Review of issues related to the acquisition and management of container accommodation in the Northern Territory and the management of ACMS on prescribed communities 

I have been commissioned by the Secretary of the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the issues with the use of container accommodation for Commonwealth Public Servants involved in the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER).  My Terms of Reference are at Attachment A.  In particular I am required to:

"Review the sequence of events from the Department's decision to acquire accommodation for GBMs, through the process of deployment and management of the response to concerns and complaints raised by staff and advise on:

1. The adequacy of the Department's management of the procurement of the containers;
2. The adequacy of the Department's response to the concerns raised by one or more Government Business Managers (GBMs);
3. The adequacy of the Department's OH&S management and escalation procedures in light of this case;
4. Any other matters that arose from the investigation; and
5. Make recommendations for actions or reforms to address any deficiencies in procedures, structures and communications".

I was further asked on review the Department's processes and procedures that have been used in the management of the asbestos situation in Areyonga and other NTER communities.

The Review involved discussions on the courses of action taken by officers of FaHCSIA including members of the NTER Operations Centre in Darwin, OH&S Officers and Accommodation Project Officers within National Office FaHCSIA.

During the course of the Review, in company with Ms Amanda McIntyre of FaHCSIA, I inspected the accommodation on a number of communities.  I conducted a number of interviews with both past and present GBMs, CEBs and with Operations Centre staff and Officers of FaHCSIA both in National Office and the Northern Territory Office.

The aim of discussions with staff (which were relatively informal) was to obtain an understanding of the issues, not to collect evidence.  Information provided by individuals was used to establish the systemic issues which, with the value of hindsight, may have allowed for earlier mitigation of a number of the issues which arose with the use of container style accommodation.

In preparing this report I have been conscious of the pressures that the departments and agencies have been and are working under.  I am also aware of the staff demands involved both in terms of individuals and the organisations.  In my opinion what has been achieved has been remarkable.  There are, however, not surprisingly, things that could have been done better.

I am grateful to all those who contributed to the Review.  Their involvement has highlighted issues, which will, I believe, provide a number of valuable lessons arising from the NTER accommodation issues and more generally.

As always it is easy to be wise after the event.  To the extent that this Report is critical of and reflects on organisations or individuals because of the advantage of hindsight, I can only say that that is the inevitable result of an Inquiry such as this. To the greatest extent possible I have sought to focus on systemic issues and not on the actions of individuals.

I am aware that responses to a number of the issues raised in this report are already well in hand.  Notwithstanding that I have dealt with them as they presented themselves during the review.  In part I have done so because I believe they often illustrate a wider underlying issue.  One such issue, which is by no means confined to FaHCSIA, is a seemingly widespread view that the sending of an email somehow relieves the sender of the responsibility to really do something to resolve an issue.  There is some evidence of that view being alive and well in the handling of the accommodation issues discussed in this report.

I am aware that there is to be a comprehensive review of the NTER.  To some extent my review has involved some aspects which will, almost certainly, be canvassed in that wider review.  I have sought to confine my comments to those matters which relate to, or result from, the accommodation and asbestos issues.  In my opinion, however, the implications of some of those matters identified go well beyond those issues.