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Annual Report 06–07

Output 1: Core Department—Performance—Contribute to cross-government policy development

Whole-of-government policy development

In 2006–07, the Core Department contributed to whole-of-government policy deliberations, providing advice on service delivery across a range of policy areas including:

• youth and education;
• immigration and citizenship;
• health, aged care and mental health;
• Indigenous Australians;
• cultural diversity;
• welfare reform;
• families and community services,
  including child care and child support; 
• business regulation; and
• delivery of the LPG rebate.

Budget strategy 2007–08

The Core Department coordinated the 2007–08 Budget process for the Human Services Portfolio. The Human Services Portfolio will receive $315.7 million over four years to implement a total of 71 measures, focusing on:

• providing support to rural communities affected by the drought, particularly irrigators and farmers in the
  Murray–Darling Basin;
• providing continuous access to human services;
• achieving efficiencies in the Human Services agencies through improved work practices, without compromising effective service delivery; and
• addressing gaps and improving levels of payment accuracy through greater prevention and detection of fraud and
  non-compliance.

Fraud and compliance strategies

In 2006–07, the Core Department coordinated a cross-portfolio fraud and compliance package, and examined a range of strategic fraud and compliance issues affecting the management of social, health and welfare programmes. In the 2007–08 Budget, the Australian Government announced:

• a joint project with the Department of Finance and Administration, in consultation with other departments, to develop a more strategic approach to fraud and non-compliance; and
• 17 fraud and compliance measures across the Human Services Portfolio and the portfolios of:
  • Education, Science and Training;
  • Employment and Workplace Relations;
  • Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs; and
  • Veterans’ Affairs.

The 17 measures are expected to produce net savings of $269.4 million over three years.

National mental health plan

In April 2006, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to a national action plan on mental health to promote better mental health and provide additional support to people with mental illness, their families and their carers.

The plan represents a commitment to deliver mental health services in a more integrated way, both between governments and between the government and non-government sectors. Governments have agreed to a model of community-based coordinated care for the people with serious mental illness who are most likely to benefit and who are most at risk of falling through the gaps in the system.

The Core Department and Centrelink participated in developing the plan and are now involved in implementing the package of measures through membership of the COAG Mental Health Implementation Interdepartmental Committee. Medicare Australia is also involved in the implementation of a number of measures in the package.

Commitment to reconciliation

The Core Department contributed to the development of the Australian Government’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) strategy, which aims to reduce the disadvantage experienced by Indigenous Australians.

The Core Department’s Reconciliation Action Plan was registered with Reconciliation Australia on 24 May 2007 and launched at Old Parliament House on 30 May 2007. The plan focuses on:

• improved service delivery for Indigenous people and their communities;
• increased employment and development of Indigenous people; and
• greater appreciation and respect for Indigenous Australians, and the promotion of cultural awareness across the Core Department.

Immigration policy

The Core Department provided and coordinated advice on the development and implementation of immigration policy in 2006–07, including:

• the delivery of citizenship tests through Centrelink and Medicare Australia offices;
• English language training and employment services; and
• humanitarian settlement services.

Preparedness for pandemic influenza

In October 2006, the Department of Health and Ageing hosted Exercise Cumpston 06, a national exercise designed to test the capacity and capability of the Australian response to an influenza pandemic. The Core Department participated in the decision-making and coordination aspects of the exercise. Centrelink provided assistance with the national telephone hotline and the monitoring of home quarantine.

In November 2006, the Core Department finalised pandemic influenza plans for the Human Services Portfolio, addressing the relevant recommendations of the National Action Plan for Human Influenza Pandemic, and made changes to business arrangements to ensure that critical services would continue to be delivered in the event of an influenza pandemic.

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