How to use the Regulatory burden measure | Guidance notes
Add an overview form
What to include
Only fields where the guidance notes add more background info appear here.
Problem being addressed
Identify the problem that needs the government to consider acting on. Provide info on the nature and size of the problem.
You could identify the problem in terms of the loss, harm or other adverse affects experienced, or likely to be experienced, by groups within the community if government doesn't act.
What are the objectives?
Identify the objectives or outcomes of the proposal in relation to the identified problem.
Consider this …
The objective of a government health regulation might be 'to reduce the number of deaths from smoking cigarettes'. One way to achieve this objective could be to 'ban smoking in certain venues'. This means, the objective you enter would be 'to reduce the number of deaths etc.'. Don't type in the way to achieve the objective.
Make sure your objective doesn't pre-justify a solution you prefer. It needs to be broad enough so all possible solutions can be considered.
However, your objective should not be so broad or vague that there are too many solutions to consider. This is also important to make it easier to measure whether the objective has been met.
Why is government action needed?
Identify why government needs to take action to address the problem.
Consider the following questions:
- Can the problem be addressed by market forces, or is there evidence of a market failure? Market failure can arise in a number of ways. For example, there may be a lack of adequate information or impact on third parties (externalities), which are not reflected in market prices and are unlikely to be corrected by market forces.
- If the problem involves risk to members of the community, is the risk great enough to warrant intervention, or is the level of risk acceptable if weighed against the costs of correcting it?
Feedback/comments from consultation
Enter any feedback from relevant stakeholders on the nature of the problem and the need for government action.