Department of Premier and Cabinet Annual Report 2008-09
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Annual Report 2008-09 Department of Premier and Cabinet David Bartlett, MP PREMIER Dear Premier In accordance with the requirements of Section 36(1) of the State Service Act 2000 and Section 27 of the Financial Management and Audit Act 1990, I enclose for presentation to Parliament the 2008-09 Annual Report of the Department of Premier and Cabinet. Yours sincerely Rhys Edwards Secretary 24 October 2009 Department of Premier and Cabinet - Annual Report 2008-09 1 The Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPAC) is a central agency of the Tasmanian State Government. The Department is responsible to the Premier and the Minister for Local Government and the Minister for Veteran Affairs, as portfolio ministers, and also provides support to the Minister assisting the Premier on Climate Change and other members of Cabinet. The Department provides a broad range of services to the Cabinet, other members of Parliament, Government agencies and the community. The Department works closely with the public sector, the community, local government, the Australian Government and other state and territory governments. The Department also provides administration support to the State Service Commissioner and the Tasmania Together Progress Board, each of which is separately accountable and reports directly to Parliament. Department of Premier and Cabinet - Annual Report 2008-09 2 Content Secretary’s report 5 Departmental overview 6 Governance 7 Output Group structure 8 Corporate Plan summary 10 Output Group 1 Support for Executive Decision Making 22 Output 1.1 Strategic Policy and Advice 23 Output 1.2 Climate change 26 Output 1.3 Social inclusion 29 Output Group 2 Government Processes and Services 31 Output 2.1 Management of Executive Government processes 32 Output 2.2 Principal and Subordinate Legislation 38 Output 2.3 Tasmanian Government Courier 40 Output 2.4 Corporate support to Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices and the Office of the Governor 41 Output 2.5 Representation in Canberra 42 Output Group 3 Electronic services for Government Agencies and the Community 44 Output 3.1 ICT Policy Development and Implementation 45 Output 3.2 Management and ongoing development of Service Tasmania 48 Output 3.3 Management of TASINET and Networking Tasmania 51 Output 3.4 Information Systems Management 54 Output Group 4 State Service management 57 Output 4.1 State Service Employment and Management 58 Output 4.2 Support for the State Service Commissioner 60 Output Group 5 Support for the Tasmania Together Progress Board 61 Output 5.1 Support for the Tasmania Together Progress Board 62 Output Group 6 Community development 66 Output 6.1 Women Tasmania 68 Output 6.2 Disability Bureau 70 Output 6.3 Seniors Bureau 71 Output 6.4 Office of Aboriginal Affairs 72 Output 6.5 Multicultural Tasmania 74 Output 6.6 Office of Children and Youth Affairs 75 Output Group 7 Development of Local Government 78 Output 7.1 Development of Local Government 79 All Output Groups - Corporate Services 84 Corporate Services 85 Supporting whole of Government initiatives 88 Contribution to Tasmania Together benchmarks 89 Disability Action Plan 107 Carbon Emission Reduction Plan 109 Departmental Information 111 Freedom of Information (FOI) 112 Department of Premier and Cabinet - Annual Report 2008-09 3 Legislation administered 114 Departmental Publications 117 Our People and Policies 121 Financial Resources Summary 135 Asset Management, Pricing and Risk Management Policies 136 Contributions and Grants 137 Government Procurement 157 Financial Statements 161 Appendix 230 Jim Bacon Foundation 233 Tsuneichi Fujii Fellowship Trust 236 Abbreviations 243 Compliance Index 245 Contacting the Department 248 Department of Premier and Cabinet - Annual Report 2008-09 4 Secretary’s report This year has been an extremely eventful one for the Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPAC). The unfolding global financial crisis has impacted substantially on the Australian and Tasmanian economies and the Government has had to respond rapidly to the changing economic circumstances and our declining tax revenue base. The framing of the 2009-10 Budget was one of the most difficult in decades and a new Interim Fiscal Strategy was announced over the forward estimates period. This year also saw the outbreak of H1N1 Influenza A 09 (Human Swine Influenza). DPAC played a central role through our participation in the National Pandemic Emergency Committee (NPEC), the work of our Office of Security and Emergency Management and our preparation of the Tasmanian Action Plan for the Human Influenza Pandemic. Intergovernmental relations has been extremely active with five Council of Australian Government (COAG) meetings during the year including the April 29 meeting in Hobart, the first time a COAG meeting has been held in Tasmania for 15 years. The Policy Division together with the State Protocol Office worked very hard to make this event a success. The Executive Division has been busy implementing initiatives outlined in the Premier’s 10 Point Plan to improve trust in Government, including the introduction of a Lobbying Code of Conduct and online register as well as providing the Government’s response to the Parliamentary Joint Select Committee on Ethical Conduct. The Government’s Tasmanian Framework for Action on Climate Change was released and several of its initiatives focus on better integrating the impact of climate change into government decision-making. The Community Development Division’s many achievements included implementation of the Government’s Disability Framework for Action 2005-2010 to ensure all agencies are addressing their responsibilities to people with disability. In the concessions area, improvements to the application process for the Seniors Card saw more than 2000 cards processed by Service Tasmania from February to June 2009 and the Government’s Concessions Guide was redesigned to make it easier for Tasmanians to identify their entitlements. The Government was pleased to announce the appointment of the inaugural Social Inclusion Commissioner for Tasmania, Prof David Adams. Prof Adams’s first priority is to produce a social inclusion strategy for Tasmania that provides examples of action that can be taken by government, business and the community to ensure all Tasmanians have the same opportunities in life. The Social Inclusion Unit will help prepare the Government’s response. On the industrial relations front, the Public Sector Management Office (PSMO) completed a major negotiation for the new Tasmanian State Service Award including translation into new classification models. PSMO also work with agencies on the People Directions project, which aims to position the State Service as a preferred employer. Our Pulse Check staff survey revealed the need to indentify and communicate a clear and shared sense of purpose. Our Strategic Plan delivers this by identifying the strategies and actions we need to implement to achieve the Government’s vision for Tasmania. Another of the initiatives from Pulse Check was a Leadership Development Program aimed at improving our leadership capabilities. The rollout of both Office Communication Server (OCS), which delivers voice and video calls and instant messaging, and the TRIM electronic management system has improved the way in which we communicate, capture and share information within DPAC. TMD and the Inter-Agency Policy and Projects Unit (IAPPU) have delivered OCS, while Corporate Services has phased in TRIM, which means staff can now directly access filed documents and work on the documents concurrently with other staff. Thank you to my Executive, the Departmental Leadership Group and all staff in the Department for the hard work, professionalism and commitment in what has been a very demanding but rewarding year. Rhys Edwards Secretary Department of Premier and Cabinet - Annual Report 2008-09 5 Departmental overview Vision A respected and valued agency that leads an accountable, professional and collaborative public service. Purpose The Department supports the Premier and Cabinet in achieving the Government’s vision for Tasmania. We do this by working collaboratively and initiating, developing and coordinating innovative, strategic policy advice; leading whole-of-government initiatives and programs; and providing best practice services to support the machinery of government. Values Professional We aim for excellence and act with integrity and impartiality. Accountable We are focussed on achievement, open to questioning and responsible for our actions. Collaborative We respect and value the expertise of others and seek to work in partnership. Forward looking We plan so we can be responsive to future needs. Connected to the community We seek to understand and engage with the community and communities of interest. Supportive We seek to provide a family friendly and flexible workplace that fosters mutual respect and open communication. Goals Goal 1 To lead the development of comprehensive policy advice and whole-of-government coordination to implement government priorities. Goal 2 To provide comprehensive, timely and accurate services that support the machinery of government. Goal 3 To deliver contemporary customer and client-focussed services. Goal 4 To develop a challenging and supportive workplace. Department of Premier and Cabinet - Annual Report 2008-09 6 Governance Ministers The Department of Premier and Cabinet reports to the following: Premier, David Bartlett MP Minister for Local Government, Jim Cox MP Minister Assisting the Premier on Climate Change, Lisa Singh