Run a Cabinet meeting

Getting started

• Discuss Cabinet’s role in the law-making, and policy development and implementation processes by asking:
  • What is a ‘policy’? How does policy become law?
  • Where do policy ideas come from?
  • How does the executive decide which policies/new laws will go forward?
• Remind students of the foundations of Executive government:
  • Consensus decision-making: the aim is for all Cabinet ministers to agree on the decisions of Cabinet. This requires negotiation and compromise. In this way, all ministers take collective responsibility for the decisions of Cabinet.
  • Cabinet solidarity: all Cabinet ministers are expected to publicly support the decisions they make as a group.
• Decide if you will have one class Cabinet (with assistant ministers working with ministers) or multiple Cabinets debating the same or different proposals. Do not have more than 15 members in each Cabinet.
• Choose a policy proposal to debate and decide upon, relevant to your unit of study. There are a range of domestic and international policy ideas under Policy proposal topics in the toolkit if you are stuck for ideas.

Activity (45 minutes)

1. Choose Cabinet positions:
   • Prime Minister (chair of Cabinet).
   • Other ministers including the minister responsible for the policy proposal to be debated. Check the current Ministry list for the full list of ministries.
2. Ministers decide if they support the policy proposal. They can talk with their assistant ministers and/or other relevant ministers, such as the Treasurer. They could consider:
   • Who will this policy proposal impact? How will they be impacted?
   • How does this proposal relate to your portfolio – area of responsibility? Are there any issues related to this proposal you feel should be raised?
   • Overall, do you support the proposal? Why/why not?
3. Follow the agenda for the meeting in the Meeting instructions document in the toolkit:
   • The Prime Minister introduces the policy proposal and explains the aims and outcomes of the proposed policy.
   • The Prime Minister asks ministers to state their position on the policy proposal and the main reason why they do or don’t support it. The Prime Minister takes a note of the arguments for and against the proposal as they are raised by each minister.
   • The Prime Minister summarises Cabinet’s position on the proposal so far. What are the main benefits of the proposal? What are the disadvantages?
   • Suspend the meeting to give ministers time to reflect on the discussion, reprioritise and negotiate with ministers outside the meeting. The aim is to negotiate so that all ministers agree with the proposal. Ministers should ask questions to better understand the view of others and look for common ground.
   • Continue the meeting. The Prime Minister should:
     • lead a discussion about ministry priorities. Have any ministers changed their position on the proposal?
     • conduct a vote on the proposal.
   • If the proposal fails, the Prime Minister could ask the ministers to develop amendments – changes – to the proposal so Cabinet can agree to it. Take another vote.

Discussion questions

• If the policy was agreed to, how does the Executive make it a reality?
• If the proposal was defeated, it can be put to Cabinet again. What would help it be approved next time?
• Based on your experience today, do you think the decision-making process used by Cabinet is democratic?
• Cabinet documents and discussions are kept secret for 20 years. How might Cabinet confidentiality influence the debates and decisions of Cabinet?

Extension

Cabinet rarely has only one policy proposal to debate and decide upon. In reality, ministers have to balance many priorities when making decisions. Use the Cabinet extension document in the toolkit to challenge students to balance their own ministerial priorities as they complete the Run a Cabinet meeting classroom activity.

• Government
• Years 5+6
• Years 9+10