Output 2.1—Social Policy

Page Index

• Qualitative assessment
• Key results

Qualitative assessment

Methodology

The quality of the Social Policy Division’s performance in 2003–04 was assessed through formal and informal feedback from the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister’s Office, the department’s Secretary and other senior executives. Specific feedback was provided on the quality and timeliness of both the division’s policy advice and its achievement of key tasks. All staff members also received (and were given the opportunity to provide) individual feedback, in the context of the department’s performance appraisal framework.

Feedback

Output 2.1 was assessed by key stakeholders as having provided effective and timely advice, briefing and support on social policy issues, including income support, families, disability, veterans’ affairs, employment, indigenous policy, immigration, health, and aged care.

Key results

The Social Policy Division continued to focus on key issues and objectives, including: the More Help for Families package announced in the 2004–05 Budget; the Review of Veterans’ Entitlements; strengthening support for disability employment services; early childhood assistance; work on issues surrounding family separation; the government’s package to strengthen Medicare; finalising the 2003–08 Australian Health Care Agreements; the Investing in Australia’s Aged Care: More Places, Better Care package; the Australian Schools Agenda; revised funding arrangements for indigenous education; reforms to the higher education sector; new arrangements for indigenous affairs and reconciliation; and the migration and humanitarian programmes.

The division participated in many issue-specific taskforces, and contributed significantly to the development of interdepartmental and cross-sectoral collaborative processes.

Income support and families

The division provided resources to support the interdepartmental taskforce on work and family issues that was established by the Prime Minister in September 2002. The taskforce’s work contributed to the development of the More Help for Families package, including $19.2billion in additional family assistance announced in the 2004–05 Budget and the $79.5 million package of childcare measures announced by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in December 2003.

On veteran-related issues, the division provided advice on the new Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Scheme, and worked closely with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs in the development of the government’s $289 million response to the independent Review of Veterans’ Entitlements (known as the Clarke Review).

The division participated in the development of early childhood initiatives under the government’s refocused Stronger Families and Communities Strategy, and in the further development of the National Agenda for Early Childhood. Policy advice was provided on family relationship issues. The division worked closely with the Department of Family and Community Services and the Attorney-General’s Department in developing the government’s response to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Family and Community Affairs report on its inquiry into child custody arrangements in the event of family separation, tabled in December 2003.

Secretariat support was provided by the division to the Welfare Reform Consultative Forum, which provides independent advice to the government on matters arising from its response to the final report of the Reference Group on Welfare Reform, entitled Participation Support for a More Equitable Society. The forum is jointly chaired by the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and the Minister for Family and Community Services, and includes representatives of the welfare sector, the employment services industry, employers, and government.

Community services

The division chaired an interdepartmental committee that worked on the development of the $99 million funding package for disability employment services, Security, Quality Services and Choices for People with a Disability. The division also worked closely with the Department of Family and Community Services in developing the measures to assist carers, including access to additional respite care, that were announced in the 2004–05 Budget.

The division worked closely with other Australian Government agencies on housing issues, such as negotiating the bilateral agreements under the 2003 Commonwealth State Housing Agreement, and the next Supported Accommodation Assistance Programme agreement.

The division remained involved in ensuring that those personally affected by the terrorist attack that occurred in Bali, Indonesia, in October 2002 continued to receive support. This included being closely involved in planning the commemoration ceremonies, held in Bali and Canberra, for the first anniversary of the tragedy.

Employment

The division provided advice on a range of issues related to employment services, including on the implementation of the third Job Network contract. The division also provided advice on the role of the Prime Minister’s Community Business Partnership, including advice in relation to the terms of reference for its inquiry into mature-aged people’s workforce participation.

Health

The division was significantly involved in the development of the government’s Medicare policies and participated in the work of the GP Red Tape Taskforce. This work included briefing the Prime Minister on policy alternatives and assisting the Department of Health and Ageing to plan, implement and monitor the Strengthening Medicare package.

The division helped to finalise the 2003–08 Australian Health Care Agreements between the Australian Government and the governments of the states and territories, and was involved in monitoring the implementation of the agreements.

In its ongoing role in the implementation of the National Illicit Drugs Strategy, the division continued to work with other agencies and the Australian National Council on Drugs. This work included developing initiatives to implement the National Drug Strategy Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People’s Complementary Action Plan 2003–2006.

The division advised on a number of important population health issues, including obesity, immunisation, national blood distribution arrangements, food labelling and tobacco use. In addition, responding to the threat of contagious exotic diseases such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and avian influenza (bird flu), the division worked closely with other agencies to ensure Australia’s preparedness for any widespread health emergency.

The division continued to monitor and provide advice on the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) decision to ban human cloning and to regulate research involving human embryos.

Advice was also provided on a number of other significant health policy issues, including private health insurance, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, parental access to children’s Medicare records, and veterans’ health services.

Aged care

The division made a significant contribution to the government’s response to the report of the recent review of pricing arrangements in residential aged care conducted by Professor Warren Hogan, and provided advice to inform the Prime Minister’s consideration of this issue. The outcome of this work was the $2.2 billion Investing in Australia’s Aged Care: More Places, Better Care package, which will increase the number of aged care places, training, and the capacity of aged-care providers to deliver high‑quality care for older Australians.

Education

In 2003–04 the division provided advice on a number of key education reforms: the Our Universities: Backing Australia’s Future higher education package which was passed by the Senate in late 2003; and the new schools and indigenous education funding arrangements announced by the government in early 2004.

Indigenous policy and reconciliation

During the year the division continued to support the Prime Minister in advancing indigenous affairs issues. The division played a key role in developing the government’s April 2004 package of reforms to arrangements for the delivery of programmes and services for indigenous Australians and indigenous peoples’ representation arrangements. Through its lead role on an interdepartmental taskforce, the division assisted implementation of the reforms, including the development of authorising legislation, new financial arrangements to ‘mainstream’ indigenous-specific programmes and services, and new structures such as the Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination and regional indigenous coordination centres.

The division also supported the development of new cooperative arrangements to deliver programmes and services for indigenous Australians. The work was progressed through COAG and led to endorsement by all jurisdictions of the National Framework of Principles for Delivering Services to Indigenous Australians in June 2004.

Building on the Prime Minister’s July 2003 Round Table on Indigenous Family Violence and Child Protection, the division also helped develop the government’s $20 million down payment to address indigenous family violence. The division assisted subsequent initiatives announced in the 2004–05 Budget to support partnerships with states and territories in addressing indigenous family violence ($37.3 million over four years) and doubling the number of Family Violence Prevention Legal Service outlets ($22.7 million over four years).

Further divisional work contributed to all governments agreeing to the National Framework for Preventing Family Violence and Child Abuse in Indigenous Communities at the COAG meeting in June 2004.

Immigration

On immigration-related issues, the division provided advice on the expansion and composition of Australia’s migration and humanitarian programmes for 2004–05.

The division provided the secretariat for an interdepartmental taskforce reviewing settlement services for migrants and people granted Australian visas on humanitarian grounds. The taskforce’s work led to the announcement in the 2004–05 Budget of about a $100 million package of enhancements to settlement services, which will see migrants and humanitarian entrants obtain more specialised settlement services to assist them to become fully active members of the Australian community.

The division also contributed to the development of the package of regional migration measures announced in early 2004. The division was involved in the review of the government’s long-term immigration and detention strategy that led to new policy announcements in the 2004–05 Budget, including the intention to establish further alternative detention arrangements for women and children.