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Support for regulators preparing for digital reform

Guidance for regulators on how to improve permission and inspection practices and prepare for digital reform.

The Better Practice Permissions Playbook

‘Permissions’ refers to licences, permits, and other approvals.

The Permissions Playbook provides guidance on how regulators can implement better practice permissions and become ‘digitally ready’. It outlines an approach to improving regulatory practice and processes to be more consistent, streamlined and digital.

Regulators can develop an action plan for improvements that suit their needs and:

The Permissions Playbook can be used to routinely review regulatory practice, or to design a new service. It can be applied to the whole permissions process, or used to target specific areas for improvement.

The Permissions Playbook consists of three parts

Overview

Outlines the background and context of the Permissions Playbook.

The Better Practice Permissions Playbook - Overview PDF 1.44 MB (opens in a new window)

The Better Practice Permissions Playbook - Overview PPT 363.33 KB (opens in a new window)

Part: A Defining your ambition for reform

Guides on how to understand ‘current state’ practices and processes, and define the ambition for reform. It is for regulatory leaders or senior managers responsible for permissions.

The Better Practice Permissions Playbook - Part A PDF 4.09 MB (opens in a new window)

The Better Practice Permissions Playbook - Part A PPT 540.57 KB (opens in a new window)

Part B: Designing ‘better practice’ processes and delivering change

Guides on how to design better practice permissions and implement reform. It is for those who design and implement regulatory improvements.

The Better Practice Permissions Playbook - Part B PDF 13.97 MB (opens in a new window)

The Better Practice Permissions Playbook - Part B PPT 1.47 MB (opens in a new window)

Companion Resources

Two companion resources help regulators implement improvements.

The Better Practice Permissions Process Manual

The Process Manual contains a template to document processes, business rules and requirements. Regulators can use the process manual to apply lessons learnt from the Permissions Playbook to their context.

The Better Practice Permission Process Manual Word 946.25 KB (opens in a new window)

Editable Better Practice Permissions Journey Template

The Permissions Playbook includes ‘the Better Practice Permission Journey’ which breaks down the permission process into six common stages. Regulators can use this editable journey template to tailor process maps to their context.

The Better Practice Permission Journey Map Template PPT 467.52 KB (opens in a new window)

The Better Practice Inspections Playbook

The Inspections Playbook provides guidance for all Victorian regulators on how they can prepare for digitisation and improve their compliance monitoring processes (with a focus on inspections) in a standardised way. The material is intended to complement BRV’s Better Practice Permissions Playbook.

The Inspections Playbook has been developed to assist regulators with existing systems and process, as well as those developing better practice from a blank slate.

Regulators can use the playbook to:

The Inspections Playbook consists of three parts

Overview

Outlines the context of the Inspections Playbook and supports regulators to assess their organisations’ digital readiness.

Better Practice Inspections Playbook - Overview PDF 1.68 MB (opens in a new window)

Better Practice Inspections Playbook - Overview PPT 430.67 KB (opens in a new window)

Part A: Review the foundations of your compliance monitoring practice

Primarily to help executives and senior managers assess whether their organisations have effective regulatory strategies in place to guide their operational practices.

Better Practice Inspections Playbook - Part A PDF 4.48 MB (opens in a new window)

Better Practice Inspections Playbook - Part A PPT 795.19 KB (opens in a new window)

Part B: Designing better practice compliance monitoring inspection processes

Primarily for managers and reform officers implementing system reforms. Provides a ‘how to guide’ and process mappings to support inspections process reforms in a consistent, standardised way.

Better Practice Inspections Playbook - Part B PDF 6.55 MB (opens in a new window)

Better Practice Inspections Playbook - Part B PPT 872.96 KB (opens in a new window)

Toolkits and additional resources

To complement this guidance, specialised ’tools’ to support regulators have been developed to help them make practical reforms to compliance monitoring processes.

Toolkit 1 - Strategic Resource Allocation Tool

Support for regulators to plan how they allocate their resources across inspection activities.

Toolkit 1 - Strategic Resource Allocation Tool - Better Practice Inspections Excel 3.25 MB (opens in a new window)

Toolkit 2 - Data and information architecture

Provides a framework for regulators to consider when assessing how data is structured within their systems and ‘knowledge management’ processes.

Toolkit 2 - Data and Information Architecture - Better Practice Inspections.pptx PPT 430.29 KB (opens in a new window)

Toolkit 3 - Triggering inspections from complaints and referrals

Support for regulators to develop a clear view of what initiates (or ‘triggers’) an inspection, so they are conducted consistently and are an appropriate regulatory response.

Toolkit 3 - Triggering Inspections from Complaints and Referrals - Better Practice Inspections.pptx PPT 466.75 KB (opens in a new window)

The Permissions and Inspections Playbooks complement other regulatory guidance

The Playbook links to other regulatory guidance, including the Victorian Guide to Regulation, Towards Best Practice guide for regulators, and the Victorian Permissions Framework.

Updated 4 September 2025

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