Who We Are

Executives

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) is headed by the Secretary, Andrew Metcalfe and four deputy secretaries – Dr Wendy Southern PSM, Jackie Wilson, Peter Vardos PSM, and John Moorhouse.
See: Senior Staff

It has around 8000 staff (including 1000 locally engaged staff based at Australian diplomatic missions overseas) and an annual operating budget of $1.4 billion. The Translating and Interpreter Service also has around 1500 people on contract.

Key objectives

The department's key objectives, as set out in The DIAC Plan are to:

• manage the lawful and orderly entry and stay of people in Australia, including through effective border security
• promote a society which values Australian citizenship, appreciates cultural diversity and enables migrants to participate equitably.

The Australian Government takes its humanitarian responsibilities very seriously and Australia's offshore Humanitarian Program continues to rank in the top three humanitarian resettlement programs in the world (alongside the United States and Canada. In 2008-09, the government provided 13 500 places in its Humanitarian Program (up from 13 000 in the previous year) including 6500 for offshore refugees. In 2007-08, a total of 13 014 visas were granted under the program.

At the same time, the government looks to DIAC to ensure the integrity of Australia's borders. Border security is a key component of Australia's national security arrangements and the department works actively with other countries to curb the capacity of people smugglers and terrorists to circumvent border controls.

What we do

The purpose of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) is to 'enrich Australia through the well managed entry and settlement of people'.

The department's philosophy and future directions are set out in The DIAC Plan.
See: The DIAC Plan

DIAC is committed to ensuring that it is open and accountable, deals fairly and reasonably with clients and has staff that are well trained and supported. The department's operational theme is people our business.

Since its establishment in 1945, DIAC has managed the arrival and settlement in Australia of nearly seven million migrants from 200 countries, including more than 700 000 refugees under the Humanitarian Program.

During 2007-08, DIAC staff:

• helped around 143 000 people migrate to Australia
• resettled another 13 000 refugees under the Humanitarian Program
• issued a total of 4.6 million visitor and other temporary entry visas
• conferred Australian citizenship on more than 121 000 people and approved a further 107 600 to attend citizenship ceremonies and 15 000 by descent or resumption
• worked with other agencies to ensure the integrity of Australia's border.

The way forward

Following two major inquiries in 2005 which criticised aspects of the department's detention and compliance activities, the department embarked on a program of continuous and substantive reform to improve its structure and governance. The department also introduced vigorous compliance training for its staff, and undertook to build and configure more effective IT systems.

In 2008 the Secretary Andrew Metcalfe commissioned Ms Elizabeth Proust to assess the progress and effectiveness of the department's response to the 2005 inquiries.

Ms Proust's report, Evaluation of the Palmer and Comrie Reform Agenda – including Related Ombudsman Reports, recommended that the department continue to focus on building and maintaining a high performance culture now that most of the recommendations of the Palmer, Comrie and Ombudsman reports had been implemented.
See: Evaluation of the Palmer and Comrie Reform Agenda – including Related Ombudsman Reports (542KB PDF file)

The department has adopted the phrase people our business to highlight the priority it places on its key stakeholders, its clients and its own staff.

A Day in the Life video

Are you curious about what type of situation you may be presented with as a Department of Immigration and Citizenship employee? The video 'A Day in the Life' highlights the fast–paced and dynamic environment staff encounter on a daily basis.

Focussing on the department's theme, 'people our business', the video demonstrates the diversity of situations employees may find themselves in. The roles featured include airport liaison officers, client service officers, compliance field officers, case officers and community liaison officers.
See: ImmiTV–A Day in the Life – (streaming video)