Government Budget Essentials

A strong understanding of how governments are funded is critical for managers tackling our most important contemporary public policy challenges. This Melbourne MicroCert is ideal for professionals who work in or with governments who would like a better understanding of how government budgets work, and develop the skills to read, understand, and explain them. Grasp the foundations of the budget cycle and how government budgets work: Enrich your understanding of public finance by exploring the laws, organisations, systems and procedures used by governments. Demystify the budget cycle and explore trends in fiscal policy, funding and budgets that will shape the future work of the public sector. Understand how budgets shape public policy and programs: Critically analyse how budgets and financial management impact the design and rollout of public policy and programs and take a closer look at the politics of the budget cycle. Gain tools to better manage expenditure in public sector organisations; Learn tools, frameworks and concepts that can help you better interpret the effects of government spending decisions, and understand the requirements for budget funding submissions and its accountability if successful. Put your knowledge into practice in a policy brief: Drawing on your new knowledge, you'll develop a policy brief or implementation plan requiring funding and confidently justify your recommendations to solve an important problem or create public value. Skills and learning outcomes: By the end of this course, you'll have a deeper understanding of how to read, comprehend and explain government budgets. You'll be able to: Analyse how budget cycles and government funding underpins public policy and service delivery; Create policy briefs with clear recommendations for how to respond to identified Practice Challenges within government budgets and financing.