Annual Report 2003-04 - The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

This appendix provides information on the department’s performance in implementing the Commonwealth Disability Strategy. The department does not have a core business role of purchaser or provider, but reports on its performance against the other roles described in the strategy: employer, regulator and policy adviser. The level of performance for 2003–04 is recorded against performance indicators and measures identified in the Department of Family and Community Services’ implementation guide.

During 2003–04, information and guidance to staff involved in recruitment and selection of staff continued to be available on the department’s intranet site. The departmental internet site provided guidance to prospective employees with disabilities on the accessibility of recruitment information via the home page. The department’s Staff Selection Guide continued to provide guidance for all staff on addressing the needs of people with disabilities who attend the department as part of a selection process. People with hearing or speech impairments who sought employment with the department were able to access the department’s TTY (telephone typewriter) facility.

Guidance on the principle of ‘reasonable adjustment’, as identified in the Commonwealth Disability Strategy, was also available. The Performance Appraisal and Development scheme continued to be the main vehicle used by all employees and their managers, including staff members with disabilities, to identify training and development needs. The department maintained a database of relevant training and development programmes for all staff and regularly promoted available courses on the intranet.

All staff in the department had access to appropriate complaint-handling procedures. There were no complaints or grievances involving disability issues during the year.

In its role as a regulator, the Government Communications Unit continued to assist departments and agencies to comply with the government’s policies to ensure that information activities provided for the delivery of messages in ways that met the needs of people with hearing or sight impairments.

As a central coordinating agency, the department exercised its policy adviser role through the Social Policy Division, taking into account the needs of a range of target groups in the development of policy advice on key policy reforms.

Table 17 Performance under the Commonwealth Disability Strategy as an employer, 2003–04
Performance indicator	Performance measure	Performance
1. Employment policies, procedures and practices comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992.	Number of employment policies, procedures and practices that meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992.	Relevant policies and procedures were: Non-Senior Executive Service (SES) Staff Selection Guide Disability Action Plan Workplace Diversity Programme Workplace Harassment Guide Working with the Code of Conduct Protection for Whistleblowers Certified Agreement 2002–2004 information packages for new staff induction courses. The department continued to maintain a suite of employment-related operational guides on the intranet. A number of the documents could also be accessed by the wider Australian community through the internet—including the department’s third certified agreement and the department’s revised Workplace Diversity Programme. The requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 continued to be observed in developing and reviewing our guideline material. On commencement, all new staff members were provided with an information package including information on the Australian Public Service (APS) Code of Conduct, workplace diversity and discrimination.
2. Recruitment information for potential job applicants is available in accessible formats on request.	Percentage of recruitment information requested and provided in accessible electronic formats and accessible formats other than electronic. Average time taken to provide accessible information in electronic formats and formats other than electronic.	All recruitment information is available in electronic formats and accessible formats other than electronic. All members of the Australian community were able to access information on employment opportunities in the department via our internet site, press advertisements or targeted recruitment campaigns. The department’s intranet site provided an additional electronic format to assist staff to access relevant information. A TTY (telephone typewriter) facility was also available for hearing- or speech-impaired applicants. Access to information and selection documentation was available on demand through the department’s website. Selection documentation was loaded on the website and intranet prior to vacancies being advertised in the Commonwealth Gazette or the press.
3. Agency recruiters and managers apply the principle of ‘reasonable adjustment’.	Percentage of recruiters and managers provided with information on ‘reasonable adjustment’.	The department’s Non-SES Staff Selection Guide provided information for all staff on the principle of ‘reasonable adjustment’.
4. Training and development programmes consider the needs of staff with disabilities.	Percentage of training and development programmes that consider the needs of staff with disabilities.	The Performance Appraisal and Development scheme was the main vehicle used by employees and their managers to identify training and development needs. The department maintained a database of relevant training and development programmes and regularly promoted available courses on the intranet. The department’s Disability Action Plan encouraged people with disabilities and staff working with people with disabilities to voice specific needs and to nominate for special needs training programmes. Corporate programmes take account of the needs of staff who identify themselves as having disabilities. There were no concerns raised by staff attending internal or external training and development programmes during the year regarding disability issues.
5. Training and development programmes include information on disability issues as they relate to the content of the programme.	Percentage of training and development programmes that include information on disability issues as they relate to the programme.	All staff entering the department were provided with information packs and invited to attend an orientation programme which included information on the APS Code of Conduct, workplace diversity and disability issues, and on the availability of supporting information in corporate publications.
6. Complaints/grievance mechanisms, including access to external mechanisms, are in place to address issues and concerns by staff.	Established complaints/grievance mechanisms, including access to external mechanisms, in operation.	All staff in the department had access to appropriate complaint handling procedures including procedures for settling disputes under the certified agreement, guidelines on managing breaches of the code of conduct and access to external review processes. There were no complaints or grievances involving disability issues during the year.

Table 18 Performance under the Commonwealth Disability Strategy as a regulator, 2003–04
Performance indicator	Performance measure	Performance
1. Publicly available information on regulations and quasi-regulations is available in accessible formats for people with disabilities.	Percentage of publicly available information on regulations and quasi-regulations requested and provided in accessible electronic formats and accessible formats other than electronic. Average time taken to provide accessible material in electronic format and formats other than electronic.	The department continued to assist departments and agencies to comply with the government’s policies that ensure information activities provide for the delivery of messages in ways that meet the needs of people with disabilities. The Guidelines for Australian Government Information Activities were available on the Government Communications Unit website. Radio broadcasts for the print handicapped and closed captioning of television commercials were also used to deliver information to people with disabilities.
2. Publicly available regulatory compliance reporting is available in accessible formats for people with disabilities.	As above.	As above.

Table 19 Performance under the Commonwealth Disability Strategy as a policy adviser, 2003–04
Performance indicator	Performance measure	Performance
1. New or revised policy/programme proposals assess impact on the lives of people with disabilities prior to decision.	Percentage of new or revised policy/programme proposals that document that the impact of the proposal was considered prior to the decision-making stage.	In its capacity as a central coordinating agency, the department continued to seek advice from line agencies on how their policy proposals impacted on people with disabilities.
2. People with disabilities are included in consultation about new or revised policy/programme proposals.	Percentage of consultations about new or revised policy/programme proposals that are developed in consultation with people with disabilities.	The department continued to seek advice from line agencies on whether people with disabilities were consulted about new or revised policy proposals/programmes.
3. Public announcements of new, revised or proposed policy/programme initiatives are made available in accessible formats for people with disabilities, in a timely manner.	Percentage of new, revised or proposed policy/programme announcements available in a range of accessible formats. Time taken in providing announcements in accessible formats.	Announcements of new policy and programme initiatives are the responsibility of the government agencies that implement them. In its role as regulator, the Government Communications Unit continued to assist those agencies to deliver messages in ways that met the needs of people with disabilities.

Table of Contents

Appendix 5—Commonwealth Disability Strategy