DIMIA Annual Report 2004-05
Departmental overview
MISSION
The mission of the department is:
Australia, enriched through the entry and settlement of people; valuing its heritage, citizenship and cultural diversity recognising the special place of Indigenous people as its original inhabitants.
ROLE AND FUNCTIONS
The department manages the permanent and temporary entry of people to Australia, enforces immigration law, settles migrants and refugees, promotes the benefits of citizenship and cultural diversity and works with other portfolio agencies and departments to advance the social, economic and cultural interests and status of Indigenous people. The tasks assigned to the portfolio are:
- entry, stay and departure arrangements for non-citizens
- arrangements for the settlement of migrants and humanitarian entrants, other than migrant child education
- border (immigration) control
- citizenship
- ethnic affairs
- Indigenous affairs and reconciliation
- multicultural affairs.
The services provided by the department overseas and in Australia include:
- assessing the character, health and bona fides of people applying for entry into Australia
- issuing visas for migrants and temporary entrants (for example, tourists, students and business visitors)
- processing people moving into and out of Australia
- meeting Australia's international protection obligations and contributing to the resettlement of refugees and those in humanitarian need through the delivery of the Humanitarian Program
- locating, detaining and removing unlawful non-citizens and deporting non-citizens found not to be of good character
- identifying and reducing irregular migration, people smuggling, trafficking in persons and other immigration malpractice and fraud
- increasing the ability of eligible settlers, particularly the recently arrived, to participate in Australian life, through settlement programs including English language tuition and translating and interpreting services
- promoting the value of Australian citizenship and making decisions on citizenship status
- contributing to maintaining and further enhancing an appreciation of Australia's cultural diversity within a framework of national unity
- providing policy advice on Indigenous issues and reconciliation
- coordinating whole-of-government innovative policy development and service delivery in Indigenous affairs across the Australian Government.
MINISTERS
The department is responsible to two ministers:
- the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, Senator the Hon. Amanda Vanstone
- the Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, the Hon. Gary Hardgrave MP (to 26 October 2004) and the Hon. Peter McGauran MP (26 October 2004 to 30 June 2005).
PORTFOLIO STRUCTURE
The portfolio consists of:
- The Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (the department), including the Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination (OIPC).
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC)-to 24 March 2005
ATSIC was established by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission Act 1989 (ATSIC Act) to develop policies and manage programs to overcome disadvantage and improve the economic status and social wellbeing of Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders living outside the Torres Strait region. ATSIC ceased on 24 March 2005 on the proclamation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act 2005. - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Services (ATSIS)-to 30 June 2005
In 2003-04, all individual funding decisions about programs formerly delivered by ATSIC were made by ATSIS, an executive agency. ATSIS acted as ATSIC's agent in the year under review and ceased on 30 June 2005. - Indigenous Land Corporation (ILC)
The ILC aims to provide economic, environmental, social and cultural benefits for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by assisting in the acquisition and management of an Indigenous land base. - Migration Review Tribunal (MRT)
The MRT is an independent merits review tribunal established to provide fair, just, economical, informal and quick merits review of decisions of the department to refuse or cancel certain visas. - Office of the Registrar of Aboriginal Corporations (ORAC)
The Registrar of Aboriginal Corporations is an independent statutory officer appointed by the Minister. The Registrar administers the Aboriginal Councils and Associations Act 1976, which provides Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, groups and organisations with a means of incorporation including the flexibility to take account of Indigenous customs and traditions. - Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT)
The RRT is an independent merits review tribunal established to provide fair, just, economical, informal and quick merits review of decisions of the department to refuse or cancel protection visas to non-citizens in Australia. - Regional Councils-to 30 June 2005
The Regional Councils established under the ATSIC Act ceased on 30 June 2005. - Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA)
The TSRA formulates, implements and monitors the effectiveness of programs for Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginal persons living in the Torres Strait area and provides advice to the Minister about Torres Strait Islander regional issues. - Northern Land Council
- Central Land Council
- Anindilyakwa Land Council
- Tiwi Land Council
The four Northern Territory Land Councils are each independent statutory bodies established pursuant to section 21 of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 (the ALR Act). Their functions are to ascertain and express the wishes and the opinion of traditional Aboriginal owners as to the management of Aboriginal land in respective areas; protect their interests; assist Aboriginals claiming to have a traditional land claim in pursuing those claims; consult with traditional Aboriginal owners of, and other Aboriginals interested, with respect to any proposal relating to the use of that land; and assist with carrying out commercial activities on that land (including resource development, the provision of tourist facilities and agricultural activities).
- Aboriginal Land Commissioner
The Aboriginal Land Commissioner is an independent statutory officer appointed by the Governor-General under the ALR Act. The principal functions of the Aboriginal Land Commissioner are to consider applications being made by or on behalf of Aboriginals claiming to have a traditional land claim to an area of land to ascertain whether those Aboriginals or any other Aboriginals are the traditional Aboriginal owners of the land; and to report his findings to the Minister and to the Administrator of the Northern Territory, and where he finds that there are Aboriginals who are the traditional Aboriginal owners of the land make recommendations to the Minister for the granting of the land or any part of the land. - Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council
The Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council is an independent statutory body established under section 4 of the Aboriginal Land Grant (Jervis Bay Territory) Act 1986. In summary, the functions of the Council are to hold title to Aboriginal land; exercise, for the benefit of the members of the Community, the Council's powers as owner of Aboriginal land and of any other land owned by the Council; to make representations to the Minister in relation to land that the Council considers should become Aboriginal land and in relation to other relevant matters; in consultation with the Minister, to consider and, where practicable, take action for the benefit of the Community in relation to the housing, social welfare, education, training or health needs of the members of the Community; provide community services to members of the Community; protect and conserve natural and cultural sites on Aboriginal land; engage in land use planning in relation to Aboriginal land; manage and maintain Aboriginal land; and conduct business enterprises for the economic and social benefit of the Community.
Non-statutory bodies
The following non-statutory bodies advise the portfolio: the Council for Multicultural Australia, the Refugee Resettlement Advisory Council, the Immigration Detention Advisory Group and the National Indigenous Council. There is also extensive consultation with the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA). Membership of these bodies at 30 June 2005 can be found in Appendix 1. The portfolio represents the Commonwealth interest in one company limited by guarantee-the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) Limited.
Figure 1: ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE as at 30 June 2005
Figure 1a.
Figure 1b.
Figure 2: OUTCOME AND OUTPUT STRUCTURE as at 30 June 2005
WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT OUTCOME (DIMIA MISSION STATEMENT) |
