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• Annual Report 1995-96
• Budgets
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• Australian Government responses to the Clarke Inquiry and other counter-terrorism reviews - December 2008

Annual Report 2007-08 Appendixes

Appendixes

• Appendix 1 Reporting arrangements for the portfolio
• Appendix 2 Changes to outcomes and outputs structure
• Appendix 3 Freedom of information matters
• Appendix 4 Service charters
• Appendix 5 Consultancy services
• Appendix 6 Advertising and market research
• Appendix 7 Legal services expenditure
• Appendix 8 Staffing profile
• Appendix 9 Staff achievements
• Appendix 10 Occupational health and safety
• Appendix 11 Commonwealth Disability Strategy
• Appendix 12 Extradition and mutual assistance
• Appendix 13 International Criminal Court Act 2002

Appendix 1 Reporting arrangements for the portfolio

Key:

A Although resourced by the Attorney-General’s Department, the Solicitor-General is independent of the Department. The Solicitor-General does not report formally to Parliament.

B Separate reports from these bodies are tabled in Parliament.

C Reports on activities covered by the Annual Report on administration and activities of national common police services.

D Administrative support for these tribunals is provided by the various Federal Court registries. Information about these bodies can be found in the Annual Report of the Federal Court of Australia.

E The Attorney-General is required by paragraph 12(1)(d) of the Bankruptcy Act 1966 to report to Parliament on the operation of the Act.

Appendix 2 Changes to outcomes and outputs structure

The roles and functions of the Attorney-General’s Department have changed since the 2007–08 Budget due to the Administrative Arrangements Order (AAO) of 3 December 2007.

The administrative and policy functions transferred to the Department under the AAO and established under the new Outcome 3, assisting regions to manage their own futures, in the Department with effect from 24 January 2008 were:

Output 3.1: Administration of Territories—Jervis Bay Territory, the Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands, the Territory of Christmas Island, the Coral Sea Island Territory, the Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands, and Commonwealth responsibilities on Norfolk Island, and the constitutional development of the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory, and

Output 3.2: Natural disaster relief and mitigation in the form of financial assistance to States and Territories.

The policy and administrative functions transferred from the Department under the AAO with effect from 10 January 2008 were:

Output 1.3 (part): Privacy and freedom of information.

In addition, since the 2007–08 Budget, the functions and resources of the former Office of Film and Literature Classification were transferred to the Department (1 July 2007). The transfer of resources from the Department to the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity was completed. There has been no change to the performance information apart from price.

Appendix 3 Freedom of information matters

Functional statements for the Attorney-General’s Department and some portfolio agencies

This functional statement is published to meet the requirements of section 8 of the Freedom of Information Act 1982.

The Department’s statement is set out below, followed by those of the Copyright Tribunal, Solicitor-General and Defence Force Discipline Appeal Tribunal (none of which publishes its own Annual Report). Agencies publishing their own Annual Reports are listed at Appendix 1. FOI statistics for the Department and all portfolio agencies are set out in the Attorney-General’s latest annual report to the Parliament on the operation of the FOI Act, which is available at www.pmc.gov.au/foi.

Attorney-General’s Department

Establishment

The Department was one of the original departments established at Federation in 1901.

Organisation

The organisational chart (Figure 1, pages 10–11) shows the structure of the Department.

Functions

The broad functions of the Department are described in Chapter 3. Legislation administered by the Attorney-General is published in the Administrative Arrangements Order, which is available at www.pmc.gov.au/docs/aao.cfm.

Arrangements for outside participation in policy development

A variety of bodies, through their association with the Department, enable people or organisations outside the Commonwealth administration to be involved in the policy making functions of the Department or in its administration of various schemes and enactments.

Examples of such bodies are:

Accessible Public Transport National Advisory Committee

Administrative Review Council

Admiralty Rules Committee

Anti-Money Laundering Assistance Team Strategic Priorities Reference Group

Anti-Money Laundering Council

Attorney-General’s Non-Government Organisation Forum on Domestic Human Rights

Attorney-General’s Non-Government Organisation on Domestic Human Rights
(25 peak human rights bodies)

Australia–New Zealand Crime Prevention Senior Officers’ Group

Australia and New Zealand Police Advisory Agency

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Australian Federation of Disability Organisations

Australian Institute of Criminology Board of Management

Australian Institute of Family Studies

Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration

Australian National Council on Drugs

Banking and Finance Infrastructure Assurance Advisory Group

Biannual Ministerial Meeting with Financial Institutions

Board of the Australian Crime Commission

Building Access Policy Committee

Business–Government Advisory Group on National Security

Critical Infrastructure Protection Futures Expert Advisory Group

Criminology Research Council

CrimTrac Board of Management

Critical Infrastructure Advisory Council

Emergency Management Infrastructure Assurance Advisory Group

Family Law Council

Family Relationship Services Australia

Firearms Policy Working Group

Intellectual Property Enforcement Consultative Group

Interception Consultative Committee

Intergovernmental Committee on Drugs

Intergovernmental Committee on the Australian Crime Commission

International Legal Services Advisory Council

Law Council of Australia

Law Enforcement Advisory Committee

Mass Gatherings Infrastructure Assurance Advisory Group

Model Criminal Law Officers Committee

National Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee

National Alternative Dispute Resolution Advisory Council

National Committee for Critical Infrastructure Protection

National Corrective Services Statistics Unit Board and Advisory Group

National Crime Statistics Unit Board and Advisory Group

National Criminal Courts Statistics Unit Board and Advisory Group

National Drug Law Enforcement Research Fund

National Identity Security Coordination Group

National Judicial College of Australia

National Legal Aid

National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council

National Peak Overseas Adoption Support Group

National Pro Bono Resource Centre

National Roundtable on People Trafficking

National Working Group on the Prevention of the Diversion of Precursor Chemicals
into Illicit Drug Manufacture

Native Title Consultative Forum

Personal Property Securities Review Consultative Group

Relationships Australia

Sporting Shooters and Firearms Advisory Council

Water Services Infrastructure Assurance Advisory Group

Categories of documents held by the Department

The following categories of documents are held by the Department:

• internal administration papers and records, including working drafts, statistical records, copies of cables and facsimiles, and records relating to human and financial resource management
• ministerial, interdepartmental and general correspondence and papers
• policy documents, including guidelines, recommendations and decisions
• requests for legal advice and copies or notes of advice given, and other legal documents
• papers relating to new and amending legislation, drafting instructions and draft legislation
• media releases
• documents relating to royal commissions and inquiries (including grants)
• copies of various public addresses, speeches and other statements, including those made by the Attorney-General, Ministers and departmental employees
• briefing papers, discussion papers and submissions prepared for the Attorney-General, the Minister for Justice and Customs, the Minister for Home Affairs, and other bodies
• documents relating to casework and program administration
• copies of draft Cabinet documents, Cabinet submissions and associated briefs
• documents relating to meetings (agenda, minutes and reports)
• copies of questions in the Parliament and related replies
• copies of documents prepared for the Executive Council
• reports relating to research and investigations
• tender documents
• documents relating to the management of appointments, and
• registers.

Facilities for obtaining access to documents held by the Department

Many documents held by the Department are available free of charge upon request. Others are publicly available for purchase.

Subject to certain exceptions, the FOI Act also provides persons with a legally enforceable right of access to documents held by the Department.

Enquiries and requests to obtain access to any document held by the Department should be directed to:

The Director
Freedom of Information Section
Attorney-General’s Department
Robert Garran Offices
National Circuit
BARTON ACT 2600

Telephone: (02) 6250 5693
Facsimile: (02) 6250 5982

Copyright Tribunal of Australia

Establishment

The Copyright Tribunal of Australia was established by the Copyright Act 1968.

Organisation

Section 138 of the Copyright Act provides for a Copyright Tribunal consisting of a President and such number of Deputy Presidents and other members as are appointed.

Functions

The jurisdiction of the Tribunal can be summarised as follows:

• to hear and determine applications for the granting of licences under licensing schemes
• to arbitrate disputes in relation to the terms of existing and proposed licensing schemes to fix the amounts of royalties or equitable remuneration payable under compulsory licences, and
• to make ancillary orders with respect to the operation of compulsory licensing schemes.

Categories of documents held by the Tribunal

The Tribunal maintains the following categories of documents:

• documents relating to matters heard by, or applications or references to, the Tribunal, including applications and supporting documents and copies of decisions
• a register of matters coming before the Tribunal
• documents concerning administrative and financial aspects of the Tribunal’s operation
• general correspondence
• documents filed with the Tribunal, and
• copies of the reasons of the Tribunal.

Facilities for obtaining access to documents held by the Tribunal

Enquiries and requests to obtain access to documents held by the Tribunal should be forwarded to:

The Registrar
Copyright Tribunal
Level 16
Law Courts Building
Queens Square
SYDNEY NSW 2000

Telephone: (02) 9230 8567
Facsimile: (02) 9230 8535

Solicitor-General

Establishment

The office of Solicitor-General was established under the Law Officers Act 1964.

Organisation

The Solicitor-General is the Second Law Officer of the Commonwealth (the Attorney-General is the First Law Officer).

The Solicitor-General is a holder of public office to whom administrative services are provided by the Attorney-General’s Department.

Functions

The Law Officers Act sets out the functions of the office, which include acting as counsel for the Commonwealth, giving opinions on questions of law to the Attorney-General, and carrying out such other functions, ordinarily performed by counsel, as the Attorney-General requests.

Categories of documents

The Solicitor-General maintains the following categories of documents:

• briefs, working notes, papers and advices for litigious and non-litigious matters
• correspondence, reports and minutes relating to the Special Committee of Solicitors-General, and
• miscellaneous papers, correspondence, and reports.

Facilities for obtaining access to documents

Enquiries and requests to obtain access to documents should be directed to:

Director
Freedom of Information Section
Attorney-General’s Department
Robert Garran Offices
National Circuit
BARTON ACT 2600

Telephone: (02) 6250 5693
Facsimile: (02) 6250 5982

Defence Force Discipline Appeal Tribunal

Establishment

The Defence Force Discipline Appeal Tribunal was established under the Defence Force Discipline Appeals Act 1955.

Organisation

The Tribunal consists of a President, Deputy President and members. It has a Registrar and Deputy Registrars, as required. The principal office of the Tribunal is located in Canberra. The Registrar of the Tribunal is located in Melbourne.

Functions

Pursuant to the Defence Force Discipline Appeals Act 1955, the Tribunal can hear appeals as against conviction, prescribed acquittal and punishment in respect of prosecutions before the Australian Military Court. Further, pursuant to recent amendments to the Act, the Tribunal can also hear questions of law referred to it by the Director of Military Prosecutions.

Categories of documents held by the Tribunal

The Tribunal maintains the following categories of documents:

• documents in respect of a particular proceeding, transcript of the hearing, the Tribunal’s reasons for the decision, the decision, and related general correspondence
• documents concerning procedures before the Tribunal
• documents concerning administrative and financial aspects of the Tribunal’s operation, and
• general correspondence.

Facilities for obtaining access to documents held by the Tribunal

Enquiries and requests to obtain access to documents held by the Tribunal should be forwarded to:

Federal Court of Australia
Registry (ACT)
Nigel Bowen Commonwealth Law Courts Building
Level 1, Childers Street
CANBERRA ACT 2600

Telephone: (02) 6267 0566
Facsimile: (02) 6267 0625

OR

Federal Court of Australia
Registry (VIC)
Owen Dixon Commonwealth Law Courts Building
Level 9, 305 William Street
MELBOURNE VIC 3000

Telephone: (03) 8600 3504
Facsimile: (03) 8600 3522

Appendix 4 Service charters

The Attorney-General’s Department Service Charter and associated complaints handling policy have been in operation since June 1998. The Department’s charter is supplemented by charters covering International Child Abduction, Child Support and Civil Procedure (ICACSCP) and the Trade Measures Review Officer (TMRO).

Apart from the departmental areas covered by their own specific service charter, the Attorney-General’s Department has limited direct dealings with members of the public. The Department serves the Government and, through it, the people of Australia.

The departmental and ICACSCP charters can be viewed on the Department’s home page at www.ag.gov.au. The TMRO charter can be viewed at www.ag.gov.au/tmro. All the Department’s charters are available to clients in hard copy.

The following table sets out the customer service standards contained in each charter and the extent to which they were met during 2007–08.

Clients of the Department and those of the ICACSCP and TMRO can make a complaint or provide feedback in writing, via email, by telephone or in person. Staff of the Department, whenever possible, are encouraged to resolve complaints immediately. In those instances where a resolution cannot be reached at the time of the complaint, the complaint systems for all three charters require the recording of the following information for investigation and appropriate action:

• the Division and officer receiving the complaint
• the date of the complaint
• the complainant’s name, address and contact number
• how the complaint was made
• the resolution/decision
• how the complainant was notified of the resolution/decision and date
• review of the decision (if required)
• decision/comments/remedial action
• reviewing officer’s name and title, and
• appeal rights advised (yes/no).

Appendix 5 Consultancy services

Policy on selection and engagement of consultants

Contracting for a consultancy service is a prominent activity no different in principle from the procurement of other property and services. The requirements of the Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines and the Chief Executive’s Instructions are relevant. Additionally, departmental CEI’s states that the agreement of the Secretary is required for all consultancies of $20,000 or more.

Consultancy services are assessed by determining whether the services meet the criteria of a consultancy as set out in the Department of Finance and Deregulation’s Financial Management Guidance No.15. The assessment process distinguishes between consultancy and non-consultancy contracts, taking into account their respective characteristics. These characteristics represent an amalgam of those commonly exhibited across the diverse range of consultancy and non-consultancy arrangements.

In considering these characteristics, the Department focused on the following two questions, to determine the nature of the agreement:

• Do the services involve the development of an intellectual output that assists with agency-decision making? and
• Will the output reflect the independent views of the service provider?

Details of contractors—for example those engaged through employment agencies for short-term relief or other purposes—are not included in this report.

In accordance with the Requirements for annual reports for departments, executive agencies and FMA Act bodies, detailed information relating to new consultancy contracts to the value of $10,000 or more (inclusive of GST) is provided in Table 11.

Summary statement

During 2007–08, 34 new consultancy contracts were entered into, involving total actual expenditure of $882,418. In addition, 15 ongoing consultancy contracts were active during the year involving total actual expenditure of $675,137.

• Explanation of selection process terms:

  Open tender: A request for tender is published widely and all submissions received before the deadline are accepted from any potential suppliers who satisfy the conditions for participation.

  Select tender: An invitation to tender is issued to potential suppliers from a short list.

  Direct sourcing: A form of restricted tendering in which an agency may invite a potential supplier or suppliers of its choice to make a submission because of their expertise and/or their special ability to supply the goods and/or services sought.

  Panel: An invitation to tender is issued to a panel of potential suppliers (who have pre-qualified) established by the agency to supply to the Government.

• Justification for decision to use consultancy:

  A—skills currently unavailable within agency

  B—need for specialised or professional skills

  C—need for independent research or assessment

Appendix 6 Advertising and market research

Under section 311A of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 the Department is required to disclose payments of $10,500 or more (inclusive of GST) to specific types of organisations. These organisations are advertising agencies, market research organisations, polling organisations, media advertising organisations, and direct mail organisations.

There were no payments during 2007–08 to direct mail organisations or polling organisations. Details of payments to the other categories of organisations are set out below.

Key:

A Paid to a creative advertising agency to develop advertising campaign

B Paid to a market research organisation

C Paid to a media advertising organisation for placing government advertising (both campaign and non-campaign) in the media

Appendix 7 Legal services expenditure

All departments and agencies are required, under paragraph 11.1(ba) of the Legal Services Directions 2005, to report on their legal services expenditure each financial year. A breakdown of the Department’s expenditure for 2007–08 is set out below, along with the previous year’s data for comparison.

All expenditure figures include GST.

1. Increased expenditure in 2007–08 related primarily to the handling of particularly complex and significant constitutional and extradition litigation, and new Departmental responsibility for administration of the Territories (after the change to the Administrative Arrangements Orders, which took effect on 3 December 2007).

2. These figures exclude amounts of legal services expenditure relating to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, the United Nations Convention on the Recovery Abroad of Maintenance and international obligations under various bilateral maintenance arrangements. These are recorded separately because they do not constitute the purchase of legal services by the Department for itself. Rather, they arise because the Department pays for legal services that benefit other parties as a result of obligations under international agreements.

   These figures do not include expenditure related to the Clarke Inquiry into the case of Dr Mohamed Haneef.

3. The Department does not have a separate internal legal services branch. Within the Department, there are units that provide both internal and external services, principally the Office of International Law and the Office of Legislative Drafting and Publishing. Legal services are provided at no cost to the areas of the Department receiving the services. There is no billing arrangement for internal legal services, and separate records of expenditure are not kept. Such expenses are treated as part of the aggregate of staffing costs for the Department.

   An estimate of the cost of internal legal services has been derived from an assessment of the number of staff involved in providing internal legal services and the proportion of their time involved in providing those services. The staff of the Office of International Law devoted to providing internal legal services are the full-time equivalent of 0.5 of an APS Level 3, 0.75 Legal Officer (0.5 in 2006–07), 1.0 Senior Legal Officer, 0.75 Principal Legal Officer (0.5 in 2006–07) and 0.5 of an SES Officer. The staff of the Office of Legislative Drafting and Publishing devoted to providing internal legal services are the full-time equivalent of 0.2 of a Legal Officer, 1.0 Senior Legal Officer, 0.4 of a Principal Legal Officer and 0.1 of an SES Officer. Internal legal services that may be provided from time to time by other areas of the Department are not sufficiently material to enable separate costing.

   The cost of internal legal services is estimated based on salary levels for these positions and increased by a factor reflecting typical staffing and other overheads within the Department.

   By this method, it is estimated that the Department’s internal legal services expenditure was approximately $0.641 million 2007–08 and $1.191 million in 2006–07.

   The costs of the Solicitor-General and Counsel Assisting the Solicitor-General (including salary) are also met by the Department.

Appendix 8 Staffing profile

The tables on the following pages show staffing details for the Department at 30 June 2007 and at 30 June 2008 by each classification level.

Appendix 9 Staff achievements

The Department values and fosters a work environment of achievement, and recognises individuals and teams who have demonstrated excellence in achieving outcomes above and beyond expectations. To acknowledge and show appreciation for the outstanding contributions of staff, the Department has in place both formal awards and informal mechanisms that distinguish and support good performance.

Individuals and teams were recognised for their outstanding professional contribution in 2007–08. The Secretary commended the recipients for their role in highlighting the Department’s excellent work and in being a source of inspiration to other staff.

The departmental awards are:

• Secretary’s Award
• Deputy Secretaries’ and General Managers’ Awards
• Australia Day Achievement Awards, and
• Academic Achievement Award.

Individual divisions administer less formal recognition awards within the Department. A number of these awards were presented during this reporting period.

The recipients of awards for 2007–08 and their noteworthy achievements follow.

Public Service Medal

John Boersig, Assistant Secretary, Indigenous Law and Justice Branch, was awarded the Public Service Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours announced on 9 June 2008. The award was for outstanding public service in the delivery of law and justice services to Indigenous Australians.

Sue Pidgeon, Assistant Secretary, Family Pathways Branch, was awarded the Public Service Medal in the Australia Day Honours announced on 26 January 2008. The award was for outstanding service in the development and implementation of a range of government-funded services (in particular, Family Relationship Centres across Australia) that assist families build stronger relationships or assist those who are affected by family separation.

Secretary’s Award 2007

Bronwyn Young—in recognition of outstanding effort and dedication to ensuring that speeches for the Attorney-General, the Ministers and the Department are delivered on time and written to a consistently high standard.

Deputy Secretaries’ Awards 2007

National Security and Criminal Justice Group

Alex Webling and Patrick Drake-Brockman—for superior achievement in coordinating the review of the E-security National Agenda and for excellence in building a consensus in support of a strong funding base and a lead agency role for the Attorney-General’s Department.

Civil Justice and Legal Services Group

Julie Atwell—in recognition of her outstanding work in developing new international legal instruments to address emerging threats to civil aviation, and as Special Rapporteur to a Special Subcommittee of the International Civil Aviation Organization on that matter.

Joanna Weller—in recognition of her outstanding work in organising the Asia–Pacific Regional Meeting on the work of the Hague Conference on Private International Law, held in Sydney in June 2007.

General Managers’ Awards 2007

Jenny Buchan—in recognition of her significant leadership, particularly in project governance of the financial management framework program and her contribution to the achievement of significant outcomes for the Department’s internal financial management framework.

Lynne McDonald—in recognition of her outstanding and dedicated performance in managing OH&S and rehabilitation issues for the Department.

Australia Day Achievement Awards

James Allen, Amy Chang, Katrina Locke, David O’Brien, Sarah Orton, and Steve Sanders, Financial Services Group and Classification, Legal Services and Native Title Division—for planning and delivering outcomes to achieve the successful financial integration of the Office of Film and Literature Classification into the Department.

Lucinda Atkinson, Counter-Terrorism, Strategic Policy Unit—for efficient, cooperative, unfailingly polite management of the Group’s incoming government briefing arrangements.

Nils Baumgartner, Colin Minihan, and Wanni Teo, Information Law Branch—for the professional and successful organisation and conduct of the data protection seminars run in conjunction with APEC 2007.

Jodie Bijorac, Secure Services Branch—for exceptional management in delivering Stage 1 of the Secure Gateway Project.

Matthew Branford, Frances Brown, Trevor Given, Bronwyn Leslie and Sue Walker, AusCheck Implementation Team—for demonstrating high levels of professionalism and commitment in implementing the AusCheck service.

Anne Burr, Carolyn McLachlan, and Eve Wilson, Payroll Team—for excellent performance in managing the transition of the administration of employment conditions and payroll function from the Office of Film and Literature Classification to the Attorney-General’s Department.

Shannon Cuthbertson, Susanna Ford, Ashleigh McDonald , Lisa O’Connell, and Tracey Smith, Mutual Assistance and Extradition Branch—for professional and diligent work on three significant extradition cases in 2007.

Meg Dixon-Child, Mark Godfrey, Tim Hainsworth, Tony Pead, and Sally Webster, Annual Report Production Team—for dedication and commitment in producing the Department’s Annual Report 2006–07.

Kathleen Falko, Jing-Ting Chan, Susie Davis, Ingrid Nemeth, Ruvani Panagoda, and Samantha Patterson, Intercountry Adoption Branch—for outstanding work and dedication to the continuing implementation of the Overseas Adoption in Australia report recommendations.

Catherine Fitch, Rebecca Godfrey, and Szabina Horvath, Northern Territory Emergency Response Team—for their effective efforts in coordinating the Department’s involvement in the response.

Vicky Green, Information and Communications Technology Branch—for leadership, professionalism and dedication in providing information and communications technology services to the whole-of-government initiative Continuity of Government.

Rachael Jackson, Ministerial and Parliamentary Services—for dedication and commitment in producing the incoming government brief 2007.

Joan Jardine, Sabrena King, Simone Marks, Wendy Spicer, and Philippa Vickery, Community Legal Services Program team—for outstanding work in completing the 2007 Review of the Community Legal Services Program.

Glenda Kelly, Family Pathways Branch—for effective and timely implementation of the Family Dispute Resolution Register.

Kerin Leonard and Roxane Nolan, Office of International Law—for professionalism and dedication to improving Australia’s reporting under human rights treaties.

Raewyn Miners and Neil Price, Telecommunications and Surveillance Law Branch—for demonstrated high levels of professionalism and commitment in the successful development and hosting of the National Telecommunications Conference 2007.

Katherine Reimers, Executive Adviser to the Secretary—for achieving excellence in the discharge of her duties as Executive Adviser to the Secretary.

Dane Varkevisser, Information Law and Human Rights Division—for a professional response to the demands of preparing the statistics for the 2006–07 FOI Annual Report.

Andrew Warnes, Mutual Assistance and Extradition Branch—for leadership and dedication in the development of the Mutual Assistance and Extradition (MAX) Database.

Academic Achievement Awards 2008

Kathleen Falko, Intercountry Adoption Branch—for outstanding academic and work achievements. Kathleen’s achievements, which include a Master of Law, are a model of excellence for the Department in its pursuit of the highest quality outcomes.

Sara Goldsworthy, National Security Policy Branch—for outstanding academic and work achievements. Sara’s achievements, which include a Master of Arts in International Relations (honours) provide a model of excellence for the Department in its pursuit of the highest quality outcomes.

Other awards

Kathy Hilgert, Emergency Management Australia (Mount Macedon, Victoria)—received the Attorney-General’s Department’s Women’s Network Award 2007–08 for her role in achieving exceptional outcomes for the Department, including through her involvement in the Department’s Business Managers’ Forum and participation on cross-divisional tender panels. Kathy is also recognised for her significant work in raising staff morale, mentoring her team and defending the interests of others in the workplace.

Heather Moss, Assistant Manager, Protective Security Coordination Centre—received the Attorney General’s Department’s Women’s Network Award 2007–08 for her key role in supporting the shift in how counter-terrorism capability is considered and developed across Australia and for the strong support she gives to her colleagues, both professionally and personally.

Appendix 10 Occupational health and safety

This report is presented in accordance with the requirements of section 74 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1991.

The Department has a number of written Health and Safety Management Arrangements, as required under section 16 of the OH&S Act. These policy documents, together with a range of topic-specific health and safety Employee Relation Advices, are available to employees electronically through the Department’s intranet and are promoted in HR Matters, the newsletter produced by the Human Resources Branch.

The Department seeks to provide a healthy and safe work environment for all employees, contractors and visitors, and promotes the integration of prevention activities into day-to-day business.

The Health and Safety Committee met half yearly, and the minutes of its meetings were made available to employees via the Department’s intranet. Ten new health and safety representatives were appointed to the Committee in 2007–08.

Reporting requirements under the OH&S Act

Outcomes for 2007–08

The Department continued to conduct regular workplace inspections during 2007–08. Reports were provided to division heads outlining recommendations and improvements. There was continued improvement across the Department, with divisions displaying an ongoing commitment to eliminating OH&S hazards. Employees’ awareness of OH&S has increased, resulting in improved prevention of, and early intervention for, workplace injuries and illnesses.

Major activities completed in 2007–08 included:

• Health and Safety Management Arrangements: HSMAs were developed, implemented and revised as required under s 16 of the OH&S Act. In addition, the Department has reviewed 50 per cent of the OH&S policies and procedures and plans to review the remaining 50 per cent in the first half of 2008–09.
• OH&S inspections: As part of the OH&S risk management program, regular workplace safety inspections were undertaken to ensure compliance with legislation and to identify areas for improvement.
• OH&S training and induction: Monthly OH&S induction programs for new starters were held. Those sessions cover the Health and Safety Management Arrangements, the Employee Assistance Program, the Department’s health and wellbeing programs, incident and accident reporting and workstation assessments. Accredited training for health and safety representatives, first aid officers and fire wardens was also provided.
• Comcare Premium: We received a bonus of $118,491 from the 2007–08 premium due to ongoing improvements with injury prevention and management, incident reporting, risk management and safety training.
• Employee Assistance Program: The Department continued to fund the Employee Assistance Program that provides employees with free, confidential and professional counselling services to assist with resolving work and other issues that may impact on their work performance.

Appendix 11 Commonwealth Disability Strategy

Policy adviser role

* Accessible formats include electronic formats such as ASCII (or .txt) files and html for the web. Non-electronic formats include Braille, audiocassette, large print and easy English. Other ways of making information accessible include video captioning and Auslan interpreters.

Appendix 12 Extradition and mutual assistance

Extradition matters dealt with in 2007–08 or continuing as at 30 June 2008