Contents
- Part 1 Executive Summary
- Part 2 Performance reporting
- Part 3 Corporate governance and accountability
- Part 4 Appendices
- Part 5 Financial Management
Annual Report 2007–2008
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Annual Report 2007–2008
Annual Report 2007–2008 » Chapter 11: Our operational profile
In FaHCSIA, we manage our business by: planning for the future and monitoring our business; using our allocated resources effectively, efficiently and ethically; and by building a robust evidence base.
We set the direction and plan for the future of our business through effective business planning, project management, risk management and business continuity planning.
Business planning is the process that defines our business outcomes and priorities at all levels within the Department and articulates how we will achieve them. Business planning cascades down from the FaHCSIA Strategic Framework 2008–10.
Business plans are developed during the beginning of the financial year. Plans are reviewed and amended throughout the year in response to changes to the business environment or emerging business priorities, issues or risks.
Individual Performance Management System (IPMS) agreements of FaHCSIA staff are linked to the priorities of their respective group business plans. Further information on IPMS agreements can be found in Chapter 10.
We monitor our business by measuring our performance, reporting on the status of our projects and conducting internal audits.
The Program Performance Group (formerly Program Operations Group) supports and guides FaHCSIA managers in reforming and improving the way FaHCSIA manages programs. The primary goals of these improvements are to: maximise opportunities for consistency, efficiency and effectiveness in relation to community services, Indigenous business, whole‑of‑government processes and program delivery; and to improve how we work within FaHCSIA as one entity.
The Department is participating in external cross‑government reviews, which commenced in 2007–08. The outcomes of the following reviews will provide the framework for future program improvements:
FaHCSIA has begun the implementation of a standardised performance framework that will develop critical linkages between key corporate governance processes, utilising the Portfolio Budget Statements and the Annual Report as the key reporting tools. The new framework will assist FaHCSIA to report consistently, transparently and accurately across the Department’s outputs and outcomes for community grants.
Over the year, approximately 60 projects were reported each month through the Project Management Integration Office (PMIO) to the Executive Management Group. A number of major projects are reportable quarterly to the Cabinet Implementation Unit in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. These projects are generally those that address major or complex issues, involve the introduction of new technology or service delivery arrangements, include extensive cross‑portfolio or cross‑jurisdictional coordination, or are particularly sensitive or require urgent implementation. FaHCSIA works closely with the Cabinet Implementation Unit to make sure that the Department provides timely, accurate and relevant information to Government.
The PMIO and branches within the Information Management and Technology (IMT) Group are working closely together on a series of Post Implementation Reviews for IMT projects.
During the year, PMIO was aligned within the People Branch in the Corporate Support Group. This move builds on the strong reporting and monitoring approach already in place by strengthening links with internal capability development.
FaHCSIA’s risk management policy, guidelines and tools are based on the current Australian/New Zealand Standard on Risk Management (AS/NZS 4360:2004).
In 2007–08, the Executive reviewed and identified strategic risks that have the potential to impact on the Department. Strategies and controls have been set in place to manage risks and have been assigned to key Executive members for management oversight.
FaHCSIA has a Crisis Response Team (CRT) to manage the Department’s response to a crisis or major business disruption. The CRT is made up of senior management representatives from critical business areas. For further details about the Department’s crisis planning and management, see FaHCSIA’s business continuity planning and management section below.
FaHCSIA’s Risk Tracker tool has been further developed to better facilitate ongoing monitoring of project and program risks, and ensure that they remain visible and under control. The Risk Management Guidelines are available online to all staff and additional assistance is made available through a helpdesk, tailored training and workshops.
Public sector business continuity planning is defined as management and planning for the continued availability of government services, including all the functions and resources associated with the provision of these services.
In the event of an emergency or significant disruption, FaHCSIA has a plan to ensure critical services associated with departmental outcomes, including services that support the government, are continued.
FaHCSIA has a commitment to ensure that in the event of an emergency or significant disruption, advice to our Ministers continues and services provided to the community, clients, business partners and service providers continues within an agreed format and timeframe.
FaHCSIA’s business continuity management encompasses the Department and its national network and includes assisting FaHCSIA’s portfolio agencies in their business continuity planning. The aims and objectives of FaHCSIA’s business continuity management are to:
Mock emergency tests are run periodically to test the robustness of planned responses and to identify any improvements.
FaHCSIA ensures that there is a broad range of audit coverage across the Department and that appropriate action is taken on audit recommendations.
Internal audits conducted by the Department promote better practice and generate advice as to whether FaHCSIA is operating efficiently, effectively and in accordance with the relevant laws and authorities.
Major activities carried out during 2007–08 included:
FaHCSIA finalised 38 internal audits in 2007–08. These audits were from the audit work programs approved by the Risk Assessment and Audit Committee (RAAC) in 2006–07 and 2007–08. With the RAAC’s endorsement, six audits were deferred and three audits were cancelled from the original 2007–08 work program. Ernst and Young was the primary provider to the internal audit function. The secondary provider, KPMG, continued work this financial year on one audit from the 2006–07 work program.
In accordance with Section 516A of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act), FaHCSIA’s outcomes support the principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) through responsibility for the implementation of social policies and social support.
FaHCSIA’s Strategic Policy Branch has responsibility for contributing to the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme and the development of climate change and energy efficiency policies, particularly in respect to the impacts on low‑income households. In 2007–08, the branch provided early feedback on issues that feature in the Green Paper on the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. Strategic Policy will consult with relevant areas of the Department as these policies develop.
During 2007–08, FaHCSIA has remained committed to the principles of ESD as outlined in the EPBC Act.
FaHCSIA integrates ESD into our daily operations by using the triple bottom line approach of environmental, economic, and social sustainability.
Some key measures FaHCSIA has undertaken over during 2007–08 include:
FaHCSIA is a large government agency with diverse operations being undertaken throughout Australia. The effect of the Department’s activities on the environment falls into five main categories of environmental impact:
FaHCSIA is undertaking the following key measures to minimise the impact of its activities on the environment, in an effort to meet the targets set by Government:
FaHCSIA has adopted two primary mechanisms to review and increase the effectiveness of the measures mentioned above:
FaHCSIA will publish its sixth Sustainability Report later this year. The 2007–08 Sustainability Report will only be published on the FaHCSIA website to reduce our carbon footprint.
The Sustainability Report sets social, environmental and economic commitments for FaHCSIA, and details progress made toward these commitments in the previous reporting period. This assists the Department in monitoring its performance and evaluating new opportunities for future improvements and provides transparency about our wider economic, social and environmental impacts.
FaHCSIA was recently named winner of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Australia New Zealand’s 2007 Best Public Sector Report for the 2006–07 Sustainability Report.
FaHCSIA is committed to the ongoing development of the Environmental Management System (EMS). This year, the Department achieved re‑certification of the EMS, expansion of the scope of the EMS to include Centraplaza and an upgrade of the EMS certification to the new ISO 14001 standard.
The Department has commenced the development of an Environmental Strategic Plan, which aims to identify where the most significant gains in environmental performance can be made with the least cost. The plan will also identify long term measures where more significant expenditure will deliver significant and measurable improvements.
Other priorities for the EMS are:
FaHCSIA’s previous Sustainability Report and Triple Bottom Line Reports are available online at www.fahcsia.gov.au, or by emailing environment@fahcsia.gov.au, or writing to the Branch Manager, Property Environment and Protective Security Branch, PO Box 7576, Canberra Mail Centre, ACT 2610.
FaHCSIA has a Fraud Control Plan (FCP) in place for the period 2007–09 that complies with the Commonwealth Fraud Control Guidelines.
The Audit and Fraud Branch is responsible for providing fraud awareness training and advice on policy, guidelines and procedures to FaHCSIA staff. Audit and Fraud also monitor FaHCSIA’s FCP and report on fraud‑related matters for the Department. The branch is responsible for receiving and investigating allegations of criminal activity involving FaHCSIA staff and external fraud, excluding Indigenous programs.
Fraud investigators are trained at the required level, as set out by the Australian Government Investigation Standards and the Commonwealth Fraud Control Guidelines 2002. FaHCSIA investigators maintain vigilance on existing fraud trends and anomalies across the whole of government.
The Indigenous Programs Investigation Branch is responsible for the external investigation of those matters relating to Indigenous programs.
During 2007–08, the Department addressed its fraud control responsibilities through the Audit and Fraud Branch, the Indigenous Programs Investigation Branch and the Child Care Compliance Branch. The Child Care and Compliance Branch moved from FaHCSIA to the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations on 14 March 2008.
Over this period, FaHCSIA gave greater emphasis to its fraud control program and to awareness-raising and reporting issues. This was due to additional responsibilities in program areas and was in keeping with the Commonwealth Fraud Control Guidelines.
The Audit and Fraud Branch implemented a Fraud Control Review as an addendum to the Fraud Control Plan 2007–09, addressing the following points:
This addendum has been developed in accordance with the requirements outlined within the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 (FMA Act) and the Commonwealth Fraud Control Guidelines. More information on these guidelines can be found at: www.ag.gov.au.
The Fraud Control Plan 2007–09 Addendum Report was delivered to the Risk Assessment and Audit Committee in June 2008.
FaHCSIA works closely with areas in other Australian Government agencies responsible for fraud prevention and investigation by sharing information and developing knowledge of identified fraud risks, fraud intelligence and trends impacting on the Department’s program areas.
Certification of the departmental fraud control arrangements follows.
The Department produces, collects and holds a considerable amount of security classified information. It is therefore vital for the Department to provide an appropriate security environment that protects employees, information, assets and capabilities.
In 2007–08, FaHCSIA issued, transferred or reviewed 274 clearances and has approximately 217 clearances in progress. Additionally, over 15 protective security risk reviews have been completed on FaHCSIA tenancies and 18 building security fit out briefs have been delivered as part of the broader accommodation fit out process.
FaHCSIA continues to commit resources to strengthen and maintain the Department’s Protective Security Framework. The FaHCSIA Security Action Plan contributes to achieving greater compliance with the Australian Government’s Protective Security Manual (PSM). A focus on increased staff awareness has been maintained—including staff training and a range of other awareness-raising initiatives. Training sessions in National Office are regularly offered and in total 13 sites in the FaHCSIA Network have received specific protective security awareness training.
The Protective Security Section continues to help ensure staff safety, particularly in remote areas. The Government Business Managers and a number of Indigenous Coordination Centre (ICC) staff have received specialised behavioural indicators analysis training aimed to reduce the potential for conflict. The use of video conferencing has enabled the Protective Security Section to deliver training to staff in many ICCs.
The Department is moving towards a uniform and networked access control system. This will simplify and improve security at the Department’s various locations. For additional information on privacy, see Fraud control.
In keeping with the Government’s emphasis on developing a strong evidence base, FaHCSIA’s research, evaluation and related data activities focus on underpinning effective evidence‑informed policy and program development. Appropriate and timely investment in data acquisition and enrichment is fundamental to FaHCSIA’s ongoing role as a key source of advice on social policy issues to the Government.
Through 2007–08, research, evaluation and related data efforts across all outcomes supported and informed policy and program development by:
Several strategic planning processes, including the development of the 2007–08 Research and Evaluation Plan, were continued to increase returns on investments in research, evaluation and data, and strengthen FaHCSIA’s capacity to delivery quality policy advice. These activities involved branches across the Department and were overseen by the Research and Evaluation Committee (REC), a sub‑committee of the Executive Management Group. The Research and Evaluation Plan improved the ability of REC to direct resources to priorities and provided an overview of the full investment in research, evaluation and data across FaHCSIA outcomes.
An extensive program of social policy research (with funding of $1.6 million) was managed under the Social Policy Research Services (SPRS) agreements. The SPRS agreements provide a research partnership between FaHCSIA and research centres at The Australian National University and the University of New South Wales. The annual research program for these centres is developed through collaboration between FaHCSIA policy areas and the research providers.
The Social Policy Research and Evaluation Panel 2007–11 was established to improve the quality and efficiency of research and evaluation commissioned by FaHCSIA. The panel currently comprises 62 members, who are able to provide research and evaluation services across a range of disciplines relevant to FaHCSIA’s business needs.
FaHCSIA’s research publication series continued its contribution to the social policy evidence base and provided a record of findings from research and evaluation projects. During 2007–08, six Social Policy Research Papers, three Occasional Papers and one Australian Social Policy Journal were published. FaHCSIA research has also been published in Australian and internationally-recognised academic journals.
The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey continued to provide data necessary to assess the effects of policy and other changes on families and household formation, labour market and education participation and retirement. The provision of HILDA’s high‑quality social policy research data to government agencies and academic institutions enables a better understanding of Australia’s unique social and economic environment.
To date, over 900 researchers have registered to use HILDA data and a growing amount of research is being utilised for social and economic policy development across all areas of government. HILDA’s developing reputation, both internationally and within Australia, is reflected in the overall number of users applying for access to data and respondents’ cooperation in participating in the survey.
Growing Up in Australia, the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC), continued to address a range of key questions about children’s development and wellbeing. Information is collected on the children’s physical health and social, cognitive and emotional development, as well as their experiences in key environments, such as the family, community, child care, pre‑school and school settings.
Wave 2 data was released in September 2007. As this was the third data release, it allowed longitudinal analysis of LSAC data for the first time. Wave 2.5 data was released in May 2008 and interviewers commenced visiting families to collect Wave 3 data in April 2008. There are now over 200 registered data users.
The inaugural LSAC conference was held in Melbourne in December 2007, with 32 papers presented by researchers from around Australia and overseas using LSAC data. The study continued its involvement in the ABC Life television series, contributing to the production of the Life at 3 documentary, to be screened late in 2008.
The Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC) commenced its ‘live study’ phase in April 2008 in 11 sites nationally. LSIC began the collection of quantitative and qualitative information about Indigenous children, their families, carers and communities in urban, regional and remote locations to develop evidence on Indigenous children. Using a computer-assisted data management system, the 2,200 Indigenous children identified in 2008 will be interviewed annually over the next four years to record their progress.
| Outcome | Actual: Pieces of research | Actual: Number of contracts |
|---|---|---|
| Cross | 5 | 5 |
| Outcome 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Outcome 2 | 6 | – |
| Outcome 3 | 25 | 9 |
| Outcome 4 | 3 | – |
During the last 12 months, the Information Management and Technology (IMT) Group delivered a significant amount of key information and application projects and services to support the work of the Department, individuals and community organisations.
Following a review of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) service delivery in September 2007, the IMT Group developed an ICT Sourcing Strategy that defines future ICT service delivery options. After extensive analysis, the Executive Management Group agreed that ICT Infrastructure Services Branch would deliver the following ICT services directly (in‑house) from 1 July 2008:
During 2007–08, ICT Infrastructure Services Branch commissioned a series of independent reviews of key components of the ICT infrastructure. These included efficiency reviews of the File Server fleet, the Citrix remote access system, the Microsoft Exchange (email) system, and the data networks Local Area Network (LAN) and Wide Area Network (WAN). Following these reviews, a program of improvement was undertaken to address identified faults or areas of improvements. While continuous improvement will continue through 2008–09, the scope of this particular program of work is completed with significant improvements in ICT system stability, performance and redundancy.
During 2007–08, FaHCSIA implemented a number of new systems using Microsoft (MS) SharePoint 2007 and the .Net framework. These new systems have been developed to assist in the efficient delivery of FaHCSIA’s business and address both internal and external processes. After the successful launch of the new intranet, work has commenced on the redevelopment of FaHCSIA’s internet sites on Microsoft SharePoint 2007.
New systems developed using the .Net frameworks include:
The Child Care Management System (CCMS) commenced live payments on 4 February 2008. As at the end of June 2008, over 1,200 child care services had transitioned to the CCMS system, with over 10,000 to transition by the end of December 2008. The system supports the government reforms in child care relating to the payment of Child Care Benefit and will improve access to information on child care usage and supply. The system involves data transfers from third party software used by child care centres and Centrelink to ensure minimal impact on business and timely payment of appropriate benefits.
As a result of the 2007 machinery of government changes, responsibility for child care programs moved to the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), however FaHCSIA will continue to operate and support the CCMS on behalf of DEEWR until 1 July 2009.
FaHCSIA has continued to invest in its data warehousing infrastructure and architecture, particularly in the continued development and maintenance of the Longitudinal Data Warehouse and the subsequent production of the Longitudinal Data Set 1% Sample. The sample is a valuable resource for the internal FaHCSIA researchers and outsourced research projects.
The Child Support Policy Branch was provided with management information support for legislative changes that came into effect on 1 July 2008, including the provision of integrated Child Support Agency and Centrelink data. This allowed the modelling of the child support population and improved reporting to the Minister regarding the various components of the legislative changes.
In the Indigenous area, the data from the last three Community Housing and Infrastructure Needs Surveys undertaken by the Australian Bureau of Statistics were brought together to provide a longitudinal view of the survey data. In addition, a reporting capability was developed for the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations to support administration of the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (CATSI Act).
The Department enhanced its ability to accurately report on services and funding on communities through the implementation of the Community Profiles geospatial information system, introduced in July 2007. Community Profiles has broad applicability across FaHCSIA, enabling staff to interrogate multiple data sources through one reporting portal, identify disadvantaged communities using social indicators and pinpoint disconnects between supply and demand (or need) for FaHCSIA services.
The Community Profiles system allows users to interactively explore the Community Profiles data through a series of reporting ‘dashboards’. These are simple to use and highly interactive, allowing users to zero in on particular data and choose whichever profile data comparisons make sense to them.
The generic dashboards can produce reports based on a Statistical Local Area (SLA), Local Government Area (LGA) or other boundary area. Links to the Australian Bureau of Statistics Quickstats for each boundary type are provided through the mapping component of each dashboard.
Reporting results can be immediately presented as on‑screen tables or plotted on maps—both of which can be exported from the system in a variety of formats, such as PDF or Excel worksheets.
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