In August 2025, the Department of Treasury and Finance (DTF) hosted a workshop on regulatory excellence with senior leaders from multiple Victorian regulators. The workshop was delivered by Professor Cary Coglianese, Edward B Shils Professor of Law and Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania and Director of the Penn Program on Regulation.
The session sparked rich and strategic conversations, with many participants sharing how valuable it was to reflect on their regulatory practice and connect with peers across the sector.
Key themes from the workshop included:
- The three components of regulatory excellence and actions regulators can take (as shown below).
- The importance of building community trust.
- The central role of "people excellence" in regulatory excellence.
Nine Tenets of Regulatory Excellence
Three takeaways for regulators pursuing regulatory excellence:
- Develop a model that directly links what a regulator does with the real-world outcomes it aims to achieve.
- Evaluate how well the regulator performs at each stage of the model using defined criteria such as integrity, competence, and empathic engagement.
- Identify and prioritise the key areas for improvement that matter most, then define targeted actions to enhance regulatory excellence.
Watch the video interview with Professor Coglianese and view his presentation slides below.
Professor Coglianese’ reference to the Penn Program on Regulation checklist can be found in the Listening, Learning, and Leading: A framework for Regulatory Excellence document.
Regulatory excellence is an ongoing conversation.
Consider sharing this video at your next team meeting to spark discussion about what excellence looks like in your regulatory context.
If you are interested in learning more about how to measure regulatory capability for your organisation, reach out to the DTF Regulatory Reform team at reg.reform@dtf.vic.gov.au.
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