Post-State Budgets: what they mean and planning ahead for next year

Now that each of the state and territory budgets have been delivered, including recently in New South Wales, Queensland and the ACT, now is the time for social purpose organisations to accelerate their government engagement and respond purposefully and impactfully.

How your sector or organisation fared in the budget will likely influence how you feel about the budget – did you get a big funding increase, will you now be able to move forward with a boost to your services, or was the budget more modest this time around, with smaller gains, but a step in the right direction towards the ultimate goal?

It might be tempting to bask in the glow (or dwell in the ire if you were less impressed) of this (and that’s ok for a short time!) but the aftermath of a budget represents a busy time on your government engagement calendar. That’s because you have already done the hard work to get to your policy or funding wins – the budget process is a year-long affair, and those decisions were locked in some time ago. What you do in the next 6–8 weeks will shape your prospects for the year ahead.

Analyse and Absorb

Before all this can be done though, senior leaders in your organisation need to prepare carefully by reading through the budget papers and understand the direction the government is heading in.  By doing this you will see what their priorities are for future budgets and will be able to adjust the way you frame your requests to government. It will also be useful because it may be a way to gauge your expectations and, if necessary, adjust your priorities so they better fit with what the government’s intentions.

Strategic Thanks and Recognition

While this work is going on your organisation should be preparing carefully planned and executed communications work. That doesn’t mean firing off a media statement and then forgetting about it – those sorts of releases are almost never used by media, and they won’t be seen by the people that matter. Instead, focus your time on ensuring the stakeholders that are important to you – politicians, their staff and departments and agencies – and let them know and feel you have recognised and appreciate the budget. Local media stories in key electorate is a good way to do this, as is social media posts and handwritten notes to Ministers and MPs.

Start Backwards Planning

So, what is your best course of action at the moment?  The first step is to understand the budget and be organised as early as possible by figuring out the important moments such as when departments put forward their funding requests, when different committees sit, and the cut-off for making it into the budget. Departmental bids, Cabinet Expenditure Review Committee (ERC) processes, community consultations, and pre-budget submissions are all important dates on the political calendar. Essentially, they start from the end and shape their plan around those dates. It can feel slightly reactive, but in fact its proactive – this mindset is how the most successful sectors approach budget planning.

Shape Your Ask for Next Year

With the South Australian and Victoria state elections due next year there is no time to waste in planning for the next budget and deciding what you will ask government to support be it as an election commitment in South Australia, or as part of their ‘Election Budget’ in Victoria. Highlight co-benefits – such as economic impact, cost avoidance, regional benefit or workforce implications.

Frame your request in terms that government already use – mirroring their language helps you slot more easily into their decision-making frameworks.

Rethink What Didn’t Work

It’s worth remembering if you are feeling disappointed because you didn’t get what you wanted in the budget, now is the time to do things differently and hopefully get a different result. This requires more work than a media release and hoping it resonates with the right people.

Budgets can feel like a verdict, but they’re really a mirror. They reflect where government is heading, what it values, and how it responds to influence. For the social purpose sector, the smartest move you can make right now is to treat the budget not as the end of a process, but as the beginning of your next opportunity.

At Tanck, we’re working with organisations across the country to reframe their government engagement in this crucial post-budget period. If you’re ready to lift your influence and position for impact, now’s the time to act.

Written by:

Andrew Koubaridis and Neil Pharaoh | Tanck – Government Engagement