Contents
- Part 1 Executive Summary
- Part 2 Performance reporting
- Part 3 Corporate governance and accountability
- Part 4 Appendices
- Part 5 Financial Management
Annual Report 2008–2009
Skip to content | FaHCSIA Home
Annual Report 2008–2009
Annual Report 2008–2009 » Chapter 11: Our people
To achieve our purpose of improving the lives of Australians, FaHCSIA relies on the skills and commitment of our staff. We are proud of the diversity in the Department. We know that our people—with their diverse abilities, skills, languages, cultures and backgrounds—are our greatest resource.
FaHCSIA values, recognises and rewards our people. We have a strong performance culture focused on developing staff capability, including leadership and skills development. Our staff respect and encourage diversity in their working environment.
More than 25 per cent of FaHCSIA staff are based outside Canberra in our national network, comprising seven capital city offices, four regional offices and 30 Indigenous Coordination Centres. Some staff are based in remote Indigenous communities, including Government Business Managers and Indigenous engagement officers.
This year we developed the FaHCSIA People Strategy 2009–10: Great People, Great Future, which aims to ensure that FaHCSIA remains a great place to work with a strong performance culture. The implementation of the strategy will enable the Department to continue to attract people to the organisation and to develop, support and retain them. It will also ensure that our existing staff are supported to achieve their full potential.
In February 2009 we initiated a comprehensive staff survey system, which will run until 2011. Surveying our staff provides valuable insights into staff views on working in FaHCSIA and supports the design of organisational and local workforce strategies.
FaHCSIA continues to invest in leadership and capability development through a suite of training programs. This year we developed a new Executive Level 2 Effective Management Skills one-day program, which began in March 2009.
FaHCSIA is currently developing a new diversity plan. Focus groups with staff have been held across FaHCSIA. The final plan will support a workforce that values and embraces the diversity of our people.
In 2008–09 the Department introduced cultural appreciation and mentoring programs that aim to develop a greater knowledge and appreciation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and provide a mentoring resource for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff.
We have also implemented a program for staff who are interested in mentoring staff members with disability.
FaHCSIA launched the Workplace Giving Program in June 2007, and since then many communities have benefited from the generosity of staff contributions. Workplace giving enables staff to make small, effective and regular donations through payroll deductions.
FaHCSIA staff donations have made a big difference to supporting the programs that give vital support to communities, as the following two stories illustrate.
This year, thanks to FaHCSIA's workplace giving donations, the Smith Family has been able to expand its Learning for Life program, which supports more than 27,000 students, providing them with access to personal development activities such as financial and digital literacy courses, homework clubs and mentors, as well as a host of life-changing learning opportunities.
The MARANGE Orphanage, supported by the ZOPOM Foundation, not only provides a home for abandoned orphans, but is also the principal employer/institution in the region. The institution employs more than 80 people, including abused and abandoned women, who work directly in the orphanage, and locals who run agricultural activities, including growing vegetables and grain and cultivating an orchard.
[ top ]
FaHCSIA is a dynamic and diverse department. Our workforce consists of staff in a Canberra-based National Office and a network of staff in states and territories.
We have around 3,300 staff throughout Australia, of whom approximately 66 per cent are female and 34 per cent are male.
FaHCSIA's staff work in 63 branches and our Network across Australia, developing social policy, researching and analysing important and emerging issues, and developing and delivering programs and services. See pages 214–215 for a chart showing our organisational structure.
Approximately 820 staff are in the FaHCSIA national network, operating from capital city offices, regional offices or Indigenous Coordination Centres. Additional staff are based in remote Indigenous communities mainly in the Northern Territory as Government Business Managers and Indigenous engagement officers.
The Network is the operational arm of FaHCSIA. Network staff deliver critical support to portfolio Ministers and the Department by contributing to the design of government programs, providing environmental scanning, identifying areas of need and reporting on the implementation of programs. They implement many government programs and maintain effective relationships with key partners and stakeholders.
During 2008–09, the Network played a key role in negotiations and consultations with stakeholders in COAG national partnership discussions; managing the Community Development Employment Projects reform, land reform and income management; and supporting government responses to natural disasters, including the Victorian bushfires and floods in Queensland. The network had some 4,000 funding contracts under management, ranging from contracts worth several million dollars to very small community-based grants, and representing administered funding in excess of $1.1 billion.
The Network includes 30 Indigenous Coordination Centres across Australia which engage with Indigenous people and act as the coordination point for many of the Government's programs assisting Indigenous peoples. The centres are multi-agency units, combining coordination, planning and service functions and housing staff from several departments responsible for various Indigenous programs.
The centres oversee the local delivery of many of the Australian Government's programs assisting Indigenous people. They also broker innovative and flexible whole-of-government solutions to the needs of Indigenous people using both specific and general funding.
FaHCSIA has more than 50 Government Business Managers in the Northern Territory working closely with the Indigenous Coordination Centres. They are responsible for leadership, strategic oversight, management and coordination of Australian Government services provided in Indigenous communities and several town camp regions. They work with relevant agencies to maximise benefits to the community.
Throughout 2008–09 the Department employed and trained 21 Indigenous Engagement Officers (IEOs) to work within selected Northern Territory communities. All IEOs are members of the community in which they work, or are accepted by the community. Their role is to provide feedback about the measures of the Northern Territory Emergency Response between their community and government; promote the community's role in defining needs, setting goals and formulating policies and plans; and work with community groups to bring about greater community input into Government decision-making. IEOs have received training in personal leadership, as well as specialised training in community engagement tools, technique and theory to ensure they are best-placed to represent the needs of their communities.
[ top ]
FaHCSIA has a set of strategies to support and develop staff, including a staff survey, a people strategy, leadership and capability development, networks and services to support diversity, Indigenous staff and staff with disability, workforce planning and an occupational health and safety strategic plan.
In February 2009, FaHCSIA initiated an integrated approach to staff surveying to increase organisational awareness of staff views about working in FaHCSIA. Staff surveys provide an effective evidence base to support the achievement of the outcomes of our people strategy and deliver effective corporate and enabling services to the Department.
The staff survey system will run until 2011 and includes annual staff surveying, six-monthly pulse surveying of staff engagement, and entry and exit surveying. The results of the staff surveys will be reported on a six-monthly basis in May and November each year in order to support the design of organisational and local workforce strategies and to monitor their effectiveness.
The first survey was conducted between 16 and 27 February 2009 and there was a very high participation rate—86 per cent of staff responded. The survey showed that staff have a positive view of the FaHCSIA work environment, with around three-quarters of staff satisfied overall with FaHCSIA and their jobs.
Figure 3.3 shows the results for the survey questions on staff satisfaction with their current job and with FaHCSIA as an employer.
Figure 3.3 Overall satisfaction with current job and with FaHCSIA as an employer
Staff rated many key aspects of the FaHCSIA workplace favourably, including team performance and relationships, performance of supervisors, utilisation of their skills, clarity of their goals and the performance of leaders.
Many of FaHCSIA's staff survey results were well above average when compared to similar large Australian Public Service (APS) agencies. These included staff recognition, appropriateness of workloads, team relationships and performance, career development, internal communications and Executive Management Group performance.
While opportunities for career development were above average when compared to other APS agencies, the survey highlighted that there was still some room for improvement within FaHCSIA. The survey also highlighted other areas for improvement, such as recruitment and selection and sharing of information between areas.
The top 12 drivers of overall staff satisfaction, engagement and organisational commitment were found to be (in order of the importance of their impact):
[ top ]
The FaHCSIA People Strategy 2009–2010: Great People, Great Future has been developed to support the Department's strategic framework.
We developed the strategy to achieve two key outcomes: to create a great place to work and to generate a strong performance culture. The strategy provides clear guidance on how each member of staff can contribute to achieving those outcomes.
Implementation of the strategy will enable FaHCSIA to continue to attract people to the organisation and to develop, support and retain them. It will also ensure that our existing staff are supported to achieve their full potential.
FaHCSIA has a strong commitment to enhancing leadership capability among our staff. All Senior Executive Service (SES), Executive Level 2 (EL 2) and Executive Level 1 (EL 1) staff, including staff from regional and remote areas, are encouraged to attend the FaHCSIA Leadership Program.
The Leadership Program is delivered through:
In 2008–09, in recognition of the challenges staff face in managing workloads in an increasingly complex environment, the Department developed a one-day Effective Management Skills Program. The program is aimed at EL 2 staff and provides participants with practical tools and templates to apply in the workplace, as well as helping to build confidence in their management skills. It covers topics such as management in the FaHCSIA context, role clarity, developing and engaging staff and managing change. This program began in March 2009.
FaHCSIA has a suite of training programs that address organisational and individual capability needs. These programs are conducted in house and are delivered in national and state office locations. The training programs include Financial Management, Writing to and for the Minister, Project Management, Stakeholder Management, Working with Commercial Contracts, Working with Funding Agreements, Understanding your Accountabilities, and Policy Development and Advice.
A key focus for capability development in the Department during 2008–09 was supporting the development of APS 5, APS 6 and EL 1 staff. A range of accredited training programs were conducted over a three-month period, and on successful completion, staff were awarded either a Certificate IV in Government (19 employees gained accreditation), Diploma of Government (37 employees gained accreditation) or Diploma of Government—Contract Management (40 employees gained accreditation).
[ top ]
The FaHCSIA e-learning system provides staff with a suite of flexible online learning options to develop their capability needs. The current e-learning programs include Customer Service, Performance Management, Induction, IT and Protective Security, Disability Awareness, Communication, Occupational Health and Safety, Eliminating Workplace Discrimination and Harassment, and APS Values and Code of Conduct.
E-learning provides an accessible, consistent and cost-effective option for delivering training programs to FaHCSIA staff.
The FaHCSIA People Strategy 2009–10: Great People, Great Future provides a responsive workforce strategy to enable the Department to deliver the Government's agenda through 2009–10 and beyond. It sets out FaHCSIA's strategy for attracting, retaining and developing staff in order to deliver the outcomes of the Department's strategic framework.
The varied and complex nature of work in FaHCSIA, along with the dispersion of FaHCSIA employees, requires an outcomes framework within which each person and part of the organisation has a clear role. This framework assists in making FaHCSIA a great place to work with a strong performance culture.
The key objectives of the strategy are:
Achievement against the objectives of the strategy will be regularly measured to monitor progress and an evaluation review of the strategy will be conducted in 2010.
Performance management in FaHCSIA is an ongoing process of regular, constructive feedback and honest communication between a manager and an employee. The performance management process is supported by an online system.
Our approach to individual performance management is to provide managers and employees with opportunities to identify, discuss, review and plan for performance, and ensure links with business outcomes through clear expectations and capability development. Regular feedback conversations, as part of everyday work practice, are fundamental to building a high-performing culture.
[ top ]
The development of a new FaHCSIA collective agreement started in June 2008 after a majority of staff expressed a preference for a union collective agreement to replace the existing collective agreement.
After extensive management consultation with staff and negotiation with the Community and Public Sector Union and the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, a proposed new agreement went to a staff ballot and 93 per cent of staff who voted supported it.
The Workplace Authority approved the FaHCSIA Collective Agreement 2009–11 on 7 January 2009 and it commenced on 14 January 2009.
SES employees can negotiate individual remuneration and conditions, which are authorised by determinations made under section 24(1) of the Public Service Act 1999. Non-SES employees can negotiate individual remuneration and conditions to supplement FaHCSIA collective agreement provisions under the agreement's flexible remuneration and conditions clause.
For further information on the collective agreement and individual industrial instruments, see Appendix 2 of this report (page 307).
Staff recognition is guided by our Reward and Appreciate our People Strategy. The strategy provides for formal and informal recognition and highlights the importance of awards at the local level.
As well as participating in external, government-wide award schemes, we also have our own Secretary's Awards to recognise contributions and achievements. At the local level, awards can be presented to members of work teams and project teams.
Informal recognition is provided on the job, between a manager and their staff, through individual performance feedback. This is a critical level of recognition and one that is promoted through FaHCSIA's corporate culture.
FaHCSIA staff member Anura Samara is both a Section Manager in the Department's Budget Development Branch and also dons his hat as a volunteer fire-fighter with the ACT Rural Fire Service (RFS).
After joining the service in 2001, Anura has fought fires around the Australian Capital Territory, including the January 2003 fires, as well as taking part in deployments to fires in New South Wales. In February 2009, Anura was a member of the first ACT contingent of fire-fighters that was sent to Victoria following their bushfires.
In addition to fire-fighting, the ACT RFS provides opportunities to educate the community about fire preparedness and risks, take up ongoing skills development, train new recruits and to exercise leadership. Anura has also passed his passion for fire-fighting to his 17-year-old son, who is a new recruit.
FaHCSIA recognises the important part that volunteers play in the community and supports them in their efforts. This support includes providing for both paid and unpaid leave for staff to participate in a variety of volunteering activities.
'Volunteer fire-fighting has allowed me to develop skills in leadership, team work, planning and resource management. The reward is being able to help the community', says Anura.
For further information on how to become a volunteer for ACT RFS, visit www.rfs.act.gov.au.
Photo above: Volunteer fire-fighter and FaHCSIA staff member Anura Samara in action
[ top ]
FaHCSIA is committed to inclusive workforce strategies that support diversity in the workplace. We provide opportunities for staff to participate in various networks or interest groups including the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Staff Network, the Carers Network and the FaHCSIA Leadership disAbility Group. The Department continues to coordinate the APS Diversity Network, which meets quarterly to share diversity best practice across the public service.
The FaHCSIA Diversity Plan—Making it real is our plan of action for creating and supporting a workplace that values and embraces the diversity of our people. It builds on the diversity commitment made in FaHCSIA's Values and Leadership Model. It is a plan for creating opportunities and developing shared values and ways of behaving. A new plan is currently being developed. Focus groups were held across FaHCSIA to ensure that all staff had the opportunity to provide their ideas for inclusion to the new plan.
FaHCSIA has significant responsibility for Indigenous affairs and recognises the richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and the unique skills and knowledge that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff bring to our workplace.
FaHCSIA has a higher proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff than other APS agencies—9.7 per cent of FaHCSIA staff identify as being Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander compared to the APS average of 2.1 per cent (based on the 2007–08 State of the Service report). This is mainly due to the Department's portfolio responsibility for Indigenous affairs and our active recruitment and retention strategy and support network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff. The FaHCSIA Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Recruitment and Retention Strategy positions the Department as an employer of choice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Through this strategy the Department demonstrates our commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff by promoting career and development opportunities for them.
In 2008–09 the focus has been on retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff through establishing effective networks where staff can support each other in a culturally safe environment. This year the Department introduced a culturally appropriate mentoring program that provides training to mentors and, following this skills development, enables all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff to self-select a mentor from those trained.
We also implemented a Cultural Appreciation Program, which aims to develop a greater knowledge and appreciation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture across the Department. This program is delivered by fully trained Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander FaHCSIA staff, and builds the capacity and capability of staff to ensure that our workforce better understands Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues.
FaHCSIA's Reconciliation Action Plan reflects the importance we attach to making real progress in closing the gap for Indigenous Australians. We see our plan as a means of building positive relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
A significant focus of our plan has been to ensure that our policies and programs are accessible to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We recognise that to achieve this, Indigenous and non-Indigenous staff must work together to share knowledge and expertise and use it to effectively consult and engage with Indigenous communities.
We are proud of the progress we have made in implementing our 2008–09 plan, with 14 out of 15 actions achieved.
Photo above: The 2009–2011 FaHCSIA Reconciliation Action Plan working group.
Pictured (left to right): Robyn Forester, Peter Bass, Jennifer Pitcher and Jim Ramsay.
Not pictured: Anne Davies, Judith Davis-Lee, Bridget Dowling, John Gibbs, Sia Gilmore, John Glynn,
David Henri, Benny Mills, Trish Mu, Abby Phillis, Lorraine Rogge.
[ top ]
FaHCSIA has successfully achieved seven of the eight objectives outlined in recommendations made by the Management Advisory Committee (MAC) 6 report, Employment of People with Disability in the APS. One of the examples of our commitment to the report is the establishment of the role of a Senior Level Advocate for Staff with Disability, which is held by a FaHCSIA Deputy Secretary.
FaHCSIA has a higher number of staff with disability than any other APS agency—5.3% of our workforce identifies as a person with a disability compared to the APS average of 3.1% (based on the 2007–08 State of the Service report). This is due to FaHCSIA's portfolio responsibility for disability issues and the strong networks and support services we provide to staff with disability. FaHCSIA is one of a few APS agencies to have a designated position of Disability Access Coordinator. We also provide centralised funds that can be used by staff with a disability for equipment and technology under the Reasonable Adjustment Policy.
The Department continues to consult regularly with staff on disability issues, including through the FaHCSIA Leadership disAbility Group (FLAG). FLAG membership is open to all interested staff, with or without disability. The group's objective is to identify and address workplace issues affecting employees with an injury, illness or disability. FLAG aims to:
FaHCSIA also has a mentoring program for staff who are interested in mentoring staff members with disability. Two training sessions were held in 2008–09, and further sessions are planned for 2009–10.
The FaHCSIA Leadership disAbility Group (FLAG) was formed to advance the status of employees with disability across the Department. The group has around 15 core members, with and without disability, including staff from some state offices.
FLAG works to build FaHCSIA's leadership in this area, using the valued knowledge and experience of staff. It also reflects FaHCSIA's commitment to being an employer of choice for staff with disability.
The establishment of FLAG was announced on 3 December 2008 by Deputy Secretary Geoff Leeper, FaHCSIA's Senior Level Advocate for Staff with Disability. This announcement was made as part of the Department's celebration of the UN International Day of People with Disability.
FLAG has held a number of meetings, where the group received in-principle agreement to issue a department-wide 'call to action'. The call focuses on encouraging staff to identify, initiate and share information about steps to promote the inclusion of staff with disability.
In conjunction with the call to action, FLAG released a fact sheet, '10 things we can each do TODAY to be more disability aware in FaHCSIA', which provides employees with ideas for action to improve disability awareness in the workplace. Responses to the call to action will be shared through a new online community to encourage continuing improvement and innovation.
Photo above: Members of the FaHCSIA leadership disAbility group.
[ top ]
The FaHCSIA People Strategy is informed by regular data collection and analysis. Each quarter, the People Branch develops a human resources metrics report that is provided to the Executive Management Group and the People Committee. The report contains numerical and trend data and analysis to support decision making. The information is also used by the human resources advisory team to provide support in operational areas in:
The Department's voluntary separation rate in 2008–09 was 11.72 per cent (14.70 per cent in 2007–08). These figures do not include staff who separated from the Department due to end of contract or redundancy. The InfoHRM (a benchmarking service subscribed to by a number of APS agencies) target benchmark for APS agencies in 2008 was 10.73 per cent and the median was 13.34 per cent. The lower separation rate in 2008–09 was due to a combination of the increased attractiveness of FaHCSIA as an employer and the decrease in employment opportunities in the public and private sectors.
[ top ]
In 2008–09, there were 12.96 days of unscheduled leave per full-time equivalent (FTE) employee. This included an average of 9.98 days of sick leave, 1.93 days of carers' leave, 0.62 days of miscellaneous leave and 0.43 days of workers' compensation leave per FTE employee. The level of unscheduled leave in FaHCSIA is being monitored and addressed through the development and implementation of the FaHCSIA Maximising Staff Attendance Strategy.
The InfoHRM target benchmark for APS agencies in 2008 was 11.57 days per FTE employee and the median was 12.41 days per FTE employee.
Figures 3.5 and 3.6 respectively show four-year trends in unscheduled absences and unscheduled absences by leave type per FTE FaHCSIA employee.
Figure 3.4 Unscheduled absences per employee (FTE), 2005–06 to 2008–09
Figure 3.5 Unscheduled absences per employee (FTE) by leave type, 2005–06 to 2008–09
[ top ]
In 2008–09, FaHCSIA continued to deliver workshops across Australia for managers and staff under the beyondblue National Workplace Program. Workshops on managing depression in the workplace enhanced managers' knowledge about the impact of these disorders on individuals, the workplace environment and the organisation. Awareness to Action workshops raised awareness of the signs and symptoms of depression. The workshops aim to provide participants with the necessary skills to intervene early and respond appropriately to help a staff member who may be suffering from depression.
FaHCSIA is committed to supporting a workplace culture free from bullying and harassment.
We have a network of harassment contact officers located in the National Office, state offices and Indigenous Coordination Centres. These officers are trained to provide support and information to staff and managers on bullying and harassment issues.
We are using the findings of an internal audit of the promotion, management and assurance of ethical behaviours in FaHCSIA and the results of the 2009 FaHCSIA staff survey to refine and target our strategy to eliminate bullying and harassment. The strategy includes delivering a range of awareness-raising, educational and training courses to managers and staff. The FaHCSIA People Committee regularly evaluates the ongoing effectiveness of the strategy.
FaHCSIA acknowledges the responsibilities we have as an employer under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1991 (OHS Act) and the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 and we are committed to the health and safety of our employees, contractors and visitors. We recognise the importance of taking a proactive approach to improving the health and safety of our employees.
In December 2007, FaHCSIA implemented the Health and Safety Management Arrangements, which were developed in consultation with staff. In June 2008, the Blunn Report examined the circumstances surrounding the presence of formaldehyde in container accommodation used by Northern Territory Emergency Response government business managers. The report recommended a review of OHS governance arrangements in the Department.
In response to the report's findings, the Department developed a strategic plan for managing OHS to help support the framework set out in the Health and Safety Management Arrangements. This two-year strategic plan was launched in December 2008 under the theme Building a Safety Culture. It is aimed at ensuring legislative compliance, providing a supportive workplace for return to work following injury or illness, developing a participatory approach to OHS planning, and developing an integrated OHS risk management system.
The two-year strategic plan consists of 25 national OHS initiatives under three major elements:
We have already achieved significant progress against 20 of the 25 national initiatives included in the two-year plan.
The Health and Safety Management Arrangements have been redrafted to reflect the governance arrangement recommended by the Blunn Report and included in the OHS strategic plan. In June 2009, we initiated consultations with all staff on the new arrangements.
[ top ]
In 2008–09, FaHCSIA's activities to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of our employees, contractors and visitors included:
In November 2008, Comcare lifted the improvement notice that was applied to the Department in September 2007. The notice required the Department to address issues relating to meeting our obligations under the OHS Act. The notice was lifted following the implementation of processes to identify, assess and control hazards relating to the work undertaken by the Department.
To meet organisational OHS targets, in 2008 we implemented an initiative to assist in the reduction of the time taken (measured in weeks) from notification of injury or illness to initial rehabilitation intervention. This initiative has resulted in a 41 per cent reduction in the number of weeks from notification of injury or illness to initial rehabilitation intervention, compared to 2007–08.
During 2008–09, the injury frequency rate was 6.24 injuries per 100 employees. Eight of the reports required the giving of notice to Comcare under section 68 of the OHS Act.
Comcare undertook two investigations under Part 4 of the OHS Act in 2008–09, and completed one.
FaHCSIA is required under section 74 of the OHS Act to provide a report on occupational health and safety activities and statistics on all notifiable accidents and dangerous occurrences under section 68 and investigations and notices under sections 29, 46 and 47 (see Table 3.3).
| Action | Number |
|---|---|
| Deaths that required notice to Comcare under section 68 | 0 |
| Accidents that required notice to Comcare under section 68 | 3 |
| Dangerous occurrences that required notice to Comcare under section 68 | 5 |
| Investigations conducted under Part 4 | 2 |
| Tests on plant, substance, or thing in the course of investigations considered | 0 |
| Directions given to FaHCSIA under section 45 (that the workplace etc. not be disturbed) | 0 |
| Notices given to FaHCSIA under section 29 (provisional improvement notice) | 0 |
| Notices given to FaHCSIA under section 46 (prohibited notice) | 1 |
| Notices given to FaHCSIA under section 47 (improvement notice) | 0 |
Next: Our stakeholders
Previous: Our governance arrangements