Cabinet Implementation Unit
The Cabinet Implementation Unit (CIU) within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet was established in 2003 to ensure committed and effective delivery of key Government policies. 
The CIU focuses on five key areas:
Proactive Involvement: Engagement with Agencies
The CIU engages with Australian Government agencies to provide advice on specific implementation issues outside of the Cabinet process, or to provide implementation advice early in the policy development process.
Reporting: Progress Updates
The CIU works with Australian Government agencies to monitor and report on the progress of the Government’s key policy initiatives.
Advice for the Cabinet: Implementation Plans
The Cabinet requires implementation plans for submissions and new policy proposals with significant implementation risks or challenges, including those with a Risk Potential Assessment Tool pre-mitigation rating of medium or above. The CIU assesses implementation plans in new policy proposals to ensure that the Cabinet has all the relevant information to make informed decisions.
Capability Building: Building Skills Across the APS
The CIU supports networks across the APS which focus on implementation and delivery. One such network is the APS Policy Implementation Network (APS PIN) which, with Deputy Secretary membership, draws on members’ experience to share knowledge and helps to develop a culture of collaboration on implementation and delivery.
Policy Expertise: Making Connections
The CIU promotes best practice approaches from other jurisdictions in Australia and overseas, as well as academia and industry, and provides advice on how to apply these in the APS context.
The five key areas of the CIU, and information on elements of good implementation planning, are outlined in the CIU Flipchart.
Newsletter
The CIU publishes a quarterly newsletter – Implementation Matters – which contains information and resources on current and emerging trends in implementation and delivery. To subscribe, please enter your details below.
Issues of Implementation Matters are available.
Secondment Program
The CIU runs a secondment program for APS officers to strengthen the capability of the CIU and to bring together APS officers with implementation and delivery expertise. The lengths of secondments vary, but generally run between four to six months. All levels below Executive Level 2 are encouraged to apply.
Officers from a range of APS agencies have completed the secondment program, including the Department of Health and Ageing, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Australian Taxation Office. If you are interested in a secondment to the CIU, please email implementation@pmc.gov.au with the subject title ‘CIU Secondment Program’.
More information on the CIU and implementation is found in the following links:
- Implementation Planning for the APS
- Implementation Reporting
- Implementation Networks
- Implementation Resources
- Frequently Asked Questions