chapter 3.2.3 "Consideration of major communication campaigns" for further information on this matter;
•key intergovernmental agreements with financial implications for Queensland; and
•all proposals for Public Private Partnerships with an expected capital value in excess of $30 M or a whole of life present value of $50 M.

Should there be doubt as to whether a matter should be considered by CBRC, advice should be sought from the relevant Policy Division contact officer or the Cabinet Secretary.

3.2.3 Consideration of major communication campaigns

CBRC is responsible for ensuring communication campaigns undertaken by departments are professionally conceived and executed, meet whole of government standards, take into account community expectations, and represent value for money.

Departments are required to submit proposals to the Advertising Review Committee (ARC) for major communication campaigns before they are progressed as a submission to Cabinet Budget Review Committee (CBRC) for consideration.

Under the ARC process, departments are required to lodge an ARC proposal (signed by the department's CEO) with Contracts and Advertising Management, Department of the Premier and Cabinet (the ARC Secretariat).

If ARC approves the proposal, the ARC Secretariat will ask the department to seek Ministerial sign-off. Once approved by the Minister, the Secretariat will lodge the proposal to CBRC on the department's behalf, via a CBRC submission signed by the Premier and the responsible Minister.

CBRC considers a number of elements of a proposed communication campaign from a whole of government perspective to ensure that each campaign:
•follows the Queensland Government's Advertising Guidelines;
•meets the requirements of the advertising Code of Conduct (Advertising Guidelines on page 15 (also available on the GovNet website at http://premiers.govnet.qld.gov.au/policies/index.html);
•reflects relevant policy initiatives;
•undertakes whole of government consultation (where applicable);
•is professionally conceived, executed and justified;
•represents value for money;
•reflects market research on community attitudes and behaviours; and
•has a separate submission and headings are addressed in order.

Government Owned Corporations are exempted from ARC consideration. However CBRC may, at its discretion, require reports if it considers campaigns may be developed that could impact on the State Government.

Further information on ARC and CBRC requirements for communication campaigns is available on the Department of the Premier and Cabinet GovNet website at http://premiers.govnet.qld.gov.au/policies/index.html or can be obtained from Contracts and Advertising Management, Department of the Premier and Cabinet (email arc@premiers.qld.gov.au).

3.2.4 Consideration of public sector enterprise bargaining matters

CBRC is responsible for considering public sector enterprise bargaining negotiating positions and outcomes. The Department of Justice and Attorney-General, Division of Public Sector Industrial and Employee Relations centrally manages these negotiations through its Central Bargaining Unit.

Given the responsibility the Industrial Relations portfolio has for overseeing and coordinating public sector enterprise bargaining processes (including the implementation of the requirements of the good faith protocol) the Minister for Industrial Relations shall be joint signatory on all CBRC submissions directly relating to these matters.

[Fares_Fair]

Looking to find out who are on this committee.

[Stillwater]

It would be fairly high level and small, probably:

Campbell Newman
Jeff Seeney
Tim Nicholls

then possibly someone like Lawrence Springborg, given the size of the Health budget.

[Fares_Fair]

You were pretty well spot on SW.
It is small.

Cabinet Budget Review Committee.

I have been advised by Hon Andrew Powell MP's office that the members are as follows;

the Premier, Hon Campbell Newman;
Deputy Premier, Minister for State Development and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning of Queensland, Hon Jeff Seeney;
Treasurer and Minister for Trade of Queensland: Hon Tim Nicholls and
Attorney-General, Hon Jarrod Bleijie.

[Stillwater]

It may seem strange this far out from the end of the financial year, but governments would have budget planning underway by now.  The federal budget probably will be wrapped up, bar the shouting, by about Anzac Day, for announcement in May.  The state budgets follow after they have confirmation in May of what each will get from the feds.  It's no use petitioning governments in April for money towards this item or that project.