Secretary's introduction
As Secretary of the Department of Family and Community Services (FaCS), I am pleased once again to introduce our annual report and the departmental overview.
This year's two-volume report for 2002–03 covers FaCS' performance against our three outcomes.
Volume one gives a broad picture of the achievements, challenges and highlights of our policy and program implementation. Volume two includes performance, management and accountability details.
The Child Support Agency (CSA) features prominently throughout this report, including a review by the General Manager, Catherine Argall.
As a first for FaCS—indeed, as a first for a federal government agency—the department, including the CSA, is also reporting separately on its internal operations against the Triple Bottom Line (TBL). Reporting on the TBL acknowledges that successful organisations are not just concerned with financial issues and shareholder profits—their operations have broader impacts as well. Our TBL report covers performance against social, environmental and economic indicators for 2002–03. The report also makes a number of commitments and establishes benchmarks for performance in future years.
Focusing on participation
The year saw participation firmly on the political, legislative and departmental map. As part of the Australians Working Together (AWT) implementation, the Personal Support Programme was bedded down and more than 450 Personal Advisers started work in Centrelink.
The passage of AWT legislation paves the way for introducing other important measures in the coming year, including the second wave of Personal Adviser appointments, the Working Credit initiative, and new participation obligations for people on Parenting Payment and mature-age workers.
The department also looked at Newstart Allowance requirements and some changes to breaching policies were agreed. The challenge was to find a balance between ensuring that job seekers make every effort to improve their employment prospects while protecting those whose personal circumstances make it difficult for them to comply.
In planning for and implementing AWT measures, FaCS worked in close and collaborative partnerships with several departments, especially the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.
The progress we made on AWT was a great example of what can be achieved by working alongside other Australian Government agencies. I believe cooperation like this with other departments will continue to grow from strength-to-strength in the coming year.
Taking a whole-of-government approach
During the year, other cooperative partnerships across departments and with state and territory governments contributed to the success of several other FaCS activities.
As an active member of the interdepartmental Taskforce on Work and Family, we worked with other departments and agencies to review options that promote choices for parents in balancing their work and family lives.
Following the Government's announcement on developing a National Agenda for Early Childhood, we convened a Taskforce on Child Development, Health and Wellbeing. This includes high-level representation from other federal departments with responsibilities for children's issues.
The taskforce prepared a consultation paper, designed to promote stakeholder and public discussion on the agenda's content. Along with a number of Australian Government ministers, Professor Fiona Stanley—an early childhood expert and Australian of the Year—supported the initiative. We aim to continue widespread community consultations throughout 2003.
Integrating responses
A whole-of-government approach is also reflected in the Indigenous Community Coordination Pilots. Supported by the Prime Minister and state and territory leaders through the Council of Australian Governments, the pilots are testing integrated responses to the needs of Indigenous communities.
FaCS is the 'sponsoring' agency for the Wadeye community pilot in remote Northern Territory. I am taking a hands-on interest in progress and making sure the Australian Government delivers on its share of responsibilities.
It is still early days at Wadeye and I believe we cannot claim success until we satisfy the community's own vision for success. However, initial results are showing that things can work a lot better when you have a tri-partite relationship between the Australian Government, the Northern Territory Government and the community itself.
Consulting with others
In the past year, the department placed more emphasis on seeking input from key stakeholders, including experts, peak bodies, non-government organisations, service providers, communities and families themselves. This recognises that the department alone does not have all the answers and that input from others really can add value to the advice we give to government.
In FaCS, this focus on consultation applies from the top down. Our senior policy makers understand that consulting widely on policies and programs is part of the department's culture.
Using local networks and community-based contacts, our state and territory office network is at the frontline of this activity. This approach represents a move towards what I call public-private policy partnerships, which have worked well, for instance in managing the welfare reform process and redeveloping the Child Care Support Broadband.
Consultation was also a key element in resolving the business relationship management problems with tendering for the Jobs Placement Employment and Training program (JPET). In reviewing what went wrong, we talked with the players, sought external assistance and acted on their recommendations. While the situation was unfortunate and FaCS regrets our failure, the consultations with service providers and peak bodies have, ironically, improved our engagement with and gained the trust of this group of stakeholders.
Forming Alliance 2004
With responsibility for one-third of the Australian Government budget, the health and integrity of the FaCS–Centrelink purchaser–provider relationship remains pivotal to the interests of both organisations.
The hard work and application that went into the review of Centrelink's prices, the agreed outcomes and outputs framework for that relationship, and the pilot business assurance framework will help us report more accurately to government and give them greater confidence that their outlays are well protected. Our joint commitment to the new Alliance 2004 indicates a shared willingness to work together even more effectively.
Negotiating agreements
During the year, complex and difficult negotiations continued on two important agreements between the Australian Government and state and territory governments.
All the states and territories agreed to sign the new Commonwealth–State Housing Agreement, which includes major improvements. For the first time, Australian Government funding for housing is indexed. As well, enhanced performance and reporting arrangements require the states, for example, to deliver on private sector investment in public housing and remove workforce disincentives for public housing tenants.
While it took almost a year, by 30 June 2003 six of the states and territories had signed the Commonwealth State Territory Disability Agreement. Negotiations saw all jurisdictions working together to deal with some of the barriers, including access issues and the links and transitions between Australian Government and state services. The new agreement means greater transparency in disability spending across Australia and commitments by the states to match Australian Government funding increases each year.
Gaining resources and striving for best practice
Despite the tight budgetary environment, FaCS was able to secure funding for a number of disability, Indigenous and other initiatives in the 2003–04 Budget round. Importantly too, Centrelink will have the resources needed to upgrade its IT capacity to dramatically improve the delivery of services to their six million customers.
In 2003–04, we will seek to become a best practice agency by meeting the challenges of our new budget estimates framework and complying 100 per cent with the Chief Financial Officer guidelines. In line with the Government's clear directions, effective program implementation—supported by the department's new project management framework—also remains a number one priority.
Wide-ranging services
The services that FaCS manages or provides are as wide-ranging and diverse as Australian families and communities are themselves.
The diversity of our work is reflected in initiatives such as supporting accreditation and improving the quality of child care; working with Centrelink to reach out to communities deeply affected by drought; and the introduction of More Choice for Families from November 2002, as part of ongoing efforts to make it easier for families to access their correct Family Tax Benefit. None of this work would be possible, of course, without the efforts of the people of FaCS.
The introduction to this year's annual report covers only some of the department's work for the year. However, the rest of this report outlines the highlights, challenges and performance of all of FaCS' business.
Bringing out the best in our people
Two disasters in the past year brought out the very best in FaCS' people.
The Bali tragedy called for a coordinated domestic response. Deputy Secretary at the time, Lisa Paul, met the challenge magnificently as leader of the Bali Inter-Agency Taskforce. FaCS staff worked tirelessly on delivering assistance to victims, their families and friends.
The Canberra bushfires affected us deeply. The homes of many Canberra families and friends were lost or damaged. At one stage, national office at Tuggeranong was under threat.
Our response to the fires was decisive. In their aftermath, a FaCS crisis response team worked around the clock to keep us up to date with the latest developments. As the flames subsided, the team ensured the department continued to operate effectively and safely.
Many staff helped the firefighters, or worked officially or as volunteers with the ACT Government. Others donated generously to the bushfire appeal. The department and the ACT Government publicly acknowledged these efforts.
I believe the way FaCS people responded to these disasters reflects the values and behaviours they demonstrate in their day-to-day work. Articulated in our Strategic Statement, these are integrity, responsibility, wisdom, fairness, and care and respect.
Finally, a big thank you to everyone in the department for all the hard work you put in during 2002–03.
Mark Sullivan
Secretary
Department of Family and Community Services
About Mark Sullivan, Secretary
Mark Sullivan commenced as Secretary of the Department of Family and Community Services (FaCS) on 18 January 2002. Mark was well known to many as the CEO of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, a position he held for nearly three years from May 1999. Before heading up the Commission, Mark was a Deputy Secretary at the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. He has extensive senior managerial experience in the private and public sectors, including with WANG Australia, SBS, the Department of Social Security and the Australian Taxation Office. Mark is a Fellow of the Society of Certified Practising Accountants and obtained a Bachelor of Economics at Sydney University in 1971.
“The most enjoyable thing about FaCS is knowing that the work you do impacts on the lives of real people. While you are under the pressure of having to do the job well, there is also the pleasure of knowing that is what you have, in fact, done. The past year in particular saw our staff respond to two major crises in a very professional and caring way. It made me realise, even more, that I'm privileged to work in a wonderful environment with very talented people.”
About Wayne Jackson, Deputy Secretary
As Deputy Secretary of FaCS since July 1998, Wayne Jackson has represented the department on a number of broadly-based policy review bodies, including the Welfare Reform Reference Group (Deputy Chair), the Youth Pathways Action Plan Taskforce and the Family Law Pathways Advisory Group. He is also a member of the Australian Statistics Advisory Council. Before joining FaCS Wayne worked extensively on social policy in both central and line departments. He was Deputy Secretary (Social Policy) in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C), and held branch head positions in PM&C, the (now) Department of Health and Ageing and the Department of Finance and Administration. Wayne has an Economics Honours degree from Monash University.
“You hear about the issues and the complexity of the issues we have to deal with, and then you look at the good spirit in which everybody contributes to them and the array of skills we have … We are seeking to model how a successful public sector agency of the future should look and behave. I'm thinking about collegiality, of making us an attractive place to work for people, and being responsive, and welcoming of diversity and innovative ways of working.”
About Stephen Hunter, Deputy Secretary*
Stephen Hunter joined FaCS as a Deputy Secretary on 1 July 2003. He has diverse public sector experience. For the past five years he was a Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Environment and Heritage with responsibility for natural resource management. Prior to this he held senior positions in the Department of Transport and Regional Development and in various ACT Government departments. Stephen joined the Australian Public Service in 1983 following tentative careers in the mining industry, photo journalism and music. Stephen holds a BA (Hons) from the Australian National University in political science and sociology.
“Although I have been with FaCS for just a short time, already I am taken by the way it does business. The atmosphere is friendly and cooperative and, at the same time, fiercely professional and dedicated. The issues FaCS has responsibility for are of profound significance to all Australians. And they are not easy issues to address. This creates a great challenge for everyone who works in the department. But I believe we have the skills and enthusiasm to keep meeting this challenge head on.”
* Lisa Paul was Deputy Secretary from 18 January 2002 to 1 January 2003. Lisa left FaCS to take up the position of Deputy Secretary in the Department of Education, Science and Training.
Following Lisa's departure, Glenys Beauchamp, Executive Director, Community Development and Support Cluster was acting Deputy Secretary from 2 January to 30 June 2003.
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© Commonwealth of Australia, 2003. This page last updated 29 October 2003.