Contents
- Part 1 Executive Summary
- Part 2 Performance reporting
- Part 3 Corporate governance and accountability
- Part 4 Appendices
- Part 5 Financial Management
Skip to content | FaHCSIA Home
Annual Report 2008–2009 » Chapter 4: Our strategic framework
The first part of our Strategic Framework 2008–10 consists of our purpose and key objectives (see page 2). The following elements of the framework explain the way that FaHCSIA will approach and achieve the Department's objectives.
As public servants, we uphold the Australian Public Service (APS) Values, which include impartiality, accountability and responsiveness to government. As a Department, we choose to complement these with a small set of guiding principles that are meaningful to our staff:
Respect—we respect our clients, stakeholders and each other.
Collaboration—we value collaboration with each other and all external stakeholders.
Professionalism—we provide a professional and responsive service to government and we conduct ourselves with integrity.
Results—we will measure the impact of our work on our clients and use evidence to inform and improve our programs.
Innovation—we value innovation, creativity and continuous improvement.
The following leadership capabilities and behaviours emphasise what leaders in FaHCSIA must focus on. They are assessed in our individual performance management system.
FaHCSIA leaders at all levels will:
These describe the key enabling activities that FaHCSIA staff should contribute to and support in our day-to-day work. They are all equally important and address areas we must focus on if we are to achieve our key objectives.
The Department's business plans also reflect these corporate and governance priorities.
We invest in research and evaluation to produce evidence that informs policies and programs.
We provide robust, evidence-based policy advice and program implementation based on the evidence.
FaHCSIA is recognised as a valued and respected source of social policy advice.
Our staff work collaboratively across the Department, all levels of government and with external stakeholders, including the not-for-profit sector.
Our staff are properly recognised and rewarded.
We build a strong performance culture focused on developing staff capacity, including leadership and capability development.
We develop succession plans for key positions.
We respect and encourage diversity in our working environment.
We encourage a healthy work–life balance and provide flexible and supportive working arrangements.
Our business units use allocated resources efficiently, effectively and ethically to achieve the best outcomes for government.
Our financial and information management practices meet legislative and best practice requirements.
We manage our strategic risks.
All areas of the Department have appropriate business plans, which are developed as part of the annual budget planning process and are actively managed and kept up to date.
Business plans provide a clear connection between activities and departmental outcomes, our key objectives and our corporate and governance priorities.
We deliver our plans by consistently applying our core business practices.
[ top ]
These are the critical elements of work that we must do well to achieve our purpose and key objectives. They provide the tools for all FaHCSIA staff to ensure that we approach common activities and tasks in a consistent way.
Policy development and advice—an evidence-based process to develop future social policy needs or respond to current problems and issues.
Program design and implementation—the development of practical solutions to deliver the Government's planned policy outcomes.
Managing stakeholder engagement—building and maintaining effective relationships with stakeholders.
Issues management—the systematic and strategic approach to anticipating, analysing and responding to important and emerging issues.
Governance and resource management—people, policies and processes that provide the framework which guides managers and staff to make the best decisions.
Whole-of-government participation and leadership—ensuring our work contributes effectively to whole of government initiatives and that FaHCSIA is a valued contributor to APS-wide endeavours.
In FaHCSIA's 2008–09 Portfolio Budget Statements, we outlined the strategic direction that we would take to deliver on the Government's commitments and achieve our purpose. In our Strategic Framework 2008–10 we established this further by setting ourselves specific priorities in 2008–09 for achieving our key objectives.
This section describes our progress against our key objectives and priorities for these objectives in 2008–09, along with other significant work towards achieving our outcomes. Progress towards achieving these priorities at outcome level is detailed in the outcome performance reports in chapters 5 through 9. Figure 1.2 illustrates how our six key objectives support us in achieving our broader outcomes.
| FaHCSIA's key objectives | Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1: Close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| 2: Build a modern social and income support system | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| 3: Provide better support and services for those in need | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| 4: Deliver family policy that best fosters the development, wellbeing and safety of children | √ | – | √ | – |
| 5: Reduce homelessness and make housing more affordable | √ | √ | – | √ |
| 6: Promote women's safety, economic security and participation | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| FaHCSIA's outcomes | ||||
Outcome 1 Outcome 2 Outcome 3 Outcome 4 |
||||
[ top ]
On 3 April 2009 the Government delivered a historic statement in support of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Declaration reflects and pays homage to the unique place of Indigenous peoples and their entitlement to all human rights as recognised in international law.
The Government is also progressing its commitment to establish a National Indigenous Representative Body to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a voice in national affairs. The Department conducted an initial consultation phase on the form of the body from July to December 2008. More than 2,000 Indigenous people put forward their ideas and views through around 80 regional and local consultation meetings as well as in written submissions.
In response to feedback from communities, in December 2008 Minister Macklin agreed to an extended consultation process, led by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Mr Tom Calma, and a steering committee of Indigenous people. A national workshop attended by approximately 100 Indigenous leaders was held in Adelaide between 11 and 13 March 2009. The steering committee has released a report on the outcomes of the workshop, which is available on both the Australian Human Rights Commission and FaHCSIA websites.
In December 2008, the Australian Government announced reforms to the CDEP program and the Indigenous Employment Program. From 1 July 2009 the reformed CDEP program will operate only in communities where there are limited economic opportunities. The reformed Indigenous Employment Program will focus on support to meet the specific needs of employers and Indigenous jobseekers. These reforms are a key element in making progress on COAG's aim of halving the employment gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a decade.
As part of the CDEP reforms, from 2009–10 the Community Support Service will operate in a range of urban and regional locations to assist Indigenous community members and their families by providing links to a range of mainstream and Indigenous services. The new service builds on the successful elements of the former CDEP program.
The Department has also been active in promoting engagement between Indigenous Australians and the resources industry. This includes the development of a renewed memorandum of understanding with the Minerals Council of Australia, which will provide access to employment and business development opportunities to Indigenous people and communities in mining regions.
To close the gap, the Government has set ambitious targets through COAG in the areas of life expectancy, child mortality, early childhood education, reading, writing and numeracy, Year 12 attainment, and employment. Our activities under the Closing the Gap agenda and the COAG reforms have been FaHCSIA's key focus for Indigenous Australians during the year.
The Department played a key role in developing the National Indigenous Reform Agreement announced by COAG at its meeting on 29 November 2008. The agreement incorporates $4.6 billion in combined additional funding from the Australian Government and the states and territories to improve housing in remote areas; health; early childhood development; remote services; and employment. The National Indigenous Reform Agreement also incorporates Indigenous-specific outcomes that were agreed by COAG in universal agreements and partnerships covering health care, schooling, housing and homelessness, disability, and skills and workforce development.
The National Indigenous Reform Agreement also incorporates the National Partnership Agreement for Remote Indigenous Service Delivery. This agreement, between the Commonwealth and the Northern Territory, New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland Governments, aims to significantly improve the way governments work together and with local people in priority remote Indigenous communities.
The Commonwealth's accountability in meeting its commitments under this national partnership has been strengthened by the appointment of a Coordinator-General for Remote Indigenous Services established within the portfolio and reporting to the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Parliament passed the legislation establishing the new office in June 2009. The Coordinator-General has a mandate to work across agencies to cut through bureaucratic blockages and red tape, ensuring that new COAG investments are implemented in the targeted communities in line with commitments. The Coordinator-General will also monitor Commonwealth agencies to ensure that services are being developed and delivered consistently with the methodology for services delivery in the priority communities as agreed by COAG.
Through COAG, the Australian Government has embarked on a reform program with the states and territories to build, repair and upgrade houses in remote Indigenous communities through the new National Partnership Agreement on Remote Indigenous Housing. This national partnership, with the unprecedented level of funding of $5.5 billion, provides a 10-year strategy to reduce overcrowding, homelessness and poor housing conditions, along with providing increased training and employment opportunities for remote Indigenous Australians.
In 2008, the Government commissioned an independent review to assess the overall progress of the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER), and to consider any required changes. The NTER Review Board provided its report to the Government on 13 October 2008. The Government provided an interim response 10 days later, accepting the three overarching recommendations:
In the 2009–10 Budget, the Government committed $807.4 million to continue efforts to close the gap in the Northern Territory, focusing in particular on the safety and wellbeing of women and children, including funding to build five new permanent police stations.
A full response to the NTER Review Board report, accepting the majority of the remaining recommendations, was made jointly with the Northern Territory Government on 21 May 2009. At the same time, a discussion paper on the future of the NTER was released to aid consultation with community members about the future of NTER measures. The Department has played an active part in facilitating these consultations.
[ top ]
Fixing Houses for Better Health is a targeted program of small-scale repairs and maintenance conducted in Indigenous housing in rural and remote Australia. Local community members are hired and trained to fix health hardware items such as taps, toilets, drains, showers, hot water systems and electrical fittings as they survey houses. Urgent items that cannot be fixed immediately are repaired or replaced within a day or two by tradespeople and less urgent items are repaired over the next two to six months.
Projects under the program provide an opportunity for local Indigenous people to gain new skills and develop an understanding of the importance of maintaining healthy housing.
Projects have now been conducted in more than 2,000 houses, with Indigenous people making up 78 per cent of staff. At a recent project in Nyirripi in the Northern Territory, 10 community members were employed to work in 48 community houses. These workers were involved in the survey process and also performed hands-on carpentry work in the houses.
The workers commented that: ‘We haven't done work like this before and it is a good opportunity for us to do new things and learn about housing' and ‘Some of us want to keep going fixing and stuff1.
The inquiry into Australia's Future Tax System was announced by the Government on 13 May 2008 and is being led by a Review Panel chaired by the Secretary of the Treasury, Dr Ken Henry, AC. The Review Panel also includes FaHCSIA's Secretary, Dr Jeff Harmer.
The Review Panel is examining the current tax system and will make recommendations to the Government to position Australia to deal with the demographic, social, economic and environmental challenges of the 21st century. The review encompasses Australian Government and state taxes and interactions with the transfer system. The review is being conducted in several stages, with the Review Panel to deliver its final report to the Treasurer in December 2009.
FaHCSIA is supporting Dr Harmer in his role as a member of the Review Panel by providing policy analysis and advice, research and modelling on the social support system and the interaction of income support payments with the tax system.
In February 2009, Dr Harmer delivered the Pension Review report to Government. The Pension Review investigated measures to strengthen the financial security of seniors, carers and people with disability, by considering the appropriate levels of income support and allowances, the frequency of payments, and the structure and payment of concessions or other entitlements.
The Government's $14.2 billion Secure and Sustainable Pension Reform package announced in the 2009–10 Budget will provide greater financial security to Australia's 3.3 million age, carer, disability, war widow and widower, and service pensioners. These initiatives include increased assistance targeted to singles, but with couples also benefiting; a new, simplified and flexible fortnightly Pension Supplement for both single and couple pensioners; changes to the income test; and a more generous treatment of earned income through the Work Bonus for pensioners over Age Pension age.
The Pension Review recommended that the qualifying age of the Age Pension should be progressively increased to 67 years of age. This change responds to improvements in life expectancy and was announced in the 2009–10 Budget. It will be phased in from 2017.
During 2008–09 FaHCSIA implemented measures aimed at improving the targeting of Family Tax Benefit and the Baby Bonus. Further reforms to family payments to make them more sustainable in the long term were announced as part of the 2009–10 Budget. These measures made changes to the indexation of some payment rates and the higher income thresholds.
The introduction of a national Paid Parental Leave scheme announced as part of the 2009–10 Budget will provide greater financial support to families and encourage women to maintain their connection with the workforce and their careers.
[ top ]
FaHCSIA has been reforming its grant-related administrative practices to achieve a balance between the requirements placed on service providers and ensuring funds are used effectively to support those most in need.
The Common Business Model for Grants Management adopted by FaHCSIA in April 2009 focuses on achieving improvements in program impact; program efficiency and accountability; service provider experience; and understanding of accountabilities.
A new suite of streamlined funding agreements has been developed under the model to achieve significant red tape reductions for a large number of our service providers. This includes the development of a single set of standard plain English terms and conditions to apply across all programs.
The global economic downturn has had a significant impact on many pensioners who rely on private income and assets. Against this backdrop, the deeming rates for the pension income test were reduced in November 2008, January 2009 and March 2009 to reflect the lower returns available to pensioners from financial investments. More frequent revaluations of pensioner financial investments occurred, so that pension payments were more quickly increased for declines in investment values. The Department will continue to monitor events in financial markets and the wider economy for their impact on self-funded retirees and part pensioners.
During 2008–09 FaHCSIA began implementation of the Government's Broadband for Seniors program. This program will assist seniors to remain connected to family and friends through the establishment of free internet kiosks in community centres and clubs used by seniors, where computers, internet connections and training are being provided at no cost. The implementation of the National Partnership Agreement on Reciprocal Public Transport Concessions also began in 2008–09. The Australian Government committed $50 million over four years to this agreement, which allows Seniors Card holders to access concessions when travelling interstate.
The Department undertook work in 2008–09 towards improving current assessment arrangements for Disability Support Pension (DSP).
Drivers for the work included:
Fundamental program improvements will be brought about by the more flexible approaches to DSP assessment announced in the 2009–10 Budget measure Disability Support Pension—Better and Fairer Assessments. Among other improvements, the measure will streamline DSP assessments for seriously ill people from 1 July 2010. People who are clearly eligible for DSP, for example due to a catastrophic injury, congenital disability or cancer, will be assessed more quickly. People who do not fall within this category will also receive more comprehensive assessments to fully assess their eligibility for DSP.
This measure will also address low participation rates of DSP recipients through the provision of advice about the services and assistance available to help them maintain employment to the 40,000 recipients who take up work each year. From 1 July 2010, 16,000 new DSP entrants will participate in a pilot to encourage their re-engagement with the workforce. These initiatives form part of the National Mental Health and Disability Employment Strategy.
Over the year, the Department delivered approximately $12.7 million in funding through the National Disability Advocacy Program. The 2009–10 Budget also announced a nationally consistent Australian Disability Parking Scheme and a National Companion Card Scheme to allow eligible people with disability to attend sporting and cultural events without incurring the cost of a second ticket for their attendant carer. Measures making Special Disability Trusts more attractive to families and trust beneficiaries were also introduced.
The Department is delivering support and services for children with autism spectrum disorders and their families through the Helping Children with Autism package. The Australian Government has committed $190 million for the four years to June 2012 to support parents, families, carers and children from diverse cultural, linguistic and Indigenous backgrounds and those living in rural and remote areas.
The Department supports carers through the delivery of the Young Carers Respite and Information Services Program; Respite Support for Carers of Young People with a Severe or Profound Disability Program; and the MyTime Support Groups.
Carers were also supported with the lump-sum Economic Security Strategy payment. Those who were also entitled to Carer Allowance in October 2008 received an additional $1,000 for each eligible person in their care.
The Department has implemented the new $600 Carer Supplement as part of the Secure and Sustainable Pension Reform package announced in the 2009–10 Budget. The Carer Supplement is a permanent increase in assistance paid to carers and replaces the previous one off bonuses, to ensure ongoing and certain assistance for carers. The first payments of Carer Supplement were made in June 2009. Future payments of Carer Supplement will be paid on 1 July each year, starting from 1 July 2010.
In May 2009, the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Family, Community, Housing and Youth released its report: Who Cares...?: Report on the inquiry into better support for carers. The Department is now examining the recommendations made in the report and will assist the Government to respond in the future.
[ top ]
One of FaHCSIA's key outcomes is to improve the capacity and opportunity for people with disability to participate both economically and socially. This year, the Department played a key support role in the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the development of the National Disability Agreement, and the National Mental Health and Disability Employment Strategy. Over the year the Department has made an outstanding contribution in progressing the Government's agenda in this area.
FaHCSIA continued its work with the National People with Disabilities and Carer Council toward the development of a National Disability Strategy. There was an overwhelming response to the nation-wide consultations on the National Disability Strategy, with more than 2,500 people attending capital city forums and focus groups in regional and remote areas and more than 750 written submissions received. The National Disability Strategy is expected to be completed in 2010.
In 2008–09 FaHCSIA undertook a range of activities to assist people with disability, including the negotiation of the new National Disability Agreement between the Commonwealth and state and territory governments.
The National Disability Agreement, agreed at COAG in November 2008, will enhance services for people with disability and their families and carers. It reflects a strong commitment from both levels of government to provide more opportunities for people with disability to participate in and enjoy Australia's economic and social life.
The new agreement is designed specifically to assist people with disability to live as independently as possible, by helping them to establish stable and sustainable living arrangements, increasing their choices, and improving their health and wellbeing. At the same time, the agreement focuses on supporting families and carers in their caring roles. Importantly, the agreement of the disability service system, will create an effective, efficient and equitable system with a focus on early intervention; timely, person-centred approaches; and lifelong planning.
The agreement will underpin many of our activities that support people with disability.
In March 2009, Minister Macklin introduced the Social Security Legislation Amendment (Improved Support for Carers) Bill 2009 into Parliament. The provisions of this Bill will improve access to financial support for carers of children with severe disability or a severe medical condition.
The changes, which come into effect from 1 July 2009, will enable 19,000 additional carers of a child or children to qualify for Carer Payment (child) and provide more sensitive arrangements for carers of children in hospital and those with a terminal illness.
In 2008–09 the Government progressed its National Mental Health and Disability Employment Strategy through the release of an initial discussion paper and a paper resulting from the consultations outlining the strategy direction. The strategy will address the barriers that people with disability and/or mental illness face, which make it harder for them to gain and keep work. FaHCSIA is working closely with the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations to develop the strategy.
FaHCSIA's community mental health initiatives, through the COAG National Action Plan on Mental Health, include implementing round two of the Mental Health Respite Program; round three of the Personal Helpers and Mentors Program, including three remote service delivery models; and continuing to deliver the Mental Health Community Based Program.
In the 2009–10 Budget the Government announced the introduction of a Paid Parental Leave scheme, an historic reform to benefit families and children. The Department played an important role in the development of the scheme, which will provide greater financial support to families; increase workforce participation; promote early childhood development; and provide the primary carer with 18 weeks of payment, paid at the adult federal minimum wage.
In the past, Australia has been one of only two countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) without a comprehensive Paid Parental Leave scheme. As of January 2011 this will no longer be the case.
This is one of the many programs assisting Australia with the challenges of an ageing population. The scheme is designed to be affordable and to minimise impacts on employers, particularly small businesses.
In December 2008, the Prime Minister and Minister Macklin released the inaugural Families in Australia report. The report fulfils the Australian Government's commitment to produce an annual report that outlines the state of Australian families.
[ top ]
In April 2009, COAG endorsed the first National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children 2009–2020. The development of the national framework is a significant step forward for Australia in providing a long-term collaborative approach to child protection issues across all government jurisdictions and non-government organisations.
The national framework is an ambitious, long-term national approach to ensuring child safety and wellbeing. FaHCSIA will play an instrumental role in implementing measures and monitoring Australia's progress in this very important area.
Under the national framework, Commonwealth, state and territory governments are working together to build a better approach to joining up service delivery to support earlier identification of children at risk of abuse and neglect and their families and intervention on behalf of the children.
In February 2009, Minister Macklin established the Family Support Program. The program brings together a number of existing family, parenting and children's services that have a common client group. The program will work with and support families and nurture children to enable them to better manage life transitions and will contribute to building stronger and more resilient communities.
In July 2008, the Child Support Scheme and parts of the family assistance package were changed to better balance the interests of both parents and be more focused on the needs and costs of children. The major change to the scheme was the introduction of a new child support formula, which includes changes to the way child support agreements work, and the way child support and family assistance work when parents share care arrangements.
Reducing homelessness and making housing more affordable remains a key challenge for the Government. The Department has been instrumental in delivering a number of key outcomes in this area including the release of the White Paper, The Road Home: A National Approach to Reducing Homelessness, and the implementation of two new programs to increase housing supply, the Housing Affordability Fund and the National Rental Affordability Scheme.
Housing affordability and homelessness were prominent issues impacting on the work of the Department over the year. Increasing the supply of affordable housing and addressing Australia's significant shortage of social housing are crucial to achieving access to affordable and safe housing for all Australians. FaHCSIA has achieved a number of milestones in 2008–09 that make significant contributions to increasing access to affordable and safe housing.
In March 2009, the National Housing Supply Council released its first State of Supply Report. The report assesses current and future demand for housing across Australia and will enable governments to better target supply to meet demand so as to improve housing affordability for all Australians.
FaHCSIA worked hard to implement the Government's agenda to tackle homelessness, in partnership with other Commonwealth agencies, state and territory governments and key stakeholders. In December 2008 the White Paper on homelessness, The Road Home, was released by the Prime Minister and Minister Plibersek, outlining the strategic agenda for homelessness to 2020. A number of elements of the strategic agenda outlined in the White Paper will be implemented through the COAG National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness.
On 1 January 2009, COAG's National Affordable Housing Agreement initiated a whole-of-government approach to tackling the problem of housing affordability and homelessness. The agreement provides $6.2 billion of housing assistance to low-and middle-income Australians in the first five years. Taken together, the two national partnership agreements on social and remote Indigenous housing and the Social Housing Initiative within the Nation Building—Economic Stimulus Plan are a strong response to the need to provide a greater stock of affordable and safe social housing.
FaHCSIA progressed the Government's affordable housing agenda through the Housing Affordability Fund and the National Rental Affordability Scheme. The first round of funding has been completed for both. The scheme, which is in its second round, will help build 50,000 new affordable rental homes over four years in key areas across Australia.
[ top ]
The Department assisted the Minister for the Status of Women, in Australia's move to become a party to the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. In June 2009, Minister Plibersek announced a review of effectiveness and efficiency of the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency and its underlying legislation.
In April 2009, the Australian Government released the report, Time for Action: The National Council's Plan to Reduce Violence against Women, 2009–2021. The report identifies six key outcome areas and proposes strategies to help Australian women live free of violence, within respectful relationships and in safe communities. It contains 20 priority recommendations; the Government has committed to responding to 18 of these immediately. In addition, the Australian Government has referred Time for Action to COAG and will work with state and territory governments to develop a national plan for release in 2010.
Following the National Rural Women's Summit hosted by the Government in June 2008, a whole-of-government response to the summit's recommendations has been published on the internet and sent to participants.
An important part of the Government's response is the establishment of a National Rural Women's Network. The network will operate in partnership with existing rural women's organisations and will strengthen the capacity of rural women to participate in policy debate affecting their communities.
The establishment of the Rural Women's Network is being undertaken within the context of the new model National Women's Alliances (formerly secretariats), which come into effect in 2010.
During 2008–09 FaHCSIA played an important policy role in the provision of Australian Government assistance to Australians affected by disaster events.
Over the past year Minister Macklin, in consultation with the Prime Minister, has activated the Australian Government Disaster Relief Payment as a result of both natural and non-natural disasters: the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India; severe flooding in north and south-east Queensland, and the North Coast and Northern Rivers regions of New South Wales; and the Victorian bushfires. In each of these instances, FaHCSIA participated in whole-of-government responses.
In the case of the Victorian bushfires, FaHCSIA played a key role in supporting Minister Macklin, as the lead Minister responding to the bushfires, and the Hon. Bill Shorten, MP, who was appointed as the Parliamentary Secretary for Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction.
Throughout the year, vulnerable individuals and families were supported to build financial capability and resilience. The range of assistance provided included income management support, emergency relief payments, financial counselling, information and education. Key target groups for assistance included people with low incomes, those affected by the global financial crisis and those accessing income management support.
FaHCSIA provided grants and assistance to community organisations to help them respond to identified community issues, build service delivery partnerships, support volunteers and build sector capacity.
As part of the social inclusion agenda, FaHCSIA is leading the development of a national compact with the community sector, demonstrating the Government's commitment to a better relationship. A national compact will provide a framework for the sector and government to work together to ensure that collaborative, effective solutions can meet the policy challenges facing the Australian community.
[ top ]
Each year, the Department nominates a number of priorities under our key objectives, which reflect our Ministers' higher-level priorities and the Department's outcomes, and which are supported by business plans across the Department.
We have developed priorities for 2009–10, which are incorporated into our key objectives and set out below.
In 2009–10 we will:
In 2009–10 we will:
In 2009–10 we will:
In 2009–10 we will:
In 2009–10 we will:
In 2009–10 we will:
Next: Performance against outcomes
Previous: Our operating environment