Role and functions
The department is responsible for advancing the interests of Australia and Australians internationally. The department's staff in Canberra, in our state and territory offices and around the world work to achieve the department's four outcomes, outlined in the department's Portfolio Budget Statements 2004–05 and presented in Figure 4 on page 18:
- Australia's national interests protected and advanced through contributions to international security, national economic and trade per formance, 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 support the achievement of these outcomes in a challenging international environment, the department deployed its staff and other resources in a targeted and flexible manner (see Section 3: Corporate management and accountability for more information).
Organisational structure
 |
 Senior Executive of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (at 30 June 2005). Front left: Mr Michael L'Estrange, Secretary. From left: Deputy Secretaries Mr Nick Warner (standing), Mr Doug Chester (standing), Dr Geoff Raby (sitting) and Ms Gillian Bird (standing). Photo: Michael Jensen |
 Enlarge image ::  Photo gallery |
The Secretary, Mr Michael L'Estrange, and four deputy secretaries constitute the department's Senior Executive. Supported by the department's Senior Executive Service, they manage the department and provide leadership on foreign and trade policy, consular and corporate issues. The Senior Executive shapes the values and culture of the department, promotes within the department the highest professional standards of service to the Government and to Australia, and provides a fair and professionally rewarding working environment for staff.
The department's organisational structure is outlined in Figure 2. In Canberra, the department is made up of eleven 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.
The department manages an overseas network of 86 embassies, high commissions, consulates-general and multilateral missions (for more information see Appendix 13— Summary of the overseas network). Each overseas post is attached to a parent division in Canberra. In addition to headquarters in Canberra, the department maintains offices in all Australian state and territory capital cities. These offices provide consular and passports services to the Australian community and liaison services to state and territory governments and 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 provided inside the back cover of this report.
FIGURE 1. LOCATION OF STAFF
Source: Compiled from departmental data.
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 widen the geographical scope of consular service for Australian citizens travelling overseas (see Appendix 13).
FIGURE 2. SENIOR EXECUTIVE STRUCTURE (AS AT 30 JUNE 2005)
Structure of the foreign affairs and trade portfolio
The foreign affairs and trade portfolio supports the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Minister for Trade and the Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade in the conduct of Australia's foreign and trade policy. Seven agencies make up the 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, councils and institutes the AJF is a separate statutory authority that receives its own appropriations from consolidated revenue.
Figure 3 details the portfolio structure and each agency's outcomes.
FIGURE 3. STRUCTURE OF PORTFOLIO OUTCOMES—FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE PORTFOLIO AS AT 30 JUNE 2005
FIGURE 4. OUTCOMES AND OUTPUTS FRAMEWORK 2004–05
Resources summary
| 2003–04 Actual ($'000) | 2004–05 Budget and Supplementary Additional Estimates ($'000) |
2004–05 Actual ($'000) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administered items | |||
| Administered expenses | 758 856 | 283 495 | 266 136 |
| Departmental outputs | |||
| Revenue from government (appropriation)* | 712 711 | 699 607 | 703 624 |
| Revenue from other sources | 96 127 | 85 830 | 118 506 |
| Total price of departmental outputs | 808 838 | 785 437 | 822 130 |
| Total resourcing of outputs | |||
| Administered expenses and total price of departmental outputs | 1 567 694 | 1 068 932 | 1 088 266 |
| 2003–4 Actual | 2004–05 Budget and Additional Estimates |
2004–05 Actual | |
| Average staffing level (number)** | 3 149 | 3 138 | 3 165 |
* In 2004–05 the department received additional budget funding for a number of new initiatives including:
- investing in Australia's security—biometrics for border control
- maintenance of a temporary consulate-general in Nauru
- maintenance of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands
- blast-proofing of windows in Australian overseas missions
- improved security for Australian overseas missions
- Flood inquiry into Australian intelligence agencies—transfer of the Open Source Collection Unit (decrease in funding)
- tsunami relief assistance.
** Includes overseas locally engaged staff.
| Description | 2003–04 Actual ($'000) | 2004–05 Actual ($'000) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outcome 1 | Australia's national interests protected and advanced through contributions to international security, national economic and trade per formance and global cooperation | 546 700 | 552 201 |
| Outcome 2 | Australians informed about and provided access to consular and passport services in Australia and overseas | 150 534 | 150 224 |
| Outcome 3 | Public understanding in Australia and overseas of Australia's foreign and trade policy and a positive image of Australia internationally | 58 522 | 50 842 |
| Outcome 4 | Efficient management of the Commonwealth overseas owned estate | 53 082 | 68 863 |
| Total price of departmental outputs | 808 838 | 822 130 | |
| Outcome 1 ($'000) | Outcome 2 ($'000) | Outcome 3 ($'000) | Outcome 4 ($'000) | Total ($'000) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total administered appropriations as per Portfolio Budget Statements 2004–05 including any adjustments from Additional Estimates | 215 132 | 15 742 | 48 621 | 0 | 279 495 |
| Administered expenses by outcome | 190 880 | 13 777 | 51 047 | 0 | 255 704 |
| Foreign exchange (unrealised) | 6 271 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 271 |
| EFIC administration costs funded by revenue offset | 3 430 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 430 |
| Movement on liability for the North American Pension Scheme | 731 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 731 |
| Total administered expenses as per the Financial Statements | 201 312 | 13 777 | 51 047 | 0 | 266 136 |
| Total departmental appropriation as per Portfolio Budget Statements 2004–05 including any adjustments from Supplementary Additional Estimates | 500 429 | 149 366 | 49 812 | 0 | 699 607 |
| Revenues from government | 503 302 | 150 224 | 50 098 | 0 | 703 624 |
| Revenue from other sources | 48 899 | 0 | 744 | 68 863 | 118 506 |
| Total price of departmental outputs as per the Financial Statements | 552 201 | 150 224 | 50 842 | 68 863 | 822 130 |
Next page: Section 2: Performance Reporting
Previous page: Secretary's Review
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Annual Report 2004–2005
Home | Table of Contents | Userguide | Download versions
Overviews | Performance | Corporate | Financials | Appendixes | Glossaries and Compliance Index
Australian Government
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Home | Copyright | Disclaimer | Privacy
