Report on performance
Introduction
This performance report provides an overview of DPS's performance in 2012–13, including progress towards implementing the department's response to the Senate Inquiry into the Performance of DPS (the Inquiry).
This year, the performance report also addresses the operational objectives derived from the DPS Corporate Plan. To that end, each objective is dealt with as a separate heading. The Key Performance Indicator (KPI) results for 2012–13 are provided in full at Attachment C. Where appropriate, that information is used in the performance report to illustrate key aspects of DPS's performance for the year.
The year 2012–13 saw widespread reform to DPS's structure, priorities and performance measures. New KPIs (as recorded in the Portfolio Budget Statements 2013–14) were developed and have been placed under the respective business theme headings to assist the reader in understanding the transitional changes that have occurred during the year.
Inquiry into DPS
The Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee began its Inquiry into the Performance of DPS in June 2011. It tabled an Interim Report on 27 June 2012 and the Final Report on 28 November 2012.
The final report contained 23 recommendations. Of these:
- Recommendation number 1, which related to oversight of DPS by committees of each chamber, was responded to by the President of the Senate on 21 March 2013;
- Recommendation numbers 2–22 were responded to by DPS in a document tabled in the Senate on 7 February 2013. The DPS response was framed in accordance with the specific recommendations of the Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee and also sought to address the additional areas of broad concern and other matters of continuing interest to the committee. The President of the Senate supported DPS's responses in his response on 21 March 2013; and
- Recommendation number 23, related to exempting DPS from future one-off efficiency dividends, was responded to by the Government in July 2013.
All reports, responses and related material are available on the Parliament House Website.
Many of the recommendations in the Committee's final report were already identified as priority actions, as part of the DPS change program. In many areas, DPS had already commenced action in line with, or extending further than, the recommendations of the Committee. In its response to the Inquiry's report, DPS committed to periodically informing the committee of progress against these priorities and progress of implementing the responses to the Inquiry's recommendations.
Below are details of various actions that relate to, or arose from, the Inquiry's recommendations.
Improving workplace behaviour
DPS has taken a two-step approach to appropriate workplace behaviour.
Firstly, the strategic and policy framework has been strengthened by:
- implementing the Fostering Inclusion and Respect Strategy;
- developing the DPS Commitment to Reconciliation statement;
- developing a broad workplace behaviour strategy.
The second step was to provide a strong training program for staff on appropriate workplace behaviour. A suite of training for all staff has been implemented, with refresher courses every two years. The following courses were delivered during 2012–13:
- Appropriate Workplace Behaviour;
- Bullying and Harassment Awareness for staff and supervisors;
- Parliamentary Service Values and Code of Conduct;
- Fraud and Ethics; and
- Work Health and Safety Awareness for staff and supervisors.
During 2012–13, 635 staff attendances were recorded at these training courses.
DPS also undertook specific action to deal with issues relating to bulllying and harrassment. Management processes have been strengthened by:
- establishing a register of workplace issues to record complaints of bullying and harassment, workplace disputes, Code of Conduct investigations and requests for review of management action—the information is used to provide regular trend analysis to the Executive; and
- expanding the Harassment Contact Officer (HCO) network from 9 to 27 fully trained officers. The group meets regularly to share information, skills and knowledge.
Recruitment reforms
DPS commenced a range of activities to enable better recruitment and ensure selection decisions are always consistent with the merit principles. Actions undertaken include:
- implemented a requirement for Selection Advisory Committee (SAC) members to complete a conflict of interest declaration prior to shortlisting of applicants;
- established SAC member training, with a focus on process integrity and compliance. SAC members are required to participate in this training prior to participation on SACs;
- implemented a complaints register for reviewable and non-reviewable SAC decisions; and
- in partnership with the Australian Public Service Commission, piloted an Independent SAC process for a Parliamentary Security Service bulk recruitment intake.
Review of building and engineering systems condition indices
In response to the Senate Inquiry and the committee's comments on the Building Condition Index (BCI) and Engineering Systems Condition Index (ESCI), DPS has drafted a statement of requirement for an independent review of the BCI and ESCI currently used at Parliament House. This review, to be carried out in 2013–14, will test the validity of the existing process and the relative value of the index methods used to measure the comparative condition of Parliament House. The review will determine whether these methodologies remain the best contemporary practice for assessing the condition of an iconic building with a 200-year building life. The review will consider, if appropriate, whether an alternative methodology should be implemented and applied.
DPS will also commission an independent review of the Design Integrity Index (DII) assessment process currently used at Parliament House. This review, to commence in 2013–14, will test the validity of the existing process and the relative value of the index methodology. The review will determine whether the methodology remains the best contemporary practice for assessing the integrity of an iconic 20th century building with a 200-year life. The review will consider, if appropriate, how an alternative methodology could be implemented and applied.
Managing the Parliament House Furniture Collection (PHFC)
Commissioned (Status A) furniture is highly crafted and specialised items, often designed in collaboration between the craftspeople and the architects. They appear in 'special' suites and public and VIP areas. Global furniture (Status B) is duplicated within areas throughout the building. This important, high-quality furniture makes up the majority of the furniture within Parliament House, including in Ministers', Senators' and Members' suites.
DPS conducted heritage and disposal training for staff of the Department of the House of Representatives on 19 February 2013, and for staff of the Department of the Senate on 6 March 2013. Following this, DPS commenced work to undertake a full audit of the Parliament House Status A and B furniture, with particular regard to condition, conservation measures, use of furniture and past disposal practices. The audit will provide up-to-date data for effective asset management of the PHFC. This work is expected to be completed by the end of 2013.
Work health and safety reviews
In late 2012, work health and safety (WHS) reviews of the Hansard and Broadcasting Content sections of the Content Management Branch were conducted, in order to identify and reduce any WHS risks.
The review of Broadcasting Content included an examination of the physical working environment, current work practices and workload during the parliamentary sitting and non-sitting periods. Hazards identified within the broadcasting environment were found to have significant preventative control measures already in place. The risks pertaining to these hazards were assessed as being of a low level.
However, the assessment of Broadcasting Content support for interstate parliamentary committees was that there were fatigue risks associated with services provided by a single broadcasting operator. As a result, Broadcasting Content management now undertakes a risk analysis of every committee hearing held away from Parliament House from a fatigue-management perspective.
The review found that the Hansard section was in the low-to-moderate range for potential occupational overuse syndrome. This was a positive outcome and reflected the work that had been done over the previous few years to provide WHS-compliant furniture for staff, with a focus by management on prevention and early reporting of injury.
Security
DPS has commenced work in a number of areas to address concerns raised by the Committee in relation to physical security. In May 2013, the Secretary committed to establishing a high-level strategic capacity and planning capability in building security through the creation of a new Security Branch, headed by an appropriately qualified Senior Executive, dedicated to managing building security. Initiatives to improve management and delivery of security services included the following.
- The commissioning of a comprehensive review of the Parliament House Pass Policy. This review will examine and make recommendations on the effectiveness of the current policy, as well as capability and system operations, with the implementation of many of the recommendations scheduled to coincide with the commencement of the 44th Parliament.
- Continued implementation of audit findings from the two-part review of the 23 August 2012 security incident.2
- A Strategic Framework for Security for DPS. The project is scheduled for completion in early 2014. The Framework will ensure that DPS's work is aligned and coordinated, as well as reflecting whole-of-government approaches to protective security.
- A further review, the Perimeter Security Review, is due to be completed in November 2013. This will examine the efficiency and effectiveness of the conduct of physical security for the exterior of the building and the Parliamentary Precincts.
ICT
In November 2011, the Presiding Officers commissioned Mr Michael Roche to undertake a review of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) services provided to the Parliament. The Roche Report made 11 recommendations to develop and implement a whole-of-Parliament approach to the delivery of ICT services. The recommendations included:
- the establishment of a one-stop shop to address the needs of Senators and Members;
- the development of a Parliament of Australia ICT Strategic Plan;
- the establishment of the Parliamentary ICT Advisory Board (PICTAB) to provide guidance and advice on ICT strategic issues (PICTAB is chaired by the Secretary, DPS, and includes senior representation from the Government, the Opposition, a member of a minor party or independent, other parliamentary departments and the Parliamentary Service Commissioner;
- the appointment of a CIO; and
- the consolidation within DPS of ICT resources across the parliamentary departments.
Good progress has been made to implement the Roche Report recommendations. All recommendations are scheduled to be implemented by the beginning of the 44th Parliament.
In January 2013, a CIO was appointed to lead a new ICT division and act as a focus for Parliament-wide ICT issues.
Feedback from meetings of PICTAB and the User Groups (that have been established to guide the CIO in addressing the recommendations) has been very positive, noting services are more customer-focussed and the quality of service delivery from the ICT team is improving.
The consolidation of parliamentary ICT functions progressed with the formal transfer of ICT staff, from the chamber departments to DPS on 1 July 2013.
Capital investment and cost of construction projects
DPS is focusing on developing robust systems to deliver projects on budget and on time, reflecting a shift towards a more thorough investigation at the concept design phase, leading to better estimates of cost and performance plans. Project budgets are being managed through staged approaches using the Prince2 project management methodology. Timeliness has proved to be a difficult issue, complicated by the operational needs of Parliament when sitting.
Work on 26 building works projects was undertaken in 2012–13. Fourteen projects were completed, and met business objectives—93 per cent within allocated budgets and 57 per cent within the allocated timeframes. The projects completed outside the original timeframes were delayed by a range of factors. The department is assessing these to improve future performance.
In addition to this, major stages of the following three projects spanning several years were completed during 2012–13: Central Energy; Air Actuators / Air Conditioning controller replacement; and Flusherette pipework investigation.
The May 2012 DPS Budget included $2.58 million for a number of works related to disability access in Parliament House. The funds were allocated over four years. Works completed in 2012–13 include:
- installation of hearing loops in committee rooms;
- purchase of five portable hearing loops for the chamber galleries and public areas (including the Great Hall);
- purchase of six disability-compliant walk through metal detectors; and
- detailed engineering investigations of the central ramp in the Public Carpark for works to make the access disability-compliant.
Further work, in subsequent years, will include rectification of slip hazards, door access enhancements, improving signage and upgrading of disabled toilets.
In mid-2012, a major study of fire protection systems within the building commenced. This included audits of fire barriers (ongoing), fire indicator panels (at a cost of $29,600), and detectors and controls (at a cost of $28,200). The study recommended replacement of the fire indicator panels and associated detectors and controls. A detailed design was completed in early 2013 and a request for tender for the replacement of the fire indicator panel system was issued in July 2013. The four panels will be progressively replaced.
Operational objectives
The following five operational objectives are derived from DPS's Corporate Plan:
- Enabling physical and virtual access to the Parliament.
- Providing information and communication technologies that support the Parliament and connect with the wider community.
- Maintaining and enhancing Parliament House.
- Ensuring the Parliament's assets are cared for and respected, and its heritage value is maintained for future generations.
- Supporting the work of Parliament.
Each objective is reported below against its relevant KPIs.
Enabling physical and virtual access to the Parliament
Total number of visitors to Parliament House
There were almost 50,000 more visitors to Parliament House in 2012–13 than in the previous year. While this increase is encouraging, DPS believes that much more can be done to attract and engage visitors to Parliament and the building itself. In January 2013, DPS commissioned a comprehensive review of the visitor experience currently on offer and to identify opportunities for its enhancement, including avenues for increased commercial returns. The review is expected to be completed by the end of November 2013.
Number of participants in general public, school and other tours
Participation in tours also increased, with around 2,000 more school students and some 3,000 extra members of the general public taking tours of the building. In addition, the number of participants in special interest and other tours increased by 17 per cent.
An expanded range of special interest tours and events was offered in 2012–13 and DPS identified further areas in which the visitor experience can be enhanced. During the Enlighten Festival, opening hours were extended to 11pm and, while a special light show played on the Parliament House façade, a variety of new attractions were on offer inside, including art and architecture tours, the opportunity to dine in the Members' Guests Dining Room, and geologist-led tours to 'the unconformity', a rare rock formation.
Heritage tours marked DPS's first-ever participation in Heritage Week. The number of garden tours conducted during Floriade more than quadrupled in number, with over 800 participants, and were a popular opportunity to go 'behind the scenes' and to hear from DPS landscapers first hand.
Number of virtual visitors to Parliament House
In 2012–13, approximately 2,428,000 virtual visitors accessed the Australian Parliament House (APH) website.
Survey results for the second quarter of 2013 indicated that the majority (77.1 per cent) of visitors to the APH website found that the website information was easy to read and understand, and 69.5 per cent of visitors agreed that the content was up to date.
The new ParlView service has been well received by users (see further information on page 23).
Number of functions and events held in Parliament House: official visits, parliamentary and non-parliamentary
In 2012–13, there was an increase in the number of parliamentary functions (from 290 to 352), whilst the number of official visits (from 37 to 39) and non-parliamentary functions (from 944 to 935) remained relatively static.
In 2012–13, DPS sought more opportunities to engage directly with the ACT tourism community and cultural institutions, with both the Centenary of Canberra and the 25th Anniversary of Parliament House providing focal points.
Marking the Centenary, Parliament House was one of the cultural destinations included in ACT Tourism's 'Human Brochure' tour, with 500 Australians given free weekend trips to Canberra in exchange for sharing their views through social media. Tour participants used Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to report on their experiences, including a look inside the Prime Minister's suite.
Visitors came to Parliament House on Canberra's Centenary day for the first showing of the National Film and Sound Archive's digitally restored version of Naming the Federal Capital of Australia, a film record of the laying of Canberra's foundation stone in 1913.
A new production by the Australian Ballet, Monument, paid tribute to Parliament House's design in its 25th anniversary year. DPS was given the rare honour of being able to display the costumes prior to the ballet's opening. Also marking the anniversary was a Constructors' Reunion cocktail party. Supported by DPS, it provided an opportunity to add to the bank of oral histories from which future physical and virtual tours may draw.
A unique anniversary event was the production by the Royal Australian Mint of two commemorative coins featuring Parliament House, one in a new triangular shape. Launched on the Parliament House Forecourt, the $5 and 20 cent coins were extremely popular purchases at The Parliament Shop.
DPS provided support in the form of event management, broadcasting and security to a range of significant events focused on the Great Hall, including the National Apology by the Australian Government for Forced Adoption Practices in March 2013 and a memorial service to mark the 10th Anniversary of the Bali Bombings. DPS contributed significantly to the management of the red-carpet AFL Hall of Fame Awards presentation event held in Canberra to mark the Centenary year and, through provision of security, sponsorship of the Press Gallery's charity fundraising Mid-Winter Ball.
DPS will look to consolidate the breadth of these visitor experiences in 2013–14, working through external partnerships and building occupants to position Parliament House within the national landscape as, not only an iconic building, but a 'must see' destination.
Visitor satisfaction with services—visitor services (including tours and information); The Parliament Shop; visitor catering; building access and parking
During 2012–13, visitor satisfaction was assessed through feedback from a variety of sources, including completed feedback forms available at the Visitor Information Desk, emails and phone calls.
DPS received 124 positive and 10 negative pieces of feedback about visitor services in 2012–13. Professional and friendly staff, prompt return of lost property and informative tours attracted compliments, while the frequency of tours and lack of brochures in foreign languages were causes for complaint.
Occupant satisfaction with services—Security
Access to the Roof of Parliament House
DPS receives regular queries regarding access to the roof of Parliament House. Whilst members of the public can access the roof from inside the building, access to the roof via the grass ramps was restricted as a result of a security review in 2001. Prior to this, members of the public could walk up the grassed ramps to the top of the building and enter via the roof.
As part of the 25th anniversary celebrations of Parliament House, the Presiding Officers agreed to special arrangements to allow visitors to Parliament House Open Day on 24 August 2013 to enter the building via the roof.
Parliamentary Security Service (PSS) Training program
During 2012–13, the Security Branch worked on a skills enrichment program for staff, around professional workplace behaviour and dealing with challenging or demanding persons. This program was finalised in July 2013 and will be delivered to all PSS staff prior to the commencement of the 44th Parliament. The package for PSS Team Leaders was delivered as an intensive, four-day skills development course from 30 July to 2 August 2013. This also included training in report writing. Further training, around Customer Service, will be rolled out in 2013–14.
Improving coordination with other agencies
In June 2013, the Security Branch increased its focus on improving communication and coordination with other agencies undertaking security, intelligence and law enforcement activities for the Commonwealth of Australia, and within the Australian Capital Territory, in relation to incidents and other activities taking place on, or impacting upon, the Parliamentary Precincts.
DPS is also working with the ACT Health and the Australian Federal Police to review procedures for responding to persons who have entered Parliament House who pose a danger to themselves or others. This assistance includes the development of a triage process whereby Parliament House security officers faced with this situation on the precincts can gain advice from Mental Health officers on how best to handle and resolve the situation via a dedicated help and advice line.
The Security Branch will be working with a number of agencies in 2013–14 to enhance our joint preparedness and responsiveness to incidents
Providing information and communication technologies that support the Parliament and connect with the wider community
Percentage of timeliness targets met in service delivery of research services and publication, and information access services
For information on these indicators, refer to the 'Report on Performance' section of Part 4: Parliamentary Library.
Improving ICT services within Parliament House
DPS and the Department of Finance and Deregulation (DoFD) collaborated to review the electorate office mobile phone (Mobile Personal Digital Assistant, or MPDA) entitlement. The new entitlement will allow Senators and Members a choice from a range of approved smartphones to replace the BlackBerry device and the office supplementary mobile phone. The revised MPDA entitlement is now known as the smartphone entitlement.
DPS established a 'pop-up' ICT One-Stop Shop during the sitting period 17–27 June 2013. The shop provided Senators, Members and their staff the opportunity to preview a range of portable devices and mobile phones that would be available under the DPS-administered ICT entitlement. DPS support staff were able to provide personalised ICT advice to around 50 walk-in visitors.
DPS is progressing two further initiatives for introduction at the start of the 44th Parliament:
- the ability for Senators and Members to select their ICT equipment within the existing budget cap from a menu of supported items approved by the Presiding Officers; and
- establishment of an ongoing One-Stop Shop to facilitate the delivery of ICT to the Parliament.
The Parliament of Australia ICT Strategic Plan 2013–18 was endorsed by the Presiding Officers in August 2013.
PCs and laptop computers located in Parliament House were upgraded to Windows 7 / Office 2010, giving all users access to more modern office tools.
The computer room was upgraded with systems that use energy more efficiently. This has led to a much better Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) rating of 1.65 for the basement computer room and 1.38 for the data storage hub. Both these ratings are better than the Government targets of 1.9 PUE set for July 2015.
Following provision of free public WiFi in Parliament House, the wireless network APH WiFi was expanded in 2012–13 to cover the Ministerial Wing and the Press Gallery.
The Parliament House Theatre was upgraded from analogue to digital technology, which included 3D digital cinema capability replacing film projectors that were more than 25 years old.
Improving ICT services to the electorate offices
This was the first full year during which DPS administered electorate offices' ICT entitlements. A number of upgrades to Electorate Office ICT facilities were carried out:
- Network communication speeds in each electorate office were increased from 2Mbps to 10Mbps, allowing better speed, performance and reliability of connections to parliamentary systems and the Internet.
- All aged electorate office servers were replaced with new servers, providing faster logon, increased shared storage capacity and improved document access.
- PCs and laptops were upgraded to Windows 7 / Office 2010.
New content on APH website
The aph.gov.au website was upgraded to enable delivery of ParlView. ParlView is an innovative broadcast service from the Australian Parliament that enables users to watch, replay, pause and download a range of current and historic parliamentary activities and events. These include Question Time, chamber proceedings and events such as the national apologies and visits by heads of state.
The video archive of historical parliamentary proceedings and events is currently being published into ParlView and, by June 2014, about 55,000 hours of content will be available. Much of this footage has never been seen by the general public.
Digitisation of records
Digitisation of various records and documents is an ongoing project. In 2012–13, over one million pages of historical building documentation such as slides, photographs, negatives and transparencies; printed Hansard; non-digital library publications; and heritage management documents were digitised.
ICT Client feedback
There was an increase in the volume of unsolicited, written feedback regarding the quality of services and, pleasingly, this included an increase in the number of positive comments supporting the improvements being made. Written comments increased from 36 in 2011–12 to 133 in 2012–13. There was positive feedback (112 comments) on issues such as speedy responses by on-site support, helpfulness of Helpdesk staff, and clear instructions given by staff; and negative feedback (21 comments) on issues such as local disruption to services while equipment is being repaired, and wanting support for more applications, such as Skype.
Percentage of timeliness targets met in delivery of ICT and Help Desk services
The total number of ICT service desk calls reduced slightly (by 3.6 per cent) during 2012–13. However, of the calls received, many were of a more complex nature. This accounts for a greater number of hours devoted to these consultations, as well as a decrease in the timeliness of incident resolution.
DPS provides a training program covering base ICT facilities to Senators, Members and their staff, as well as departmental staff. There was a decrease in participant days of training due to several factors. As the term of the 43rd Parliament progressed, people accessing the Parliamentary Computing Network became more familiar with the products and services provided.
Maintaining and enhancing Parliament House
Targets met in delivery of maintenance services
The number of planned maintenance tasks for plant and building fabric was 14,333, of which 12,927 were completed. This is an overall achievement rate of 87.3 per cent against a target of 85 per cent across all trades. The highest ratings were in Electrical Services (94 per cent) and Mechanical Services (93 per cent).
The maintenance of plant and building fabric indicator represents the number of preventative maintenance work orders planned for the 12 months compared to the number of work orders completed over the same period.
Occupant satisfaction with building maintenance services
Maintenance Services Help Desk Calls fell by 5,114 (19 per cent) to 21,777 this year. The usual peak periods for help desk calls—resumption of parliamentary sittings following recesses, and the Budget sittings—were not experienced during 2012–13. It is likely that more active investigation and subsequent rectification work on the building's heating and airconditioning systems contributed to the drop.
DPS manages the contracts for cleaning (both internal and external), sanitary hygiene and medical waste disposals, and pest control. Regular assessments of the contractors' performance, including regular inspections, are undertaken to promote adherence to contracted standards.
This policy of active management and monitoring, along with the education of building occupants in the standards to expect and services offered, has resulted in only 31 complaints in 2012–13—mostly related to the standard or timeliness of cleaning. All complaints are discussed with the cleaning contractor at the weekly contract management meetings.
Ensuring the Parliament's assets are cared for and respected, and its heritage value is maintained for future generations
Design Integrity Index
The DII measures the current condition of the design integrity and heritage values of Parliament House and the Parliamentary Precincts, expressed as a percentage of the original built form. In particular, it measures the extent to which change within the Parliament and the Precincts impacts upon the original design intent.
For the purpose of measuring the DII, Parliament House and the Precincts are divided into eight zones, as shown in Table 3.1 below. In each zone, the components of language, symbolism, design order, change and the overall impression are examined and given a score from one to five. The outcomes for each component are added together to obtain a zone score. The zone scores are added to obtain a building score. This score is then expressed as a percentage of the total possible score.
There was no change to the overall score of 89.8 per cent; however, there have been slight fluctuations in the scoring within the zones. This movement positively reflects upgrades and conservation works undertaken in the House of Representatives spaces, particularly in the Speaker's Suite and the House of Representatives Entry.
Building-wide issues that impact the overall DII rating include:
- the continued proliferation of business machines (such as photocopiers and multi-function devices) throughout the circulation spaces;
- the movement of global (Status B) furniture from design locations; and
- the increasing quantity of non-standard furniture.
Table 3.1—Design integrity index score by zone
|
Zone
|
Score (%) 2010–11
|
Score (%) 2011–12
|
Score (%) 2012–13
|
|
Public and ceremonial areas
|
94.2
|
91.4
|
89.8
|
|
House of Representatives wing
|
89.6
|
89.9
|
92.0
|
|
Senate wing
|
93.5
|
92.0
|
93.4
|
|
Ministerial wing
|
93.8
|
94.3
|
94.2
|
|
Committee rooms and Library
|
90.0
|
91.5
|
91.2
|
|
Facilities areas and tenancies
|
84.7
|
84.0
|
84.3
|
|
Circulation and basement areas
|
83.9
|
83.8
|
83.7
|
|
Exterior: landscape and roadways
|
89.2
|
89.7
|
88.9
|
|
Total Score
|
90.2
|
89.8
|
89.8
|
Building condition Index
The BCI measures the current condition of the building fabric of Parliament House, expressed as a percentage of the original condition. The BCI is the result of a visual inspection of building and fabrics surfaces for general deterioration and damage caused by general wear and tear. The BCI rates the building finishes and fixtures of eight zones, as shown in table 3.2. The target range of 89–92 per cent has been determined, based on external benchmarks, as the optimum balance of condition and cost.
In 2012–13, the overall score increased by 0.2 per cent to 88.3 per cent. This increase can be attributed to the ongoing maintenance work undertaken by DPS, including global and commissioned furniture conservation, the floating tradesperson program (a flexible means of engaging trades staff), refurbishment of en suites and bathrooms, and refurbishment (painting, carpet, and ceramic tile replacement) of suites.
Budgetary constraints limited the amount of maintenance that DPS could undertake.
Table 3.2—Building condition index score by zone
|
Zone
|
Score (%) 2010–11
|
Score (%) 2011–123
|
Score (%) 2012–13
|
|
Public areas
|
88.2
|
87.8
|
88.0
|
|
Parliamentary chambers
|
92.1
|
92.1
|
91.9
|
|
Ministerial wing
|
89.3
|
88.9
|
89.0
|
|
Senate wing
|
88.6
|
88.6
|
88.7
|
|
House of Representatives wing
|
88.7
|
88.7
|
88.9
|
|
Back of house
|
86.8
|
86.9
|
87.2
|
|
Plant rooms
|
88.3
|
87.9
|
87.9
|
|
External
|
86.5
|
86.5
|
86.7
|
|
Total score
|
88.8
|
88.1
|
88.3
|
Landscape Condition Index (LCI)
The LCI measures the current condition of the landscape surrounding Parliament House, expressed as a percentage of the optimum landscape condition. The landscape has been divided into eight zones, as shown in table 3.3. The LCI is measured in October each year.
The LCI improved by 1 per cent in 2012–13 to 87 per cent. This increase can be attributed to the following.
- The condition of the turf in the courtyards was better than for the previous 12 months. Increased effort was directed into maintaining an attractive lawn by constantly sowing grass seed in shady areas and hand-watering.
- New planting occurred in some courtyards. These included the replacement of a hedge of Mexican orange blossom plants in a north-west courtyard with the more drought-tolerant Correa glabra. The resilient and shade-tolerant plant Liriope was planted in the shady section of courtyard between the House of Representatives wings, improving the courtyard's aesthetics. Previous plant species were not growing successfully due to the intense shade in this area.
- All of the turf in the Eastern Formal Gardens was replaced because it contained a high percentage of winter grass and was not growing well adjacent to the hedges. Two sections of hedge were collapsing due to their size and age and were replaced with new hedge plants. A root barrier was installed to prevent the roots from the hedge impacting on the adjacent turf.
Table 3.3—Landscape condition index score by zone
|
Zone
|
Score (%) 2010–11
|
Score (%) 2011–12
|
Score (%) 2012–13
|
|
Native peripheral gardens
|
70
|
75
|
75
|
|
Senate courtyards
|
78
|
94
|
91
|
|
House of Representatives courtyards
|
84
|
94
|
91
|
|
Ministry
|
64
|
86
|
96
|
|
Eastern formal gardens
|
82
|
89
|
96
|
|
Western formal gardens
|
75
|
91
|
91
|
|
Ramps
|
94
|
81
|
81
|
|
Front area
|
75
|
75
|
75
|
|
Total score
|
78
|
86
|
87
|
Engineering Systems Condition Index
The ESCI measures the current operation and condition of the engineering systems in Parliament House against the expected decline of those systems through their life cycles. The system of scoring has been designed so that the optimum target of 90 per cent is achieved if all systems are ageing through their life cycle as expected.
There was a slight decline from the 2011–12 score of 87.7 per cent to 86.8 per cent in 2012–13. This fall can largely be attributed to the following.
- A leak in the base structure in the Forecourt pond. The leak was identified in January 2013. DPS has implemented a water-recovery strategy to recover this water, and is identifying the most appropriate means to stop the water loss.
- Pinhole leaks in the copper piping for hot and cold water have identified an unexpected corrosion issue. Work has commenced to identify sections of piping to be replaced; however, an assessment is required to identify the reasons for the corrosion.
Supporting the work of Parliament
Delivery of Broadcasting services
DPS delivers its recording and broadcasting services in real time. Chamber activity is broadcast live on the Parliament House in-house television system and via webcasting on the APH website. Feeds are also provided to the media at Parliament House and material is broadcast on the new ParlView service, with a six-minute delay.
The number of hours of material captured from chamber and committee proceedings depends upon the sitting pattern and committee hearings. These hours fell slightly during
2012–13, compared with the previous year, as did the number of master control services and the number of requests for extracts of parliamentary broadcast material. However, the number of other productions for which DPS provided broadcasting services (state visits, press conferences, pieces-to-camera and production edits) and audiovisual services increased.
There was a reduction from the previous year in costs recovered from broadcasting services provided for other productions. The amount of costs recovered depends not only on whether the events are parliamentary or non-parliamentary / internal or external hirers, but also on the complexity of the broadcasting services required. Therefore, more parliamentary and/or internal events, as well as less-complex events, resulted in a reduced cost recovery.
Table 3.4 shows the hours of chamber and committee proceedings broadcast.
Table 3.4—Hours of chamber and committee proceedings broadcast
|
Broadcasting services—Hours of material captured on audiovisual record, by category:
|
Performance
|
|
2010–11
|
2011–12
|
2012–13
|
|
Chambers
|
1,138
|
1,626
|
1,437
|
|
Committees (ACT hearings)
|
1,396
|
2,002
|
1,441
|
|
Committees (interstate hearings)
|
565
|
958
|
766
|
A major achievement for DPS during 2012–13 was the support it provided on 21 March 2013 for the National Apology for Forced Adoptions—an event organised by the Ceremonial and Hospitality Branch of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Services included audiovisual support in the Great Hall and the Theatre, and associated areas within Parliament House.
DPS also produced live coverage of the event that was broadcast on the ABC, Sky News and the parliamentary webcast service. The production included two crewed cameras on the floor of the Great Hall, three robotic cameras mounted on the walls of the Great Hall and an array of microphones used for speeches and musical interludes.
Staff located in production control rooms in the basement of Parliament House operated the robotic cameras, mixed the audio feed from the Great Hall, oversaw the technical aspects of the production, and directed and vision-switched the coverage. DPS received positive feedback from key stakeholders for its involvement in this historic event.
Occupant satisfaction with Broadcasting services
In the 2012 customer survey, almost 9 in 10 responding customers (88 per cent) indicated overall satisfaction with broadcasting services. This result is consistent with the 87 per cent result in the 2009 customer survey.
Over four in five respondents agreed that:
- the coverage of chamber proceedings within Parliament House is of a high quality (90 per cent);
- the House Monitoring Service (in-house TV) provides a good range of material (87 per cent);
- audio and video coverage of committee proceedings is of a high quality (86 per cent); and
- audio coverage of committee proceedings held away from Parliament House is of a high quality (82 per cent).
DPS will continue its focus on providing quality services to Senators and Members, building occupants and the Australian community.
DPS's innovative service, ParlView, was formally launched in both Houses of Parliament on 24 June 2013 by the President of the Senate, Senator the Hon. John Hogg and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ms Anna Burke MP.
That same day, ParlView went live on the APH website and has proved to be popular with Senators and Members and the Australian community. ParlView enables users to view, search and download broadcasts of Senators and Members at work in the chambers and committees, and footage is available just six minutes after live recording. ParlView is easy to use, the recordings are high quality and it can be accessed 24 hours a day on the APH website (www.aph.gov.au). As at 30 June 2013, 30,607 pages had been accessed.
Percentage of timeliness targets met in delivery of Hansard services
DPS produced 36,701 pages of Hansard in 2012–13, comprising 14,821 chamber pages and 21,880 committee pages, and relied on a complex software system and staffing arrangement to meet its publishing deadlines.
Progressive improvements to the Hansard Production System and better forward planning saw on-time deliveries of the draft Member's speeches increase from 56.5 per cent in November 2012 to 84.9 per cent in June 2013.
Timeliness targets were met for transcripts produced for the 2,207 parliamentary committee hearings held during 2012–13, as shown in table 3.5.
Occupant satisfaction with Hansard services
Responses to the 2012 customer survey revealed that almost 9 in 10 (86 per cent) respondents were satisfied with Hansard services. This is an increase of 3 per cent on the 2009 customer survey.
Over four in five responding customers provided positive scores on:
- the competence and helpfulness of Hansard staff (89 per cent); and
- the accuracy (83 per cent) and timeliness (82 per cent) of transcripts.
Enhancements to the Hansard Production System were made in 2012–13 to enable:
- Senators and Members to access their draft speeches via mobile devices; and
- draft speeches to be streamed to the Senators' and Members' Portal as they are being prepared.
DPS continues to explore options to improve the production, storage and accessibility of its services.
Table 3.5—Parliamentary Committee hearing timeliness report—Target 95%
|
2010–11
|
2011–12
|
2012–13
|
|
Percentage of transcripts delivered for committees within standards—within 24hrs / by next day
|
76.2%
|
93.8%
|
100%
|
|
Percentage of transcripts delivered for committees within standards—1–3 days
|
63.8%
|
96.0%
|
99.1%
|
|
Percentage of transcripts delivered for committees within standards—3–5 days / within 5 days
|
68.9%
|
88.6%
|
99.7%
|
Footnotes
1. The URL for the Inquiry is:
http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Finance_and_Public_Administration/Completed%20inquiries/2010-13/deptparliamentaryservices/index
2. On 23 August 2012, a member of the public gained unauthorised access to the private areas of Parliament House. An independent review of the incident was conducted during 2012 and the final report was presented on 10 January 2013.
3. Scores reported in the 2011–12 Annual Report were the 4th quarter scores, not the annual average.