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
2004–05 is recorded against performance indicators and measures
identified in the Department of Family and Community Services implementation
guide.
During 2004–05, information and guidance for those involved
in staff recruitment and selection processes 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 Management 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 15 Performance under the Commonwealth Disability Strategy as an
employer
|
Performance indicator |
Performance measure |
Performance |
| 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
- Certified Agreement 2004–2007
- 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—including
the department's Certified Agreement and Workplace Diversity Programme—could
also be accessed by the wider Australian community through the
internet.
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. |
| 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. |
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. |
|
Average time taken to provide accessible information in electronic
formats and formats other than electronic. |
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. |
| Agency recruiters and managers apply the principle of ‘reasonable
adjustment'. |
Percentage of recruiters and managers provided with information
on ‘reasonable adjustment'. |
The department's Staff Selection Guide provided information for
all staff on the principle of ‘reasonable adjustment'. |
| 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 Management 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. |
| 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 Values and Code of Conduct, workplace diversity
and disability issues, and on the availability of supporting information
in corporate publications. |
| 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 16 Performance under the Commonwealth Disability
Strategy as a regulator
|
Performance indicator |
Performance measure |
Performance |
| 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. |
| Publicly available regulatory compliance reporting is available
in accessible formats for people with disabilities. |
As above. |
As above. |
Table 17 Performance under the Commonwealth Disability
Strategy as a policy adviser
|
Performance indicator |
Performance measure |
Performance |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
|
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