The secretary's review
The purpose of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship is to enrich Australia through the well managed entry and settlement of people.
By this measure, the 2006-07 reporting year was one of the more successful in the department’s 62-year history. This success included the delivery of the largest ever skilled migration programme. These new residents will have a positive impact on skill shortages in the Australian economy for many years to come, assist in smoothing the impacts of demographic change and contribute to our rich cultural diversity.
The department also made significant progress in key initiatives such as the implementation of the citizenship test, reforms to the subclass 457 skilled temporary visa and in developing a major package of reforms to the General Skilled Migration programme.
This was in addition to the ongoing work in delivering our programmes in the areas of permanent migration and temporary entry, refugee and humanitarian entry, citizenship, multicultural affairs, settlement, border security, immigration compliance and immigration detention.
The department’s financial resources were strained during the year and we are working closely with relevant central agencies on that issue.
Over the year, the more than 7000 staff of the department continued to work across our 95 locations and varied functions to the three strategic themes of:
- being an open and accountable organisation
- having fair and reasonable dealings with clients
- having well-trained and supported staff.
The business and cultural transformation initiated in 2005 following the release of the reports by Mr Mick Palmer AO APM and Mr Neil Comrie AO APM, the Commonwealth Ombudsman and the Auditor-General, continued to gather pace and show positive results. A range of tools and capabilities are now in place to support the future good governance and administration of the department. These include strengthened capability in business planning, governance, budgeting and resource allocation, quality assurance, risk management, internal audit, information technology, stakeholder engagement, decision-making, training, values, leadership and communication.
Significant progress was made with rolling out the Systems for People business transformation programme, see page 13.
In this review, I will sketch out a few of the highlights and key developments that I consider to be of particular importance.
Commonwealth and Immigration Ombudsman’s reports on the 247 referred cases
In mid-2005, in light of the Palmer and Comrie inquiries into the detention of Cornelia Rau and Vivian Alvarez Solon, the government referred 247 cases which may have involved wrongful detention to the Commonwealth and Immigration Ombudsman for review.
During 2006 the ombudsman provided reports on two individuals – Mr T and Mr G – and two thematic reports on:
- mental health and incapacity
- children in detention.
In June 2007 the ombudsman completed his review and provided his final thematic reports to government on 2 July 2007. These thematic reports covered:
- detention process issues
- data problems
- notification issues
- other legal issues.
These reports relate to cases in the period from the late 1990s to 2005 where the department did or may have wrongfully detained individuals. The ombudsman has supplied individual assessments to the department, which are being reviewed in order to provide a remedy including compensation, where appropriate. The ombudsman found that almost all of the 247 referred cases were affected by legal and factual errors.
The department has agreed with nearly all of the recommendations contained in the reports, which expand upon similar issues identified in the Palmer and Comrie reports. The findings and recommendations are being addressed through a major reform programme across the department.
I and my predecessor have apologised fully and frankly for those mistakes, as well as making other reparations, with more to be done. We have worked closely with the ombudsman and his office over the past two years to ensure appropriate changes are made to our systems and processes. I am pleased to note the ombudsman’s acknowledgements of the progress my department is making in its reform process and thank him for his support and assistance.
In June 2007, we released a public update – Palmer report: two years of progress – on our reform process. I emphasise that no aspect of the department’s operations or people has been untouched in the transformation.
At 30 June 2007, the compensation case and reparation in the matter of the detention of Cornelia Rau were yet to be settled between all parties. The department expended substantial effort during the year to advance the settlement fairly and reasonably, in line with our obligation to act as a model litigant.
New ministers and change of name
On 30 January 2007, the Honourable Kevin Andrews MP was appointed as Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, with the Honourable Teresa Gambaro MP appointed as Parliamentary Secretary and subsequently appointed in March as Assistant Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. The department has sought to support the new ministers and respond quickly and appropriately to their preferred direction and approaches, including a new emphasis on Australian citizenship as the culmination of the migration journey. The department’s name changed, but the responsibilities of the department as described in the Administrative Arrangements Orders were unchanged.
Border security
Significant developments continued to occur in strengthening our border security systems, as a key element of administering effective migration programmes that will continue to receive the support of the parliament and the community.
These included improvements to the administration of the Movement Alert List which is the department’s principal electronic alert system, and improving identity security through the Document Verification Service.
Preparations for the introduction of the Maritime Crew visa on 1 July 2007 were completed with the passage of enabling legislation and the development of necessary support systems and capabilities. This visa, which becomes mandatory on 1 January 2008, will allow security checks to occur before crew are granted a visa to enter Australia and was a joint initiative with the Australian Customs Service.
The department continues to play a key role in whole-of-government strategies to prevent people smuggling. These strategies have reduced the number of people illegally arriving in Australia by boat. In the reporting period, however, there were a number of unauthorised boat arrivals including, in February, the arrival of 83 Sri Lankans off Christmas Island. These people did not have proper documentation. Eighty-two of the Sri Lankans were subsequently moved to Nauru, to have their claims for protection assessed, and one was transferred to Perth to receive medical treatment. The coronial inquest into the tragic loss on 15 October 2005 of those aboard the Immigration Response Vessel Malu Sara commenced on Thursday Island in April 2007 and was unresolved at the end of the reporting year. The department continues to cooperate fully with the coroner and other agencies such as Comcare.
Migration programme
During 2006-07 the department granted migration visas to 148 200 people, with more than 66 per cent being skilled migrants and their dependents.
The department also developed a major package of reforms to General Skilled Migration including giving greater emphasis to skilled work experience, an increase in the threshold requirements for English language proficiency and rationalisation of the visa structure. The reforms will improve even further the ‘job readiness’ of people coming to Australia under the General Skilled Migration visa classes.
During 2006-07, 46 680 visas were granted to principal applicants under the Temporary Business (Long Stay) subclass 457 visa programme, possessing identified skills to address current skills shortages in Australia.
Considerable work was undertaken to develop reforms to improve the effectiveness, fairness and integrity of the Temporary Business (Long Stay) visa (subclass 457). The department has taken a more targeted approach to monitoring compliance by subclass 457 sponsors with their sponsorship undertakings.
In June 2007, the Migration Amendment (Sponsorship Obligations) Bill was introduced into parliament, to provide tougher penalties for employers who do not abide by their sponsorship obligations.
An English language requirement will enable subclass 457 visa holders to more readily raise occupational health and safety concerns and be aware of their rights and obligations.
Refugee and humanitarian programmes
Australia continues to make an outstanding contribution to the resolution of world refugee problems through its Humanitarian Programme. Our offshore humanitarian resettlement programme continues to rank in the top three such programmes in the world.
During the reporting year, 13 017 visas were granted under our Humanitarian Programme with 11 186 of these granted under the offshore component. Our offshore resettlement activities took place in some of the most troubled regions of the world, with our intake coming from Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
I am particularly pleased that 980 visas were granted under our Woman at Risk programme, exceeding our nominal target and achieving the second highest intake of this particularly vulnerable group since the inception of this programme.
As part of a 16-agency Interdepartmental Committee, the department made a major contribution to reviewing and improving support for recently arrived humanitarian entrants. This work culminated in a comprehensive package worth more than $200 million over four years, announced in the May Budget. The department is one of six agencies funded through this measure to support people in the critical early weeks after arrival.
Australian citizenship, integration and cultural diversity
A record number of 169 123 people became Australian citizens by grant, descent and resumption in 2006-07.
Among many other highlights, the department finalised several years’ work on major reform to citizenship legislation, which saw the Australian Citizenship Act 1948 replaced by the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 on 1 July 2007.
A Citizenship Test and Values Statements Taskforce was established to develop and implement a formal citizenship test, with the intention of ensuring migrants have the capacity to fully participate in the Australian community as citizens.
The department continued to coordinate the implementation of the National Action Plan to Build on Social Cohesion, Harmony and Security, in consultation with the community and Commonwealth, state and territory government agencies. Through the National Action Plan, the department played a key role in supporting practical solutions to counter isolation and marginalisation and engaged the Australian community in better understanding issues arising from Australia’s cultural and religious diversity.
The Living in Harmony programme promotes Australian values including respect, community participation and a sense of belonging for everyone. Participation in Harmony Day grew in 2007 with more than 400 000 Australians taking part across the country.
Client service
As part of the department’s cultural and business transformation, a number of initiatives have commenced under the Client Service Improvement Programme, launched in June 2006. The four elements of the programme are ‘our presentation’, ‘hearing you’, ‘helping you’ and ‘our commitment’.
These include the establishment of a framework for regularly surveying clients, an expansion and review of our domestic and overseas contact centre network and the establishment of a Performance Management Committee to monitor the performance of our service delivery network and drive the adoption of better practices.
We conducted our first organisation-wide client satisfaction survey in the second half of the reporting year and I am pleased to note more than 80 per cent of the almost 4000 respondents were satisfied with the service provided by the department.
We have also centralised our client feedback and complaints management in the Global Feedback Unit based in Melbourne. This includes improved computer support and ensures we have a clear picture of themes, trends and systemic issues as they emerge across the service delivery network.
There has been a significant increase in the number of compliments received, especially relating to staff attitude. For example, one client indicated that the response she received to her feedback is ‘the perfect example of the new, positive, direction that the department is heading into’.
This work reflects our goal to get things right – first time and every time. The test of a client service organisation is not that mistakes are never made, but how we respond to our mistakes and learn from them.
To instil and reinforce a culture of excellence in our service delivery staff, I have instituted a regular Award for Client Service Excellence. The number and quality of nominations from our service delivery network for this award is always impressive.
Importantly for our vulnerable clients, the National Case Management Framework is now in place, with a network of about 50 case managers providing an holistic approach to managing clients with complex circumstances or who are considered to be vulnerable. For example, every person in immigration detention has a dedicated case manager to achieve the appropriate immigration outcome as quickly as possible.
The Community Care Pilot provides services to departmental clients who have complex needs and/or are considered to be vulnerable in the community. The 12 month pilot commenced in May 2006 in Sydney and Melbourne and an announcement was made, as part of the May 2007 Budget, that the pilot would be continued and extended to Queensland.
Immigration compliance and detention
In 2006-07 the department made significant progress on compliance business transformation to support the integrity of departmental programmes. This included a shift in focus towards a balance of prevention, deterrence and enforcement activities as reflected in the Compliance Programme Plan 2006-07.
This new focus is supported by enhanced training and procedures for the national compliance network.
Significant reforms were made to our approach to onshore detention, with a new strategy providing a sound base for onshore detention for the foreseeable future. We now have in place flexible arrangements, including accommodation and services, to meet the forecast demand for the next 10 years.
At 30 June 2007, 441 people were in immigration detention, representing a significant decrease of 41 per cent since the start of the reporting year. The introduction of alternative detention arrangements meant that of the 441 people in immigration detention at the end of the year, 65 were accommodated in community detention and 34 were living elsewhere, such as in foster care, private apartments, correctional facilities or hospitals.
Substantial improvements to the detention centres were made over the year with the continuation of alternative detention arrangements such as residential community options for people assessed as having various degrees of risk.
A highlight of the year was the release of the request for tender for detention services to immigration detention centres and health care services. These tenders showcase our revised approach to detention services, involving a new service delivery model with a range of services tailored to the different circumstances for people in detention.
Ongoing business and cultural transformation
At the beginning of the reporting year, I launched The DIMA Plan 2006-07, which sets out our high-level strategic priorities, appropriate values, leadership behaviours and performance focus. It became the framework for all our cascading business unit and workgroup planning. In the plan we articulated the key values we work to, in addition to the Australian Public Service (APS) values. These additional values include teamwork, service excellence, respect, openness and a commitment to delivering government policy in a fair and reasonable way. A successor plan – The DIAC Plan 2007-08 – was launched in mid-2007.
Our Immigration Dilemmas: Ethics, APS values and Leadership (IDEAL) package was developed under the auspices of our Values and Standards Committee and with the support of the Australian Public Service Commission. This management tool forms the basis for putting the APS and departmental values into practice and implementing a culture of ethical decision-making.
The establishment of the College of Immigration in July 2006 was a significant achievement in addressing the learning and development needs of our compliance, border security and detention staff.
The department’s internal and external communications programme within the National Communications Branch boasts a strong skill-set of public affairs officers, graphic designers, video/audio producers and account managers.
The department’s Communication Framework 2007-08 was introduced, as well as a new departmental brand which has been rolled out progressively in publications, offices, on websites and in all public documentation.
The branch was responsible for the introduction of a new monthly video news programme web streamed to staff computer desktops, as well as the delivery of a range of new digital products including all-staff addresses, training videos and corporate presentations.
International events and responses
Our international engagement is increasingly important as population flows and other global trends and influences gather pace. During the year we enhanced our engagement at global, regional and bilateral levels. Particular highlights were the former minister attending the UN High Level Dialogue on Migration and Development in New York in September 2006, our hosting of the Four Country Conference involving senior representatives from Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and our contribution to whole-of-government international counter-terrorism efforts.
The visit of Minister Andrews to Indonesia in May 2007 culminated in enhanced cooperation with Indonesian authorities on a broad range of immigration matters and border security. The minister also met with UNHCR and IOM representatives and was able to announce a package of measures to support intercepted asylum seekers in Indonesia.
During the year, the department contributed to the whole-of-government response to a range of international crises, including the evacuation from Lebanon. These crises and our involvement following the Jogjakarta plane crash in March 2007 demonstrated the very strong commitment of staff to their work and their willingness to go well beyond normal expectations of duty. I thank the many staff involved for their extraordinary efforts.
Significant international events receiving departmental support included the Pan Pacific Masters Games at the Gold Coast, the G-20 meetings in Melbourne and the 12th FINA World Swimming Championships and various APEC meetings through the introduction of an APEC travel authority. These were facilitated by the department’s International Event Coordinator Network tasked with promoting Australia as a destination for major events and facilitating the issue of visas to event participants.
Well-supported staff
Our staff work in 95 locations, including more than 1000 staff in 68 overseas posts.Sixty-two per cent of our staff are female and more than 15 per cent have declared they are from a non-English speaking background. Around 20 per cent have worked for the department for more than 10 years and 35 per cent for two years or less.
A major staff survey was conducted in May 2007, following on from a similar survey in December 2005. The results of the most recent survey were still being analysed and released to our staff at the end of the reporting year. Initial results show the department’s staff are highly dedicated and committed to the organisation’s purpose and values. The level of this dedication goes well beyond the public service norm.
Areas identified for further improvement included aspects of the leadership provided by the Senior Executive Service and in reducing work pressures and clarifying roles. Developing our leadership capability remains a strong focus of our cultural transformation, and we are working to address the areas for improvement highlighted in the survey, including through the launch of a new Performance Management Framework.
The Collective Agreement for 2007-10 was concluded in April with a ‘Yes’ vote of more than 90 per cent. The agreement includes significant business improvements and lays the platform for the future of our workforce in a climate of increasing skills shortages and demographic change.
Feedback
I should like to quote from the media release accompanying the reports issued by the Commonwealth Ombudsman on the 247 cases referred to him in 2005 and 2006. The ombudsman commented ‘...that DIAC has been working to address many of the issues identified in these and other reports for the past two years and is making significant headway in the process of reform’.
I was also delighted that the department won the award for the online version of our annual report for 2005-06. These awards are an initiative of the Institute of Public Administration Australia and are adjudicated by independent judges from outside the public service. We were also placed in the top seven finalists for our printed annual report. I was pleased to have this external confirmation that we are living our goal of being an open and accountable organisation.
Charitable and community activities
I believe one of the measures of a healthy workplace is the extent to which we recognise our obligations as part of the wider community, as well as supporting charitable organisations.
Over the year, reinvigorated social clubs across our many locations have arranged activities resulting in the donation of many tens of thousands of dollars to charitable causes, including Pink Ribbon Day events to raise awareness and support breast cancer research.
The department continues to be highly ranked against other organisations in the extent of our Red Cross blood donations, with a convincing ‘win’ in the category for the highest number of donations in the public sector in Canberra for 2006.
In December 2006, the department’s Workplace Giving Programme was launched by Tim Costello AO, the Chief Executive of World Vision Australia and myself. Since then, more than $55 000 has been donated to 21 organisations selected by our employees including beyondblue, World Wildlife Fund, the RSPCA, Oxfam, World Vision and the Cancer Council.
I am also a White Ribbon Ambassador, with the responsibility to encourage other men to speak out for the elimination of violence against women.
Conclusion
The 2006-07 year has been an intense effort within available resources to implement an ambitious change and reform agenda, introduce further reform initiatives, effectively manage an increasing case and client workload and develop and implement major policy initiatives.
None of this could have been achieved without a strong and sustained commitment from all the department’s staff, often under considerable pressure. I am therefore pleased to put on record my appreciation for the efforts of all our staff, whom, I believe, have made 2006-07 one of the more successful years in the department’s history.
Andrew Metcalfe
Secretary