DIMA Annual Report 1999-2000
Review by the Secretary (continued)
Border control and compliance
The unprecedented level of unauthorised boat arrivals during the year created significant pressures on the Department's detention operations, requiring the re-commissioning of immigration processing and reception centre (IPRC) facilities at the RAAF base in Curtin, Western Australia and the construction of a new IPRC at Woomera in South Australia.
At the peak of boat arrivals during 1999-2000, Curtin accommodated approximately 1,200 unauthorised boat arrivals, with more than 1,400 at Woomera.
In response to this situation a detention strategy group was established, headed by a senior officer as executive coordinator responsible for:
- ongoing and new detention infrastructure development
- managing the process leading to a decision on whether to extend or re-tender the detention services contract and resulting implementation
- managing the review of security at detention centres, and
- coordinating work across divisions to provide the most efficient possible entry/visa processing arrangements of unauthorised arrivals while ensuring high levels of integrity in these processes.
As well as developing a flexible, long-term strategy for providing detention facilities, key initiatives included:
- implementation of the Border Protection Amendment Act 1999 which strengthened the Commonwealth's powers to chase, intercept, board and search suspected illegal vessels
- legislative changes to increase penalties in the Migration Act for people smuggling
- stronger character requirements for people wanting to migrate or stay temporarily in Australia (the onus now rests with non-citizens to demonstrate that they meet the character criteria and people with certain levels of criminal record are now automatically considered unable to meet character requirements), and
- implementing aspects of the Government's External Reference Group's report on the Review of Illegal Workers In Australia, including a new Work Rights Declaration form to help employers and labour suppliers check work rights.
Settlement and multicultural affairs
The unprecedented events referred to above saw the Department drawing heavily on its settlement and multicultural affairs resources to achieve outcomes in areas not directly associated with its ongoing work of assisting the participation of permanent settlers in Australia's multicultural society.
The skills of settlement and multicultural affairs staff played a major role in the provision of human support services at the safe havens for Kosovars and East Timorese around Australia and the Department was able to utilise established networks to harness community support and deal with community relations issues arising from the safe havens.
Similarly, settlement and multicultural affairs staff had a significant involvement in the post-visa arrangements for temporary protection visa (TPV) holders and in monitoring community relations issues related to people smuggling and Australia's response.
The Department continued to promote the National Integrated Settlement Strategy (NISS) and to engage partners at the Commonwealth, State and Territory level as a means of providing a supportive settlement environment. A Community Input Guide was produced by the Refugee Resettlement Advisory Council (RRAC) aimed at encouraging community participation in settlement policy and planning.
A major Community Settlement Service (CSS) scheme grants round was conducted, with grants being awarded for periods of 12, 24 or 36 months. The re-introduction of longer periods for these grants will enable the recipients to reach settlement planning and deliver goals in a planned, sustained manner.
A competitive request for proposals (RFP) for humanitarian settlement services was released on 27 November 1999. The RFP covered a range of core services required by newly-arrived refugees and humanitarian entrants to help their initial settlement in Australia.
Interpreting activities in the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) grew significantly over the year as a result of support given to the safe haven arrangements and the requirements arising from the processing of unauthorised arrivals at immigration reception and processing centres.
The Government's multicultural policy statement A New Agenda for Multicultural Australia was released on 9 December 1999 in response to the report of the National Multicultural Advisory Council (NMAC). NMAC ceased on 9 December with the announcement by the Minister of a new Council for Multicultural Australia.
The Council, under the chairmanship of Mr Neville Roach AO, comprises a cross-section of prominent Australians to help carry forward the new agenda and ensure that Australia reaps the benefits of its cultural diversity.
Australian citizenship
The Australian Citizenship Council, chaired by Sir Ninian Stephen, submitted its report to the Government, Australian Citizenship for a New Century, following a far-reaching public inquiry. The report identified major issues relevant to the place of citizenship in Australian society and made 64 recommendations which addressed broader issues of citizenship as well as Australian citizenship policy and law.
Community awareness of and interest in Australian citizenship was enhanced by the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Australian citizenship which culminated on Australia Day 2000.
Process improvement
To ensure the Department was well placed to deliver efficient, effective quality outputs to Government during 1999-2000 the Department:
- progressed workplace relations reforms and began developing a new workplace agreement which will place the Department in the best position to attract and retain good staff and deliver quality outcomes
- managed Year 2000 compliance of the Department's systems, developed an enterprise-wide technical architecture to support long-term business requirements, and worked closely with its strategic partner on application development, Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), on improving information technology solutions
- further improved its financial assurance, revised purchasing arrangements to help manage its resources and prepared itself for the goods and services tax from 1 July 2000. A review of the Department's cost of producing outcomes was initiated, including activity-based costing and bench marking. Consistent with Government decisions on Competitive Tendering and Contracting (CTC), the Department established a CTC Task Force to co-ordinate further detailed review of its corporate services, and
- conducted competitive tendering of litigation services for the first time to support processing of the Department's growing litigation caseload (the new panel of providers will provide litigation services from 1 July 2000).
Also during the year, the first e-business solutions for DIMA occurred with introduction of a student visa pilot to allow universities to lodge applications for student work visas.
The Community Information Network project enhanced the delivery of settlement-related information and statistical data through DIMA's web pages.
The search for more efficient and cost-effective service resulted in expansion of on-line services; migration packs and forms were made available through the DIMA web site; and arrangements were introduced to enable employers to check a register of skilled migration applicants through the web site, thereby linking job-seekers with potential employers.