Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No: 17
Sub Outcome:	
Division/Agency:	Department and Agencies
Topic:	Language Skills
Hansard Page ECITA:	Written Question on Notice

Senator Ludwig asked:
A follow-up to a question Senator Ludwig asked in December regarding the employees that your department or agency has identified as having:
a)	fluency
b)	accredited translator
c)	accredited interpreter
Of these employees, please indicate what the department is doing in order to make full use of its employees’ skills in this regard, and please provide a breakdown of this between employees whose accreditation was paid for by the department and those whose were not.

Answer/s:
Department of the Environment and Heritage
The Department of Environment and Heritage does not gather information on languages spoken nor fluency.

Bureau of Meteorology
A Register of employees’ language skills is kept for access and use as required. The accreditation paid for by the Bureau was as follows:
a)	N/A
b)	Nil
c)	The Bureau funded accreditation of its only accredited interpreter

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
Nil.

Office of Renewable Energy Regulator
During the 2004-05 financial year:

a)	ORER staff are fluent in the following non-English languages:
Hindi: 2
Punjabi: 2
b)	Nil
c)	Nil.

To date ORER has had no need or opportunity to carry out its business in either Hindi or Punjabi.

Sydney Harbour Federation Trust
The Trust makes use of the language skills of staff in relation to the implementation of its public programs, community consultation and events.

No employees are accredited.

Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No: 18
Sub Outcome:	
Division/Agency:	Department and Agencies
Topic:	Australian Workplace Agreements
Hansard Page ECITA:	Written Question on Notice

Senator Carr asked:
How many staff are covered by AWAs in your Agency/Department?

Answer/s:
Agency	Number of AWAs	
Department of the Environment and Heritage	503*	
Bureau of Meteorology	19	
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority	4	
Office of Renewable Energy Regulator	3	
Sydney Harbour Federation Trust	0	

* This figure includes the former Australian Greenhouse Office and the former National Oceans Office.

Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No: 19
Division/Agency:	Department and Agencies
Topic:	Australian Workplace Agreements
Hansard Page ECITA:	Written Question on Notice

Senator Carr asked:
Can you provide a break down of AWA’s by gender and by classification.

Answer/s:
Department of the Environment and Heritage

Breakdown of AWAs by gender and classification as at 30 June 2005 is as follows:

Classification	Females	Males	Total	
APS 1/2		1	1	
APS 3	1		1	
APS 4	4		4	
APS 5	1		1	
APS 6	14	1	15	
Executive Level 1	119	161	280	
Executive Level 2	46	113	159	
SES Band 1	9	20	29	
SES Band 2	1	9	10	
SES Band 3	1	2	3	
TOTAL	195	308	503	

Note:
- excludes employees on temporary transfer to another agency who would otherwise be covered by an AWA.

Bureau of Meteorology

Classification	Male	Female	
EL2 upper	6		
SES Band 1	7	2	
SES Band 2	2		
SES Band 3/COD2	1		
Total	17	2	

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

Classification	Male	Female	
Executive Level 2	2		
SES Band 2	2		
Total	4	0	

Office of Renewable Energy Regulator
During the 2004-05 financial year, one (1) female EL2 level officer, one (1) male EL2 level officer and one (1) male EL1 level officer.

Sydney Harbour Federation Trust
Not applicable.

Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No: 20
Sub Outcome:	
Division/Agency:	Department and Agencies
Topic:	Australian Workplace Agreements
Hansard Page ECITA:	Written Question on Notice

Senator Carr asked:
Can you tell me how many of the staff on AWA’s are paid more than the band for their classification under the certified agreement?

Answer/s:
Department of the Environment and Heritage
206 employees on AWAs are paid more than the top band salary for their classification under both the Department of the Environment & Heritage and the Australian Antarctic Division Certified Agreements.

Bureau of Meteorology
Seven

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
No staff on AWAs are paid more than the band for their classification under the certified agreement.

Office of Renewable Energy Regulator
During the 2004-05 financial year, three (3).

Sydney Harbour Federation Trust
Not applicable.

Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No: 21
Sub Outcome:	
Division/Agency:	Department and Agencies
Topic:	Australian Workplace Agreements
Hansard Page ECITA:	Written Question on Notice

Senator Carr asked:
Why were these staff not simply promoted to a higher classification?

Answer/s:
Department of the Environment and Heritage
The Department uses AWAs as part of its overall remuneration strategy. The Department considers the classification levels for these jobs are appropriate. However individual staff members may be paid more than the base salary for the position recognising their particular skills or levels of responsibility.

Bureau of Meteorology
Pay outcomes provided under AWAs are less than those applying to the next higher classification level.

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
See response to QoN 20;  Not applicable to the GBRMPA.

Office of Renewable Energy Regulator
At each classification there is a salary range across the Australian Public Service. This may or may not correspond to the salary range offered under the ORER Certified Agreement. In cases where it is considered necessary by management to attract and/or retain an officer to work in ORER it may be necessary to either match or exceed the salary offered to that officer in another department/agency or private enterprise.

Sydney Harbour Federation Trust
Not applicable.

Outcome:	1. Environment	Question No: 22, 23, & 24
Division/Agency:	Department and Agencies
Topic:	Performance Pay
Hansard Page ECITA:	Written Question on Notice
Senator Carr asked:
22: Is performance pay available under your department/agencies certified agreement?

23: If not how many staff in your Department/Agency are eligible for performance based pay?

24: Please provide a breakdown of performance pay awarded for this financial year to date including the following details:

(i)	How many staff have received performance pay?
(ii)	What levels are those staff at?
(iii)	What gender, a breakdown please?
(iv)	How much has each staff member received?
(v)	When did they receive it?
(vi)	What was the rationale for the awarding of performance pay in each instance?
(vii)	Did the Department/Agency head receive performance pay? How much? When? On what grounds?

Answers:
22.	Performance Pay is not available under the Certified Agreements of the following: 
•	the Department of the Environment and Heritage;
•	the Australian Antarctic Division;
•	the Bureau of Meteorology;
•	the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority;
•	the Office or the Renewable Energy Regulator; and
•	the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust.
Performance Pay was previously available under the former Australian Greenhouse Office Certified Agreement.

23 - 24
Department of the Environment and Heritage 
The following answers relate to performance payments paid in the 2004-05 financial year, the majority of which relate to the 2003-04 performance cycle:

23, 24 (i) – (iv)

Classification	Staff Eligible	Staff Paid	Amount Paid ($)	Average ($)	Range ($)	
		Female	Male	Total				
APS1-6	60	11	0	11	 $28,561 	 $2,596 	$1705 - $3714	
EL1	212	74	117	191	 $874,359 	 $4,578 	$490 - $9520	
EL2	155	41	101	142	 $859,299 	 $6,051 	$998 - $10892	
SES Band 1	31	8	22	30	 $245,898 	 $8,197 	$2308 - $17861	
SES Band 2 – 3	10	1	9	10	 $114,553 	 $11,455 	$7155 - $14657	
TOTAL	468	135	249	384	 $2,122,670 	 $5,528 	 	

Note:
- Does not include Principal Executive Officers or Agency Heads.
- The majority of payments relate to the 03-04 performance cycle. However, some payments relate to the 02-03 and 04-05 assessment cycles. 
- Includes payments made to Australian Greenhouse Office and National Oceans Office employees between 1 July 2004 and the Machinery of Government changes in October 2004 (based on staffing data at 30 June 2004 and 27 October 2004).

(v)	The bulk of payments were made in late August 2004 (relating to the 03-04 performance cycle), however as eligible employees cease with the Department, prorata payments are made to those people at varying times throughout the course of the year. 

(vi)	Payment of Performance Pay is conditional on the employee and their manager completing a performance assessment and are based on achievement against agreed performance criteria. 

(vii)	The Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has provided the following response on behalf of all Secretaries to which this question was asked – 
The performance assessment period for secretaries runs from 1 July to 30th June each year. Any performance pay which a secretary might have received in 2004-05 would therefore have related to performance during the 2003-04 financial year. Under the Prime Minister’s determination of secretaries’ remuneration and other conditions (which is made following advice from the Remuneration Tribunal), a secretary is eligible each year for performance pay of either 10% of total remuneration for superior performance or 15% for outstanding performance. However, it has been practice not to provide detailed/individual information on performance ratings and performance bonuses relating to secretaries. Such information has only been disclosed in aggregate form.
For the financial year 2003-04, performance bonuses paid to secretaries, as determined by the Prime Minister on the advice of the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Australian Public Service Commissioner, came to approximately $690,000.
Based on experience in systems overseas and the Commonwealth’s particular legislative framework including the APS Values, the following broad areas form the basis of assessment of the performance of secretaries over the performance cycle.
a.	Meet government objectives for the agency in a whole-of-government context (taking into account the Minister’s Charter Letter, the Portfolio Budget Statements, and any specific areas identified by the Minister).
b.	Provide strategic, high quality, frank, and timely advice to Ministers.
c.	Implement government decisions effectively (include major initiatives in recent years affecting the portfolio).
d.	Manage the department in a way that ensures efficient, effective and ethical use of Commonwealth resources, and that maintains or enhances its future capacity including in the area of succession planning.
e.	Provide leadership to the department: set a vision and strategic focus and motivate others; articulate a clear direction; and cultivate productive relationships between the department and external stakeholders.
f.	Maintain a high standard of professional and personal integrity; implement and promote the APS Values and the Code of Conduct.
Bureau of Meteorology
23.	As at June 2005, 19 staff were eligible for performance based pay.

24. (i) – (iv)
	Staff Paid				
Classification	Male	Female	Total	Amount Paid	Average	Range	
SES Bands 2 & 3 and equivalents 	3	0	3	$34,092.81	$11,364.27	$10908.48 - $11842.04	
SES Band 1 	8	1	9	$76,635.45	$8,515.05	$5385.52 -$9360.96	
Executive Level 2 	5	0	5	$34,020.40	$6,804.08	$1799.76 - $13005.66	
TOTAL	16	1	17	$144,748.66	$8,514.62		

(v)	Performance based pay was paid in November and December 2004 for ratings associated with the 2003/04 financial year.
(vi)	The assessment rationale was a rating scale against assigned tasks for each officer under their individual AWAs
(vii)	The remuneration arrangements for the Agency head are set out between the Minister and the Agency head. The amount of performance pay, if any, is determined by the Minister.

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
23.	As at 30 June 2005 four staff were eligible for performance based pay.

24 (i) – (iv)
Classification	Females	Males	Total Employees	Total Performance Pay	Average Performance Pay	Range	
Executive Level 2	0	2	2	$18,000	$9,000	$8,000-$10,000	
SES Band 1	0	1	1	$48,406 	$9,681*	$4,922 - $13,317	
SES Band 2	0	2	2				
TOTAL	0	5	0	$66,406	$9,487*	$4,922 – 
$13,317	
Note:
-	Does not include Agency Head.
*	Two officers received 2 payments during the year; one due to an oversight in the previous year; one including a pro-rata payment on cessation.
(v)	Three payments were made in July 2004. Three payments were made in August 2004 (relating to the 03-04 performance cycle), however as eligible employees cease with the GBRMPA, pro-rata payments are made to those people at varying times throughout the course of the year.

(vi)	Staff members were awarded performance pay for outstanding or superior performance at percentages specified in their AWA as assessed under the GBRMPA’s Performance Management System.
(vii)	The remuneration arrangements for the Agency head are set out between the Minister and the Agency head. The amount of performance pay, if any, is determined by the Minister.

Office of Renewable Energy Regulator
23.	During the 2004-05 financial year, 3 staff were eligible for performance based pay.

24.
(i)	Two (2).
(ii)	One (1) EL2 level officer and one (1) EL1 level officer.
(iii)	One (1) female and one (1) male officer.
(iv)	It is not appropriate to provide this information because of the limited number of officers involved create a privacy concern.
(v)	In one case payment was made on a fortnightly basis. In the other case, the payment was made in the first quarter of the 2004-05 financial year following the completion of the assessment process which began after 30 June 2004.
(vi)	A specified performance level.
(vii)	The remuneration arrangements for the Agency head are set out between the Minister and the Agency head. The amount of performance pay, if any, is determined by the Minister.

Sydney Harbour Federation Trust
23.	During the 2004-05 financial year, 1 staff member was eligible for performance based pay.

24.
(i)	Nil
(ii)	Not applicable
(iii)	Not applicable
(iv)	Not applicable
(v)	Not applicable
(vi)	Not applicable
(vii)	The remuneration arrangements for the Executive Director are set out between the Harbour Trust and the Executive Director in accordance with the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust Act 2001. The amount of performance pay, if any, is determined by the Trust.