How to read Budget documents in under an hour

This is an abridged version of a full article. To receive the full version, including a comprehensive step-by-step guide for preparing for #Budget23, register for our mailing list.

This Thursday is Budget Day, a significant event where the Government reveals its spending priorities for the upcoming year. As it's an election year, the Budget is an opportunity for the Government to showcase their priorities and appeal to voters. Given the post-COVID economic challenges, inflation, and cost of living concerns, this year's Budget is expected to focus on infrastructure investment, efficiency measures, and cost savings.

For communicators, the Budget presents a chance to advocate for your organisation's goals and emphasise previous successes or set the stage for future investments and potential election campaigns. While delving into the intricacies of government spending might seem daunting, it doesn't have to be. Here's a quick guide to help you understand what the Budget means for your organisation:

1) Figure out what you already know:

Refresh your knowledge on the Votes (sectors) and appropriations (policy initiatives and spending trends) related to your organisation. Start with the Budget from the previous year.

Select the sector most relevant to your work and explore the associated Votes, which provide detailed spending information down to specific policy initiatives. You can make this easier for yourself by using a keyword search for your area of interest. For example, if you are interested in establishing what funding is committed to settling refugees in New Zealand you would look to Vote Labour Market - Education and Workforce Sector and keyword search the document by “refugee”.

Note funding trends and appropriations of interest, and update this information with the release of the 2023 Budget on Thursday.

2) Gauge if you're likely to be a headline act:

Assess whether your work intersects with areas such as health, education, social welfare, infrastructure, or transport, which usually receive significant attention in the Budget.

If your work is more behind the scenes, don't worry. Election years tend to offer something for everyone, allowing for diverse media coverage and potentially more opportunities for different voices to be heard.

3) Focus your efforts:

Remember that the Budget is?under embargo until 2pm on Thursday. Many journalists and sector leaders will be invited to Budget lock-ins earlier in the day so they have plenty of time to read the Budget to report the news to the rest of us in a timely way.

Make efficient use of your reading time after 2pm to find the information that supports your call to action and ensures it remains current.

Focus on the analysis and expertise relevant to your organisation, rather than trying to cover the entire Budget - there'll be a flurry of headlines at 2pm and plenty of journalists and Budget experts providing reckons throughout the coming days.

4) Assign roles and responsibilities:

If you think it's necessary to respond to some aspect of the Budget, make sure you:

• Prepare high-level key messages in advance.
• Decide the bar for making a public statement regarding the Budget.
• Coordinate with allies and stakeholders, delegating reading responsibilities if necessary.
• Have junior team members review the Finance Minister's speech, read the Budget at a Glance, and select relevant media commentary.
• Block out time in leaders' schedules for potential media availability.

TL;DR: So, what should I do on Budget day?

On Budget Day itself, follow these three steps:

• Read the Budget at a Glance to understand the context of your communications.
• Conduct keyword searches in relevant Votes.
• Assess with your leaders whether a response from your organisation is necessary or whether you can see how things run.

This is an abridged version of a full article. To receive the full version, including a comprehensive step-by-step guide for preparing for #Budget23, register for our mailing list.