In late 2015, DPHI Planning negotiated the Interagency Engagement Protocol (IEP) with key agencies. The Protocol sets out roles and responsibilities in the Planning-led whole-of-government assessment process. Parts of the Protocol included the establishment of multi-lateral Senior Officer forums and two-way Director-level meetings to identify and resolve assessment issues for major projects.
The IEP establishes the core policy elements that should guide engagement, and the engagement practices that should be followed by DPHI Planning and by other government agencies providing advice to DPHI Planning as part of the whole-of-government assessment process. The Protocol also establishes consistent elements and practices for engagement during consideration of post-approval matters.
The NSW government has committed to reducing the end-to-end time taken for assessing and determining State-significant proposals. The Protocol establishes the engagement practices needed to reduce the time taken by the whole-of-government assessment process.