Understanding Government

This course maps to capability: 1, 2, 4
COST Prices include GST and are subject to change
Member Corporate Standard
$405.00 $515.00 $620.00

Overview

This course gives an overview of the context for policy making in Australia and Queensland. It examines the institutions and structures of Westminster-style government and the constitutional, legal, accountability (and other) parameters that affect government decision-making. Participants will be provided with a working understanding of the actors and institutions which shape their work as policy officers.

Course Content

This course provides an overview of government, covering history, structure, roles and challenges. Content covers principles of representative democracy, institutional frameworks for government authority, Parliament, the executive role of government, structures of government, federation, and Commonwealth/State relations history. It includes features of the Queensland Government, the role of the public service, the processes and routines of the Queensland Parliament, Cabinet, Executive Council and central agencies, and the actors and institutions involved. It also addresses issues such as pluralism and the increasing contestability of policy advice.

Course Outcomes

By the end of this course attendees should be able to:

  • demonstrate an understanding of the Australian tradition of government and the principles of Westminster-style government
  • demonstrate a knowledge of contemporary federalism and the role of the Commonwealth and the states
  • demonstrate a knowledge of the system of government in Queensland and the institutions which have evolved to support that system
  • display an awareness of the increasingly diverse range of actors involved in policy processes and the implications of greater contestability for the work of policy officers

Benefits to your organisation

  • increased understanding of the governmental system in which the organisation operates
  • improved responsiveness of administrators to a uniquely demanding work environment
  • improvements in efficiency through administrators' better understanding of the place and role of their agency within the larger structures of government

Benefits to you

  • more understanding of the complexities of Australian government and the interrelations of its three levels
  • better knowledge of the constraints and opportunities uniquely inherent in a governmental environment
  • improved confidence through a firmer understanding of where you and your agency fit within government