When a grant decision is questioned (whether through an information access request, a minister’s office, or an audit) the same core questions appear. Who assessed the application? What criteria were used? Who approved it, and when? Can your team answer from one easy source of truth, or does it mean searching through inboxes, shared drives and spreadsheets?
Across Australia, grant rules have tightened. The expectation that decisions should be explainable, consistent, and backed by a clear record.
Grant management rules are tightening
From 1 October 2024, the Commonwealth Grants Rules and Principles 2024 (CGRPs) replaced the 2017 guidelines. They apply to non corporate Commonwealth entities, ministers, and third parties administering grants on behalf of the Commonwealth. Two new principles were added:
- merit based processes, and
- consistency with grant guidelines and established processes.
NSW has moved in the same direction. Amendments to the Government Sector Finance Act put grants principles into law in 2023, followed by the mandatory Grants Administration Guide in March 2024. Queensland and Western Australia have also issued updated grants guidance, both in 2025.
The audit record shows why this matters. Of 16 Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) performance audits of Commonwealth grants administration between July 2019 and June 2024, none was found to be fully effective. These audits were conducted under the earlier 2017 rules rather than the 2024 ones. The ANAO’s lessons from them include defining assessment criteria clearly and documenting the rationale when a decision departs from the assessment outcome.
6 good grant management practice expectations and how you could improve your grant record keeping
While each jurisdiction phrases its rules differently, reviewers (auditors, ministers’ offices, Information access teams) often look for similar elements in a grant record.
1. The rules were set before the round opened
The Commonwealth requires consistency with grant guidelines and established processes, and any deviation must be documented. NSW starts at planning and design for the same reason. Klevr Grants lets you configure each fund and round with its own application form, criteria and approval workflow before applications open. These are published through the secure online portal which syncs with Klevr Grants records, where applicants see the correct criteria and your team works from a single, up‑to‑date record with changes logged automatically.
2. Who assessed the application, and against what
Merit based assessment is now a Commonwealth principle, the ANAO’s lessons stress defining assessment criteria clearly. Klevr supports structured assessment by internal and external assessors, with assessments and notes held on the application record.
3. Conflicts of interest were declared and managed
Commonwealth officials must disclose material personal interests, and ministers must record conflicts relating to grant approvals. NSW expects conflict management plans and registers. Queensland requires appraisers to declare actual or perceived conflicts before and after applications are received. Klevr lets assessors note and flag conflict of interest declarations directly on the grant record.
4. The decision, decision maker and reasons were documented
Commonwealth approvals must be recorded in writing, with reasons linked to the guidelines. NSW requires written decisions with reasons. Klevr captures approvals, timestamps, notes and communications on the grant record.
5. Payments followed the agreement
NSW’s guide covers monitoring, acquittal and evaluation. Klevr tracks contracts, milestones and progress reports per grant, with payments integrated through your ERP (Business Central, Finance & Operations) or accounting platform such as Xero.
6. Information was published on time
Commonwealth grants are reported on GrantConnect. NSW agencies publish decisions on the NSW Grants and Funding Finder within 45 days of the agreement taking effect or the first payment. Klevr allows export of data for GrantConnect or the NSW Grants and Funding Finder.
How Klevr Grants supports good practice grant management
Klevr Grants runs on Dynamics 365 and connects to Microsoft 365 SharePoint, Outlook and Power BI, so documents, correspondence and reporting sit with the grant instead of across inboxes and shared drives. Applicants apply and track progress through a secure portal, your team works from the same record, and Power BI rolls outcomes and financials up across rounds without manual data pulls.
Walkerscott is an ISO 27001 certified Microsoft Dynamics partner in Australia. We are an Advanced Supplier on NSW’s SCM0020 Prequalification Scheme: ICT Services, pre qualified on Victoria’s State Purchase Contracts and Registers (eServices), and an approved supplier on Queensland’s ICTSS.2601 ICT Supplier List.
AI can support screening, with people making every decision
AI can support fairness when used carefully. The Klevr IQ grant submission evaluation agent can read incoming applications, score them against your eligibility criteria and flag those that meet them, giving assessors a structured first pass instead of a pile of unassessed applications. Assessors still make every assessment and every approval decision.
Government AI settings are tightening too:
- The Commonwealth’s Policy for the Responsible Use of AI in Government (in effect from 15 December 2025) requires agencies to assign accountability, keep an internal register and complete an AI impact assessment.
- NSW agencies must register AI use cases and complete assessments through the NSW AI Assessment Framework platform, mandatory from 30 September 2026
An explainable, logged first pass is easier to take through an impact assessment than an opaque one.
Check the grant management guidance for your own jurisdiction
Other jurisdictions publish their own guidance: Victoria’s Better Grants by Design, Queensland’s Financial Accountability Handbook Volume 6, the Western Australian Grants Administration Guidelines 2025, South Australia’s Treasurer’s Instruction 15, Tasmania’s Best Practice Guide for the Administration of Grants and the ACT’s Administration of Government Grants.
Technology that supports governance in the grant management process
Good policy and sound decisions still matter, and no system makes a decision defensible on its own. Klevr Grants helps agencies implement and evidence good grant management practice within their own governance framework. The Commonwealth and NSW requirements are mandatory for the entities they cover. Elsewhere, guidance and treasury instructions vary. Your own jurisdiction’s framework remains the reference point for your obligations.
Try it on a past grant: how many of the six answers could you produce from one place? Book a Klevr Grants demo and we’ll walk you through the full audit trail for a single application, from submission to final report.