7. Output Group 5 - Support Services for Government Operations

• Output 5.1 - Cabinet Support
• Output 5.2 - Machinery of Government
• Output 5.3 - Support to Official Establishments
• Output 5.4 - Support for Ministerial Offices
• Output 5.5 - Ceremonial and Hospitality
• Output 5.6 - Freedom of Information and Privacy Policy
• Output 5.9 - Pacific Islands Forum

Output 5.1 - Cabinet Support

Performance information relating to outputs

Output	Performance Information
Provision of secretariat and support services for the Cabinet Secretary, the Cabinet and its committees	Satisfaction of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet Secretary, the Cabinet and its committees with the organisation, coordination and support provided to meetings of the Cabinet and its committees. The expectation is that there will be 148 Cabinet and committee meetings, with 14 to be held outside of Canberra.
Provision of secretariat and support services for the Federal Executive Council	Satisfaction of the Federal Executive Council with the organisation, coordination and support provided to its meetings. The expectation is that there will be 30 meetings.
Delivery of Community Cabinet Meetings	Satisfaction of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet with the organisation, coordination and support provided to the Community Cabinet. The expectation is that there will be 10 meetings.
Monitoring and implementation of key government decisions9	Satisfaction of the Prime Minister, ministers, Portfolio Secretaries, the Cabinet Secretary and the departmental executive with the monitoring of and reporting on the implementation of key government decisions. The expectation is that some 100 policy initiatives will be monitored at any given time throughout the year.

Role of the Division

Cabinet Division includes the Cabinet Secretariat and the Community Cabinet Secretariat. The Cabinet Secretariat provides administrative services to the Cabinet and its committees to support the government’s decision-making processes. The Cabinet Secretariat is also responsible for supporting the Federal Executive Council, the Secretaries’ Committee on National Security, maintaining the registry of Cabinet documents for the current government and preserving the Cabinet records of previous governments.

The Community Cabinet Secretariat was established in January 2008 to plan, coordinate and deliver a series of Community Cabinet meetings, on average once a month, in metropolitan and regional centres across Australia. Community Cabinet meetings provide opportunities for people to bring their concerns directly to the government, to meet with Cabinet ministers in person and to ask questions that are important to them.

Our Performance

Cabinet Secretariat

The Prime Minister, the Cabinet Secretary, the Secretary of the department and the Official Secretary to the Governor-General each expressed satisfaction with the support services we provided and with the professionalism and responsiveness of the Cabinet Secretariat in servicing the Cabinet and the Executive Council during 2008–09. Informal feedback from other stakeholders, including members of the Cabinet, was also favourable.

The Cabinet Secretariat provided support for Cabinet, the Ministry and eight Cabinet Committees. The Cabinet Secretariat also provided logistical and secretariat support for Cabinet and committee meetings that have been held in conjunction with Community Cabinet meetings at interstate locations. There were 235 Cabinet and committee meetings held in 2008–09, with 38 of these meetings held interstate at metropolitan, regional or remote locations. In addition, there were 14 meetings of the Secretaries’ Committee on National Security. The Cabinet also considered 741 appointments to statutory and non‑statutory authorities.

Cabinet Secretariat also put in place arrangements for the appropriate handling of Cabinet documents following the ministry changes in February and June 2009.

During the year, the Executive Council Secretariat (a unit within the Cabinet Secretariat) provided advice, briefings and administrative support to the Governor-General, the Executive Council and the Official Secretary to the Governor-General. There was a total of 27 meetings of the Executive Council, with 522 papers considered. Of these, only 5 per cent of papers (28) were not available by the required two days before the relevant meeting.

Since the election in 2007, the government has made changes to the management of Cabinet business, particularly through the operation of the Cabinet committees structure. These processes are reflected in the current edition of the Cabinet Handbook (available at www.pmc.gov.au ) and in new Cabinet submission templates introduced in time for the preparation of the 2009–10 Budget.

A heavy workload in Cabinet business and meetings reflected the government’s consideration of a substantial reform agenda and the response to the global financial crisis. Despite the increase in activity and the higher number of interstate meetings, the secretariat’s performance in relation to the release and circulation of minutes has improved over our performance in 2007–08. For Cabinet and committee meetings, 74 per cent of minutes were available within 24 hours, with 91 per cent available within 48 hours. While only 38 per cent of National Security Committee minutes were made available within 24 hours, 70 per cent were made available within 48 hours.

Community Cabinet Secretariat

The initial Community Cabinet program had forecast 10 meetings for the year. However, parliamentary sitting requirements and ministerial commitments meant that only nine meetings were held.

The Prime Minister, the Cabinet Secretary, the Secretary of the department and the departmental executive each expressed satisfaction, through formal and informal feedback mechanisms, with the Community Cabinet Secretariat’s work, professionalism and responsiveness in organising Community Cabinet meetings during 2009. Informal feedback from other stakeholders, including members of the Cabinet, the Prime Minister’s Office, external stakeholders and members of the public was also favourable.

The secretariat was assessed as having provided effective and timely organisation, briefing material and reporting of outcomes for each Community Cabinet meeting.

Each Community Cabinet meeting starts with a public forum in which members of the public can ask questions of, or make statements to, the Prime Minister and other assembled ministers. After the public forum, individuals can attend pre-arranged one-on-one meetings with ministers in order to pursue matters of personal interest to them. Over the nine Community Cabinet meetings held during the year, 4,223 individuals registered to attend, 115 questions were asked in the public forum and 534 one-on-one meetings took place with ministers.

As a way of extending the Community Cabinet experience beyond the individuals who have been able to attend meetings, transcripts of the public forums have been made from the Corio meeting onwards and placed on our website. The secretariat is also exploring other ways of reporting back to communities.

In the 2009 Budget, the government committed additional funding for the Community Cabinet program to resource:

• continuation of detailed briefing to help ministers engage with specific communities
• continuation of a coordinated reporting regime which tracks representations and responses for each minister
• regular analysis of issues arising from meetings and consideration of trends, and
• the development and implementation of engagement strategies aimed at encouraging greater participation by individuals in governance processes.

Figure 7.1: Trend Table – Services to Cabinet and other Decision Makers

	2004–05	2005–06	2006–07	2007–08	2008-09
MEETINGS HELD OF THE CABINET AND ITS COMMITTEES
Cabinet	36	26	33	30	44
Ministry	3	3	3	6	4
National Security Committee	10	23	18	13	34
Parliamentary Business Committee	14	19	19	14	19
Other Cabinet committees	21	11	14	41	134
TOTAL	74	82	87	104	235
Cabinet meetings held outside Canberra (not including Cabinet committee meetings)	2	2	6	8	9
Other committee meetings held outside Canberra	0	0	3	4	29
Secretaries’ Committee on National Security	11	11	10	9	14
CABINET MINUTE RELEASE WITHIN 24 HOURS OF MEETING
National Security Committee	100%	99%	100%	75%	38%
Cabinet and all other committees	97%	99%	94%	56%	74%
OTHER INDICATORS OF CABINET WORKLOAD
Cabinet documents lodged	641	740	739	571	805
Cabinet minutes recorded	969	832	835	811	1987*
SUPPORT OF THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL IN COUNCIL (THE FEDERAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL)
Meetings held	28	29	26	28	27
Papers considered	542	547	635	515	522
Availability of papers two working days before meeting	94%	95%	93%	94%	95%

* note – the number of Cabinet Minutes reported for 2008–09 includes extracts of minutes (where only a part of a minute is provided rather than the full Minute). The number of Cabinet Minutes excluding extracts is 1,543 – this figure is comparable with the 2007–08 figure).

Output 5.2 - Machinery of Government

Performance information relating to outputs

Output	Performance Information
Advice, briefing and support on parliamentary, machinery of government, legal and cultural issues, including on presentation of the government’s decisions in these areas. Policy coordination and promotion of the national honours system and national symbols. Support to the National Australia Day Council in complying with its grant funding	Satisfaction of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet Secretary, the parliamentary secretaries, their offices and the departmental executive with the timeliness and quality of briefing material, advice provided and services delivered.
Administered Item
National Australia Day Council (NADC)	National Australia Day Council grant administered in compliance with the reporting mechanisms, objectives and other provisions of the grant funding deed

Role of the Division

Government Division is responsible for advice and support on machinery of government, but has a broader leadership role in providing advice on public governance and reform across the Australian Public Service. We provide advice on legislation programming, parliamentary affairs, ministerial arrangements, public service matters, legal and constitutional matters, litigation, administrative review, royal commissions and other inquiries, archives, electoral matters, privacy, territories, access to government information (including freedom of information), matters relating to the arts and culture, and matters relating to Australian and foreign honours and the use of national symbols.

In delivering these services, we maintain good working relationships with the following organisations:

• Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House.
• the Australian Public Service Commission
• the National Archives of Australia
• the National Australia Day Council
• the Australian National Audit Office
• the Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman
• the Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General (Government House), and
• the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.

In addition to serving the Prime Minister, we assist the Cabinet Secretary on matters related to Australian honours and symbols (including the National Australia Day Council) and a range of governance issues. We also provide advice on the Government’s freedom of information (FOI) reform agenda, including development of bills to implement the reform measures. More detail on this initiative is provided under Output 5.6.

Our Performance

We provided a comprehensive Cabinet memorandum within approved deadlines for each of the 19 meetings of the Parliamentary Business Committee of Cabinet during the year. We also met agreed deadlines for providing information to the parliament and the public in relation to lists of unproclaimed legislation and legislation proposed for introduction in the forthcoming sittings of the parliament.

We supported the government’s electoral reform program through the development of two discussion papers.

In relation to honours matters, we consistently received positive feedback from stakeholders about the quality and timeliness of our advice and support. We advised the Prime Minister and the Cabinet Secretary on the first ever award of the ‘Victoria Cross for Australia’, the establishment of the National Police Service Medal and the Australian General Service Medal for Korea, and appropriate recognition in relation to the February 2009 Victorian bushfires.

In the reporting year, we processed 11,898 congratulatory messages to Australians celebrating significant birthdays and wedding anniversaries. Discounting belated requests, approximately 99.95 per cent of messages were received on time.

Administrative arrangements: Following the Prime Minister’s announcement of changes to ministerial arrangements on 25 February and 6 June 2009, we provided advice and administrative support in relation to the swearing-in of new ministers and parliamentary secretaries.

The Administrative Arrangements Order (AAO) is a formal order signed by the Governor‑General that sets out the matters dealt with by each department and the legislation administered by each minister. On 1 July 2008 the AAO was amended to reflect legislative changes since the previous consolidated AAO was issued in January 2008.

We are also responsible for advising the Prime Minister on the creation and abolition of executive agencies under the Public Service Act 1999. In 2008–09 we prepared advice and Executive Council papers to implement the government’s decision to create Safe Work Australia as an executive agency in the Education, Employment and Workplace Relations portfolio.

Register of Lobbyists: On 13 May 2008 the Cabinet Secretary announced the government had adopted a Lobbying Code of Conduct and established a Register of Lobbyists to be maintained by PM&C. The Register became operational on 1 July 2008. From that date, lobbyists who represent third parties must be on the Register before they can lobby Australian Government ministers, ministerial staff employed under the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984 or people employed under the Public Service Act 1999.

We are responsible for the maintenance of the Register of Lobbyists. The Register is publicly available on our website at lobbyists.pmc.gov.au/lobbyistsregister/. Lobbyists can apply to register (or update their registration) via this website and we will process their application within two business days of receiving all the necessary information.

The Lobbying Code of Conduct requires lobbyists to provide confirmation that their details are up-to-date within 10 business days of 30 September, 31 January, 31 March and 30 June each year. In addition, lobbyists are required to provide – within 10 business days of 30 June 2009 and each year thereafter – fresh statutory declarations for every person they have employed, contracted or otherwise engaged to carry out lobbying activities on behalf of a client. While the department had to follow up a number of lobbyists to make sure their details were up-to-date, the great majority provided the required information within the specified timeframes.

At the end of the 2008–09 financial year there were 270 lobbying organisations on the Register of Lobbyists, with 651 individual lobbyists registered.

The Lobbying Code of Conduct was referred by the Senate to the Senate Finance and Public Administration Standing Committee for inquiry towards the end of 2007–08. The committee tabled its report on the Code on 3 September 2008, recommending the operation of the Lobbying Code of Conduct be reviewed in the second half of 2009. The government response to the report was presented to the Senate on 15 January 2009.

Coordination of parliamentary business: We provided secretariat support to the Parliamentary Business Committee of Cabinet. A comprehensive Cabinet memorandum was prepared before each of the three parliamentary sitting periods (2008 Spring, 2009 Autumn and 2009 Winter) which set out the government’s legislation program. In addition, a memorandum proposing variations to the legislation program and the parliamentary debate programs in the House of Representatives and the Senate for the week ahead were prepared for each sitting week.

During the year, we also:

• coordinated the drafting of responses for a significant proportion of requests for policy approval involving legislation
• issued 10 legislation circulars to departments and agencies about legislation and parliamentary matters
• liaised with the Office of Parliamentary Counsel and departments in relation to legislation
• prepared advice on parliamentary matters generally.

As part of the legislation approval process, 213 legislation submissions were prepared for the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister. We compiled a list of the bills proposed for introduction and debate (the ‘public list’) for distribution to senators and members before each of the three sittings of parliament. We also coordinated the preparation of the report on unproclaimed legislation which was tabled in the Senate in August 2008.

Whole-of-government guidelines: We issue guidelines to agencies on a number of whole-of-government processes. Our major publications include:

• the Legislation Handbook
• guidance on caretaker conventions
• guidelines for official witnesses before parliamentary committees
• guidelines on presenting government documents to the parliament
• annual report requirements for departments, agencies and other bodies subject to the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997.

The Requirements for departmental annual reports were revised and reissued to departments in June 2009 following their approval by the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit. The requirements include guidance for reporting on Agency Resource Statements which were introduced as a result of Operation Sunlight in the 2008–09 Portfolio Budget Statements and 2008-09 annual reports.

Royal Commissions: Royal Commissions may be set up from time to time to inquire into specific matters referred to them by government. We prepare the documentation required to establish a Royal Commission, administer the Royal Commissions Act 1902 and, in most cases, take responsibility for a Royal Commission’s non-administrative records once the commission is completed. We advised on preparation of terms of reference to the Australian Law Reform Commission for a review of the Royal Commissions Act and have met with the commission to discuss its Issues Paper 35, Review of the Royal Commissions Act: Inquiry Snapshot.

Legal policy issues: In 2008–09 we continued to support the Prime Minister by providing whole-of-government leadership and advice on a range of significant legal policy issues, including:

• constitutional matters
• human rights
• amendments to Commonwealth legislation dealing with serious and organised crime
• particular law and justice elements of the Northern Territory Emergency Response
• the COAG initiative on Exchange of Criminal History Information on People Working with Children
• personal property securities reform (part of the COAG Business Regulation and Competition Working Group Agenda)
• the Commonwealth’s compliance with summonses issued by the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission, and
• preparation for participating in the Department of Finance and Deregulation panel arrangements for procuring some legal services early in 2009–10.

We also provided advice to the Cabinet Secretary on:

• management of the Prime Minister and Cabinet portfolio legislation program, and
• implementation of the government’s election commitment to strengthen protections for whistleblowers in the Australian Public Service, including in relation to the inquiry by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs into whistleblowing protection within the Australian Government public sector.

Territories: Legal Policy Branch provided advice to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet Secretary on Australia’s non-Antarctic territories, including governance reforms on Norfolk Island and the Commonwealth’s national capital responsibilities.

Legislative reform issues: In 2008-09 we continued to support the Cabinet Secretary in developing two discussion papers (green papers) on electoral reform. The first paper, Electoral Reform Green Paper – Donations, Funding and Expenditure, was released by the former Cabinet Secretary and Special Minister of State, Senator the Hon John Faulkner, on 17 December 2008 (see www.pmc.gov.au/consultation/elect_reform/index.cfm). Public submissions closed on 23 February 2009. We are supporting the Cabinet Secretary in developing the Australian Government’s response to the green paper, including analysis of the fifty submissions received on the issues raised in the paper. We also supported the Cabinet Secretary in developing a second paper on a broader range of issues aimed at strengthening our national electoral laws.

Legal actions involving the department and the Prime Minister: In 2008–09 we contributed to the protection of the government’s interests in legal proceedings involving the department or portfolio ministers in the following ways:

• We defended an application for a review by the Administrative Ap • peals Tribunal (Haneef and Secretary, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet – 2008/4299) of a freedom of information decision to refuse access to documents on a number of bases, including national security, international relations, law enforcement and the public interest. A decision on the application was still pending at 30 June 2009.
• Managing aspects of Telstra Corporation Limited and Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy – V2007/619 and V2007/2209 and the ongoing Southern Cross Airports Corporation Pty Ltd v Chief Commissioner of State Revenue and Ms Lydia Desai & Ms Priscilla D’Souza v Mr Mike J Keelty, Commissioner, Australian Federal Police & others litigation.

The department has not been the subject of any judicial decisions or decisions of administrative tribunals during the reporting period that have had, or may have, a significant impact on its operations.

Australian honours system: The Awards and Culture Branch advises the responsible minister on the overall operation of Australia’s honours system. Senator the Hon John Faulkner exercised responsibility for honours matters in the Prime Minister’s portfolio, in his capacity as Cabinet Secretary, until the appointment of Senator the Hon Joe Ludwig to this position in June 2009.

The honours system expresses the nation’s gratitude for the significant achievements and contributions of Australians. Individual awards are made for outstanding contributions, service awards for military, police and humanitarian operations overseas, and long service awards for those who serve the community in hazardous environments.

The department is represented on the Council for the Order of Australia and the Australian Bravery Decorations Council. We also provide secretariat services to the committees that consider public service honours, such as the Public Service Medal.

In 2008–09, we provided advice on issuing the first ever award of the ‘Victoria Cross for Australia’, to Trooper Mark Donaldson VC. As the decoration had never been awarded before, we provided advice on appropriate processes and authorisations. We consulted the Department of Defence and the Honours and Awards Secretariat at Government House on these matters, culminating in the announcement and investiture in Canberra on 16 January 2009.

We also conducted consultation and provided advice on plans to establish a National Police Service Medal and the Australian General Service Medal for Korea. The latter award was a recommendation of the December 2005 report of the Post-Armistice Korean Service Review. Her Majesty The Queen gave in-principle approval for both awards in 2008–09 and they are expected to be established in 2009–10.

We provided advice on appropriate recognition available in the national honours system for emergency service personnel and others involved in the February 2009 Victorian bushfires. We also administered nominations for non-Australians for honorary awards in the General Division of the Order of Australia, and the Governor-General made six honorary appointments during 2008–09. Australians are recognised for their contribution to other nations, and in 2008–09 we processed 4,272 proposals by foreign governments to grant Australians foreign honours. The branch continued to process applications for a small number of civilian service awards.

The branch promoted awareness of the honours system, working closely with the Honours and Awards Secretariat at Government House. Promotional activities in 2008–09 included:

• the use of new images in advertising to promote nominations in the honours system, for example, advertisements were placed in major newspapers on Australia Day 2009 to coincide with the Australia Day honours announcement
• the November 2008 It’s an honour magazine featuring specialists in information and communication technology who were recognised and honoured for their extraordinary contribution to the information and communications technology sector
• the It’s an honour travelling exhibition toured four venues in South Australia before it was decommissioned. A modern lightweight exhibition is being developed and will roll out in 2009–10, and
• attendance at the Local Government Association of New South Wales conference in Broken Hill and the Australian Library and Information Technology Association conference in Alice Springs where we shared and displayed information about the honours system.

Approximately 560,000 visitors accessed the website at www.itsanhonour.gov.au. The website features a complete list of Australia’s honours and awards, the latest honours announcements, A–Z fact sheets, profiles of previous recipients, a search facility to findindividuals who have received an Australian honour, and three electronic subscription services: Honouring Australia, the Commonwealth flag network and It’s an honour magazine. A new addition to the site was curriculum resource material for upper primary students and teachers about national symbols and honours.

We continued to maintain our database of the recipients of Australian honours and awards – more than 256,500 of them since 1901. The audit program ensuring database integrity is also continuing.

National symbols: The branch provides information about – and promotes the proper use of – Australia’s national symbols, including the Australian National Flag and the Australian National Anthem. We achieve this through our website at www.itsanhonour.gov.au and through the publications Australian flags and Australian symbols. Members of the public can also obtain a DVD presentation and CD recording of the Australian National Anthem by contacting their local Senator or Member of Parliament.

Through the Commonwealth flag network, the branch provides advice on when to fly the national flags on occasions of national significance and when to fly flags at half-mast to recognise State funerals, State memorial services and national commemorative services. Such occasions in 2008–09 included encouraging the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags to be flown on the anniversary of the Australian Government’s Apology to the Stolen Generations; and flying the Australian National Flag at half-mast for the National Day of Mourning for lives lost in the Victorian Bushfires.

The branch also provides advice on the use of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms, the official symbol of the Commonwealth of Australia. The coat of arms is not available for general public use. However, exceptions may be granted for educational materials and for teams representing Australia in international competitions. The branch is also responsible for the Australian Government Branding Design Guidelines and provides advice to the Cabinet Secretary on exemptions and co-branding requests.

Administered item: National Australia Day Council

The National Australia Day Council is a Commonwealth-owned non-profit company within the Prime Minister’s portfolio, reporting under the provisions of the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997. The council promotes the meaning of, and participation in, Australia Day and the Australian of the Year Awards. More information about the National Australia Day Council can be found on their website at www.australiaday.gov.au

In 2008–09 the government provided $3.29 million (46% of total income) to the National Australia Day Council, including $900,000 through Additional Estimates for the Australia Day Live concert and other Australia Day activities in the national capital. We administer this funding as a grant, payable in instalments against reporting milestones and in accordance with an Australian Government funding deed.

Output 5.3 - Support to Official Establishments

Performance information relating to outputs

Output	Performance Information
Management of the Prime Minister’s official residences	The degree of satisfaction of the occupants and departmental executive with the management of the Prime Minister’s official residences. This must be consistent with the status of the residences as part of the National Estate and in line with statutory heritage and planning obligations.
Secretariat support for the Official Establishments Trust	The degree of satisfaction of Official Establishments Trust members with the timeliness and quality of advice and secretariat support.

Role of the Section

The Official Establishments Unit manages the Prime Minister’s official residences – The Lodge in Canberra and Kirribilli House in Sydney – in consultation with the Official Establishments Trust and other relevant agencies. The unit also provides secretariat support to the Official Establishments Trust and administers a grant-in-aid to The Australiana Fund.

Our Performance

We continued to provide a high-quality management service for the Prime Minister’s official residences and efficient secretariat support to the Official Establishments Trust. Four meetings of the Trust were held during the year and the Chair has indicated the Trust’s satisfaction with the quality of secretariat support provided.

A key initiative during the year was to allow charities to run events at Kirribilli House. Ten charities took the opportunity to hold functions at the residence and the House will continue to be available for use by charities in 2009–10.

We developed documentation to put in place a panel arrangement for the provision of maintenance, engineering and building services at both residences and to engage a garden and grounds contractor at The Lodge.

In 2008 a review of policies and procedures was undertaken, leading to a restructuring of the Official Establishments Unit in 2009 to improve consistency and coordination of services. The unit will continue to work on building systemic support processes to enable the official residences to function at the highest level.

During 2008–09 we received formal and informal feedback that we had been responsive in delivering services and had provided accurate and timely advice. Future directions for the residences include developing comprehensive management and works plans and environmental initiatives.

Output 5.4 - Support for Ministerial Officers

Performance information relating to outputs

Output	Performance Information
Provision of services for the Prime Minister, the Cabinet Secretary and the Parliamentary Secretaries.	Satisfaction of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet Secretary, the parliamentary secretaries, their offices and the departmental executive with the timeliness and quality of briefing material, advice provided and services delivered.
Administered Item
Allowances and support to former Governors-General	Former Governors-General receive allowances and support in accordance with their entitlement.

Role of the Teams

Support services for ministerial offices are provided through teams within the Ministerial Support Unit.

The Information Handling and Coordination Team processes all ministerial correspondence for the portfolio, as well as coordinating briefing material for parliamentary Question Time, ministerial meetings and high-level policy advice.

The Quality Systems and Reporting Team monitors the volume and quality of documents flowing between the department and ministerial offices.

The Communications Team provides strategic communications advice and support. Services include speechwriting and high-level document editing.

The Departmental Liaison Officers coordinate the effective flow of information between the department and ministerial offices. They are responsible for providing timely feedback to the department on the consideration of policy and various administrative issues in the ministerial offices.

Our performance

The teams in Ministerial Support Unit have worked together to provide a high-quality service to all ministerial offices within the portfolio.

The Information Handling and Coordination Team receives, registers, tracks and analyses all incoming ministerial correspondence and departmental briefings. During the period 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009, staff in the unit processed approximately 165,000 items of correspondence addressed to the Prime Minister, other portfolio ministers and their offices – an average of more than 660 items per day. The briefings team oversaw the delivery of approximately 700 Possible Parliamentary Question Briefings to the Prime Minister, often within very tight timeframes. Informal feedback from the Prime Minister’s Office indicated that the briefings were prepared to a high standard.

The briefings team also coordinated the handling of parliamentary Questions on Notice. There were 18 questions on hand at the start of the financial year, and a further 83 were addressed to the Prime Minister during the reporting period. Responses to 71 questions were lodged in the period and 12 questions were transferred to other ministers. One question was withdrawn. For responses lodged in this period, the average response time was 92 days for House of Representatives questions and 99 days for Senate questions. There were 17 questions on hand at 30 June 2009.

Staff in the briefings team have provided advice on a number of occasions when a Question on Notice was asked of all or many portfolio ministers, identifying where it was appropriate to provide streamlined responses so departments could avoid the unnecessary duplication of information.

A key achievement of the briefings team this year, in partnership with the Departmental Liaison Officers, has been the implementation of a number of tracking and reporting systems that aid in streamlining the workflow of material between the Prime Minister’s Office and the department. These systems have contributed to a significant improvement in turnaround times for briefs.

During the year 1,860 briefs were sent to the Prime Minister, other portfolio ministers and their offices.

The establishment of a dedicated Quality Systems and Reporting Team has provided further scope for monitoring and improving both the timeliness and the quality of information provided to the Prime Minister. The team provides a number of regular reports, which have become an important quality assurance tool for the Secretary and the departmental executive. The team has also developed a new briefing template for the Prime Minister, in addition to Quality Standard Guides with associated quality checklists. The introduction of the new template and checklists was accompanied by 12 training sessions coordinated by the team.

The Departmental Liaison Officers played an important coordination role between the department and ministerial offices. At 30 June 2009, there were six full-time departmental liaison officers in place: three in the Prime Minister’s Office¹⁰, two in the Office of the Cabinet Secretary and Special Minister of State¹¹ and one in the Office of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister.

The Communications Team provides departmental advice in the form of draft speeches for the Prime Minister and the department’s executive. From its establishment in December 2008 and up to 30 June 2009, the team produced over 35 speeches. The team has received informal feedback from the Prime Minister’s Office that the services offered are timely and responsive and departmental staff have also commented favourably on the team’s work.

Administered Item: Allowances and support to former Governors-General

The Divisional Support Unit within the Ministerial Support Unit coordinates support for former Governors-General.

During 2008–09 all allowances to former Governors-General were paid in accordance with the relevant Remuneration Tribunal determination. From 1 July 2009 this function will be transferred to the Department of Finance and Deregulation.

All other support was provided in accordance with the agreed entitlements for former Governors-General. Support arrangements for former Governors-General continued to operate smoothly.

A key achievement during 2008–09 was the establishment of support for former Governor- General, Major General (Ret’d) Michael Jeffery AC CVO MC and arranging his transition out of office. We undertook a successful transition, co-locating Major General Jeffery with the Honourable Sir William Deane AC KBE KStJ QC. The fit-out was managed to budget and within agreed timeframes, ensuring no delays. During the transition, we provided support to Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC, as the Governor-General Designate.

No lease renewals, major refurbishments or projects in relation to the offices of the former Governors-General were undertaken during 2008–09 other than the succession arrangements for Major General Jeffery.

Output 5.5 - Ceremonial and Hospitality

Performance information relating to outputs

Output	Performance Information
Management of state occasions and official visits. Support services to the government relating to overseas visits by the Prime Minister, government hospitality for overseas dignitaries and official ceremonies.	Satisfaction of the Prime Minister with the support services relating to overseas visits. The degree of satisfaction of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet Secretary, the parliamentary ecretaries, their offices, the departmental executive and the Governor- General’s Office with: visits to Australia by heads of state and government arrangements for the Prime Minister’s overseas visits state occasions, and advice on relevant matters, including official gifts. Facilitation of eight head-of-state and head-of-government visits, 25 ministerial visits and four state funerals. Satisfaction of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet Secretary, the parliamentary secretaries, their offices and the departmental executive with management of the government’s hospitality for overseas dignitaries and official ceremonies.
Administered Item
State occasions and official visits

Role of the branch

The Ceremonial and Hospitality Branch plans, coordinates and facilitates Guest of Government visits to Australia, State occasions, official visits overseas by the Prime Minister and hospitality provided by the Prime Minister, ministers and the Secretary of PM&C. The successful conduct of these events requires detailed administrative and logistical planning and coordination.

Our performance

Feedback, letters and other comments received during the year indicated that the branch maintained its consistently high standard of coordination and facilitation services. We received positive feedback from the Prime Minister and his office, letters of appreciation from visitors and their diplomatic representatives, post-visit cables from Australia’s overseas missions, and other feedback from the recipients of official hospitality and State functions.

Guest of Government visits to Australia

We arranged and facilitated 37 guest of government visits to Australia this year (see box), an increase of more than 50 per cent over last year. These ranged from ministerial visits lasting one day to Head of State and Head of Government visits and, on most occasions, included official hospitality we had organised .

The branch also managed 169 airport facilitations for Heads of State and Heads of Government transiting or making private visits to Australia. The number of airport facilitations organised by the branch this year increased by more than 50 per cent from last year.

State occasions and other events

State occasions and other events organised by the branch included the following.

State funerals were organised for:

• The Honourable Frank Crean (9 December 2008), and
• Professor Christopher John O’Brien AO (11 June 2009).

A State memorial service was organised fo

• The Honourable Peter Howson CMG (17 February 2009).

Assistance was provided to the Victorian Premier’s Department for:

• National Day of Mourning – Together for Victoria (Victorian Bushfires) (22 February 2009).

Prime Minister’s overseas visits

The branch planned and coordinated 11 official visits overseas for the Prime Minister (see box), ranging in length from one to 13 days.

The branch also facilitated an official visit to Switzerland for the Deputy Prime Minister, who represented the Prime Minister at the World Economic Forum in Davos from 28 January– 2 February 2009.

Arrangements were also made for the Prime Minister’s official visit to the Kingdom of Thailand for the East Asia Summit (planned for 11–13 April 2009), but the summit was cancelled while the Prime Minister was en-route.

Figure 7.2: Trends in ceremonial and hospitality services

	2004–05	2005–06	2006–07	2007–08	2008-09
PRIME MINISTER’S OVERSEAS VISITS
Visits made	8	8	7	7	11
Nations visiteda	10	14	9	12	14
Total duration of visits (whole or part days)	37	64	26	40	55
OFFICIAL VISITS TO AUSTRALIA BY GUESTS OF THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT
Heads of State	5	6	4	5	4
Heads of Government	6	6	7	4	8
Ministers	13	14	19	12	24
Other guestsb	2	-	5	-	1
Total visits	26	26	35	21	37
Airport facilitationsc	97	148	52	107	169
OTHER EVENTS OF STATE
State funerals	2	3	2	3	2
State memorial services	1	3	1	-	2
Other events	5	8	12	11	25
Total other events	8	14	15	14	29

1. Nations may be visited on more than one trip in any given year.
2. Other guests have included visitors who are royalty but not Heads of State.
3. Airport facilitation involves coordinating airport and border control procedures for, and greeting, Heads of State and Heads of Government on private or transit visits on their international arrival and departure. The facilitation is undertaken by part-time visit consultants.

Output 5.6 - Freedom of Information and Privacy Policy

Performance information relating to outputs

Output	Performance Information
Provide advice, briefing and support to the Prime Minister and government on national and international freedom of information and privacy policy.	Satisfaction of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet Secretary, the parliamentary secretaries, their officers and the departmental executive with the timeliness and quality of briefing material, advice provided and services delivered.

Role of the division

Government Division is responsible for advice, briefing and support on national and international freedom of information and privacy policy. More information on the role of the division is at Output 5.2

Our performance

Freedom of information reform

In 2008–09 we provided advice to the Cabinet Secretary on the government’s freedom of information (FOI) reform agenda and assisted in the development of bills to implement the reform measures

• The Freedom of Information (Removal of Conclusive Certificates and Other Measures) Bill 2008, which would repeal the power to issue conclusive certificates from the Freedom of Information Act 1982 and the Archives Act 1983, was introduced into the Senate on 26 November 2008.
• The draft Information Commissioner Bill and the draft Freedom of Information Amendment (Reform) Bill represent the most significant overhaul of the FOI Act since its inception in 1982. Consultations were undertaken with a range of people outside government who have significant experience and expertise in FOI, including academics, FOI consultants, journalists and media organisations. We also consulted extensively with other government agencies. The Cabinet Secretary released the Bills for public consultation on 24 March 2009. The division managed the consultation process, hosting a public forum in Canberra on 7 May 2009 and posting public submissions on our website (www.pmc.gov.au ).

We received direct positive feedback from the Cabinet Secretary on our FOI reform work. Work on the reforms will continue into next financial year, including on the proposed introduction of the legislation into the parliament by the end of 2009. Preparations are also under way for the proposed Office of the Information Commissioner so it can start operations in 2010, as intended.

Privacy reform

We provided advice to the Cabinet Secretary on the development of the government’s first stage response to the Australian Law Reform Commission’s report For your information: Australian privacy law and practice which was released in August 2008. We conducted wide-ranging consultations with private and public sector stakeholders and invited submissions on the final report in order to inform the government’s response.

International engagement on privacy matters

We continued to chair the work of the Asia–Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Data Privacy Sub-Group. The sub-group is working on the implementation of the APEC Data Privacy Pathfinder, a mechanism to develop and ‘road-test’ elements of a cross-border privacy rules system across APEC member economies. The sub-group has also encouraged APEC member economies in their implementation of domestic privacy protections consistent with the APEC Privacy Framework.

We have continued to engage in the work of the OECD Working Party on Information Security and Privacy in relation to data privacy issues. We also participated in the ongoing negotiation of free trade agreements with Korea, Japan, China and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

In October 2008 we attended the principal annual gathering of international privacy experts from both the public and private sectors – the 30th International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners, in Strasbourg, France.

The Agreement between Australia and the European Union on the processing and transfer of European Union-sourced passenger name record data by air carriers to the Australian Customs Service was tabled in the parliament on 26 August 2008. This treaty, which we helped to negotiate, was signed on 30 June 2008 and was the culmination of efforts by Australia since 2004 to establish a bilateral treaty with the European Union for transferring passenger name record data. Concluding a passenger name record agreement with the European Union was necessary to enable data sourced from the European Union to be transferred to Australian authorities, primarily the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service

FOI policy and domestic privacy policy

On 11 February 2009 the Cabinet Secretary made an emergency declaration under the Privacy Act 1988 entitled Emergency (Victorian Bushfires) Declaration 2009 (No. 1). This was the first emergency declaration made under the amendments to the Privacy Act 1988 in 2006 which dealt with the handling of personal information in an emergency or disaster situation. The emergency declaration facilitated streamlined assistance to people affected by the Victorian bushfires by enabling personal information to be shared between agencies and others in appropriate circumstances. The declaration expires on 9 February 2010.

• During 2008–09 the branch also: provided advice to other Australian Government agencies through scrutinyof their draft Bills and proposed policies or program
• prepared the 2007–08 annual report on the operation of the FOI Act which is a comprehensive record of FOI statistics of Australian Government agencies
• maintained an FOI website (www.pmc.gov.au/foi) which contains useful information for both FOI practitioners in other agencies who must apply the FOI Act and the general public interested in making an FOI request. The website contains FOI Guidelines which make an important contribution to the consistent application of the FOI Act across all government agencies
• provided advice and assistance to officers of the department in relation to privacy matters in our Privacy Contact Officer role
• provided speakers at a range of FOI and privacy seminars and conferences throughout the year
• provided material on the operation of the FOI Act for inclusion in a number of publications, and
• made available officers, on a rostered basis, to act as Parliamentary Liaison Officer for the House of Representatives Main Committee. This liaison role facilitates the government’s legislative program in the Main Committee.

Output 5.9 - Pacific Island Forum

Performance information relating to outputs

Output	Performance Information
Planning, logistics and support to the Government in hosting the Pacific Islands Forum in August 2009.	The degree of satisfaction of the Prime Minister and Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.

Role of the Taskforce

On 27 January 2009, the Prime Minister announced that the annual Pacific Islands Forum would be held in Cairns from 4–7 August 2009, hosted by the Australian Government. A taskforce was established in February 2009 within the Ceremonial and Hospitality Branch to coordinate planning and logistics for the event, and to provide support to the government in hosting the forum.

Our performance

The Pacific Islands Forum Taskforce is responsible for all of the critical logistical arrangements necessary to ensure a successful forum. The detailed arrangements include, among other things, accommodation, transport, security, media arrangements, delegate liaison, spouse programs, accreditation, venue set-up, facilities management and catering.

Within the reporting period, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (based in Suva) and relevant Australian Government departments and agencies were closely – and regularly – consulted about the adequacy and appropriateness of the logistical and support arrangements for the forum.

Close liaison was also established with relevant Queensland Government departments as well as local government and private sector providers in Cairns and surrounding districts.

The taskforce also made appropriate preparations to arrange and support six different leaders’ meetings over four days, an opening ceremony, and several major hospitality occasions.

The various meetings will be attended by the leaders of 15 of the 16 member states (Fiji is currently suspended), two associate members, three observer countries and observers from four international organisations. The post-forum dialogue will include 13 countries and the European Union.

Feedback from the Prime Minister and his office indicated a high degree of satisfaction with the critical logistical arrangements put in place to support the running of the Pacific Islands Forum, and to ensure its success. Feedback from the secretariat has been equally positive.

 

9. The Cabinet Implementation Unit responsible for this output item, was moved to Strategic Policy (Output Group 4) on 1 July 2008 following an organisational restructure. For the purposes of this annual report, the Cabinet Implementation Unit’s performance reporting will be reported against Output Group 4 – Strategic Policy.
10. Two departmental liaison officers and a senior policy liaison officer.
11. One departmental liaison officer and a cabinet liaison officer.

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