This review developed three key objectives to assess the need for a forum: to enable national cooperation and consistency on enduring strategic issues; to address issues requiring cross-border collaboration; and, to perform regulatory policy and standard setting functions.

The Cabinet Handbook is designed to ensure that the federal Cabinet observes conventions and principles, and fulfils its central purpose of informed decision-making.

This report analyses the effectiveness of the revised approach to Commonwealth-State relations through National Cabinet adopted in the COVID-19 crisis, and actions that should now be taken to lock in its long-term effectiveness.

As the COVID-19 crisis began to escalate in Australia, a new institution, the National Cabinet, emerged. This policy brief sets out the National Cabinet’s establishment, structure, and achievements, before turning to key issues requiring attention, concerning the effectiveness, inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability of this new institutional arrangement.

This paper focuses on the genesis of the National Cabinet, elements that have helped make it successful, and how it can continue to fulfil the expectations of the Australian public during the COVID-19 recovery.