DIMA Annual Report 1996-97

Sub-program 9.1: Ministerial and Executive Services

Objective

To provide high level support to the Minister and the Executive, and enhance community awareness and understanding of Portfolio policies and programs.

Description

The sub-program supports the Minister and the Executive through the coordination of responses to parliamentary questions, ministerial correspondence and parliamentary committee reports; the coordination of briefs, speeches and messages related to the range of Portfolio activities; the provision of secretariat services to the Ministerial Council on Immigration and Multicultural Affairs and its Standing Committee of Senior Officials; the provision of a range of administrative support to the Minister's office; the coordination of responses to Parliamentary Committee reports, the Ombudsman, the Privacy Commissioner and the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC); and the provision of advice on the preparation and handling of Cabinet documents.

The sub-program also provides professional advice and assistance on media matters generally, and on the development and implementation of information programs to enhance community awareness and understanding of Portfolio policies and programs.

The Ministerial and Communications Branch is responsible for administering this sub-program.

Financial and staffing resources summary

	1996-97 Budget and AEs $'000s	1996-97 Actual $'000s	1995-96 Actual $'000s
Budgetary (cash) basis
Components of appropriations
Annual appropriations
Running costs	14 408	12 655	16 294
Other program costs	-	-	-
Total appropriations	14 408	12 655	16 294
Less adjustments	345	361	539
Total outlays	14 063	12 294	15 755
Total revenue	-	-	-
Staffing
Staff years (actual)	80	73	90

Performance information

Outcomes are measured against the efficiency and timeliness with which the following services are delivered:

1. support to the Minister and the Executive; and
2. development and dissemination of portfolio information.

Performance outcomes

(i) Support to the Minister and the Executive

Some 18 568 items of ministerial correspondence were received, an increase of 81 per cent on 1995-96, and all items were distributed in the Department within 48 hours of receipt.

The average monthly overdue rate was 21 per cent and some 89 per cent were signed by the Minister without change to the format or content, an improvement of one per cent and five per cent respectively.

In consultation with the Minister's office, new arrangements were developed to deal with a significant proportion of the incoming correspondence.

These included the development of a new approach to correspondence asking the Minister to exercise his power to intervene under the Migration Act 1958, following an unsuccessful application for review of a decision to refuse to grant a permanent visa.

Correspondents who are not directly involved in the matter are sent a standard response advising that their letter will be taken into account at the appropriate time and that the outcome of the request to the Minister will be conveyed directly to the person concerned.

Applicants and migration agents requesting the Minister to intervene are sent a standard response advising that they will be notified of the outcome of their request in due course.

A special correspondence unit was established in May 1997 to focus on the prompt preparation of standard responses.

Initially, the unit's principal task was to address the backlog of responses to correspondence asking the Minister to exercise his intervention power under the Migration Act 1958.

In the early part of 1997-98, the unit is expected to take on responsibility for the preparation of standard responses to letters concerning other portfolio matters.

The sub-program coordinated the preparation of some 1 020 possible parliamentary question and current issues briefs (620 in 1995-96), many of which were revised several times.

It also dealt with answers to 64 parliamentary questions on notice (34 in 1995-96).

Requests for some 1 129 policy briefs, speech notes, messages and function briefs were distributed throughout the Department and the responses monitored to ensure deadlines were met.

Advice was given on the preparation and arrangements for lodgment of 12 Cabinet papers (13 in 1995-96). Comments were coordinated in response to 92 draft Cabinet papers circulated by other portfolios (86 in 1995-96).

The total number of formal complaints from the Ombudsman and the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) finalised in the year was 100, four more than in the previous year. The average time taken to finalise these complaints was 80 days (84 in 1995-96).

• 83 formal and 233 informal Ombudsman complaints were received, with 81 and 231 respectively being finalised (82 and 279 in 1995-96). The average time taken to finalise complaints from the Ombudsman was 84 days for formal complaints and 11 days for informal complaints (80 and nine days in 1995-96); and
• 22 formal complaints were received from the HREOC (14 in 1995-96). Nineteen formal complaints were finalised, with an average time taken of 64 days (106 days in 1995-96). In addition, 12 informal complaints were received from HREOC during the year, with 10 finalised at an average of eight days each.

A total of 6 898 Freedom on Information (FOI) applications were received (7 079 in 1995-96), of which 70 per cent were finalised within the statutory 30 days (77.7 per cent in 1995-96). The average processing time was reduced from 25 days to 24. See part four, appendix three for the Department's statement on FOI.

(ii) Portfolio information

A particular focus for the sub-program during the year was the wide dissemination of factual information to promote informed debate on immigration and related issues:

• 38 new and 65 revised Fact Sheets were released under six category titles: Research and Statistical Information; Migrating to Australia; Humanitarian Issues; Temporary Stay in Australia; Post Arrival Issues and Services; and Compliance. The material was frequently used by the electronic and print media and others with an interest in the Portfolio;
• 112 ministerial and nine departmental media releases were produced; and
• support was provided to other sub-programs in the development, implementation and management of information campaigns, including those on changes to the migration program, Australia Day citizenship ceremonies, encouraging employers not to employ unlawful non-citizens, and the promotion of Refugee Week.

Information was provided in some 4 000 media and related calls resulting in the publication of factual information on portfolio related matters in a majority of the subsequent media reports and broadcasts.

A number of the calls were initiated by the sub-program following inaccurate reporting and, as expected, there were some successes.

An important tool for disseminating information quickly is the Department's Internet site which now attracts some 3 500 callers a week, an increase of 2 500 per week over the year. In addition, a 'fax on demand' service was introduced to provide interested parties with access to media releases and fact sheets as soon as they are released.

During the four month trial of this service, which provides access to approximately 190 documents and is user pays, calls increased from an initial 50 per month to 150.

A range of external and internal publications were produced with the assistance of the sub-program.

In some cases this involved full book pre-print production — for example, Australian Population Trends and Prospects 1996, the Diary ofMulticultural Events and Marrying and Migrating ... you have to work at it. The sub-program also produced brochures such as The Settlement DataBase — A vital statistical tool, and developed covers for publications, posters and logos.

The sub-program continued to monitor, and produce a weekly summary of, multicultural media articles of relevance to the Portfolio.

A new corporate image comprising a new logo, stationery and corporate colours was developed.

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