The Australian Government’s new Best Practice Regulation Handbook gives effect to the revised regulatory impact analysis arrangements announced on 5 December 2012. Associated with the Handbook, the OIA has issued a guidance note on best practice consultation. Effective stakeholder consultation is a key element of regulatory impact analysis. A details-stage regulation impact statement is required to provide details of consultation, including the parties with whom consultation has been undertaken, any concerns raised and how these concerns have been reflected in the final proposal. The consultation should give affected stakeholders adequate opportunity to consider the proposal and comment, and should be commensurate with the magnitude of the problem and the size of the potential impact of the proposal. The guidance note outlines the government’s best practice consultation principles, which should be considered by agencies when developing regulation, and provides guidance to help you incorporate these principles into your consultations. It also provides a discussion on how to develop a consultation strategy, including information on online consultation methods.