Portfolio and departmental overview
The Immigration and Citizenship portfolio is tasked with managing:
- entry, stay and departure of non-citizens
- border (immigration) control and security
- the settlement of migrants and humanitarian entrants (other than migrant child education)
- citizenship
- multicultural affairs
- ethnic affairs.
The portfolio comprises the department, the Migration Review Tribunal and the Refugee Review Tribunal (MRT-RRT). The tribunals provide independent merits review of departmental decisions to refuse or cancel migration, temporary entry and protection visas and report separately.
Role and functions of the department
The mission of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship is to enrich Australia through the well managed entry and settlement of people.
The department is responsible for achieving the following two outcomes:
- Contributing to Australia’s society and its economic advancement through the lawful and orderly entry and stay of people.
- A society which values Australian citizenship, appreciates cultural diversity and enables migrants to participate equitably.
The department’s business is:
- managing the permanent and temporary entry of people to Australia
- enforcing migration law
- successfully settling migrants and refugees
- managing the acquisition of Australian citizenship
- promoting the benefits of citizenship and the balance between privileges, responsibilities, unity and diversity.
The department provides a range of services in Australia and overseas including:
- assessing the character, health and bona fides of applicants applying for entry into Australia
- issuing visas for migrants and temporary entrants, such as skilled workers, business visitors, students and tourists
- managing the entry and departure of people crossing the Australian border
- meeting Australia’s international protection obligations and contributing to the resettlement of refugees and those in humanitarian need
- deterring non-compliance with migration law and locating, detaining and removing unlawful non-citizens
- identifying and reducing irregular migration, people smuggling, people trafficking and other immigration malpractices and fraud
- increasing the ability of new permanent residents, particularly refugees, humanitarian entrants and family stream migrants with lower levels of English proficiency, to participate in Australian life through settlement programmes including English language tuition and translating and interpreting services
- promoting the value of Australian citizenship
- deciding applications for Australian citizenship and making decisions on citizenship status
- enhancing the understanding of Australia’s democratic structure and principles and maximising the benefits of Australia’s cultural diversity within a framework of national unity.
Legislation
The department administers the:
- Aliens Registration Repeal Act 1984
- Australian Citizenship Act 1948 (replaced on 1 July 2007)
- Immigration (Education) Act 1971
- Immigration (Education) Charge Act 1992
- Immigration (Guardianship of Children) Act 1946
- Migration Act 1958
- Migration Agents Registration Application Charge Act 1997
- Migration (Health Services) Charge Act 1991
- Migration (Visa Application) Charge Act 1997
- Migration (Sponsorship Fees) Act 2007 (commenced 28 June 2007)
This legislation (that is, the Acts and their associated regulations) is publicly available via ComLaw (www.comlaw.gov.au), the legal information retrieval system owned by the Australian Government Attorney-General’s Department. With the exception of the Aliens Registration Repeal Act and the Migration (Health Services) Charge Act, the legislation is also in LEGENDcom which can be accessed through the department’s website.
The DIAC Plan
In 2006-07, the department continued its commitment to a comprehensive reform and improvement programme introduced in the previous year as a response to the Palmer and Comrie reports. Part of that process involved launching The DIAC Plan 2007-08 (successor to The DIMA Plan 2006-07) which outlines the department’s future direction.
Strategic themes outlined in the plan are:
- an open and accountable organisation
- fair and reasonable dealings with clients
- well trained and supported staff.
Strategic priorities for the year focused on:
- implementing the Systems for People improvements
- implementing a major client service improvement programme
- building community and stakeholder confidence
- developing leadership and organisational capability
- implementing the Palmer Plus change and improvement programme effectively.
As professional public servants, departmental staff adhere to the Australian Public Service Values and Code of Conduct. As a business with a specific focus for the Australian Government, the department values:
Teamwork – Working collaboratively to achieve departmental business outcomes. Valuing diversity, actively seek contributions and commitment to open discussions. Operating as a team.
Service excellence – Striving for excellence in the delivery of services. Listening to stakeholders and customers and developing service solutions that meet their needs. The department is committed to being responsive, accessible and delivering services to prescribed and publicly available standards.
Respect – Showing respect for clients, stakeholders and other staff. Remaining approachable and listening to understand individual needs.
Openness – Remaining an open organisation, providing visibility and transparency of departmental processes. Listening and changing business practices based on feedback from clients and stakeholders.
Commitment – Staying committed to delivering government policy in a fair and reasonable way and constantly striving to improve policy and programme performance. Staying committed to other staff and supporting them in times of crisis–always going the extra mile. The department is also committed to a balanced work and personal life, respecting the needs of staff.
Advisory and consultative bodies
The following non-statutory bodies advised the portfolio during 2006-07:
- the Refugee Resettlement Advisory Council
- the Immigration Detention Advisory Group
- the Detention Health Advisory Group
- the Muslim Community Reference Group.
The department also consults with the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA) and represents the Australian Government interest in one company limited by guarentee, the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters Ltd.
Changes
On 30 January 2007, the name of the department changed from the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
At the same time, the Hon Kevin Andrews MP replaced Senator the Hon Amanda Vanstone as the minister responsible for the portfolio. The Hon Teresa Gambaro MP replaced the Hon Andrew Robb MP as paliamentary secretary before being appointed Assistant Minister for Immigration and Citizenship on 21 March 2007.
The Migration Review Tribunal and the Refugee Review Tribunal were reconstituted as a single administrative entity from 1 July 2006.
