Output 2.1—Social policy

Page Index

• Feedback on performance
• Key results

Feedback on performance

The Prime Minister, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Secretary and the departmental Executive provided informal feedback throughout the year on the division’s work. The feedback on the effectiveness and timeliness of advice and support on social policy issues was largely positive.

The division has taken steps to improve performance in a number of areas. We have worked with the Prime Minister’s Office on ways to improve the timeliness of advice and a small internal committee has been established to review the efficiency of internal processes and their effectiveness in identifying and correcting minor errors.

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Key results

The Social Policy Division had an active year, supporting government objectives and assisting the development of specific policies in the social policy field. During the year a number of themes were apparent in this work. There was a considerable focus on the relationships between governments and the contributions each level of government makes to national results on social policy issues, including in preparations for the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting in June 2005. Attention was also given to the impact of the ageing of the population on social issues and the need to provide policy settings that are sustainable in this environment.

The division’s major achievements included:

• establishing and leading the Welfare to Work Taskforce which led to government decisions on changes to the benefits system
• supporting the Prime Minister on social policy issues, particularly health and vocational education and training, in the development of the government’s position for the COAG meeting in June 2005
• establishing and supporting the Health Taskforce
• working with other agencies to develop the assistance package for Australians affected by the Indian Ocean tsunamis in December 2004, and to coordinate the domestic response
• working on a package of measures, including the establishment of 24 Australian Technical Colleges, to respond to strong demand for skilled labour
• supporting and monitoring the implementation of the new administrative arrangements in indigenous affairs
• working on the government’s response to the inquiry into child custody conducted by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Family and Community Affairs.

Welfare to work

The division chaired and provided secretariat support for the interdepartmental Welfare to Work Taskforce, and played a leading role in the development of the Welfare to Work reforms announced in the 2005–06 Budget. The taskforce, which was established by the government in February 2005, included representatives from Centrelink and the departments of the Treasury; Finance and Administration; Family and Community Services; Employment and Workplace Relations; and Human Services.

In developing the package, the taskforce prepared papers for government. Taskforce members worked closely with their home agencies to provide detailed policy input, taking into account the distinctive factors behind Australia’s welfare system.

Health and ageing

During the year, the Health and Ageing Branch continued to support the government’s substantial agenda in this area, working closely with other areas and agencies on a wide range of policy and programme matters. Highlights were:

• supporting the establishment and work of the Health Taskforce, and advising the Prime Minister on the 2005 COAG health agenda
• informing the establishment of the Productivity Commission study into workforce supply and demand
• advising on Medicare and private health insurance policy proposals, including 100 per cent Medicare and the Private Health Insurance Rebate for Older Australians
• advising on pharmaceutical and therapeutic goods policy issues, including the implementation of the government’s election commitments, the response to the findings of the Expert Committee on Complementary Medicines in the Health System, the negotiation with the Pharmacy Guild of Australia of the Fourth Community Pharmacy Agreement to dispense Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme medications, and the development of the trans-Tasman regulatory framework for therapeutic goods
• advising on aged care policy issues, including ongoing development and implementation of the government response to the Review of Pricing Arrangements for Residential Aged Care (the Hogan Review); development and implementation of aged care prudential arrangements; and input to the Review of Home and Community Care services, resulting in the August 2004 release of the discussion paper The Way Forward—Better Community Care
• progressing the recommendations of the Investment Review of Health and Medical Research (the Grant Review), and providing input to the statutory reviews of the Research Involving Human Embryos Act 2002 and the Prohibition of Human Cloning Act 2002
• participating in and advising on national preparedness and emergency planning, including on SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), avian influenza and the response to the Indian Ocean tsunamis
• advising on population health issues, including the development of the Public Health Outcome Funding Agreements, the National Immunisation Agreements, improved advisory processes for immunisation, and the National Illicit Drug Strategy
• advising on mental health matters, including the Senate inquiry on mental health and the National Suicide Prevention programme.

Community services

The division worked with other agencies following the Indian Ocean tsunamis in December 2004 to develop an assistance package for those Australians directly affected and to facilitate coordination of the domestic response.

We continued to participate actively in interagency forums considering such matters as housing, including the Commonwealth–State Housing Agreement and the Supported Accommodation Assistance Programme, and disability policy, including the reform of employment services for people with disabilities.

Education

In 2004–05, the division provided advice on several key education and vocational education and training reforms. They included a package of measures to end the national skills shortage and the establishment of 24 Australian Technical Colleges. We also supported the development of arrangements for a new national training system and new quadrennial schools agreements for government and non-government schools, alongside the implementation of higher education reforms under Our Universities: Backing Australia’s Future.

Employment

The division provided advice on a range of employment services matters, including on the development of the Employment Services Contract for purchasing Job Network services, which was announced in the 2005–06 Budget. We worked closely with other agencies on reforms to indigenous employment programmes, including the Community Development Employment Program.

Immigration

The division provided advice on the composition of Australia’s migration and humanitarian programmes for 2005–06 prior to the announcement of a number of new skilled migration initiatives in the 2005–06 Budget.

We contributed to policy development on alternative immigration detention arrangements for women and children and for illegal fishers in northern Australian waters, and continued to support the government’s multicultural and citizenship policies.

Indigenous policy and reconciliation

Throughout the year, the division supported the Prime Minister and the Secretary in their leadership roles in the reform of indigenous affairs. We tested new ways of working during this challenging period of continuing change.

We supported and monitored the new administrative arrangements to ‘mainstream’ indigenous-specific programmes and services, establish 30 whole-of-government Indigenous Coordination Centres across Australia, and develop the first Shared Responsibility Agreements and Regional Partnership Agreements.

The division supported Peter Shergold in his new role as chair of the expanded Secretaries’ Group on Indigenous Affairs. We provided secretariat support to the group and helped prepare bulletins to communicate its decisions across the Australian Public Service.

The division played a key role in developing the first unified indigenous affairs budget submission for the Ministerial Taskforce on Indigenous Affairs. The single submission brought together all new policy proposals for indigenous-specific initiatives and allowed strategic decisions to be taken in the light of whole-of-government priorities.

The division also supported the implementation of the COAG National Framework of Principles for Service Delivery to Indigenous Australians through the development of bilateral agreements with state and territory governments. Under the framework, governments will reduce duplication and harness mainstream government programmes to better meet the needs of indigenous Australians. The first bilateral agreement, signed with the Northern Territory Government on 6 April 2005, focused on reducing duplication in housing services; from 1 July 2006, the Northern Territory Government will administer housing programmes on behalf of both governments.

Income support and families

The division worked closely with the Attorney-General’s Department and the Department of Family and Community Services to finalise the government’s response to the inquiry into child custody conducted by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Family and Community Affairs. The government response, at $397.2 million, is the largest single investment ever made in the family law system. The aim is to change the adversarial nature of family separation through the establishment of Family Relationship Centres, the provision of additional family relationship services and amendments to the Family Law Act 1975.

The division helped to resolve policy on a number of income support payments and the Family Tax Benefit, including by preparing papers for Cabinet and participating in interdepartmental committees.

We continued to participate in interagency forums on such issues as early childhood development, the Longitudinal Survey of Australian Children, and youth development.

Women

Since its establishment in November 2004, the Women’s Policy Unit has focused on a number of key issues and objectives, including domestic and family violence; sex trafficking and sexual assault; women’s economic status and health and wellbeing; international human rights issues; child abuse; caring arrangements; and the implementation of women’s programmes.

In particular, the Women’s Policy Unit was involved in developing responses to domestic and family violence issues, including the implementation of the Family Violence Partnership Programme. The unit also monitored the implementation of the Australian Government’s Action Plan to Eradicate People Trafficking and the operation of interdepartmental protocols in this area. This included legislative amendments to raise penalties and create new offences for debt bondage and domestic trafficking in persons in the criminal code; input into the government response to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the Australian Crime Commission report Inquiry into the Trafficking of Women for Sexual Servitude; and liaison with the Office for Women in relation to the Victim Support Programme element of the action plan.