The cynical pre-budget submission process

February 20, 2025

Ross Gittins is correct that governments never pay attention to pre-budget submissions from the public. This is because the process operates on the assumption that submissions will be ignored.

As Gittins says, the call for submissions has just gone out, as usual. But the high-level outline of what is in or out of budget is usually pretty much settled in December the previous year. In recent years this has slipped under increasingly disorganised governments but my guess, from both my experience and the wan looks of of my ex-colleagues, is that the final touches are being put on budget “measures” as we speak. To the extent there are any unfinalised, that is.

So why does government seek submissions? It provides a veneer of consultation, and also provides a heads-up of attack points that will be used against government. Many NGOs know all this, but use the opportunity to get their messages out in the public to demonstrate, as Gittins also alludes to, their virtue to their target audiences. I always used to feel a touch of sadness for small NGOs who took it seriously.