Departmental Overview

Page Index

• Role and outcome
• Structure and outputs
• Responsibilities

This section provides an overview of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, describing how the department’s objectives, structure and activities relate to its performance-reporting framework and responsibilities. It also identifies the senior staff in charge of delivering the department’s outputs.

Role and outcome

The primary role of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet is to provide support to the Prime Minister and to achieve a coordinated approach to the development and implementation of government policies. The planned outcome for the department is:

sound and well-coordinated government policies, programmes and decision-making processes.

Figure 2 shows the relationship between the department’s key drivers, outcomes and outputs.

Figure 2 Performance framework, 2004–05

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Structure and outputs

At 30 June 2005, the department comprised the Executive; nine divisions (including the newly established APEC 2007 Taskforce); the Health Taskforce; the Biofuels Taskforce; and the National Competition Policy Review Taskforce.

In September 2004, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2007 Taskforce was established within the department’s Output Group 3. In February 2005, the responsibilities of the taskforce were expanded beyond the scope of the APEC Leaders’ Meeting. The head of the taskforce is responsible for the management of organisational and logistical arrangements, including security for all APEC meetings associated with the APEC Leaders’ Meeting and for all ministerial and senior officials’ meetings in 2007. Security is being coordinated by the Protective Security Coordination Centre in consultation with responsible departments and agencies, including the taskforce. It has a branch co-located within the taskforce. The taskforce reports under Output 3.1 in 2004–05.

As part of the machinery of government changes implemented on 26 November 2004, the Office of the Status of Women (OSW) was relocated to the Department of Family and Community Services and renamed the Office for Women. The performance of OSW, including in women’s leadership and domestic violence programmes, is reported on in the Department of Family and Community Services 2004–05 annual report. The department has retained responsibility for policy development and advice to the Prime Minister on a range of issues affecting women. This is reported on under Output 2.1.

A further variation to the department’s outcome occurred on 1 July 2004 with the transfer of ongoing funding from the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs to cover this department’s new Indigenous Policy Branch following the revision of indigenous affairs administration. The branch report appears under Output 2.1.

The establishment of the Health Taskforce was announced by the Prime Minister on 22 October 2004. Its role is to advise the Australian Government on options to improve the delivery of health services. The taskforce is chaired by Andrew Podger and includes officers from the departments of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Treasury, and Health and Ageing. The taskforce reports under Output 2.1.

On 30 May 2005, the Prime Minister announced the appointment of a taskforce to examine the latest scientific information on the impacts of ethanol and other biofuel use on human health, environmental outcomes and automotive operations. The Biofuels Taskforce, headed by Conall O’Connell, Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Environment and Heritage, has a small whole-of-government secretariat based in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and is due to report to government by the end of July 2005. The taskforce reports under Output 1.1.

Following the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting held on 3 June 2005, a whole-of-government secretariat was set up in the department to support the Commonwealth–state working group on national competition policy and the forward microeconomic reform agenda. The National Competition Policy Review Taskforce secretariat is headed by a former Treasury official, John Jepsen, and is expected to run until the end of 2005. This taskforce also reports under Output 1.1.

During 2004–05, the department contributed to the achievement of its outcome through four output groups, as follows:

• Output Group 1 provided policy advice on economic, industry, infrastructure and environment issues, forecasts of Australia’s economic performance, coordination of the budget processes and effective COAG operations.
• Output Group 2 provided policy development and advice on social policy issues, including health and ageing, community services, education, employment, immigration, indigenous policy, veterans’ affairs, income support, families and women.
• Output Group 3 provided policy advice on international issues, including trade and aid policy; policy advice on national security issues, including defence policy and operations, intelligence, non-proliferation, counter-terrorism, border protection and certain criminal law enforcement issues; and organisational and logistical arrangements, including security of the 2007 APEC meetings.
• Output Group 4 provided policy advice on parliamentary, machinery of government, legal and cultural issues, and a range of support services, including secretariat services to Cabinet and its committees and the Executive Council; monitoring of the implementation of Cabinet decisions; development and coordination of the government’s legislation programme; coordination of government communications; coordination and promotion of awards and national symbols; support to the official establishments and former Governors-General; and administration of the state occasions and official visits programme.

The costs of corporate services were apportioned across the four output groups, and are reflected in each group’s price of outputs.

Figure 3 sets out the organisational structure and names the senior staff responsible for each division and the corresponding output or outputs. The outputs are set out in Figure 4. Some of the outputs involved administered items; these are described in detail in the relevant reports on performance.

Figure 3 Organisational structure and senior staffing as at 30 June 2005

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Figure 4 Departmental outcome and output groups

The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Outcome: sound and well-coordinated government policies, programmes and decision-making processes
Output Group 1	Output Group 2	Output Group 3	Output Group 4
Economic policy advice and coordination	Social policy advice and coordination	International, and national security, policy advice and coordination	Support services for government operations
Output 1.1	Output 2.1	Output 3.1	Output 4.1
Economic and industry policy	Social policy	International policy APEC 2007 Taskforce	Cabinet Secretariat
		Output 3.2	Output 4.2
		National Security policy	Cabinet Implementation Unit
			Output 4.3
			Machinery of government
			Output 4.4
			Government communications
			Output 4.5
			Support to official establishments
			Output 4.6
			Support for ministerial offices
			Output 4.7
			Ceremonial and hospitality

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Responsibilities

The principal matters with which the department deals are:

• coordination of government administration—ensuring a whole-of-government approach on issues ranging from national security and border protection to programmes supporting individuals, families and communities
• assistance to the Cabinet and its committees—managing processes and procedures to facilitate the decision-making role of the Cabinet and monitoring the implementation of Cabinet decisions
• policy advice and administrative support to the Prime Minister—covering the full spectrum of the Australian Government’s responsibilities, including major domestic and international matters
• intergovernmental relations and communications with state and territory governments—coordinating arrangements for meetings of COAG, and developing strategies and providing advice on a diverse range of matters from sport and tourism to natural resources policy
• Australian honours and symbols policy—providing support for related public education and communications campaigns, nominations for awards and applications for medals
• government ceremonial and hospitality activities—organising major events such as visits by heads of state, making logistic arrangements for the Prime Minister’s overseas visits, and organising memorial services and welcome-home parades to honour personnel who have contributed to overseas military operations
• coordination of government communications and advertising—ensuring the development and implementation of government information campaigns and ensuring a reliable and cost-effective media placement service for departments and agencies through the Central Advertising System.