By the time the Treasurer stands up in May, the decisions are months old. Pre-budget submissions close over summer and the Expenditure Review Committee meets through autumn. What survives that process tends to arrive with a costing already done and a minister already willing to argue for it.
The piece will set out the budget calendar as it really runs, what Treasury and Finance officials need before they will carry a proposal, and how the mid-year update offers a second chance to anyone who missed the first.
If this is already on your board’s agenda, it is worth a conversation before it becomes urgent.