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Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade - Annual Report 2000-2001
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 You are currently viewing: Contents > Performance Reporting > Outcome 1  > Output 1.4 Quality and quantity information Table of contents - JavaPrevious topic Next topic
 
OUTPUT 1.4: International services to other agencies in Australia and overseas (including Parliament, State representatives, business and other organisations)
 

Output 1.4 Quality and quantity information

Quality indicators

Quantity indicators

Services to clients

Consistent with our whole-of-government role, the department provides many services to parliamentarians, other agencies and business. This work includes market access advocacy, policy reporting and tactical and other advice.

Feedback on the department’s work for other agencies was obtained through our internal evaluation processes, particularly the annual post evaluation reports. The department does not have formal mechanisms for receiving feedback on the work done on behalf of parliamentarians or business, although we receive informal feedback from overseas posts and in Australia.

The department, including our overseas posts, was commended for our work during the year on behalf of Commonwealth and State parliamentarians. Feedback from parliamentarians indicated that posts provided valuable assistance on substantive aspects of their programs overseas, as well as on logistical and other practical matters.

Feedback on our support for other agencies received through the Post Evaluation Reports process was generally very positive and constructive. Twenty-eight departments and agencies took the opportunity to comment on posts’ performance in meeting Government policy objectives. Post evaluation report feedback allowed us to review and make adjustment, as appropriate, to our reporting priorities in areas of policy interest to other agencies.

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Common Administrative Services

Under the Common Administrative Services (CAS) agreement the department provided administrative support to 29 agencies and departments. Overall our clients expressed satisfaction with the level of support provided during the year, with a number of agencies commenting that common services were delivered to a very high standard. During negotiations on a new agreement, the Service Level Agreement (SLA), some agencies identified ways to improve the standard of CAS delivery. These are reflected in the SLA, which came into effect in July 2001.

Quantity information [Note 1]

Scope and composition of administrative services provided to other agencies overseas. [Note 2]

29

Number of official programs organised for members of the Commonwealth Parliament (excluding the Prime Minister or ministers) and parliamentary delegations. [Note 3]

228

Number of overseas visits by representatives of State or Territory governments, and by State and Territory parliamentarians, supported by the department. [Note 4]

332

Number of Australian companies supported by the department in Australia and overseas with advice on market conditions, access to government and private sector contacts, and through representations directly connected with their particular interests. [Note 5]

15,796

1 Several of the indicators used for 1999–2000 were revised for 2000–01 (Click to view). Changes of collection methodology or in the definitions of items being counted are indicated in footnotes.

2 This is the number of agencies serviced under the Common Administrative Services Agreement (see Appendix 13). The services provided under the Common Administrative Services Agreement are grouped together in six bundles which include: personnel services (Australia-based staff), personnel services (locally engaged staff), office services, property services, financial services, and communications.

3 This figure is based on work undertaken by each post; that is, it reflects the number of programs organised on a country-by-country basis, rather than the number of MPs and Senators assisted by the department in Canberra (as was counted in the 1999–2000 annual report).

4 This figure is based on work undertaken by each post; that is, it reflects the number of programs organised on a country-by-country basis.

5 This information was collected by all areas of the department and collated centrally. The difficulty in defining what constitutes support, given our different operating environments overseas, means that this figure is necessarily an approximate one. It includes support provided by posts, which was not counted in the 1999–2000 annual report.

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