2.1.1 Consular services
Quality indicators
- Satisfaction of the public and travel industry with consular services
- Extent to which highly developed crisis management procedures are in place and tested
- Client satisfaction with the suitability and effectiveness of contingency plans at overseas posts
- Response time to consular issues
Quantity indicators
- Number of Australians assisted overseas, including the number of public enquiries handled, notarial acts performed and travel advisories issued
- Number of unexpected events or crises handled by the department, number of associated departmental Emergency Task Force and Inter-Departmental Emergency Task Force meetings held, and the duration of Crisis Centre operations
Satisfaction of the public and the travel industry
The department is committed under the Consular Services Charter to providing effective, prompt and courteous consular services in an equitable way to all Australians and to protecting their privacy in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988. Consular client feedback on our consular and information services remains very positive. In Canberra, we received 145 unsolicited letters and emails commenting positively on services provided in respect of particular consular cases and on our information service.
We received a further 892 letters and emails of general enquiry, which represents a 39 per cent increase over 2001–02. This increase can be attributed primarily to an increased focus on travel advice and consular services more generally, particularly in the wake of the Bali bombings, terrorist threats, the conflict in Iraq and the outbreak of the SARS virus. This trend is also evident in the number of public enquiries received at our overseas posts and in Canberra, which rose from 133 665 in 2001–02 to 430 349 in 2002–03.
Only a small number of letters and emails—less than four per cent of the total received—expressed dissatisfaction with the level of service we provided. In all instances of negative feedback we followed up directly with clients, investigated their concerns and provided a response explaining the circumstances, including in cases where we were unable to provide the services they expected.
The department continued to work to promote greater awareness of the extent of consular assistance services, including through the establishment of a section on our website outlining what consuls can and cannot do.
The travel industry provided close feedback through correspondence and at a range of forums. While the industry has been seriously affected by the uncertain international environment of the past year, in the main it understands and supports our work to ensure Australians' travel abroad is well-informed. This is reflected by the industry's support for and participation in the voluntary Government–Industry Charter for Safe Travel, launched by Mr Downer in June 2003.
In 2002–03, we surveyed travel industry views through an Internet-based survey. Results indicated that:
- travel agents assessed that 90 per cent of their clients had a greater awareness of the Government's travel advice compared with 12 months ago
- 88 per cent of travel agents were using travel advisories more frequently than 12 months ago
- 75 per cent judged that travel advice was easy to access
- more than 80 per cent indicated they expected to be accessing the Government's travel advice more frequently in the future.
We were responsive to industry feedback, developing a Frequently Asked Questions page on our website that outlines the Government's methodology in the formulation of travel advice, and the development of a training module to help travel agents use travel advice.
Consular crises and crisis management
The department manages responses to crises through its Emergency Task Force and Inter-departmental Emergency Task Force. In 2002–03 the Inter-departmental Emergency Task Force met 129 times, compared to 17 during the previous reporting period. We convened 19 meetings on the Bali terrorist attacks, 92 meetings on Iraq, four on the Philippines, four on the Middle East and ten on East Timor.
The Crisis Centre was activated for 13 days to manage the Government's response to the Bali bombings and for 26 days for the conflict in Iraq. We also responded to a number of major consular events including:
- a meningococcal outbreak in an Australian tour group in Italy (July 2002)
- a hostage situation in Colombia (July 2002)
- two terrorist attacks in Pakistan (August 2002)
- attempted abductions in the Philippines (September 2002)
- civil disturbances on the Ivory Coast (September 2002)
- a terrorist bombing in Afghanistan (September 2002)
- a hostage situation in Russia (October 2002)
- a commercial plane crash in the Philippines (November 2002)
- terrorist bombings in Mombasa, Kenya (November 2002)
- a terrorist threat against Australian interests in Manila (November 2002)
- civil disturbances in East Timor (December 2002)
- an attempted coup in Venezuela (December 2002)
- terrorist bombings in Makasar, Indonesia (December 2002)
- a deterioration in the security situation in Zimbabwe (January 2003)
- an earthquake in Solomon Islands (January 2003)
- an earthquake in Mexico (January 2003)
- threats against international schools in Bali (March 2003)
- terrorist threats in Surabaya, Indonesia (March 2003)
- the outbreak of the SARS virus (April 2003)
- a terrorist bombing at Jakarta airport (April 2003)
- a deterioration in the security situation in Solomon Islands (May 2003)
- a military state of emergency declared in Aceh, Indonesia (May 2003)
- a terrorist attack in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (May 2003)
- a terrorist bombing in Casablanca, Morocco (May 2003)
- a mountaineering rescue in Tibet (May 2003)
- an evacuation of foreign nationals from Liberia (June 2003).
During the year we handled more than 130 higher-profile consular cases requiring the drafting of media talking points, and upgraded our travel advisories where concerns were held for the welfare of Australians overseas. We carefully scrutinised and provided up-to-date travel advice in response to a number of emergency situations during the year, including Bali (October 2002), terrorist threats against Australian interests in East Timor (September 2002), the Philippines (November 2002) and Indonesia (March 2003), the conflict in Iraq (March 2003) and the SARS virus (April–June 2003).
Suitability and effectiveness of contingency plans at overseas posts
In 2002–03, contingency plans for a number of posts were tested by international developments. The bombings in Bali, the conflict in Iraq and planning for Anzac Day arrangements in Turkey generated considerable activity centred on the relevant posts' contingency plans.
Client satisfaction with plans was consistently high:
- The effectiveness of the Australian Government's response to the tragedy in Bali reflected the high quality of the contingency plan maintained by the post
- As tensions in the Middle East heightened in early 2003, we established a consultative committee involving other government agencies with a stake in contingency planning for the ten Middle East posts. These agencies complimented the posts' contingency plans and the consultative arrangements
- An Anzac Day-specific contingency plan we developed for ceremonies in Gallipoli was welcomed by the departments of Defence and Veterans Affairs, and security and intelligence agencies. It was praised as a useful template to develop for future similar events.
Drawing on the lessons learnt during the past year, we began in June 2003 a review of the contingency planning template provided to our posts, in consultation with the Department of Defence.
Response time to consular issues
The department's consular operations are structured to allow immediate response to consular cases and international crises. Australians within Australia have free-call access to assistance around the clock. Outside business hours of their nearest consular post, Australians overseas have free-call or reverse-charge access to assistance through our 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre in Canberra or to local consular duty officers.
Within a few hours of the terrorist bombings in Bali, our crisis mechanisms were fully operational and assisting Australians with enquiries about family members or friends who may have been caught up in the tragedy. The magnitude of the Bali tragedy meant that the department has strengthened these facilities to allow better management of mass casualty cases in the future.
| Indicator | 2002–03 | 2001–02 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Australians assisted overseas: | ||
| Consular cases1 | 19 196 | 24 158 |
| Public inquiries2 | 430 349 | 133 665 |
| Notarial acts performed3 | 73 514 | 74 932 |
| Travel advice notices issued4 | 593 | 705 |
| Number of unexpected events or crises handled by the department | 39 | 12 |
| Number of associated departmental Emergency Task Force and Inter-departmental Emergency Task Force meetings held5 | 129 | 17 |
| Duration of Crisis Centre operations6 | 39 days | 9 days |
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2.1.2 Passport services
Quality indicators
- Satisfaction of the public and travel industry with passport services
- Turnaround time for passport issue, including urgent issues
Quantity indicators
- Number of passport enquiries handled by the Australian Passport Information Service
- Number of travel documents issued, including urgent issues
Satisfaction of the public and the travel industry
Results from the second customer satisfaction survey for the department confirmed that service was maintained at a high level; very few ratings indicated a decline since the first survey was conducted in April 2001 and some showed clear improvement. Customers rated the overall process of applying for a passport as follows: 89 per cent good/very good; nine per cent acceptable; two per cent poor.
Each passport production staff member (that is, non-management staff at passport offices) produced on average 5832 passports in 2002–03 compared to 6335 in 2001–02, reflecting reduced demand for passports.
The great majority of passport applicants lodge their applications at an Australia Post outlet and the client survey found that the majority of applicants received attention in under ten minutes. Under the Australia Post outreach training program, departmental training officers conducted training seminars for post office staff at several metropolitan and rural centres during the year and provided one-on-one training at 82 postal outlets.
Turnaround time for passport issue
The average passport turnaround time for applications lodged in Australia was 6.4 days, well under the ten day turnaround time in the Client Service Charter. This was a similar level of service to the previous year.
The number of passports issued in 2002–03 was 906 049, down eight per cent on the previous year (986 316), the decrease reflecting the downturn in international travel due to security concerns and the spread of the SARS virus. Of this figure:
- 65 792 passports were issued overseas compared to 68 077 in the previous year
- 112 525 applicants paid the $60 priority processing fee to have their application processed within 48 hours. Of these, 525 were refunded on compassionate grounds and 24 because the 48-hour standard was not met.
- 32 479 passports were reported lost or stolen, of which 6805 were lost or stolen overseas
- 535 cases of passport fraud were detected in 2002–03 compared to 586 the previous year.
The Australian Passport Information Service (APIS) received 1 123 133 calls during the year of which 28 per cent were answered by the integrated voice response system and the remainder by a passport adviser. The majority of calls related to travel document renewals. APIS mailed out over 234 000 renewal applications and responded to 48 267 emails. The service levels achieved by APIS were well within contractual performance benchmarks, with caller waiting times averaging 47 seconds and call duration averaging 125 seconds.
| Indicator | 2002–03 | 2001–02 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of passport enquiries handled by the Australian Passport Information Service1 | 1 123 133 | 1 206 736 |
| Number of travel documents issued, including urgent issues2 | 906 049 | 986 316 |
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Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Annual Report 2002–2003
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