ABSTRACT
The Australian Policy Handbook is designed for those embroiled in the sometimes turbulent world of public policy, that terrain between politics and public administration.
They range from senior advisers and executives to technical advisers and support staff.
Standing outside the process looking in are the students of politics and policy, and interest groups keen to influence policy choices. They too might find something of interest in these pages.
The Australian Policy Handbook offers one view of the policy process and suggestions about each step. It is designed to be pragmatic and accessible, of immediate use to practitioners, clients and those who observe. We aspire to best practice in public policy, but recognise the constraints on all who enter the maze. The cycle identified in these pages is by no means the only way to make sense of policy making. It is a systematic approach that can bring a consistent set of actions to each policy issue, thereby assisting our understanding of how the process can work and what might be possible.
