Output 4.7—Ceremonial and Hospitality

Page Index

• Qualitative assessment
• Quantitative assessment
• Key results

The chief role of the Ceremonial and Hospitality Branch (CERHOS) is to manage the state occasions and official visits administered item. The following narrative covers both departmental and administered items outcomes.

Qualitative assessment

Methodology

All visits and events that the branch is responsible for are followed up with either verbal or written requests for feedback from the Prime Minister and his office or from a relevant minister’s office. Regular feedback is also received in the form of comments from the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Secretary and the departmental Executive.

Additional feedback is received in comments and letters of appreciation from visitors and their diplomatic representatives, as well as in visit assessment cables submitted by Australia’s overseas posts.

Feedback

Extensive feedback received directly—from the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister’s Office, visiting guests of government, various diplomatic missions and other sources—was highly positive. Direct and specific positive feedback was received by CERHOS staff concerning the State visit of China’s President Hu Jintao, the working visit of United States President George W Bush, the official visits of the Crown Prince of Thailand and of New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, and several ministerial visits. A number of CERHOS officers received specific departmental commendations for their work on the visits of President Bush and President Hu, and on the memorial services conducted in Bali, Indonesia, and in Canberra.

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Quantitative assessment

Key results

The year 2003–04 was one of extremely high activity levels for CERHOS. During October 2003, for example, a number of major events coincided, including the planning and coordination of two separate prime ministerial overseas visits, the preparation and coordination of services held in Bali and Canberra to commemorate the first anniversary of the October 2002 bombings, the coordination of the visits of President Bush and President Hu, and the organisation of a state funeral in Melbourne for the Hon Jim Cairns. This posed extraordinary challenges to CERHOS operations, and the branch continued to perform effectively under considerable pressure.

Prime Minister’s overseas visits

CERHOS planned and coordinated overseas visits by the Prime Minister to:

• South-East Asia and North Asia, where he visited the Philippines, Japan and Korea (13–20 July 2003)
• the Pacific Islands Forum in New Zealand, followed by a visit to China
  (13–19 August 2003)
• Solomon Islands (25 August 2003)
• Bali, to attend the memorial service (11–13 October 2003)
• Thailand, to attend the eleventh Asia–Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ meeting (18–22 October 2003)
• the United Kingdom, to open the Australian War Memorial in London
  (7–15 November 2003)
• Nigeria, to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
  (3–9 December 2003)
• New Zealand, to attend the Pacific Islands Forum Special Leaders Retreat
  (6 April 2004 )
• the United States, the United Kingdom, and D-day commemorations in France
  (1–8 June 2004).

Visits to Australia

A number of high-level visits were undertaken during the year, including the working visit by President Bush and the State visit by President Hu (both in October 2003), an official visit by the Prime Minister of New Zealand in March, and working visits by former Polish president Lech Walesa (in November 2003) and seven heads of government.

There were also 14 ministerial guest of government visits, including those by the ministers for foreign affairs of Indonesia, India, Vietnam and the Philippines, and other portfolio ministers representing Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Singapore (two visits), Brunei, the United States, Lebanon, Chile and the Russian Federation.

Other responsibilities

The branch assisted the Australian Embassy in Jakarta and the Consulate-General in Bali in making arrangements for the memorial service held in Bali on 12 October 2003. It also coordinated the memorial service conducted at Parliament House, Canberra on 16 October 2003. These major events were conducted to appropriately mark the anniversary of the 2002 terrorist attacks in Bali.

The branch organised three state funerals, all for distinguished former ministers, during 2003–04. The first, held in Newcastle, New South Wales, on 13 August 2003, was for the Hon CK (Charlie) Jones AO. The second was held in Perth, on 15 September 2003, for the Hon Don Willesee. Lastly, the funeral of the Hon Jim Cairns was held in Melbourne on 17 October 2003.

The branch coordinated 206 airport facilitations for heads of state, heads of government and royalty transiting Australia. Airport facilitation includes advising airport authorities and relevant agencies of relevant flight details, and arranging for either departmental part-time visit officers or Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officers to meet and coordinate arrangements for customs, immigration, quarantine and transport procedures on arrival and departure.

Other notable tasks successfully performed by officers of the branch included arranging logistics and hospitality for:

• the Council of Australian Governments meetings held in Canberra on 29 August 2003 and 25 June 2004
• the Australia Day reception held at The Lodge on 26 January 2004
• the Prime Minister’s XI annual cricket match, held at Manuka Oval, Canberra, on 28 January 2004.