Department
of the Prime Minister & Cabinet
Departmental Overview
Portfolio agencies and outcomes
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Organisational structure and senior staffing
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Role and functions
The primary role of the department is to provide support to the Prime Minister
and to achieve a coordinated approach to the development and implementation
of government policies.
The principal matters the department deals with are:
- coordination of government administration;
- assistance to Cabinet and its committees;
- policy advice and administrative support to the Prime Minister;
- intergovernmental relations and communications with state and territory
governments;
- Australian honours and symbols policy;
- government ceremonial and hospitality;
- status of women; and
- coordination of government communications and advertising.
The former Office of Indigenous Policy in the department was superseded in
January 2001 by the new Department of Reconciliation and Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Affairs (DORATSIA). As a result, the role of advising the Prime
Minister on Indigenous policy issues passed to the department's Social Policy
Division.
Outcome and outputs
The planned outcome for the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet is
sound and well coordinated government policies, programmes and decision-making
processes.
The department contributes to the achievement of this outcome through four
output groups:
- group 1 outputs include policy advice on economic, industry, infrastructure
and environment issues; and effective Council of Australian Governments (COAG)
operations;
- group 2 outputs include policy advice on social and women's issues, as well
as administering on behalf of the Government a number of programmes, including
Partnerships Against Domestic Violence and grants to non-government women's
organisations;
- group 3 outputs include policy advice on international issues; and
- group 4 outputs include policy advice on parliamentary, machinery of government
and legal and cultural issues; provision of a range of support services for
government operations, including coordination of Cabinet and Executive Council
business; policy advice on coordination and promotion of national awards and
symbols; coordination of government communications and advertising; administration
of the Prime Minister's official establishments; administration of the visits
and hospitality programme; and staging of the next Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting (CHOGM).
At 30 June 2001 the department comprised an executive, seven divisions, the
Cabinet Secretariat, the Ceremonial and Hospitality Branch and two task forces
(the Overseas Investment Promotion Review Task Force and CHOGM Task Force),
all of which are supported by corporate service units, which also purchase a
range of goods and services from private sector providers. The costs of corporate
services are apportioned as a component of each of the four output groups' price
of outputs.
Administered appropriations
Administered appropriations are funds appropriated, usually for specific purposes,
and not directly controlled by the department. They may include grants, subsidies
or benefits. In many cases, administered appropriations pay for the delivery
of third party outputs.
In 2000-01, the department administered the following appropriations on behalf
of the Government:
- allowances to former Governors-General;
- state occasions and guest of government;
- women's programmes;
- Prime Minister's official residences;
- compensation and legal expenses;
- the reconciliation process between the Commonwealth and Aboriginals; and
- CHOGM security.
Each of those administered appropriations is discussed within the relevant
output group in the Report on Performance section of this annual report.
Departmental outcome and output groups
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Copyright © 2001 Commonwealth of Australia
Last Updated:
3 January, 2002
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