With Victorian State Government elections scheduled for November 2018, any budget submissions from Victorian not-for-profit organisations for 2018/19 need to be framed around the election platforms of the parties.
Those familiar with the Victoria policy, electoral and budget cycles will know that their budget submissions for 2018-19 are effectively election platform submissions.
Initial Forward Estimates for the 2018-19 State Budget will have been submitted to Treasury by most state agencies already, and many organisations wanting to be heard in the State Budget consultation process will also have made their submissions by now. If you haven’t yet made a submission, it’s not too late, and sometimes new information comes along that may offer opportunities to update your policy position or the arguments and evidence you marshall in support of your positions.
In that regard, the release of the Victorian Auditor General’s Report on the Annual Financial Report of the State of Victoria: 2016-17 might be of interest and value to some of you. This short video offers a summary.
Elections provide great opportunities for new policy initiatives to be considered, but you will need to make sure that you are talking with policy committee members of the parties now, to check the alignment of your proposals with their platform. Make sure you have done your modelling of the costs as well as the benefits of your proposals. Also, seek wherever possible to demonstrate how your initiatives will help the party achieve their objectives.
If you would like assistance in planning your advocacy campaign in the lead up to the 2018 State election, contact me at PolGovPro Pty. Ltd. to discuss the support we can offer.
