Statutory and Other Reports

Page index

• Occupational health and safety
• Freedom of information
• Advertising and market research
• Ecologically sustainable development and environmental performance

Occupational health and safety

Occupational health and safety (OH&S) remains a strong focus in the department. Over the last 12 months a range of measures were taken to support staff and to ensure a healthy and safe working environment, including:

• workstation assessments (offered to new starters or any employee feeling any discomfort in their work area)
• OH&S induction sessions (now included as a component of PM&C in Context orientation sessions for new staff)

• participation in training sessions, including OH&S for Event Management, Working Safely at the Desk, OH&S Induction Sessions and manual handling
• a dedicated ‘Health and safety’ information section on the Intranet, and
• management of both compensation and fitness-for-duty injuries and illnesses.

During 2006–07, 412 workstation assessments were undertaken compared to 316 in 2005–06 (an increase of 30 per cent) and 155 staff attended the newly introduced OH&S induction sessions.

As required under section 68 of the Occupational Health and Safety (Commonwealth Employment) Act 1991 (the OH&S Act), there was one notification of accidents and dangerous occurrences during the year. There were no directions or notices issued to PM&C under the OH&S Act (sections 29, 30, 45, 46, 47).

PM&C’s Health and Safety Committee (HSC) has supported of a number of initiatives, including:

• communicating the Workplace Programme to staff through their desktop computers
• conducting OH&S inspections in the old building before relocation and in the new building (One National Circuit), and
• discussing bullying and harassment in the workplace as a standing item at each Heath and Safety Committee meeting.

Figure 9.1: Health and safety performance

	2005–06	2006–07
PROACTIVE MEASURES
Workstation assessments	316	412
Flu vaccinations	146	234
OH&S induction session attendees	N/A	155
WELLBEING INDICATORS
Staff receiving employee assistance	30	41
Bullying and harassment	0	0
INCIDENT MANAGEMENT
Notifications of accidents and dangerous occurrences (s68 occurrences)	1	1
Directions or notices issued to PM&C under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (s29, 30, 45, 46, 47)	0	0

PM&C recognises that ongoing commitment is required in relation to health and safety matters and we are actively reviewing and updating policies and guidelines to reflect both the department’s needs and changes to the OH&S legislation.

Further information on health and wellbeing initiatives and the work of the OH&S Committee can be found in Chapter 7 Part III—People Management.

Freedom of information

The Freedom of Information Act 1982 gives individuals rights to see documents held by Australian Government ministers and agencies, with some exceptions. Section 8 of the Act requires us to report on:

• our organisation and functions—these are described in Chapter 2
• any arrangements for outside participation in policy formulation or administration—see Chapter 2
• the types of documents we hold, and
• our freedom of information (FOI) procedures, facilities and contact details.

The types of documents we hold include:

• submissions to, and the official records of, the Cabinet, its committees and the Federal Executive Council
• documents of Royal Commissions and other major inquiries
• representations to the Prime Minister on every aspect of government activity
• working files, including departmental correspondence, analysis and advice
• internal administrative records, such as personnel files, staffing and financial records and office procedures, and
• documents usually available free of charge, including government policy statements and communiqués.

Our annual report and selected other documents relating to PM&C are available free of charge on our website at www.pmc.gov.au.

More information about the classes of personal information we hold is available from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner at www.privacy.gov.au/government/digest.

To lodge an FOI request, you must contact us in writing—this can be by mail, fax or email. You must provide an address in Australia where we can send you notices under the Act. You should also include:

• the $30 application fee—please send a cheque or money order made out to the Collector of Public Monies
• as much detail as possible about the document(s) you wish to access, and
• a phone number in case we need to clarify your request.

If your request is approved, you will be provided with an opportunity to either inspect the records at our Canberra office or receive a copy of the records (copying charges may apply).

You can apply to the National Archives of Australia (NAA) for access to records that are more than 30 years old.

Under the Archives Act 1983, special access may be available to:

• former Governors-General, ministers and senior officials who wish to refresh their memories of records they personally dealt with while in office
• people connected to government who have placed their personal records in the custody of the National Archives of Australia, and
• people researching authorised biographies of office holders, or major works that are considered to be of national importance.

More information can be obtained from PM&C’s Freedom of Information Coordinator:

FOI Coordinator
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
PO Box 6500
CANBERRA ACT 2600

Email foi@pmc.gov.au
Phone 02 6271 5849
Fax 02 6271 5776

Advertising and market research

In accordance with section 311A of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, this section contains information about advertising and marketing research.

All Australian Government departments and agencies subject to the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 are required to place their advertising though the Central Advertising System (CAS). The Australian Government operates the CAS to:

• consolidate government advertising expenditure
• secure optimal media discounts and value-added benefits, and
• to ensure that Australian Government departments and agencies do not compete against one other for media time and space.

 

Figure 9.2: Details of advertising and market research payments of $10,300 or more

Firm	Service provided	Payments made in 2006–07
MARKET RESEARCH ORGANISATIONS
Eureka Strategic Research Pty Ltda	Conduct market research for APEC 2007 Leaders Week	$29,964
Corporate Diagnostics	Client satisfaction survey of campaign and non-campaign media placement agencies	$50,782
All market research organisations		$80,746
MEDIA ADVERTISING ORGANISATIONS
hma Blaze Pty Ltd	Recruitment and other non-campaign advertisingb	$265,247
All media advertising organisations		$265,247

a Contract also reported as a new consultancy with a value of $10,000 or more.

b May include payments under $10,300.

More information about the CAS is available at www.gcu.gov.au.

The cost of the outputs of the department’s Government Communications Unit, which coordinates government communications and manages the CAS, is provided in the performance report for Output 4.3.

Figure 9.2 covers payments of $10,300 and above to external consultants engaged by PM&C to provide advertising and market research services and for the placement of advertising by hma Blaze and Universal McCann, the CAS master media placement agencies.

In 2006–07 PM&C spent a total of $0.346 million on the placement of advertising through the CAS master media placement agencies and on payments to external consultants engaged to provide advertising and market research services.

Ecologically sustainable development and environmental performance

Helping the environment: Our impact on the environment has been improved with the department’s relocation to its new building at One National Circuit, which was built in accordance with the Australian building greenhouse rating scheme and has an energy rating of 4.5 stars.

The department has adopted a ‘green lease schedule’ for its new building, which contains mutual obligations for tenants and owners of office buildings to achieve energy-efficient targets. Under the schedule, both parties agree to an energy management plan and work jointly to review progress against the plan, monitor energy targets and address issues as they arise. An energy management plan is currently being developed.

Minimising harm: Measures to minimise harm to the environment are integrated into One National Circuit’s high-performance building structure. Applications of sustainable design principles ensure a high energy rating throughout the building’s lifecycle. The focus on premium grade services, innovative techniques and state-of-art technology ensures reliable systems, low outgoings and optimum energy efficiency.

The building incorporates a large number of energy-saving and water-saving devices designed to reduced greenhouse emissions. These include:

• the use of low embodied energy materials in the construction of the building and full insulation to improve energy efficiency of the building

• a fit-out that is generally light and open, to enhance the natural light
• T5 fluorescent lamps featuring dual 28 watt or single 54 watt tubes that have a low energy consumption
• dimmable lighting on the perimeter of the building to maximise the use of natural light
• occupancy sensors in offices, kitchens, and resource and store rooms which turn off the lights if the area is unoccupied
• energy efficient boiling and chilling units for drinking water
• timed lighting and air conditioning in meeting rooms
• double-glazing on external windows to ensure a more constant temperature is maintained throughout the year, lowering the need for heating and cooling
• efficient air conditioning that draws in fresh air when the ambient temperature is right, and is zoned for efficient after-hours use
• a 70,000 litre water storage tank placed underground that collects rain water from the roof to irrigate the gardens and also to supply water to the toilets
• waterless urinals and dual-flush toilets, and
• a solar hot water heater with a natural gas booster to supply hot water to hand basins, showers and kitchen sinks.

The department is implementing an Environmental Management System in compliance with the international standard AS/NZS ISO 14001:2004 as a tool for continuous improvement in its environmental management. Water use and waste recycling will be routinely monitored and measured during 2007–08. We continued to recycle our office paper and cardboard waste throughout 2006–07, as well as returning all old and broken mobile phones to our telecommunications provider for recycling.

The department reports energy consumption annually in the whole-of-government energy report (Energy use in the Australian Government’s operations report), highlighting progress towards achieving government targets in relation to electricity, gas and fuel consumption.

It is too early to know what our energy and water consumption will be in the new building.

The department sources eight per cent of its electricity needs from renewable sources under the whole-of-government energy supply contract managed by the Department of Defence, reducing the carbon dioxide produced in order to supply our needs.

At June 2007, 57 per cent of our pool fleet and 33 per cent of the entire vehicle fleet were rated at 10.5 per cent or better according to the Green Vehicle Guide (GVG). The guide scores vehicles on a performance scale based on air pollution, greenhouse emissions and fuel consumption. The better the environmental performance of the vehicle, the higher the score. The Australian Government has set a target requiring 28 per cent of government fleet vehicles to have a GVG score of 10.5 or more. The department continues to monitor the use of E10 ethanol blended fuel in our vehicle fleet, in line with the government commitment to encourage biofuel use where possible. More than 45 per cent of the fuel we used in 2006–07 was E10.

The department will continue to demonstrate its commitment to ecologically sustainable development and environmental performance through:

• development and implementation of measures to prevent and minimise pollution
• incorporating environmental better practice into all technological solutions and daily operations, including purchasing and office accommodation practices
• complying with all relevant Australian Government, state and territory environmental legislation, regulations, policies and initiatives, and any other applicable requirements
• operating in an environmentally responsible manner by reducing waste, recycling and minimising the use of energy, water and natural resources, and
• fostering an environmentally responsible culture throughout PM&C.

Our advice to the Prime Minister takes into account the impact on the environment, the community and the budget, and includes environmental impact statements where biodiversity and ecological integrity is identified as being at risk. These concepts are particularly relevant when we provide advice on such things as the impact of climate change, water reform and alternative energy.

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