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| You are currently viewing: Contents > Section 1: Overviews > Department Overview | |
Departmental Overview
Page Contents
ROLE AND FUNCTIONS
The department is responsible for protecting and advancing Australia's interests internationally by: enhancing international security, national economic and trade performance, and global cooperation; providing consular and passport services to Australian citizens; projecting a positive and accurate image of Australia internationally; promoting public understanding of Australia's foreign and trade policy; and managing overseas property owned by the Commonwealth Government.
The department's staff in Canberra, in our state and territory offices and around the world work towards the achievement of the department's four outcomes:
- Australia's national interests protected and advanced through contributions to international security, national economic and trade performance, and global cooperation
- Australians informed about and provided access to consular and passport services in Australia and overseas
- public understanding in Australia and overseas of Australia's foreign and trade policy and a positive image of Australia internationally
- efficient management of the Commonwealth overseas owned estate.
To achieve these outcomes, the department has developed a range of resource management practices and corporate services. These services aim to support a highly motivated, adaptable and flexible workforce through appropriate recruitment processes and reward systems, skills recognition and training. The department's resource management practices strive to create a working environment that enables staff successfully to balance their professional and personal interests and commitments.
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ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
The department is managed by the Senior Executive, pictured below, consisting of the Secretary, Dr Ashton Calvert, and four deputy secretaries. Supported by the department's Senior Executive Service, the Senior Executive provides leadership on foreign and trade policy and corporate issues. In fulfilling this role, the Senior Executive shapes the values and culture of the department; maintains the highest professional standards of service to the Government and to Australia; and ensures an open, fair and professionally rewarding working environment for all staff.
The department's staff are located in Canberra, state and territory offices, and overseas posts. In Canberra, the department is made up of 11 divisions, as well as the Executive, Planning and Evaluation Branch, the Protocol Branch, the Overseas Property Office, the Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office and the Economic Analytical Unit.
During the 2001-02 financial year, we established a new Office of Trade Negotiations, incorporating the former Trade Negotiations Division and additional resources. The office aims to sharpen our focus on the multilateral and bilateral trade policy agenda. As part of this restructuring, the Market Development Division was renamed the Trade Development Division.
We also created an Overseas Property Office. This followed the department's assumption of responsibility for the overseas owned property estate managed previously by the former Property Group of the Department of Finance and Administration (DoFA). In addition, the Overseas Property Office assumed responsibility for overseas leased property managed previously by the Diplomatic Security, Property and Information Management Division. This division was renamed the Diplomatic Security, Information Management and Services Division to reflect this change.
Senior Executive of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (as at 30 June 2002). (Clockwise from front right) Dr Ashton Calvert, Secretary, and Deputy Secretaries Ms Pamela Fayle, Mr David Ritchie, Dr Alan Thomas and Mr Peter Grey.
The department's state and territory offices are located in all Australian capital cities. These offices provide an invaluable link to us for Australian citizens through the provision of consular and passports services and liaison services to Australian business. We also maintain a Passports Office in Newcastle and a Liaison Office on Thursday Island in the Torres Strait. Contact details of our offices in Australia are inside the back cover of this report.
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Figure 1. Location of staff (as at 30 June 2002)
The above chart shows the proportion of the department's staff who are serving in Australia, at our state and territory offices and in Canberra. The chart shows those Australia-based staff who are posted to our network of 84 embassies, high commissions, consulates and multilateral missions, and staff who are employed locally at our overseas posts. Details of Australia's posts overseas can be found at Appendix 15 (Summary of the overseas network).
The department also engages people overseas to act as honorary consuls. Honorary consuls provide consular assistance on behalf of the department to Australian travellers in locations where the Australian Government does not maintain other representation. Combined with our consular sharing agreements with Canada, our honorary consuls provide an invaluable service for Australian citizens travelling overseas (see Appendix 15).
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Figure 2: Senior executive structure (as at 30 June 2002)
STRUCTURE OF THE PORTFOLIO
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Trade are supported by seven agencies in the Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio:
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- Australian Trade Commission (Austrade)
- Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID)
- Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)
- Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS)
- Export Finance and Insurance Corporation (EFIC)
- Australia-Japan Foundation (AJF). Unlike other bilateral foundations
and councils, the AJF is a separate statutory authority that receives its
own appropriations from consolidated revenue.
These agencies develop and promote domestic and international understanding of Australia's foreign and trade policy; support Australian business through market access and export advice and assistance; promote trade and investment; provide consular and passports services to Australians, in Australia and overseas; and provide sustainable development and relief assistance to the world's developing and least-developed countries.
The structure of portfolio outcomes and each agency's responsibilities as a portfolio partner are detailed in the following chart.
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Figure 3: Structure of portfolio outcomes - Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio
Figure 4: Outcomes and outputs framework 2001-02
Resources summary
Since publication of the Portfolio Budget Statements 2001-02 , the
department has assumed responsibility for the Commonwealth's overseas owned
property estate managed previously by the former Property Group of the
Department of Finance and Administration. To distinguish the discrete and
financially separate nature of work in managing this overseas property
portfolio from work in support of the department's other outcomes, a new
outcome (Outcome 4) was introduced into our Outcomes and Outputs framework.
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Table 1. Financial and staffing resources summary
|
|
2000-2001 Actual ($'000) |
2001-2002 |
2001-2002 Actual ($'000) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Administered items |
|||
|
Administered expenses |
205 040 |
147 421 |
342 460 |
|
Departmental outputs |
|||
|
Revenue from government (appropriation) |
631 092 |
683 381 |
685 918 |
|
Revenue from other sources |
56 131 |
155 674 |
80 813 |
|
Total price of departmental outputs |
687 223 |
839 055 |
766 731 |
|
Total resourcing of outputs |
|||
|
(Administered expenses and total price of departmental outputs) |
892 263 |
986 476 |
1 109 191 |
|
|
2000-2001 Actual |
2001-2002 Actual |
|---|---|---|
|
Average staffing level (number) [*] |
3 423.0 |
3 320.0 |
* Includes overseas locally engaged staff.
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Table 2. Price of departmental outputs by outcome
|
Description |
2000-2001 Actual ($'000) |
2001-2002 Actual ($'000) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Australia's national interests protected and advanced through contributions to international security, national economic and trade performance and global cooperation |
486 760 |
525 718 |
|
|
Australians informed about and provided access to consular and passport services in Australia and overseas |
133 734 |
137 381 |
|
|
Public understanding in Australia and overseas of Australia's foreign and trade policy and a positive image of Australia internationally |
66 729 |
64 941 |
|
|
Efficient management of the Commonwealth overseas owned estate |
0 |
38 691 |
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Table 3. Reconciliation of outcomes and appropriation and revenue elements
|
|
Outcome 1 ($'000) |
Outcome 2 ($'000) |
Outcome 3 ($'000) |
Outcome 4 ($'000) |
[Note 1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Appropriation Bills Nos. 1 & 3 |
613 582 |
132 708 |
84 512 |
0 |
830 802 |
|
Appropriation Bills Nos. 2 & 4 |
16 034 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
16 034 |
|
Special appropriations |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Advance from the Minister for Finance |
46 445 |
20 |
17 593 |
0 |
64 058 |
|
Revenue from other sources |
30 416 |
7 948 |
3 757 |
38 691 |
80 812 |
1. The total appropriations shown in this table represent appropriations as per the 2001-02 Budget Bills.
The financial and staffing resources summary for Outcome 1 is at Table 4 (page 29); Outcome 2 at Table 10 (page 131); Outcome 3 at Table 12 (page 153); and Outcome 4 at Table 16 (page 181).
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