CORPORATE AND COMMUNICATIONS

Support from DPM&C and DSD

469. As a very small agency, the office relies on the assistance of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPM&C) in handling staff and other administration issues and in providing general support. This support is provided on the basis that we are a portfolio agency and collocated with DPM&C. The arrangement works well and I am grateful to DPM&C for its continued support. In 2003-04 DPM&C also provided the office with equipment to facilitate connection to an external secure network.

470. The other major provider of support is DSD which maintains the internal secure computer network systems within the office. I would like to record my thanks for DSD's continued assistance.

Outcomes and Outputs

471. The office is committed to maintaining the outcome for the office which is providing assurance that Australia's intelligence agencies act legally, ethically and with propriety.

472. The outputs underpinning the outcome are:

• Output 1 - Inspect and report on the activities of the intelligence and security agencies, and

• Output 2 - Conduct inquiries and provide a complaint resolution service.

473. The agency outcome and outputs are an integral part of the accrual budgetary structure and are outlined in detail in the current portfolio budget statements.

Staffing and resources

474. There were some changes to the composition of the office during the reporting period. Mr Bill Blick retired on 18 March 2004 and I was appointed as Inspector-General on 23 March 2004. As a result of my appointment there was also a change in the personal assistant to the Inspector-General with Ms Sandra Thomas being replaced by Ms Jodie Williams.

Composition of the office

475. During the reporting year positions were filled as follows:

• Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security

  - Mr Bill Blick PSM
  - Mr Ian Carnell (from 23 March 2004)
  

• Assistant Inspector-General

- Vacant


• Principal Investigation Officer

  - Mr Neville Bryan
  

• Senior Investigation Officer

- Ms Jane Trevor


• Personal Assistant to the Inspector-General

  - Ms Sandra Thomas (until 19 March 2004)
  - Ms Jodie Williams (from 22 March 2004)
  

• Office Manager and Monitoring Officer

  - Ms Robyn Kelly
  

Performance pay

476. All staff have indicated that they do not wish to receive performance based pay. Accordingly, no staff members were allocated performance based pay during the reporting period.

Workplace agreements

477. The Workplace Relations Act 1996 established a framework in which agencies are required to directly negotiate agreements on pay and conditions matters with their staff.

478. All staff have entered into individual Australian Workplace Agreements.

Corporate Governance

479. The office has an Audit Committee chaired by myself and which includes an external member from DPM&C. The Committee considers corporate governance issues such as internal and external audit findings, fraud and risk management, occupational health and safety, and significant financial issues.

480. The small size of the office lends itself to a collegiate approach to dealing with workplace issues. Whole of agency meetings are held frequently and all staff have direct access to me on a daily basis.

Social justice: access and equity

481. The Inspector-General oversees the activities of Australia's intelligence community to ensure that each agency acts legally, with propriety, and with appropriate regard to human rights. Respect for these fundamental principles fosters an awareness and appreciation of social justice issues.

Disability strategy

482. The office is committed to its responsibilities under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992.

483. Given the small size of the office, we have adopted DPM&C's Disability Action Plan which is currently undergoing revision. The revised plan will build on and endorse the commitment to the principles of workplace diversity and equality of access.

Occupational health and safety

484. The office is covered by the DPM&C Occupational Health and Safety Plan. The office conducts an annual OH&S audit of the workplace and reports the findings to the office Audit Committee. There are no outstanding OH&S issues identified and no incidents reported to Comcare Australia under the reporting requirements of section 68 of the Occupational Health and Safety (Commonwealth Employment) Act 1991.

485. Through DPM&C, members of the office are able to participate in health week, the influenza vaccination programme, exercise classes and the '10K a day' programme to encourage staff to take the daily recommended number of steps (10,000) towards good health and wellbeing.

Disaster recovery plan/business continuity plan

486. The office developed its own disaster recovery/business continuity plan in May 1997 to ensure the continued operation of the office in the event of a disaster. This plan is reviewed periodically to ensure its currency.

Media

487. Intelligence matters were very much to the fore during the period covered by this report. Not surprisingly there was intense media interest in several subjects in which the Inspector‑General played a part or otherwise has a direct interest.

488. Our practice in the majority of instances when approached in such cases is to neither confirm nor deny the existence of a complaint.

489. In cases where the fact that the IGIS is conducting an inquiry has been made public, the practice has been not to discuss the particulars of that inquiry beyond process issues such as expected time frames for completion and the formal requirements of the IGIS Act.

Internet presence

490. The IGIS website, http://www.igis.gov.au provides information about the office, including copies of previous annual reports and occasional statements about current activities.

491. We receive numerous inquiries about the work of the office via our e-mail facility, info@igis.gov.au.

492. Occasionally members of the public use this facility to provide 'tip-off' information regarding suspicious persons and the like. In such cases we ordinarily pass this information on to the National Security Hotline (NSH).

493. The NSH is the appropriate body to process and handle such information in the first instance. The NSH can be reached by phoning 1800 123 400. This is a freecall for any person calling from within Australia. E-mail messages to NSH can be sent to, hotline@nationalsecurity.gov.au.

494. Our office also frequently receives concerns about, or requests to investigate, suspect e-mails soliciting personal information or banking details. In most cases we advise that the e-mails in question are obviously part of a hoax or scam and can safely be ignored. In other cases, we will refer the offending e-mail to the AFP's High Tech Crime Centre.

Fraud control

495. The office has adopted the fraud control plan of DPM&C. There were no cases of suspected fraud in the reporting period.

Training and development

496. Staff attend relevant courses and information sessions as necessary.

External scrutiny

497. Mr Blick met with the PJCAAD on 27 October 2003. I met with the same committee on 13 May 2004.

498. Mr Blick appeared before the Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee on 3 November 2003 and 16 February 2004. I appeared before the same Committee on 25 May 2004.

499. Mr Blick appeared before the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee inquiry into the assessment of and dissemination of information about threats to the security of Australians in South East Asia, on 24 September 2003.

500. The office has again received an unqualified audit report from the ANAO in relation to its financial statements.

Consultancy services

501. The office engaged consultants to provide accountancy, psychology and operational intelligence audit services during the reporting period at a combined cost of $50,200.

Advertising and market research

502. The office incurred no expenditure on general advertising or advertising campaigns during the reporting period.

Freedom of information

503. This office is an exempt agency for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 1982.

Energy saving measures

504. The office through its collocation with DPM&C continues to benefit from the Department's commitment to energy saving measures.

505. The office uses an 80-20 (80 per cent recycled-20 per cent new/virgin paper) for photocopying, facsimile report printing, and where practicable printing material not for external distribution. The office purchases writing pads made from recycled paper. Printer and facsimile toner cartridges are recycled.

Summary of the Office's Financial Performance

506. As in the previous reporting period the office has recorded a loss in 2003-04. While the office did not overspend its 2003-04 appropriation of $741,000, the accounting treatment of movements in leave entitlements (partially offset by the receipt of a resource free of charge from DPM&C) largely contributed to the loss recorded.

507. The negative equity position of 2002-03 has been reduced by recording the above mentioned resource received free of charge in this reporting period as an asset under the control of the office.

508. An equity injection of $200,000 received in the 2004-05 Budget has allowed the office to provide for previously unfunded leave liabilities

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