In 2017–18 DPS implemented or progressed a number of innovations to better support the work of the Parliament, parliamentarians and the public. Below are some specific achievements, tied to the strategic themes and objectives articulated in our Corporate Plan.

Respond to the changing needs of the Parliament (Strategic Theme 1)

Objective: Implement efficient and effective infrastructure, systems and services to respond to the changing needs of the Parliament and our parliamentarians.

• A major replacement program of ICT routers was undertaken to ensure reliability of internet services in 248 electorate offices across Australia.
• In collaboration with local pharmacies, a pharmaceutical service was introduced for parliamentarians and their staff during sitting weeks.
• Captioning is now available for live video streams of all chamber proceedings and committee proceedings, as well as press conferences and other events held at Parliament House.
• The infrastructure and software enabling email services for Parliamentary Computing Network (PCN) was upgraded to improve performance and reliability.
• APH Catering and Events introduced a new and contemporary banquet menu for events held in Parliament House and seasonal menus for its in-house dining venues.
• The completed Central Reference Document (CRD) chapters are being developed in digital format to enable ready access to rich content not previously made available.

Objective: Explore and develop innovative technology and systems for the delivery of timely information and services to parliamentarians.

• DPS completed a project to deliver state-of-the-art video conferencing and telepresence facilities to both the House of Representatives and Senate committee rooms, with delivery of a second video conferencing system. The system marries the latest audio visual technology with innovative furniture design to adapt the original design integrity of the committee rooms for modern requirements. The telepresence system allows up to five remote participants to connect virtually from any location that has a stable internet connection. This enables committee witnesses to engage with committees without travelling to Canberra and the remote participation of parliamentarians in committee proceedings.
• A substantial upgrade of WiFi infrastructure at Parliament House was completed. One hundred and eighty wireless access points were replaced with next generation technology devices and another 120 access points were added. The upgrade also included associated back-end infrastructure and security updates. These enhancements reflect the greater use that is being made of mobile devices including smart phones and tablet devices across the Parliament.
• In February 2018, DPS established a new Twitter account aimed at communicating to people working in Parliament House. The account disseminates information about service outages, road closures, events and services available to building occupants and creates a new feedback channel for people working in the building.

Objective: Retain the Parliamentary Library’s position as our client’s preferred and trusted source of high quality information, analysis and advice.

• The Library performed strongly against all its performance measures (as set out in the Library Resource Agreement).
• Its services were used by every parliamentarian.
• The evaluation for the 45th Parliament was conducted in the first half of the 2017–18 financial year. The findings were extremely positive, particularly among parliamentarians and their staff where satisfaction rates remained high (94 per cent), and the likelihood of recommending the Library higher again (99 per cent).

Enhancing the Parliament’s engagement with the community (Strategic Theme 2)

Objective: Enhance our visitor experience and community engagement including the use of social media and emerging technologies.

• Our APH Facebook account experienced a 175 per cent increase in followers in 2017–18 (from 1,870 on 1 July 2017 to 3,286 on 30 June 2018), as we expanded our management of this platform.
• Parliament House was illuminated by a new suite of projections during Enlighten in March 2018. This included projections inspired by the Parliament House Art Collection and a bold new design by artist Ken Done created to mark the 30th birthday of Parliament House. The Enlighten program of events included two sold-out exclusive events on the Members and Guests Terrace. Through the year a number of events were held to commemorate the 30th anniversary, including two public events in May: a formal ceremony on the forecourt, attended by the Governor-General; and a panel discussion and orchestral performance in the Great Hall.
• We implemented a new, dynamic component of the Parliament of Australia website that is updated in real time with information about upcoming hearings for the Senate and House of Representatives. The searchable and sortable format allows the public to quickly find information relevant to their interests and plan their engagement in public hearings.
• A number of important loans were facilitated from the Parliament House Art Collection, including: the loan of a facsimile copy of the Constitution to the High Court of Australia for the opening of the Australian Constitution Centre; the loan of the Dargie portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to the National Gallery of Australia’s Cartier exhibition, and the loan of our portrait of Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO to the Museum of National History in Copenhagen, Denmark, for an exhibition of works by portrait artist Ralph Heimens.
• We collaborated with the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) to present The Barunga Statement exhibition to markthe 30th anniversary of the creation of this landmark document, and partnered with the Canberra Museum and Gallery to present a major exhibition, Crafting the House on the Hill, which showcases the art, craft and design commissions for Parliament House.

Objective: Enhance electronic access to parliamentary information for the community to engage easily with the parliamentary process.

• In conjunction with the Department of the Senate we launched a new public-facing web service—StatsNet. The service consists of a series of graphically rich pages and infographics on the Parliament of Australia website, which allow users to interactively view and search for statistics relating to the business of the Senate. Data is presented via graphs and visualisations, as well as searchable and sortable tables. StatsNet allows users to create customisable current and historical views of key activities of the Senate, or of individual senators or political parties.
• A major enhancement of the Estimates Committees Questions on Notice system was undertaken in 2017–18, to improve compliance, efficiency, and user experience. The eight Estimates Committees receive approximately 5,000 questions per Estimates session across 17 portfolios. The change means that Estimates questions on notice can be managed as data rather than individual documents and can therefore be searched and filtered by the public on the Parliament of Australia website and by parliamentarians and their staff on the Senators’ Intranet.

Objective: Champion opportunities for parliamentary strengthening.

• Tours of the building were conducted for ministers, parliamentarians and special delegations from Nauru, China, Indonesia, Kuwait, Bangladesh, Vanuatu, Fiji, India and Afghanistan.
• We led the 30th anniversary celebrations held on 5 and 9 May 2018 in partnership with the other parliamentary departments, and led preparations for the 30th anniversary Open Day.
• We provided event management, catering, security and other services to support the Ceremonial and Hospitality Branch in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in its delivery of eight guest of government visits to Parliament House.

Effective stewardship of Parliament House (Strategic Theme 3)

Objective: Ensure adaptations of the building uses are strategic, appropriate and reference design integrity principles.

• This year, I engaged the first architectural historian for the Parliament to provide professional and technical advice to business units across the parliament on the design intent of Parliament House. The architectural historian will work with Ms Pamille Berg AO Hon FRAIA as Ms Berg completes the CRD. Over time, the architectural historian will work collaboratively with departmental colleagues from the earliest stages of projects to ensure that design intent of Parliament House is balanced with changes to the building to meet the demands of a changing parliament.
• During 2017–18, the Design Integrity and Archives Unit coordinated liaison between departmental staff and Ms Berg and Mr Hal Guida LFRAIA AIA as the nominated administrators of architect Mr Romaldo Giurgola’s moral rights.
• We have updated the DPS standard project documentation which applies to all design, construction, commissioning, operation, maintenance and decommissioning of services in Parliament House and the parliamentary precincts. The documentation sets out the standards and best practices that apply when creating or amending drawings on behalf of DPS.
• The design phase of a project to replace blinds in the light wells around the Senate Chamber has been completed, with a range of potential replacement products reviewed and then collaboratively agreed with the moral rights administrators. The solution—fixed aluminium louvres, to replace motorised venetian blinds—will improve performance and reduce future maintenance costs.

Objective: Ensure a secure environment while maintaining public accessibility.

• Temporary entrances to the House of Representatives and the Senate were constructed and became operational in March 2018, allowing work to start on security improvements at the Senate and House of Representatives entrances. This work builds on the now-completed physical hardening of security checkpoints within the building.
• Other external security upgrades have continued, with the erection of a series of fences and window glazing treatments.

Objective: Effectively manage all assets within APH including collections.

• We are in the process of digitising the the Parliament House Art Collection. This project includes a full audit, condition check and radio-frequency identification (RFID) tagging of objects to ensure best practice in collection management and to preserve the collection for future generations. A photographic studio commissioned for this project has already created more than 4,220 high-resolution digital images. To facilitate the creation of an online catalogue interface, DPS has sought over 2,600 non-exclusive copyright licences, with 2,261 received to date. The implementation of the RFID system commenced in April 2018 and once complete will see the Parliament House Art Collection be the first fully tagged museum collection in Australia.
• In April 2018 DPS assumed responsibility for the Department of the Senate’s ‘Status B’ Global furniture assets. This consolidation of ownership of the furniture collection allows for programmed and more efficient furniture conservation across the Parliament.
• RFID tagging of ‘Status A’ Commissioned and ‘Status B’ Global furniture throughout Parliament House has begun. This will facilitate the establishment of a central register to support the furniture conservation management strategy.
• We are developing an improved Strategic Asset Management Governance Framework, aligning with the requirements of ISO 55000 standards for the assets managed by the Building Services Branch. When completed, the framework will prescribe how we manage our systems in an efficient and sustainable manner across their life cycle.

Objective: Maintain APH and the precinct as befits its status as an iconic building and location of national significance.

• Roof glazing has been replaced to four of the 12 link-ways within Parliament House to eliminate water leaks.The selection of replacement glass involved detailed consultation with original design team members, to ensure the best balance between thermal performance and original intent for visual aesthetics.
• The boiler upgrade works are progressing, with two of six boilers replaced. The new boilers are smaller and use significantly less energy. In conjunction with these works, improvements to the Building Management System will result in improved boiler performance and internal building conditions. The four remaining boilers are programmed to be replaced in 2018–19.
• Electrical services upgrades are progressing, with nine of the 11 Area Main Switchboards replaced, with the remaining two boards programmed for 2018–19. Replacement of end-of-life Distribution Boards has commenced, with 40 of 848 boards replaced in 2017–18 and plans to replace the remaining boards in 2018–19 and 2019–20.
• The Parliament House cooling tower project has replaced end-of-life equipment (pumps, fans, motorised drives), delivered enhancements including motorised drain valves and sluice gates (which remove operator risk during maintenance), improved energy management and added permanent pipework that allows for the implementation of a temporary cooling tower in the event of failure.

Effective delivery of the Parliament House works program (Strategic Theme 4)

Objective: Effectively manage a capital works program for APH to function effectively as a safe and accessible workplace.

• End-of-life system controllers that run the Emergency Warning Intercommunication System have been replaced in a major project that involved a two-year design period followed by an 18-month construction and testing regime. The system features standalone fire-rated network cabling and additional safety upgrades to basement areas. The new system is compliant with current standards.
• Upgrades to the fire sprinkler system are progressing. The works include replacement of flow switches and installation of new air relief valves, the installation of heat/water shields in the basement corridors and new sprinkler reticulation where required.

Objective: Deliver a security upgrade capital works program that meets the needs of the Parliament.

• The new Parliamentary Security Management System and associated ICT network infrastructure has been delivered. This system streamlines processes for operators and is being enhanced through the roll-out of upgrades to related electronic security systems including CCTV, key safes, the radio network and alarm systems.
• Further security hardening works, incorporated into the skylight replacement works over the Main Committee Room and Members Hall, are near completion. More than 250 glazed panels have been removed and replaced, with approximately 200 tonnes of scaffolding required to facilitate this undertaking. Work on the Great Hall skylight will commence in 2018–19.