White Paper Going Nowhere

02 Aug White Paper Going Nowhere

Dear Here to Help,

My team and I put a significant amount of effort into research, analysis and innovation to develop policy proposals to help solve significant issues that face (and hold back) Australian businesses. Our white paper details the major issues, what problems they cause and what policy solutions can improve Australian business productivity. We launched the white paper with a high-profile event and a significant amount of ongoing media and social media attention.

BUT… government has not picked up our white paper recommendations. How can we help ensure that all our hard work is not in vain, and the Australian business community and general community benefits?

Hi there and thanks for your query.

Strange as it may seem, this is not the first time I have been asked about this.

The government receives an enormous volume of reports, submissions and policy proposals. Even excellent ideas can struggle to gain traction if they don’t arrive at the right time, reach the right audience or connect with current priorities.

If you want government to implement your suggested changes, it’s up to you to make a compelling case.

Here is a checklist you can use to help make a compelling case to government as to why they should adopt your suggestions:

• Right person – send your white paper, with an executive summary, to the right person. The right person is generally mid-level, with sufficient time to fully explore policy options.
• Right time – sometimes it’s just not the right time. Monitor public policy conversation around your area of interest and have your white paper and executive summary ready to go at the right time.
• Right high points – do your suggestions align with government’s own objectives? These are easy to find on agency websites and Minister’s speeches. Again, consider how you can better align your suggestions to government’s current priorities.
• Right outcome – do your suggestions consider unintended consequences, as well as the benefits to your own sector? Consider how you can improve your suggestions from a whole-of-community perspective.
• Right tone and language – translate your own suggestions into “government-ese” wherever possible, to aid speedy adoption.
• Right stakeholder engagement – research what other stakeholders in the area are saying. If your suggestions are at odds with other stakeholders, address that and explain why your suggestions are better. Can you work with other stakeholders?
• Right research – work to identify and address any blind spots in your research and suggestions. Public policy is so intricate and complex precisely because it touches situations and areas that are not evident at first blush. The more work you can do here, the more quickly your suggestions can be implemented.

The more you can tailor your white paper, or other public policy suggestions, to the current Australian community and political environment, the more likely that your suggestions will be implemented. And the quicker they will be implemented.

Public policy change is a long road and adopting these simple recommendations will help your white paper suggestions progress further and faster.

Let me know how you go!

This article comes from my column entitled “Here to Help” in Hunter Local, August 2026. If you have an everyday problem just begging for a simple, real world solution, send it to “Here to Help” and let’s see what we can achieve.

Elaine Abery has a closet full of great ideas and empowering solutions. She’s also the Director of Unravelling Red Tape, a company dedicated to helping everyday people, not-for-profits and companies change the world through improved decision-making and legislation.

Photo by Bernd Klutsch on Unsplash