DIMA Annual Report 1999-2000
Portfolio and departmental overview
Role, mission and tasks
The Portfolio consists of:
- the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMA)
- two statutory agencies - The Migration Review Tribunal (MRT), and the Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT)
- Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA)
- one company limited by guarantee - the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) Limited, and
- the following non-statutory bodies - the Ministerial Council of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, the Standing Committee of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, the Council for Multicultural Australia, the Refugee Resettlement Advisory Council, the Australian Citizenship Council and the Business Advisory Panel.
DIMA's mission is 'Australia, enriched through the entry and
settlement of people, valuing its citizenship and appreciating its
cultural diversity'.
The Department's core business is the managed entry of people to
Australia, the successful settlement of migrants and refugees
enabling them to participate equitably in society, and promotion of
the benefits of citizenship and cultural diversity.
The tasks assigned to the Department in the Administrative Arrangements Orders are:
- migration, including refugees, and temporary entry
- citizenship
- ethnic affairs
- post-arrival arrangements for migrants, other than migrant child education, and
- multicultural affairs.
The outputs and services provided by the Department overseas and in Australia include:
- visa services for migrants, temporary entrants (eg skilled workers), business visitors, students and tourists, including identifying those entitled to lawful entry into Australia.
- processing people moving into and out of Australia through Australian air and sea ports
- assessing the character, health and bona fides of applicants for entry into Australia
- identifying those entitled to the protection of Australia on humanitarian or other grounds and helping Australia fulfil its international obligations towards refugees and other humanitarian needs
- locating, detaining and removing unlawful non-citizens
- identifying and reducing people smuggling and other immigration malpractice and fraud
- increasing the ability of migrants to participate in Australian life, through settlement programs, including English language tuition and translating and interpreting services
- administering the Australian Citizenship Act 1948, and
- contributing to maintaining and further enhancing appreciation of Australia's cultural diversity within a framework of national unity.
Tribunals
The MRT aims to provide fair, just, economical, informal and quick review of certain migration, temporary residence and visitor visa decisions.
The RRT aims to provide fair, just, economical, informal and quick review of refused applications for protection visas.
The Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) is planned to start on 1 July 2001. It will absorb the functions of the MRT and the RRT. Responsibility for the ART will fall within the portfolio of the Attorney-General, with a purchaser/provider arrangement for immigration- and refugee-related matters with DIMA.
Corporate governance
The senior management arrangements of the Department are presented in the accompanying Departmental structure chart.
The Department's senior management team meets weekly, or more frequently if required, to review issues of strategic importance to the Department. The Executive includes:
- the Secretary (chair)
- the Deputy Secretary
- the Executive Coordinators, Business Solutions Group and Detention Strategy Group
- the First Assistant Secretaries who head each division of the Department, and
- the Chief Financial Officer.