DIMIA Annual Report 2001-02
ETHICAL STANDARDS
The department developed a values statement during the year as one of its human resource management priorities.
The statement draws together corporate values within the framework of the legislated APS Values but reflecting the department's unique operating environment as an outcomes focused organisation with a service delivery role and operating in diverse and challenging environments in Australia and overseas.
A review of the department's Code of Conduct and the investigation and decision making procedures supporting it was commenced during the year in consultation with the National Staff Consultative Forum.
The review is taking into account findings in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission in relation to procedural arrangements in the department.
The following issues have arisen in relation to conduct management during the year: the use of e-mail and the Internet; work attendance; interpersonal relationships; recruitment; and threatening behaviour.
The department delivered Code of Conduct training to some 2,000 staff during the year.
This training was expanded to include training on the appropriate use of the internet and e-mail.
A course for managers/supervisors is in preparation on conduct issues and effective management techniques.
A total of 187 allegations relating to the conduct of departmental staff was received during the period under review (208 in 2000-01). During 2001-02, 345 investigations were closed (373 in 2000-01), of which 92 percent were unfounded (95 per cent in 2000-01).
During this period, three matters were found to involve a serious possibility of criminal behaviour and were referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions for criminal prosecution.
In addition, two locally engaged employees had their employment terminated for activities of a criminal nature and two resigned while under investigation.
Of the remaining allegations that were found to have some substance, and were dealt with under the department's Code of Conduct procedures, five employees in Australia had their employment terminated, two were fined, assigned other duties or demoted, and one was formally reprimanded without any other sanction applied. Two employees resigned while under investigation.
Five employees lodged appeals at the Australian Industrial Relations Commission against unfair dismissal during this period.
The Commission found in favour of the department on one occasion and four appeals were resolved to the satisfaction of the department without going to a full hearing.
There were no decisions of the Commission adverse to the department.
At the end of the period under review, there were no matters unresolved before the Commission.
There have been no applications for a review of actions, in regard to decisions on conduct matters, which involved penalties other than the termination of employment.
Internal investigations are overseen by an Internal Investigations Steering Committee, chaired by a Deputy Secretary, to ensure thorough investigations of all reports alleging criminal conduct by employees.
MANAGEMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES
The department has 4,059 employees, 58.5 per cent of whom are women. 37.5 per cent of staff in the Senior Executive Service are women, while 48.3 per cent of staff in the Executive Level 1 and 2, and equivalent professional groupings, are women.
Details of the department's staffing profile are at Appendixes 3 to 5.
The focus of the department's human resource strategies during the year has been to identify its strategic human resource priorities within the employer of choice framework outlined in the planning document, Investing for 2005 and Beyond.
The department's human resource priorities have been set out in the Investing in People strategy under the following key themes:
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improved business and workforce planning
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corporate values
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training and development, including the development of core capabilities
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leadership development
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optimising flexibilities available in the employment framework.
The period of strong growth in the department's workforce has ceased, giving time to consolidate human resource strategies and activities.
At the same time, the department's workforce planning was the subject of a performance audit by the Australian National Audit Office.
The audit found that the department needs to invest in more strategic workforce planning to support effective human resource management and the delivery of its business.
As part of a departmental focus on improved business planning and performance reporting, work was commenced on the development of a workforce plan during the year. It has been identified as a priority area in the Investing in People strategy.
Implementation of the department's second Certified Agreement, which was finalised shortly before the commencement of the financial year, was successful with an internal compliance audit revealing no major implementation problems.
The department uses Australian Workplace Agreements (AWA) for the Senior Executive Service (SES) and in a targeted way to address identified business needs.
Thirty-nine Senior Executive Service staff and 130 non-SES staff are covered by AWAs. Non-salary benefits are provided to staff under AWAs who have managerial responsibilities.
The benefits may include private plated Commonwealth vehicles, mobile phones for work and reasonable private use, access to a personal computer and departmental software at the staff member's place of residence and assistance with school fees (for staff who are relocating for work purposes).
Details of the salaries paid to staff by classification are in Appendix 6.
Staff continued to have access to a wide range of learning and development activities.
The key tool for identifying and planning the training and development needs of individual staff are individual Performance and Learning Agreements (as part of the department's performance management scheme).
The department plans its training priorities around emerging business priorities. Business areas develop and deliver department-wide training relevant to business needs.
This includes operational and administrative training, including decision making and legal processes. Corporate training efforts focused on induction, conduct and ethics, resource management and information technology.
Information technology has continued to be a focus of training and development activity. An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) training and development program was implemented with a focus on making staff more efficient and productive in the use of desktop applications.
This followed on from the training needs analysis conducted by the department last year. The ICT training program ran from March 2002 to June 2002 and consisted of a combination of formal training, just-in-time training and training at individual desktops.
The objective of the program was to improve staff skills and efficiency in utilising desktop applications and ultimately increase organisational productivity. More than 3,000 staff were trained in the training sessions provided. Feedback has been very positive.
Under the department's devolved human resource management model, responsibility for identifying training and development needs has rested with the line manager and business areas.
During the year, under the auspices of the Investing in People strategy, the department commenced a number of processes to give a stronger departmental direction and focus to learning and development activity.
These included the identification of core capabilities required by staff across the department as the basis for an integrated national learning and development strategy.
These initiatives will be aided by the review of the department's Performance and Learning Scheme which will look at the extent to which the Scheme supports training and development. These various initiatives will be implemented in the coming year.
The Certified Agreement contains a commitment that staff and the department will work together to deliver productivity improvements through embracing change and improved business practices.
The Agreement provides increased flexibility in service delivery through the capacity to recruit staff to non standard hours of duty while providing flexible working arrangements that enable staff to balance work and family commitments.
The allowance structure has been rationalised to achieve simplification and to provide greater flexibility.
In particular, the Agreement introduces a flexible multi-tiered Remote Area and Exceptional Circumstances Allowance which substitutes for previous entitlements that were accrued on an hourly basis, required detailed recording and were expensive to administer.
The Agreement also extends the length of the working day by four minutes.
SES REMUNERATION
Members of the Senior Executive Service in the department are remunerated through Australian Workplace Agreements which provide for a base salary, a limited range of fringe benefits and performance pay (see Appendix 2).