The Australian Government is committed to gender responsive budgeting and putting gender equality and impacts on women at the centre of budget decision making. The resources on this page are designed to support the Australian Public Service to implement gender responsive budgeting and consider gender throughout its work.
While Australia has made significant gains towards gender equality, inequality still exists in a range of areas across people’s lives.
These existing inequalities mean that even when a policy seems gender neutral, it can still impact people differently or disproportionately based on their gender. This means policies can have unintended consequences, exacerbate or perpetuate existing inequality or fail to achieve their intended outcomes.
Gender responsive budgeting weaves consideration of gender impact through the budget process and is a key way the Government can identify and fund measures that close gender gaps. Gender analysis of new budget proposals is a key tool to support gender responsive budgeting and support policy developers and decision makers to understand and react to gender impacts.
Gender analysis requirements for budget proposals
Australian Government departments are now required to undertake gender analysis for New Policy Proposals (NPPs) and Cabinet Submissions.
The level of gender analysis needed should be targeted and proportional to the potential impact, value and scope of the policy. NPPs and Cabinet Submissions that meet the criteria below will need to include a Gender Impact Assessment:
- Gender Equality – the proposal has a significant positive or negative impact on gender equality.
- Cohorts – the proposal targets cohorts of people who can be typically disadvantaged.
- Workforce – the proposal relates to a gender segregated industry.
- Partnerships – the proposal establishes a National Partnership Agreement (or like agreement).
- Value – the total value of the proposal is $250 million or more over the forward estimates.
Departments are responsible for self-assessing whether a gender impact assessment is required and the level of gender analysis necessary to support this.
Guidance for Budget proposals: Including Gender: An APS Guide to Gender Analysis and Gender Impact Assessment
To support policy officers across the Australian Public Service (APS) to identify when and how to apply gender analysis in the Budget process, the Office for Women has developed Including Gender: An APS Guide to Gender Analysis and Gender Impact Assessment (the Guide), the Gender Impact Assessment Template and Quick Reference Guide to Gender Analysis.
These resources provide information to assist policy makers to fulfil gender analysis requirements set by Government. The Guide sets out how to determine the level of gender analysis, undertake that gender analysis, and how incorporate it into the relevant Cabinet Submission or New Policy Proposal.
The Guide, Quick Reference Guide and Gender Impact Assessment Template are available for download: Including Gender: An APS Guide to Gender Analysis and Gender Impact Assessment
APS Gender Analysis Community of Practice
The APS Gender Analysis Community of Practice (CoP) is a platform where APS employees can access a range of resources, as well as learn more about Gender Responsive Budgeting and the gender analysis required under the Government’s Budget process. This will build on existing information available from the rollout of Working for Women: A Strategy for Gender Equality and Including Gender: An APS Guide to Gender Analysis and Gender Impact Assessment.
The APS Gender Analysis CoP is open to all Commonwealth officials and is recommended for policy and program officers as well as anyone with an interest in gender equality or gender analysis.
If you would like to join, you can register for an Official GovTEAMS account on the GovTEAMS website and request access directly through the APS Gender Analysis Community of Practice, or email OFWCapability@pmc.gov.au.