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
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Annual Report 2008–2009
Annual Report 2008–2009 » Chapter 12: Our stakeholders
FaHCSIA is committed to achieving the best possible outcomes for all Australians. To do so, we engage with a broad range of stakeholders through consultations and advisory forums, research partnerships, contract management and other avenues.
We are committed to supporting open communication and active engagement with our stakeholders, who include:
Developing open and strong relationships with our stakeholders is central to being able to achieve departmental outcomes. These relationships open the way to exchanging ideas and perspectives from which effective policies and processes can be developed.
Our approach to engaging with our stakeholders recognises the significant skills, expertise and experience that communities can contribute to the design and delivery of programs and services that seek to improve the lives of Australians.
FaHCSIA delivered services to two portfolio Ministers and two Parliamentary Secretaries in 2008–09: the Hon. Jenny Macklin, MP, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs; the Hon. Tanya Plibersek, MP, Minister for Housing and Minister for the Status of Women; the Hon. Bill Shorten, MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children’s Services and Parliamentary Secretary for Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction; and Senator the Hon. Ursula Stephens, Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and Parliamentary Secretary for the Voluntary Sector.
Ministerial correspondence increased from 29,786 items in 2007–08 to 32,473 in 2008–09. FaHCSIA and its portfolio agencies prepared a total of 3,287 ministerial minutes and 1,616 requests for briefing from Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries.
The portfolio received 108 parliamentary questions on notice and 987 Estimates questions on notice. The portfolio prepared 1,713 question time briefs.
Table 3.4 provides information on all ministerial and parliamentary services data that has individual performance indicator reporting requirements to measure trends as set out in the Department’s 2008–09 Portfolio Budget Statements.
| Ministerial correspondence processed | Question time briefs1 | Briefings2 | Submissions minutes3 | Parliamentary questions on notice | Estimates questions on notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outcome 1: Greater self-reliance and economic, social and community engagement for Indigenous Australians | |||||
| 3,532 | 438 | 419 | 1,204 | 22 | 225 |
| Outcome 2: Seniors, people with disabilities, carers, youth and women are supported, recognised and encouraged to participate in the community | |||||
| 12,170 | 480 | 615 | 833 | 9 | 252 |
| Outcome 3: Families and children have choices and opportunities | |||||
| 3,619 | 188 | 98 | 413 | 2 | 90 |
| Outcome 4: Strong and resilient communities | |||||
| 3,860 | 465 | 396 | 460 | 15 | 243 |
| Non-output-specific | |||||
| 9,292 | 142 | 88 | 377 | 60 | 177 |
| Total | |||||
| 32,473 | 1,713 | 1,616 | 3,287 | 108 | 987 |
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The Department has primary administrative responsibility for supporting ministerial participation in a range of Ministerial Councils and other forums including:
The Department develops and maintains strategic relationships with other government agencies, including Centrelink and the Departments of Human Services and Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.
These relationships support FaHCSIA’s effective participation in cross-government policy development and improve payment integrity and service delivery.
For the payment side of our business, this collaboration includes:
FaHCSIA manages funding relationships with a large number of community sector organisations. The Department has continued to improve the way it manages its grants programs to ensure consistent, efficient and effective administrative processes within and across programs through the new Common Business Model for Grants Management. For more information on this model, see page 258.
The Commonwealth Government has a wide-ranging agenda to develop the community sector, including a review of the social and economic contribution of the not-for-profit sector in Australia and the ongoing work to harmonise regulations and reduce red tape for the sector through COAG.
Through FaHCSIA, the Government provides in excess of $1.5 billion in essential support to non-government community services organisations around Australia, enabling the sector to provide much-needed support and assistance to individuals and families in local communities. This annual report details the outcomes of these programs, which include:
FaHCSIA’s support for community-based organisations enables the sector to do essential work, which will at some time assist almost every Australian family.
The delivery of many of these services is changing from silo approaches, where initiatives are delivered in isolation, to approaches that strive to wrap around individuals and families and provide seamless access to support with less red tape.
At the same time, especially in rural and remote Australia, FaHCSIA, in partnership with other agencies and levels of government, is taking an evidence-based approach to identifying service gaps and developing local solutions in identified locations. This is particularly evident in the COAG work with 29 remote Indigenous communities, where regional operations centres are being established to focus on improved service outcomes, but the approach is also occurring in non-Indigenous communities with larger populations.
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FaHCSIA provides funding to peak body organisations to contribute to government policy and act as an effective conduit for information flow between the Government and their membership. Table 3.5 illustrates the peak bodies FaHCSIA funds.
| Peak body | Funding ($)* |
|---|---|
| Australian Council of Social Services | 499,694 |
| Australian Federation of Disability Organisations | 300,469 |
| Australian Financial Counselling and Credit Reform Association | 60,000 |
| Blind Citizens Australia | 193,160 |
| Brain Injury Australia | 160,966 |
| Community Housing Federation of Australia | 241,426 |
| Deaf Australia | 193,160 |
| Deafness Forum Australia | 193,160 |
| Early Childhood Australia | 268,276 |
| Families Australia | 268,276 |
| Family Relationship Services Australia | 433,925 |
| Homelessness Australia | 325,936 |
| Lone Fathers Association | 58,984 |
| National Council of Single Mothers and their Children | 58,984 |
| National Council on Intellectual Disability | 160,966 |
| National Disability Services | 268,276 |
| National Ethnic Disability Alliance | 160,966 |
| Physical Disability Council of Australia | 160,966 |
| Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care | 255,828 |
| Volunteering Australia | 268,276 |
| Women with Disabilities Australia | 160,966 |
| Total | 4,692,660 |
* All amounts are exclusive of GST.
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The FaHCSIA Service Charter sets out the standard of service that people who deal with the Department can expect and the ways they can help the Department improve service to customers, such as providing feedback. The charter also helps FaHCSIA staff to develop a better understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Further information on the charter can be found on our website.
A new model for handling complaints in FaHCSIA was introduced in 2008–09. The goals of FaHCSIA’s new Complaints Management System are to:
Under the new system, there is now a complaints-handling team in National Office. This team provides a central point of contact for clients wishing to express concerns about the Department or one of our funded service providers.
The new team is responsible for recording all incoming complaints. This ensures that we are able to handle complaints consistently and improves our ability to identify and report on systemic issues.
During 2008–09, 93 complaints were registered on the Complaints Management System. This is an increase from last year’s figure of 26. The increase can be attributed to the more consistent recording of complaints received as well as the improved accessibility that the centralised team offers to complainants.
As at 30 June 2009, 85 of these complaints had been resolved and eight were still being actioned.
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