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About the Department

DIMA Annual Report 2000-01

Portfolio and departmental overview - continued

Corporate governance

The senior management arrangements of the department are presented in the accompanying departmental structure chart.
New executive arrangements were established in September 2000. A Management Board was established to review issues of strategic importance to the department. It meets fortnightly or more frequently if required. The Board provides leadership in setting objectives, strategies and plans for DIMA, ensures that strategic risks are identified and managed, establishes medium and long-term workforce planning strategies, oversights performance monitoring and review and ensures the allocation and expenditure of the DIMA budget is consistent with government objectives. Membership includes:

  • the Secretary (Chair)

  • the Deputy Secretary and Executive Coordinator

  • the First Assistant Secretaries who head each Division of the department

  • the Chief Financial Officer

  • two State directors.

During 2000-01 the department also established a Finance Committee to provide strategic guidance to the Management Board on significant financial matters. It meets every two months and provides advice on annual budget allocations to program areas, monitors expenditure against budget allocations, provides advice on strategic financial management issues, considers the merits of investment proposals and reviews issues associated with DIMA's competitive tendering and contracting arrangements and the output pricing review undertaken in 2000-01.

In February 2001 the Departmental Security Steering Committee (DSSC) was re-constituted to determine the strategic direction and planning for security within the department in accordance with the guidelines dictated by Government policy and legislation.

This encompasses: people (staff and clients); information (electronic and hardcopy) held by individuals, specifically that of intellectual property; and assets (buildings and equipment).

The Departmental Audit and Evaluation Committee (DAEC) also meets regularly. It provides regular assurance to the Secretary on the efficiency, effectiveness and probity of the department's activities, particularly in relation to the expenditure of allocated funds, the presentation of DIMA's year-end financial statements and management issues that arise during audit processes.

The department's first Certified Agreement established a National Staff Consultative Forum which operated throughout 2000-01. Its purpose was to consult with staff and their representatives. It comprised:

  • the Deputy Secretary (Chair)

  • three other management representatives, usually the First Assistant Secretary, Corporate Governance Division, the Assistant Secretary, Personnel Branch and the Director of the Employment Conditions and Policy Section

  • the National Industrial Officer of the Community and Public Sector Union

  • three elected staff representatives

  • three representatives of employee organisations.

The term of the Forum ended on 31 May 2001, when the department's second Certified Agreement was certified. The second agreement established a new forum which will hold its first meeting in October 2001.

Planning and performance reporting

During 2000-01 the department developed a statement of its key business directions and investment priorities.Business Directions 2001-2003 was launched to staff, providing broad statements of the department's goals and high-level guidance for staff in the nature of a Corporate Plan.
Investing in 2005 and Beyond is a more detailed blueprint for service improvement and business process reform which focuses on dealing with the nature and volume of processing workloads over the next five years and beyond.

The Portfolio Budget Statements continue to describe the department's key strategic directions, some strategies and resources for the year. Business units develop their own annual plans to support delivery of the strategic priorities outlined in Business Directions 2001-2003 and Investing in 2005 and Beyond and the Portfolio Budget Statements.

The Performance and Learning Scheme introduced in 1999-2000 continues to support implementation of the department's business priorities. Feedback on the scheme from staff was broadly positive.

External performance reporting is prepared on an outcomes, outputs and output-components basis. The department's activities deliver eight outputs:

  • Output 1.1 Non-humanitarian entry and stay

  • Output 1.2 Refugee and humanitarian entry and stay

  • Output 1.3 Enforcement of immigration law

  • Output 1.4 Safe haven

  • Output 2.1 Settlement services

  • Output 2.2 Translating and interpreting services

  • Output 2.3 Australian citizenship

  • Output 2.4 Appreciation of cultural diversity.

The department remains committed to improving its performance indicators over time and as it grows in experience at managing in an outcomes and outputs framework.

Thus, at the Management Board's request, the Finance Committee initiated a review of external reporting performance indicators in 2000-01 during purchasing agreement negotiations. At this time the department had just had its first experience at reporting under the new outcomes and outputs framework and had received additional guidance circulated by the Department of Finance and Administration. The revised indicators were published in the Portfolio Budget Statements 2001-02 and will be reported against for the first time in the next annual report.

Internal performance reporting to the Management Board is undertaken biannually by each division and state office. A range of other performance information is regularly provided to line managers in relation to the relevant area under their management.

A report on the department's performance in 2000-01 follows.

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