Chapter 1 - Annual Reports of Government Departments


Chapter 1 - Annual Reports of Government Departments

1.1       The following reports of government departments for the financial year 2004-2005 were referred to the Committee for examination and report:

  • the Attorney General's Department; and
  • the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs.

Attorney General's Department (AGD)

1.2       The Committee notes that, as a result of changes to the administrative arrangements of departments, the Attorney-General's Department assumed responsibility for the administration of government Indigenous law and justice programs from the beginning of the reporting period. These programs were formally administered by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Services (ATSIS). Consequently, the Department has now added another output to its outcome and output structure, that being; Output 1.8 – Legal services and policy advice on indigenous law and justice issues, and the administration of government Indigenous law and justice programs.

1.3       The Secretary's Review cites a range of activities in which the department has been involved. These have included:

  • assisting Pacific Island nations to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing;
  • the department's chairing of a Legal Issues Working Group established by the regional ministerial forum on counter terrorism (2004) which was co-hosted by Australia and Indonesia;
  • the provision of judges, prosecutors, legal policy officers and a Solicitor-General to Papua New Guinea as part of the Enhanced Cooperation Program (ECP) with that country; and
  • the involvement of Emergency Management Australia (EMA) in coordinating Australian government medical and public health and engineering assistance in response to the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.[4]

1.4       Under its analysis of financial performance, the report advises of an increase in the administered expenses of the department of $365.3 million in 2004-05. The report goes on to explain the increase as being primarily due to the recording of an asset write-off of $359.2 million to:

... remove the Appropriation Receivable for judge's pensions following a change in the Government's accounting policy...[5]

1.5       The report lists a number of major factors which effected the level of administered expenses over the reporting period, including:

... the transfer of Indigenous law and justice programs to the department..., the completion of the handgun buyback program and an increase in the personal benefits expenses for judges' pensions...[6]

1.6       In the area of family law, the department assisted the government in preparing its response to Every Picture Tells a Story, the House of Representatives Committee on Family and Community Affairs' report on its inquiry into child custody arrangements in the event of family separation. Part of the response by the government will see the AGD taking responsibility for setting up a network of 65 family relationship centres throughout Australia over the coming three years.

1.7       In the area of criminal law, the report advises that the department provided policy advice in a number of legislative areas including:

  • the Anti-terrorism Act (No 2) 2004;
  • the Surveillance Devices Act 2004;
  • the National Security Information Legislation Amendment Act 2005; and
  • the Telecommunications (Interception) Amendment (Stored Communications) Act 2004.

1.8       The Committee considers the annual report of the Attorney-General's Department to be 'apparently satisfactory'.

Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA)

1.9       The committee notes that there were a number of significant changes to the departmental structure of DIMIA over the reporting period. Among these were the abolition of both the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Services (ATSIS) and the creation of the Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination (OIPC).

1.10   The report advises that ATSIC ceased on 24 March 2005 and ATSIS on 30 June 2005, with the newly formed OIPC managing departmental outcomes 3, 4 and 5, which contain those divisions of the department responsible for the Indigenous affairs and reconciliation aspects of the DIMIA portfolio. From the commencement of the 2005-06 program year, outcomes 3, 4 and 5 will be merged to form a revised
outcome 3.

1.11   Although Mr Bill Farmer was Secretary to the department for all of the reporting period, the Secretary's Review was provided by the incoming Secretary Mr Andrew Metcalf, who took up the position on 18 July 2005, prior to the final compilation and release of the report.

1.12   The committee notes the determination of the Secretary to improve the culture and performance of the department in the wake of the Palmer Report and its recommendations:

... I have recognised that while the Palmer Report focussed on detention and compliance activities, the recommendations have much broader implications for the department. ...

Leadership, governance, values and behaviour, client service, openness, training and instructions and support for staff have all come under the microscope.[7]

And:

I have emphasised to all staff that our approach is always to make common sense, reasonable and lawful decisions.[8]

1.13   The report noted that DIMIA supported the response by the Australian Government to the Boxing Day 2004 tsunami in a number of important areas, including the rapid deployment of Airline Liaison Officers to:

... help with the uplift and documentation of distressed Australians in the effected areas[9]

... and played a critical role in helping verify the location of Australians listed as missing, using the department's Movements Reconstruction database to assist with the DFAT consular effort[10]

1.14   The committee notes that the inclusion of a compliance index[11], similar to those found in many other annual reports, would have been of great assistance when reviewing such a sizable report.

The committee considers the annual report of the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs to be 'apparently satisfactory'.