Annual Report 2003-04 Glossary of terms

ACSI-33

The main Defence Signals Directorate publication that all Government departments are required to use in developing IT security policy.

all-hazards

Threats to the national critical infrastructure can come from a range of sources including natural disasters, criminal activity, terrorism, espionage/foreign interference etc.

APS employee

A person engaged under section 22, or a person who is engaged as an APS employee under section 72, of the Public Service Act 1999.

CobiT standard

CobiT (Control Objectives for Information and Related Techology) is an international standard for information technology governance, better practice and audit.

common law

Law derived from custom and judicial precedent (case law) rather than from legislation.

competitive tendering and contracting (CTC)

The process of contracting out the delivery of government activities previously performed by a Commonwealth agency to another organisation. The activity is submitted to competitive tender, and the preferred provider of the activity is selected from the range of bidders by evaluating offers against predetermined selection criteria.

consent determination

A decision by an Australian court (or a recognised State or Territory body) that native title does or does not exist in a particular area of land or waters after the parties have reached an agreement as to the terms of the determination.

consultancy services

A particular type of service delivered under a contract for services, distinguished from other contracts by the nature of the work performed. A consultant is an entity (whether an individual, a partnership or a corporation) engaged to provide professional independent and expert advice or services. Consultancy services involve the application of expert professional skills to: investigate or diagnose a defined issue or problem, carry out defined research, reviews or evaluations; or provide independent advice, information or creative solutions to assist the agency in management decision making. A consultancy contract typically defines the nature, purpose and duration of the task to be performed but not (in any detail) the manner in which the task is to be performed. The consultant is usually paid on completion of milestones or in a lump sum. Consultants are not employees of the department and are not paid wages or other employee entitlements.

corporate governance

The process by which agencies are directed and controlled. It is generally understood to encompass authority, accountability, stewardship, leadership, direction and control.

Doha Round

The current round of World Trade Organisation (WTO) multilateral trade negotiations is called the "Doha Round" after the city (Doha) in Qatar, at which the November 2001 declaration of the Fourth Ministerial Conference was agreed. The Declaration provides the mandate for negotiations on a range of subjects, and other work including issues concerning the implementation of the present agreements. The Doha Round is anticipated to extend up to and perhaps beyond 2005.

emergency management sector

Organisations and individuals involved in the prevention, preparedness, response, recovery and management of risk to communities - ie Federal, State and Local Government authorities, community organisations, volunteers.

extradition

Surrender by one country to another of a person for trial on criminal charges or to serve a sentence already imposed for a criminal offence.

future act

An activity on land or waters that may extinguish or be otherwise inconsistent with the exercise of native title in that area (see section 233 of the Native Title Act 1993). Examples of future acts may include the grant of mining rights and the compulsory acquisition of native title.

Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA)

A voluntary agreement about the use and management of an area of land or waters, made between one or more native title groups, and others (such as miners, pastoralists, governments). Once on the register of ILUAs an agreement is legally binding on the people who are party to it, and all native title holders for that area. Acts done in accordance with a registered ILUA are valid.

legislative instrument

A legislative instrument, for the Legislative Instruments Act 2003, covers the following instruments made under a provision of an Act: all regulations, statutory rules, disallowable instruments and proclamations, and any other instrument that is of a "legislative character" - ie it determines a law or lays down a rule, rather than applying to a particular case, and affects privileges, rights, interests or obligations. The legislative character depends on the content of the individual instrument rather than on the provision under which it is made.

Mercury 04

The first multi-jurisdictional counter-terrorism exercise to test national capacity to deal with terrorist threats and incidents.

mitigation

Measures taken in advance of a disaster aimed at decreasing or eliminating its impact on society and the environment.

mutual assistance in business regulation

Use of evidence gathering powers of a body such as Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission or Australian Prudential Regulation Authority to obtain evidence for use by a similar foreign agency.

mutual assistance in criminal matters

Provision of assistance other than extradition (most commonly obtaining evidence) for a criminal investigation or prosecution in another country or tracing/confiscating proceeds of crime.

National Native Title Tribunal (NNTT)

The independent body established under the Native Title Act 1993 to assist people to resolve native title issues.

native title

A pre-existing property interest, held communally or individually by Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders, that is capable of being recognised by Australia's common law. Native title can exist over land and waters where Aboriginal people or Torres Strait Islanders maintain traditional laws and customs that give them a connection to the specified area. Native title rights are not 'granted' by governments or courts. Native title is not an underlying title, but rather a bundle of rights that can be extinguished by inconsistent acts of government.

native title claimant application

An application made by Indigenous people for a determination that native title exists in a particular area of land or waters. A native title determination is the legal recognition of the rights and interests held by Indigenous Australians according to traditional laws and customs. Claimant applications are often also referred to as 'native title claims' or 'native title determination applications'. They are usually filed with the Federal Court of Australia.

non-ongoing APS employee

An APS employee who is not an on-going APS employee.

ongoing APS employee

A person engaged as an on-going APS employee as mentioned in paragraph 22(2)(a) of the Public Service Act 1999.

Functions, services and processes performed in pursuing the objectives or discharging the functions of an agency.

outcomes

The results, impacts or consequence of actions by the Commonwealth on the Australian community.

outputs

The goods or services produced by agencies on behalf of government for external organisations or individuals. Outputs include goods and services produced for other areas of government external to an agency.

people smuggling

The procurement, in order to obtain, directly or indirectly, a financial or other material benefit, of the illegal entry of a person into a country of which the person is not a national or a permanent resident.

people trafficking

The recruitment, transportation, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of threats, force, coercion, deception or abuse of power, for the purposes of exploitation.

performance information

Evidence about performance that is collected and used systematically which may relate to appropriateness, effectiveness and efficiency and the extent to which an outcome can be attributed to an intervention. Performance information may be quantitative (numerical) or qualitative (descriptive), however it should be verifiable. Evaluations may also be periodically utilised to assess the performance of programs and activities.

performance pay

Also known as performance-linked bonuses and usually taking the form of a one-off payment in recognition of performance. Retention and sign-on payments are not considered to be performance pay, and nor is performance-linked advancement which includes advancement to higher pay points which then becomes the employee's nominal salary. In cases where an employee receives both a performance-linked bonus and performance-linked advancement (such as a one-off payment plus an increase in regular salary), only the bonus element is reportable.

prevention

Regulatory and physical measures to ensure that emergencies are prevented, or their effects mitigated.

precursor(s)

Those chemicals, compounds and reagents that are used in manufacturing illicit drugs.

purchaser-provider arrangements

Arrangements under which the outputs of one agency are purchased by another agency to contribute to outcomes. Purchaser/provider arrangements can occur between Commonwealth agencies or between Commonwealth agencies and State/Territory government or private sector bodies.

reasonable adjustment

Where a person can perform the inherent requirements of a job, an employer is required to make reasonable adjustments to the workplace or work practices to accommodate any additional needs that the person may have.

recovery

The coordinated process of supporting emergency-affected communities in reconstruction of the physical infrastructure and restoration of emotional, social, economic and physical well-being.

risk management

The culture, frameworks and structures that are directed towards the effective management of potential opportunities and adverse effects. Risk management involves the systematic application of management policies, procedures and practices to the steps of establishing the context, identifying, analysing, evaluating, treating, monitoring and communicating risk.

service charters

Public statements about the service that a department or agency will provide.

sunsetting mechanism

A process where legislative instruments are automatically taken to have been repealed after a certain period unless they are remade. This keeps the statute book up-to-date by ensuring that legislative instruments are only retained if they are needed.

workplace diversity

The central principle of workplace diversity is the creation of workplaces free from discrimination, harassment and bullying - workplaces where all employees act in accordance with the APS Code of Conduct and demonstrate their commitment to the APS Values.