China Australia Governance Program (CAGP)

Funded by AusAID and managed by GHD, CAGP seeks to support Chinese government policy development and implementation, with a special focus on governance for poverty alleviation.

CAGP supports strategic engagement between Australian and Chinese agencies on governance issues (Component 1); the development and implementation of specific policy initiatives (Component 2); and the administration of Australian Development Scholarships in China (Component 3).

Component 1 is a flexible, responsive funding mechanism that has fostered linkages between Chinese, and Australian government agencies. More than 50 such projects have been developed and implemented - providing opportunities for mutual learning and establishing the groundwork for ongoing engagement. Among the notable successes was a Fraud Control Project (involving Centrelink and the Chinese Ministry of Labour and Social Security/National Social Insurance Agency.

Component 2 supports longer-term projects aimed at investigating and implementing policy issues in agreed thematic areas. The projects are jointly identified, planned, managed and monitored by program partners. The application of frameworks and methodologies for policy implementation is a central focus of all projects. The thematic areas in which projects have been developed are: fiscal reform, internal trade barriers and social security for migrant workers. In each area, Chinese agencies have taken the lead, Among the successful relationships so far, the Budget Affairs Commission of the National Peoples Congress is being supported in its development of a stable and sustainable policy framework for fiscal management.

Not only have we played a central role in managing the program for our client, we have been a partner (along with AusAID and Chinese Government counterparts) on the CAGP Charter Board. In this innovative approach to development assistance we have helped develop a common vision for the strategic direction of the program and have shared responsibility for the pursuit of mutually agreed program outcomes.