Management of the Office

160. As a small agency, my Office relies on the assistance of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) in handling personnel and administrative issues and in providing general support. I would like to record formally my sincere thanks for the Department's continued assistance.

161. I have referred elsewhere in this report to the review of administrative support arrangements currently under way within PM&C. Given the proximity of my Office to PM&C, and the synergies which flow from this, a closer working relationship with the Department will result in some administrative efficiencies for my Office.

Staffing and Resources

162. The most significant staffing change during the year was the departure of Mr Philip Moss, the Assistant Inspector-General, after almost 10 years service in OIGIS.

163. As a result of this Office's contribution to the 1996-97 portfolio savings target, I converted one of my full-time positions to a part-time one. My staffing budget for 1997-98 will remain the same as for 1996-97. I believe resources at this level are adequate to meet my responsibilities providing the workload demands on the Office remain at a normal level.

164. The secure Local Area Network provided on loan by the Department of Defence, continues to aid efficiency and enhance the security of the electronic records held within the Office. I would like to record my gratitude to the Department of Defence and the Defence Signals Directorate for their continued support and assistance.

165. In last year's report, I indicated that a Record Disposal Authority (RDA) covering the specialised records of the Office had been developed in association with Australian Archives and was awaiting formal approval by the Director-General of Australian Archives. The Director-General gave his approval in August 1996. I would like to record my appreciation of the assistance provided by the Australian Archives in the development of the RDA.

Internal and External Scrutiny

166. The Office continues to meet all requirements for internal and external scrutiny of its finances and administration.

167. The Office has again received an unqualified audit report from the Australian National Audit Office in relation to its financial statements.

168. During the year the Assistant Inspector-General and I represented the Office at hearings of the Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee, which considered the Office's estimates.

Composition of the Office

169. During 1996-97, staff of the Office comprised:

  • Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security
    Statutory office-holder, Secretary equivalent)
    Mr Ron McLeod AM
  • Assistant Inspector-General (Senior Executive Band 1)
    Mr Philip Moss (until 9 February 1997)
    vacant from 10 February 1997
  • Senior Investigation Officers (Senior Officer Grade C)
    Mr Neville Bryan
    Ms Jane Trevor (until 2 August 1996)
    Ms Robyn Fenwick (from 5 August 1996)
  • Personal Assistant to the Inspector-General (ASO 5)
    Ms Sandy Thomas
  • Executive Officer (ASO 5)
    Ms Robyn Kelly (acting from 1 July to 27 November 1996)
  • Administrative Assistant (ASO 4 - new position)
    Ms Robyn Kelly (from 28 November 1996)

Performance Pay

170. During the 1996-97 financial year, one staff member was paid performance pay.

Workplace Relations

171. The Office is closely monitoring developments following passage of the Workplace Relations Act 1996 and the wider reforms to the APS, in order to determine our own position with staff. Staff have been kept informed of all developments in the agreement making process.

172. Due to the very small size of my Office and our co-location with the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, I intend that my staff be included in the new arrangements which emerge in that Department. My staff are being included in the consultation process associated with PM&C's moves towards development of an Australian Workplace Agreement framework.

Social Justice: Access and Equity

173. The Office continues to be committed to the Social Justice Strategy and to the concept of Access and Equity in service delivery.

Equal Employment Opportunity

174. Given the Office's small size and its co-location with the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Department's EEO Plan applies to this Office by agreement between the IGIS and the Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Occupational Health and Safety

175. The Office is covered by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet's Occupational Health and Safety Plan.

Industrial Democracy

176. The Office has its own Industrial Democracy Plan, which continues to be implemented.

Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Plan

177. The Office has developed its own Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Plan to ensure the continued operation of the work of the Office in the event of a catastrophic disaster.

Fraud Control

178. The Office is covered by the Fraud Control Plan of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Training and Development

179. During the year staff attended courses covering training on the new workplace relations legislation, various computer software packages, financial management, personnel management and archival records management.

Consultancy Services

180. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu provided assistance with the preparation of the financial statements in this report.

181. The Office engaged one consultant in 1996-97 at a cost of $2,000.

Advertising and Market Research

182. The Office incurred no expenditure on general advertising during 1996-97.

183. No market research and no advertising campaigns were undertaken by the Office during the reporting period.

Freedom of Information Act 1982

184. This Office is an exempt agency for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act.