DIMIA Annual Report 2001-02
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The senior management responsibilities of the department are presented in the corporate structure chart.
The executive arrangements established in 2000 have strengthened the ability of the department to deliver on the agreed outcomes and outputs in a cost effective manner.
The Management Board provides leadership in setting objectives, strategies and plans for DIMIA consistent with the expectations of the government and the Ministers within an established framework.
The Board, through its reporting framework monitors and reviews the performance of output areas generally, including State and Territory offices.
The Finance Committee assists the Management Board to execute its financial management responsibilities and to monitor performance improvement initiatives.
In 2001-02 the internal allocation process was strengthened to better integrate resource allocation with the management of financial, technological and people resources.
The Finance Committee also oversights a range of service and integrity improvement initiatives, and activity based costing and benchmarking processes.
The creation of the Management Board and the Finance Committee has given greater strategic focus to our business processes and the implementation of the government's financial reform agenda in DIMIA.
A Risk Management framework has been developed to support our operations and will be implemented across the department progressively from 2002-03.
Over the past year significant improvements have been made in our financial procedures and practices and corporate IT support.
SAP 4.6 was implemented in April 2001 to support the financial improvements. The implementation of SAP HR in the 2002-03 financial year will further improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our corporate financial and human resource services.
The Departmental Audit and Evaluation Committee (DAEC) provides assurance to the Management Board on the integrity of the department's operations, through oversight of a substantial and targeted audit and evaluation program.
These senior management committees have been complemented by the creation of a People Management Committee in March 2002.
This provides a balance at the senior management level in recognising both human and financial resource impacts on our operations.
The People Management Committee's role is to:
-
provide advice to the Management Board to ensure that planning on human resources issues is consistent with government objectives and DIMIA's business directions
-
guide the development and implementation of human resource policies in DIMIA
-
strengthen the department's understanding of the impact of strategic human resources management on achieving high performance outcomes and on becoming an employer of choice
-
provide leadership and guidance on strategic people management issues
-
determine strategic staffing placements, including in state offices and overseas.
The department is committed to a partnership between management and staff as expressed in its Certified Agreement. The department is focused on strengthening its performance based culture by maximising every employee's ability and opportunity to contribute effectively.
The department has a National Staff Consultative Forum (NSCF) established under its Certified Agreement.
The NSCF meets three times a year and provides an opportunity for senior management, employee representatives and representatives of employee organisations to consult on conditions of employment including the implications of legislative, funding, organisational, technological and procedural changes for employees.
PLANNING AND PERFORMANCE REPORTING
Business Directions 2002-2005 provides broad statements of the department's goals by Outcome and Output category.
The essential purpose is as a high-level guide for DIMIA staff, and as a key corporate planning document.
The companion document, Investing for 2005 and Beyond, is a more detailed blueprint for service improvement and business process reform over a longer period.
It is a strategic plan to improve the way the department works in the next five years and beyond.
The Portfolio Budget Statements continue to describe the department's key strategic directions and resources for the year.
Business units develop their own annual plans to support delivery of the strategic priorities outlined in Business Directions 2002-2005, Investing for 2005 and Beyond, and the Portfolio Budget Statements.
During 2001-02 the department has built on these key business directions to improve planning and performance.
One initiative is the Investing in People strategy which sets out the department's priorities in people management for the next two years under an employer of choice framework.
The Performance and Learning Scheme introduced in 1999-2000 continues to support implementation of the department's business priorities. The scheme is currently being reviewed to ensure it is meeting the needs of both management and staff.
External performance reporting is prepared on an outcomes, outputs and output-components basis. The department's activities deliver ten 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 1.5 Offshore asylum seeker management
- Output 2.1 Settlement services
- Output 2.2 Translating and interpreting services
- Output 2.3 Australian citizenship
- Output 2.4 Appreciation of cultural diversity
- Output 3.1 Indigenous policy.
Internal performance reporting to the Management Board is undertaken biannually by each division and State/Territory office.
A range of other performance information is regularly provided to line managers in relation to the relevant area under their management.
The department remains committed to improving its performance indicators and is committed to achieving outcomes.
The Finance Committee reviewed external reporting and performance indicators in 2000-01 during purchasing agreement negotiations.
The revised indicators were reported in the Portfolio Budget Statements 2001-02, and these indicators are the basis for a report on the department's performance for 2001-02 later in this report.