Budget Group
Deputy Secretary: Cath Patterson
Phone: 02 66215 2566
Budget Group (BG) provides policy and financial advice on government expenditure and non-taxation revenue matters to the Minister for Finance, other senior ministers, and a number of Cabinet committees, including the Expenditure Review Committee (ERC) of Cabinet.
Budget Group supports the Government to prepare, deliver, and manage the Budget. The Group assists Commonwealth agencies to meet their financial management and reporting obligations. Budget Group aims to ensure the analysis, policy advice, and costing information provided to government supports informed decision-making, and that all economic updates meet legislative requirements and timeframes.
The Group is responsible for the Department’s enterprise data governance and our data analytics capabilities, including the management of requests for Finance’s data under the Data Availability and Transparency Act 2022.
Budget Group is comprised of three divisions:
- Budget Policy and Data Division (BPDD)
- Industry, Education and Infrastructure Division (IEID)
- Social Policy Division
SPD and IEID consist of Agency Advice Units (AAU), who work with corresponding portfolio agencies and other central agencies in order to provide Government with advice on budget matters. As part of this advice, the AAUs analyse the design of new policy proposals for Government consideration to estimate its costs and financial risks, and help ensure resources are used efficiently and effectively.
Cath Patterson
Deputy Secretary
Budget Policy and Data
First Assistant Secretary: Simon Writer PSM
Phone: 02 6215 3966
Budget Policy and Data Division provides advice on whole of government budget trends and policy issues, budget processes, and methodologies for compiling budget estimates. Working closely with other central agencies, the Division coordinates the annual Budget process, including bringing together information from AAUs and other central agencies to provide advice to Government.
The Division produces the Budget Process Operational Rules (agreed by Government), provides guidance to portfolio agencies on their input into budgetary processes, and undertakes analysis and management of budget estimates in the Central Budget Management System (CBMS).
The Division is also responsible for Finance’s data governance and maintains a centre of expertise in data analytics to support the department.
Budget Management
Assistant Secretary: Romesh Guneratne
Phone: 02 6215 3855
Budget Management Branch is responsible for the overall coordination of the Budget process, including advising the Government on the timetable for the Budget and other economic updates. The Branch supports government decision-making on expenditure and non-tax revenue, particularly through the ERC, coordinates the preparation of Budget Paper 2 and supports preparation of the is the Final Budget Outcome (FBO) report. The Branch tracks the Budget bottom line, provides advice to ERC on major fiscal aggregates, and supports AAUs with accounting treatments and Central Budget Management System support.
Budget Policy
Assistant Secretary: Marianne Dolman
Phone: 02 6215 2895
Budget Analysis and Policy (BAP) provides analysis and advice on the Budget outlook and on program estimates and other expenditure trends, such as trends in demand and cost-price changes. BAP coordinates and contributes to a range of key Budget documents as well as advising the Government and agencies on the strategy and framework for the Budget and other economic updates. BAP also undertakes analysis and briefing on economic conditions and forecasts to monitor the effect on payments growth and the overall budget position.
Data Governance and Analytics
A/g Assistant Secretary: Nhi Nguyen
Phone: 02 6215 3950
Data Governance and Analytics Branch is responsible for enterprise data governance for Finance and provides data-based insights to inform Finance’s advice on government expenditure, program delivery and operations. The Branch manages requests for Finance’s data under the Data Availability and Transparency Act 2022 and data governance policies and manages a range of whole-of-government expenditure policy and frameworks. The Branch also provides analysis and advice on program estimates and other expenditure trends, and coordinates and contributes to a range of key Budget products.
Industry, Education and Infrastructure
First Assistant Secretary: Libor Pelecky
Phone: 02 6215 3580
The Industry, Education, and Infrastructure Division is comprised of three branches, and provides policy and financial advice to Government for the following Portfolios:
- education,
- employment & workplace relations,
- climate change, energy, the environment, & water,
- industry, science, & resources,
- agriculture, fisheries, & forestry,
- infrastructure, transport, regional development, communications, & the arts.
Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
Assistant Secretary: Elizabeth Hickey
Phone: 02 6215 2153
Education, Employment, and Workplace Relations Branch provides policy and financial advice to the Government on early childhood and childcare, early learning, schools, higher education, and financial assistance for students. This branch also provides policy and financial advice for the Employment and Workplace Relations portfolio, including skills and training, workplace relations, and employment services.
Industry, Climate and Environment
Assistant Secretary: Stephen Sorbello
Phone: 02 6215 3220
Industry, Climate, and the Environment Branch provides policy and financial advice to Government on environmental protection and conservation, energy and climate change, and water policy; as well as industry development, business capability and competitiveness, resources, and scientific and research collaboration.
Infrastructure, Communications and Agriculture
Assistant Secretary: Louise Sasaki
Phone: 02 6215 3930
Infrastructure, Communications, and Agriculture Branch provides policy and financial advice to the Government on infrastructure, transport, communications, the arts, urban and regional development, local government, territories, forestry, fisheries, and agriculture matters.
Social Policy
First Assistant Secretary : Natasha Cole
Phone: 02 6215 2802
Social Policy Division provides policy and financial advice to Government on social security and welfare payments, health, disability services, including the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), housing, community services, Indigenous affairs, aged care, veterans' affairs, and government service delivery. SPD has three branches; Aged Care, Veterans and Care Workforce Branch; Health Branch; and Social Services and Indigenous Australians Branch.
Aged Care, Veterans and Care Workforce
Assistant Secretary: Christine Duke
Phone: 02 6215 3821
Aged Care, Veterans and Care Workforce Branch provides policy and financial advice to the Government on health workforce, veterans, and aged care policy.
Health
Assistant Secretary: Martin Rocks
Phone: 02 6215 1791
Health Branch provides policy and financial advice to the Government on health and ageing, including preventative health care programs, primary health care services, pharmaceutical and medical benefits schemes, funding for the hospital system, sport, and First Nations health issues. Health Branch provides policy and financial advice to the Government on health and ageing, including preventative health care programs, primary health care services, pharmaceutical and medical benefits schemes, funding for the hospital system, sport, and First Nations health issues.
Social Services and Indigenous Australians
Assistant Secretary: Donna Valenti
Phone: 02 6215 3246
Social Services and Indigenous Australians Branch provides policy and financial advice and analysis on service delivery through Services Australia, Centrelink, Medicare Australia and the NDIS. The branch also provides analysis and advice on veterans' affairs policy delivery through the Department of Veterans’ Affair, and programs relating to Indigenous education, training, employment, families, community services, housing and land.
