POLICY BRIEF FORMAT

KEY POINTS (100 – 150 words)

  • Summarise the purpose of the briefing note. For this assignment, you should say this: This briefing note:
    • Summarises [THE POLICY ISSUE];
    • Outlines your policy options; and
    • Recommends the government adopt [RECOMMENDED POLICY].

 

BACKGROUND (~ 500 words)

  • Summarise the minister’s/government’s policy commitments on the issue.
  • Tell the minister what their formal jurisdiction is on the issue: what are the formal constitutional powers of their level of government, and what are the policy responsibilities of their department/agency?
  • Are these powers shared with anyone else? If so, outline who the other relevant governments/organisations/actors are.
  • Summarise the current policy framework, including the policy instruments currently in use.

 

ISSUES (300 – 400 words)

  • What are the key policy problems surrounding the issue? In particular, what are the key weaknesses in the current policy settings that need to be addressed? You may need to include several dot points. You can use headings.

 

POLICY OPTIONS (200 – 250 words)

  • Summarise the key alternative choices the minister has in responding to the policy issue. Do not offer more than three options. It can be helpful to label them, for example options A, B and C.

 

RECOMMENDATION (200 – 300 words)

  • Recommend one of the policy options. For example: The Department recommends the government adopts Option B.
  • Briefly justify your recommendation. You could include subpoints, for example:
    • Choosing Option B will result in significant cost savings over existing policy and alternative policy options.
    • Option B does not require involvement of another level of government.
    • Option B addresses the concerns raised by an industry body.
    • Option B can be implemented in a much shorter time frame.

 

 

TEMPLATE

You may download a template for the policy brief here: LASTNAME, FIRSTNAME Ministerial briefing note template

 

SUBMITTING

  • When submitting your policy brief, please email it to info@griffithpolicycompetition.org, along with:
    • Your name and student number; and
    • If any, the name and student numbers of your teammates.