How Government Makes Decisions
Useful for: Government, Business, Non-Government Organisations
In Brief
- Government decisions must be defensible, ethical, and accountable.
- Decisions made by government at different levels may require different considerations and standards to be met.
- Keep good records of communications leading up to the decision and reasons the decision was made.
- Ensure the general principles of good administrative decision making are followed regardless of the scope of the decision maker’s power and how wide their discretion is.
- General principles to be observed include:
- Provide procedural fairness – fair hearing and no perception of bias;
- Make objectively reasonable decisions taking into account all relevant considerations and ignoring irrelevant ones;
- Carry out relevant due diligence (make enquiries) before making the decision and do not apply government policy inflexibly.
- The Ombudsman is there to investigate and provide remedies in relation to administrative decision-making and can investigate a matter either of their own volition or upon receiving a complaint from the public.
- Once the primary decision has been made and any internal complaints or review processes are exhausted, an aggrieved recipient of a decision can seek further advice from the Ombudsman or may in certain circumstances seek to have the decision reviewed in a civil appeals tribunal or the courts.
Read Full Article
Already have a subscription?
Click the button below to view the article. If you are not logged in, you will need to do that.
Monthly Subscription
$25.00 per Month (inc GST)
You can purchase a subscription and get access to all articles right now.
You'll be notified by email when new content is added or existing content is updated.
Your subscription will continue until you cancel it. You can do this at any time before the end of your monthly billing period.