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About the Department

DIMA Annual Report 1996-97

External and internal scrutiny

No reports tabled by the Auditor General were of particular policy or operational significance to the Department.

Reporting on complaints from the Ombudsman, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission and on Freedom of Information applications may be found under sub-program 9.1.

Reporting on decisions by the courts and administrative tribunals may be found under sub-programs 5.1 and 5.2 respectively.

The Departmental Audit and Evaluation Committee (DAEC) oversees the internal audit function within the Department.

A range of audits was conducted against the DAEC-approved Internal Audit Program, which is primarily focused on management systems and operational aspects of the Department's activities.

Although minor inefficiencies and control weaknesses were identified as a result of audit activity, no serious anomalies were found.

Recommendations made against each audit to improve performance or overcome control weaknesses were generally accepted by management and subsequently addressed.

Fraud control activities included fraud awareness presentations to more than 650 departmental staff, the introduction of procedural instructions for the investigation of immigration fraud, the commencement of a program to train all fraud investigators to the accreditation level set in the Fraud Policy of the Commonwealth, and contributing to the development of national competency standards for fraud prevention, detection and investigation.

There were 55 briefs of evidence in relation to fraud referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) resulting in 52 prosecutions and 47 convictions.

In 230 cases, administrative remedies were applied.

The Department made submissions to the following Parliamentary committee inquiries which tabled reports during 1996-97:

  • Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade — inquiry into Hong Kong's transfer to Chinese sovereignty.
  • Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade — inquiry into Australia's relations with southern Africa.
  • Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works — inquiry into the expansion of international passenger terminal facilities, Sydney, NSW.
  • Senate Legal and Constitutional Legislation Committee — inquiry into the Administrative Review Council.
  • Senate Legal and Constitutional References Committee — inquiry into the Australian legal aid system.
  • Senate Finance and Public Administration References Committee — review of the order for the production of indexed lists of departmental files.
  • Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade — inquiry into the implications of Australia's service exports to Indonesia and Hong Kong.
  • Senate Legal and Constitutional Legislation Committee — inquiry into the provisions of the Social Security Amendment (Newly Arrived Resident's Waiting Periods and Other Measures) Bill 1996.

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