Annual Report 2001-02: Corporate Governance

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Social justice, equity and ecological sustainability

Social justice and equity
Ecologically sustainable development

Social justice and equity

The department’s role in achieving a coordinated approach to the development and implementation of government policies means that much of our work impacts on social justice, but usually indirectly. The government programmes with a direct and immediate impact on social justice are ordinarily managed by departments and agencies with programme-related responsibilities.

There were, however, a number of policy initiatives in 2001–02 directly linked to social justice and equity in which we were closely involved – policy initiatives affecting families and older Australians and policy advice on indigenous affairs and reconciliation. For example, we were involved in the following initiatives.

We provided advice on the design aspects of the bonus available to eligible carers in respect of their first child born on or after 1 July 2001. It is aimed at providing financial assistance to families who experience a reduction in income as a result of one parent leaving, or reducing, paid employment following the birth of their first child.
The department was closely involved in advising ministers on the 2002–03 Budget measures that extended Gold Card health eligibility to a further group of veterans. The Gold Card now extends to all Australian veterans aged 70 years and over who have qualifying service. We also promoted the twice-yearly adjustment of the ceiling rate for the war widows’ income support supplement by the same percentage as the Service Pension, to reflect movements in the Consumer Price Index and Male Total Average Weekly Earnings.
The department was closely involved in the 2002–03 Budget measures to provide $8.3 million over three years to improve telecommunications for remote indigenous communities.
We coordinated the Commonwealth’s input to the further development of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) reconciliation framework, leading to agreement to trial a cooperative Territory–State–Commonwealth approach to delivering more effective responses to the needs of indigenous Australians in up to 10 indigenous communities or regions. COAG also agreed to commission a regular report against key indicators of indigenous disadvantage to measure the effect of policy settings and service delivery.

Ecologically sustainable development

The department’s Industry, Infrastructure and Environment Division had a direct involvement in ecologically sustainable development issues through its participation in the development of environmental policy. The division assisted other departments, including those mentioned elsewhere in this report (see, for example, the Output Group 1 performance chapter), in the development of environmental and natural resources management policies and advised the Prime Minister on such issues.

The department purchased ‘green’ power (power generated using renewable resources) via an agreement with electricity supplier ACTEWAGL for its Barton, ACT, offices. This energy form constituted 10 per cent of the department’s total usage, which was estimated by the Australian Greenhouse Office to reduce the quantity of carbon dioxide produced by the department’s energy consumption by 1,800 tonnes annually.

Internally the department introduced energy saving programmes including the installation of energy efficient water boiling and chilling units and light sensors in kitchens and meeting rooms; and the reduction of office lighting levels to those required under the Australian Standard. Noting that computers and monitors are a major consumer of electricity, we installed software that creates an on-screen message to prompt people to switch off at the end of the workday. In 2002–03 we will examine whether this has had a significant effect on the department’s total electricity consumption.

Those measures produced an initial decrease in the department’s energy consumption, but the age of the building occupied by the department, and of its plant and equipment, severely limited any further cost effective reductions. The department remains proactive in investigating possible energy saving programmes that might be both environmentally and economically viable.

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