Annual Report 2008-09 Performance Reports
~Previous/$FILE/previous.gif)
~Next/$FILE/next.gif)
Chapter 5 Our performance
This chapter will first cover our performance in areas for which activity is measured across the Department and all outputs. This will include:
- Attorney-General’s Department Resource Statement for 2008–09 showing available resources to the Department reconciled with actual payments made (Table 1)
- services provided to ministers and Parliament, and
- small airline usage.
Chapters 6 to 8 will provide detailed performance reports based on the outcomes and outputs framework and performance information set out in the 2008–09 Portfolio Budget Statements (PBS) and any Portfolio Additional Estimates Statements (PAES).
The Department has three outcomes against which it reports, namely:
- Outcome 1—An equitable and accessible system of federal justice. This outcome has eight outputs (see Chapter 6).
- Outcome 2—Coordinated federal criminal justice, security and emergency management activity for a safer Australia. This outcome has six outputs (see Chapter 7).
- Outcome 3—Assisting regions to manage their own futures. This outcome has two outputs (see Chapter 8).
Performance reports are structured to demonstrate a clear relationship between the performance standards for each outcome and output, as set out in the PBS and PAES and the actual results achieved for the Department in 2008–09.
Each chapter covers an outcome, providing:
- an overview of the activities that contributed to that outcome
- a resource summary table, and
- separate reports on each departmental output and associated administered items.
At the output level, each performance report contains:
- a summary of performance and key achievements contributing to the output
- results of evaluations or reviews
- purchaser/provider arrangements, where relevant
- outlook for the following financial year, and
- reports against the key performance indicators for the output and related administered items.
The report includes a selection of case studies that provide an insight into the people behind the Department’s key achievements.
2008–09 Resource statement
Table 1: Attorney-General’s Department resource statement, 2008–09
| Actual available appropriations for 2008–09 ($’000) |
Payments made 2008–09 ($’000) |
Balance remaining ($’000) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORDINARY ANNUAL SERVICES1 | |||
| Departmental appropriation | |||
| Prior year departmental appropriation | 100,157 | – | – |
| Departmental appropriation | 232,213 | – | – |
| S 31 relevant agency receipts | 24,248 | – | – |
| Total Departmental appropriation | 356,618 | 253,600 | 103,018 |
| Administered expenses | |||
| Outcome 1 | 389,514 | 375,548 | 13,966 |
| Outcome 2 | 75,500 | 55,507 | 19,993 |
| Outcome 3 | 126,653 | 112,139 | 14,514 |
| Payments to CAC Act bodies | 10,856 | 10,856 | – |
| Total Administered expenses | 602,523 | 554,050 | 48,473 |
| Total ordinary annual services | 959,141 | 807,650 | 151,491 |
| OTHER SERVICES2 | |||
| Administered expenses | |||
| Specific payments to States, ACT, NT and local government | |||
| Outcome 1 | 118,726 | 118,366 | 360 |
| Outcome 3 | 112,661 | 97,221 | 15,440 |
| Total | 231,387 | 215,587 | 15,800 |
| Departmental non-operating | |||
| Prior year equity injections | 50,024 | 41,206 | 8,818 |
| Equity injections | 18,283 | – | 18,283 |
| Previous year’s outputs | 2,105 | – | 2,105 |
| Total departmental non-operating | 70,412 | 41,206 | 29,206 |
| Administered non-operating | |||
| Prior year administered assets and liabilities | 143,923 | – | 143,923 |
| Administered assets and liabilities | 21,000 | 12,787 | 8,213 |
| Total administered non-operating | 164,923 | 12,787 | 152,136 |
| Total other services | 466,722 | 269,580 | 197,142 |
| SPECIAL APPROPRIATIONS | |||
| Special appropriations limited by criteria/entitlement | |||
| Judges’ Pensions Act 1968 s 14(b) | 26,373 | 26,201 | 172 |
| High Court Justices (Long Leave Payments) Act 1979 | 827 | 827 | – |
| Law Officers Act 1964 s 16(13)—former Solicitors-General | 450 | 342 | 108 |
| National Handgun Buyback Act 2003 s 9 | 3,513 | 3,064 | 449 |
| National Firearms Program Implementation Act 1996 s 9 | 60 | 54 | 6 |
| Total special appropriations | 31,223 | 30,488 | 735 |
| SPECIAL ACCOUNTS | |||
| Opening balance | 6,869 | – | 6,869 |
| Appropriation receipts | 11,758 | – | 11,758 |
| Non-appropriation receipts | 4,042 | – | 4,042 |
| Payments made | 4,170 | –4,170 | |
| Closing balance | 22,669 | 4,170 | 18,499 |
| Total Resourcing and Payments | 1,479,755 | 1,111,888 | 367,867 |
CAC Act = Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997
All figures are GST exclusive
Notes:
1 Appropriation Bill (No 1) 2008–09 and Appropriation Bill (No 3) 2008–09
2 Appropriation Bill (No 2) 2008–09 and Appropriation Bill (No 4) 2008–09
Services to ministers and Parliament
Ministerial correspondence
During the reporting period, the Department processed approximately 17,600 items of correspondence addressed to the Attorney-General or the Minister for Home Affairs; an average of approximately 70 items per day.
The most frequent topics arising in this correspondence included the Victorian bushfires, family law, same-sex marriage, people trafficking, safety of children, euthanasia, pornography and the proposal for a charter or bill of rights.
Parliamentary questions on notice
At 1 July 2008, five parliamentary questions on notice were on hand, and a further 31 questions were addressed to the Attorney-General or Minister for Home Affairs during the year. Of the 31 questions received in this reporting period, 13 were from the House of Representatives and 18 were from the Senate. Nine questions were transferred to other ministers. Responses to 26 questions were lodged during the reporting period; 17 were from the House of Representatives and nine were from the Senate. One question was on hand at 30 June 2009.
The statistics in Table 2 are provided for Departmental Outcomes 1, 2 and 3. They do not include questions on notice assigned to and responses prepared by, corporate areas and portfolio agencies.
Table 2: Services to ministers and Parliament, 2008–09
| Outcome | Submissions to ministers | Cabinet submissions lodged | Responses provided to ministerial correspondence |
Responses to questions on notice |
Briefs* | Speeches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outcome 1—An equitable and accessible system of federal civil justice | 1,429 | 9 | 4,524 | 8 | 583 | 108 |
| Outcome 2—Coordinated federal criminal justice, security and emergency management activity, for a safer Australia | 947 | 5 | 1,967 | 14 | 432 | 38 |
| Outcome 3—Assisting regions to manage their own futures | 82 | 1 | 1,029 | 1 | 82 | 15 |
| Total | 2,458 | 15 | 7,520 | 23 | 1,097 | 161 |
Note: * Approximate number of meeting briefs, possible parliamentary question and ministers’ office briefs (does not include updated briefs or briefs provided by portfolio agencies)
Small airline usage
The Attorney-General’s Department did not reach the target figure of 25 per cent usage on smaller airlines through 2008–09 due to the availability of flights and adherence to the Best Fare of the Day policy. Departmental employees flew with Qantas more often than Virgin during 2008–09 (Figure 4). The Department will continue to develop initiatives to improve its usage of smaller airlines on the route.
Figure 4: Small airline usage between Canberra and Sydney, 2008–09
~Figure4/$FILE/img-figure04.gif)
Our people
Improving access to justice
~img_p32/$FILE/img-p32.jpg)
Lisa O’Connell and Danica Yanchenko, Access to Justice Taskforce, Access to Justice Division.
A wide-ranging evaluation of the entire civil justice system
The Attorney-General has made improving access to justice a high priority. In tackling this part of the Government’s reform agenda, the Department established the Access to Justice Taskforce in January 2009. The taskforce is examining ways to ensure the civil justice system responds to the varied needs and circumstances of all Australians. The goal is to reform the federal civil justice system to improve access to justice for all Australians and encourage early resolution of disputes.
‘The taskforce is examining all areas of the civil justice system. I’m involved in everything from research and consultation to policy development and drafting the final report to government,’ said Lisa O’Connell, Senior Legal Officer with the taskforce.
‘The scale of the project is a challenge. Working on such a large project requires a big picture approach and a lot of consultation to ensure all aspects of the civil justice system are considered,’ Lisa explained.
The final report will examine the civil justice system and will cover the many institutions and services through which the Government helps people resolve civil disputes, and prevent disputes from occurring.
For Danica Yanchenko, a graduate with the taskforce, working on such an important policy project has been a highlight of her time with the Department.
‘This is my second rotation within the Department and the team is fantastic,’ she said.
‘It’s a unique opportunity to be working on such a wide-ranging evaluation of the entire civil justice system. It’s very rewarding.’
The taskforce will present its report to Government later this year.’