Management of human resources

Overview

Work by the department’s Human Resources Branch during 2008–09 included:

• targeted graduate and trainee recruitment
• continued automation of timesheets for shiftworkers, using the Timekeeper module in our Aurion human resources management platform
• implementation of flexible working arrangements to allow employees the flexibility to balance both personal and professional commitments
• a new Disability Employees Network and Indigenous Employees Network
• development of the new 2009–11 Collective Agreement
• planned redeployment activities for employees affected by organisational changes consistent with the department’s Redeployment and Redundancy Framework
• continued review of our performance management systems
• 360-degree feedback pilot programs for Senior Executive Service (SES) and DAFF Band 3 (levels 8 and 9) classifications.
• continued work on a new People Development Strategy for delivering fundamental services in this area
• continued development of a new leadership framework and reward and recognition awareness campaign
• regular focus meetings with staff to seek their ideas.
• Workforce statistics for 2008–09 are shown in Appendix 1.

Workforce planning and structure

Workforce planning and structure activities in 2008–09 included:

• the annual State of the Service agency and employee survey
• introduction and training sessions on our competency-based capability framework for performance management and selection activities
• briefing sessions, other information and resources provided on our flexible working arrangements guidelines.

As part of the department’s 2008–09 Internal Audit Plan, the structure, functions and outputs of the central Workforce Planning Team were examined. In 2009–10 the team will address areas identified for improvement. These will include:

• developing and implementing a framework that allows for succession planning
• researching and analysing key workforce variables in accordance with departmental objectives and timeframes.

We are formulating a people development strategy and plan intended to clarify the links between the departmental corporate strategy and our human resources priority activities. A key element of the strategy is the focus on evidence-based decision-making. The workforce planning team will have a central role in identifying, analysing and presenting much of the evidence base required to drive the strategy.

Recruiting people

The department’s entry‑level recruitment programs continued to attract a large number of candidates. The Graduate Development Program and the Traineeship Program provide structured training and development to prepare graduates and trainees for careers in the department and the wider public service.

In January 2009, 52 graduates from a range of disciplines entered the 2009 Graduate Development Program. This is an 11‑month structured development program that leads to a Graduate Certificate in Public Administration. The graduates undertake agency-specific training sessions and rotations to give them experience in the program, policy and corporate management fields. At 30 June 2009, all 52 graduates remained with the department.

Nine graduates began work with ABARE. Graduates are allocated to specific research areas when they start, based on their skills and interests. On‑the‑job training during their graduate year is complemented by a range of training activities, including formal programs in such areas as IT applications, writing and presentation skills, and an in‑house weekly seminar addressing topical economic issues and research techniques.

In February 2009, 11 trainees from a range of backgrounds entered the department’s 2009 Traineeship Program. During the 10‑month program, trainees study for a Certificate III in Government while they attend agency‑specific training sessions and gain experience across the department. We encourage applicants from a diverse range of backgrounds, including school leavers, mature-aged people, Indigenous Australians and people with disability (for specific information about workplace diversity, see ‘Building a diverse workforce’ below). Experience and/or qualifications are not required.

Under the department’s University Vacation Employment program we had 16 student placements for six weeks in January and February 2009—14 in Canberra, one in Cairns and one in Perth. This program provides students with an insight into employment opportunities within the department, including the Graduate Development Program.

The Bureau of Rural Sciences continued its summer scholarship arrangement with the Australian National University. ABARE hosted 10 economics undergraduates in its regular January–February vacation employment program. In 2008–09 ABARE awarded scholarships at Sydney University and the University of New England to outstanding students entering their honours year in economics.

Developing people

The Human Resources Branch continued to organise staff development activities to attract and retain highly skilled employees and to ensure that they can achieve departmental and individual objectives.

The department’s Management Program, which began in 2006, ended in November 2008. Approximately 390 employees completed the program, which targeted Band 2 Level 5 to Band 3 Level 7 employees and their equivalents. It was successful in building skills, confidence and knowledge in a range of management disciplines, and in increasing collaboration and developing networks across divisions.

AQIS undertook a post-implementation review of its new capability-based performance management system to gather feedback and measure areas of improvement. The new system was rolled out to regional staff levels 1 and 2 in July 2008 and has been used in the 2008–09 performance management cycle. Initial findings from this review have been encouraging.

AQIS’s commitment to building organisational capability continued in 2008–09.

The AQIS Management Development Program focuses on building the skills of middle managers, particularly in performance management. Over 500 staff are currently enrolled in the program.

The nationally accredited Certificate III in Government program is provided to all new Band 1 quarantine inspection staff. The program is delivered internally through AQIS’s Recognised Training Organisation status.

AQIS reviewed its on-plant veterinarian training and development program, and refined the induction programs for on-plant veterinarians and meat inspectors.

As well as the development and delivery of a range of technical training materials, additional modules were developed to strengthen the AQIS induction program, including Delegations and I Delegate, Effective Decision Making and Introduction to the AQIS Instructional Material Library.

The new DAFF induction program was implemented in August 2008. It includes a half-day session and supporting material including a ‘one-stop’ reference handbook.

Rewarding people

The department’s Development Awards give staff an opportunity to undertake professional and personal development activities that will benefit both them and the department in the long term. The 15 award recipients in 2008–09 included:

• a scientist from the Bureau of Rural Sciences, who attended the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea Annual Science Conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and met with international counterparts to discuss climate change research issues and the National Climate Change Action Plan for Fisheries and Aquaculture
• a veterinarian from the Product Integrity, Animal and Plant Health Division, who attended the Prion 2008 International Conference in Madrid, where the latest scientific advances in prion research were discussed in meetings and reported on by leading experts in the field
• a research economist from ABARE, who visited key economic research organisations in Paris, Brussels and Geneva to discuss the potential impact of biofuels production on agricultural commodity markets and the environment, and participated in an OECD workshop for biofuels experts.

Our 2009 Australia Day Achievement Awards recognised 12 teams and two individuals for their outstanding contributions to the department’s work. The recipients’ achievements included:

• negotiating the ASEAN – Australia – New Zealand Free Trade Agreement
• responding to an outbreak of bovine babesiosis
• handling more than 125 000 overseas visitors for 2008 World Youth Day
• leading the design and delivery of the inaugural Caring for our Country Business Plan.

Two Quarantine and Export Advisory Council Awards were presented for:

• significant work on the occurrence of the parasite Cysticercus bovus and bovine tuberculosis, providing scientific research necessary to improve post mortem inspection activity in Australian abattoirs
• heightened surveillance of all new cars landing in Australia that kept the level of contamination of new vehicles from affected countries well within an appropriate level of protection without further intervention.

The AQIS regions have implemented rewards and recognition processes in recognition of staff achievements and performance in the delivery of departmental policy objectives, services or outcomes in line with departmental policy.

Retaining people

The proportion of ongoing staff leaving the department has been above the APS average since 2005–06. In 2008–09, however, the department experienced a reduction in separations of 3.21% from 2007–08 (see Table 29 and Figure 9).

As a proportion of all separations, employee-initiated separations decreased significantly in 2008–09, with numbers reducing from 431 in 2007–08 to 287 in 2008–09.

Transfer to other APS agencies declined slightly, with 143 in 2008–09 compared to 163 in 2007–09.

Organisation-initiated separation rates have fallen, from 25 in 2007–08 to five in 2008–09.

Table 29 - Separations, ongoing employees, 2004–05 to 2008–09

	2004–05	2005–06	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09
Number of ongoing employees	3955	4433	4674	4791	4840
Separation breakdown
Employee initiated	230	226	266	431	287
Organisation initiated	15	14	11	25	5
Transfer	69	96	187	163	143
Total separations	314	336	464	619	435
% separating (the department)	7.94%	7.58%	9.93%	12.92%	8.99%
% separating (APS average)	8.51%	7.06%	7.50%	8.09%	No data (a)

(a) The figure for the 2008–09 APS average is not yet available.

Building a diverse workforce

The department’s graduate, traineeship and Indigenous cadetship programs continued to increase workforce diversity through the recruitment of Indigenous people, people with disability and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

AQIS has been particularly active in strategies to increase Indigenous employment in the Australian public service. AQIS continues to work closely with Indigenous communities in the far north and Northern Territory regions to ensure that employment opportunities are communicated effectively in these areas.

Three Indigenous trainees—recruited through the Australian Public Service Commission Indigenous Entry Level Recruitment Program—in regional AQIS offices graduated in 2008–09 with a Certificate III in Government.

Three Indigenous cadets were recruited through the National Indigenous Cadetship Project. Indigenous cadets are university students who receive a study allowance during university semesters and undertake a 12-week work placement in the department in an area that relates to their degree.

The department established an Indigenous Employees Network and a Disability Employees Network, with online communities, as forums for staff with disability and Indigenous staff to discuss matters of interest, share information and provide mutual support. Details of our work under the Commonwealth Disability Strategy are in Appendix 3.

Other initiatives to build and support workplace diversity included:

• celebrating the International Day of People with Disability with a breakfast function in Canberra on 3 December 2008
• marking National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) Week with a ceremony that showcased the department’s Indigenous programs and initiatives
• marking the first anniversary of the 13 February 2008 National Apology with a departmental breakfast, and lunchtime presentations and screenings of the event.

Our support for community projects to increase awareness and understanding of Indigenous Australians included providing sponsorship to the NAIDOC Week School Initiative Competition.

Performance management

The department’s performance management scheme integrates organisational, divisional and individual planning, and gives staff a clear understanding of our business priorities. Annual work plans and learning agreements cover work objectives, learning goals, and departmental and APS values.

In 2008–09 we continued to assess the performance of SES employees through ‘upwards appraisal’ techniques, whereby staff who report to a manager prepare a group or individual report on the manager’s performance for the manager’s supervisor. The report is not shown to the subject.

As part of the performance management framework we conducted a pilot of ‘360‑degree feedback’ for SES employees. In this method, staff at all levels report on an employee’s performance using a standard set of questions, and the report is supplied to the subject. The aim is to help SES officers identify their strengths and developmental needs. It is also an opportunity for employees to comment on their SES supervisors’ managerial performance and ongoing development. The SES pilot was a success, and the program was extended to all Band 3 Level 8 and Level 9 and equivalent employees.

AQIS undertook a post-implementation review of its new capability-based performance management system to gather feedback and measure areas of improvement. The new system was rolled out to regional staff career bands 1 and 2 in July 2008 and has been used in the 2008–09 performance management cycle. Initial findings from this review have been encouraging, with most employees seeing the new framework as improving the quality of their plans.

Workplace relations

Collective agreement

The department’s current collective agreement operated up to 30 June 2009; we have developed a replacement agreement for 2009–11. The new collective agreement came into effect on 27 July 2009 following certification from the Workplace Authority, pursuant to section 346M of the Workplace Relations Act 1996, that the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Collective Agreement 2009–11 had passed the
no-disadvantage test. A key objective of the replacement agreement is closer alignment with the APS classification structure.

Early in 2008–09 we reviewed remuneration and options to ensure that we maintain a competitive salary and conditions package. The management and union negotiation teams agreed to the following outcomes as the basis for the 2009–11 collective agreement:

• a 4.1% pay rise each year of the two-year agreement
• the ability to use recreation leave at half pay
• a new leave type for volunteer work with charities or other not-for-profit bodies
• reimbursement of fees for mandatory registration or membership of professional bodies
• a total of 16 weeks paid leave for maternal purposes, comprising 12 weeks maternity leave, two weeks maternal leave (new) and access to two weeks paid personal leave
• recognition for executive level (EL) staff who work extended hours, through the introduction of an extra day’s leave per year for EL1 staff and an extra two days per year for EL2 staff.

The new agreement is comprehensive and provides the pay and conditions framework for all non‑SES staff, except employees under the AQIS Meat Program Agreement 2007–10.

The AQIS Meat Program Agreement was replaced in 2007 and will expire in 2010. It is now a comprehensive agreement and is no longer read in conjunction with the Australian Public Service Award 1998.

Australian Workplace Agreements

In accordance with the Australian Government’s workplace relations policy, Australian Workplace Agreements and Individual Transitional Employment Agreements are no longer offered to employees. Current agreements were finalised by 30 June 2009 and more contemporary arrangements implemented.

All SES employees now have remuneration arrangements reflected in individual determinations made under section 24(1) of the Public Service Act 1999.

Productivity gains

In 2008–09 the department continued to realise productivity gains from its 2006–09 collective agreement, including the extension of electronic timesheets to all office-based staff. This has substantially reduced administrative work in filling out manual timesheets for those staff and manual processing for payroll staff.

A range of productivity gains are expected to be achieved during the life of the new 2009–11 collective agreement, which will be reported in subsequent annual reports.

One key initiative in the agreement is a move from the DAFF-specific classification structure to the APS structure. This will result in opportunities for improved mobility to and from other APS agencies and for benchmarking against the APS classification structure, particularly for reporting purposes. It will also reduce the administrative burden and complexities for staff moving into or out of the department.

Health, safety and rehabilitation management

The department aims to maintain a safe and healthy work environment through continual consultation on occupational health and safety between management and employees, including through the Occupational Health and Safety Committee. The committee, which is chaired by the General Manager, Human Resources, assists in developing, implementing and monitoring occupational health and safety policies and procedures to improve our performance and ensure compliance with all legislative requirements. The committee met three times in 2008–09.

Further details, and other information required under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1991, are in Appendix 2.

Service charters, customer satisfaction and complaints

The department’s Client Service Charter identifies our responsibilities, our clients, the service standards they can expect, and how they can give feedback or make complaints. The charter is published on the department’s website. It has been adopted by all divisions and by Biosecurity Australia. Some areas within the department have also developed targeted service documents that complement the main charter.

The AQIS Service Charter provides measurable service targets for AQIS operations.

Several departmental guidelines published on the department’s intranet provide advice on working with clients from specific groups (such as women, young people and Indigenous Australians). They emphasise that each staff member has a responsibility to respond quickly to clients’ needs and that this is a critical part of service quality.

Our Client Service Charter is reviewed every three years. Each year, we ask staff about their awareness of the charter and their understanding of their rights and obligations under it.

AQIS, ABARE and the Bureau of Rural Sciences conduct regular surveys of their clients’ satisfaction with the services they provide.

Department

Along with the APS Values and Code of Conduct and our own complementary values, the Client Service Charter commits us to delivering a high level of service to our clients.

The 2007 review of the charter included consultation across the department and incorporated stakeholder feedback. Based on this review, we simplified the charter and included an explanatory document for staff.

Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service

Because of AQIS’s high level of client interaction and the technical nature of its work, it convenes industry consultative committees to liaise with industry clients about their satisfaction with AQIS’s services.
Since 1995, AQIS has used its annual client satisfaction survey to measure client satisfaction and seek feedback (see Figure 10). The survey measures client satisfaction benchmarked against the previous year’s performance. Its results are presented at AQIS industry consultative committees and are published on the department’s website.
Since 2004, client satisfaction surveys have alternated between the agency’s Export and Quarantine divisions. The survey about the Quarantine Division in 2008 found a client satisfaction rating of 7.1 out of 8, which is slightly lower than, but still consistent with, previous surveys.

Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics

ABARE encourages client feedback through its website, contact lists, telephone inquiry lines and annual client survey. Figure 11 shows trends in client satisfaction since 2004–05.

Bureau of Rural Sciences

The Bureau of Rural Sciences encourages direct client feedback through its website and telephone inquiry line.
It conducts a survey of clients as part of the annual performance measurement cycle. Figure 12 shows trends in client satisfaction since 2002–03.

Biosecurity Australia

Biosecurity Australia’s communication strategy addresses issues identified by stakeholders as requiring improvement. This includes providing regular updates about its work on its website and continuing to improve the site’s usefulness to stakeholders.
Detailed information on Biosecurity Australia’s risk analyses and other projects is provided through policy memorandums posted on the department’s website and sent by email or in hard copy to parties who have registered their interest. The import risk analysis process is outlined in the Import risk analysis handbook 2007 at www.daff.gov.au/ba/ira/process-handbook.

Complaints in 2008–09

The department’s Business Ethics, Security and Investigation Unit is the standard point of contact for complaints received through client service charter mechanisms or made directly to the unit’s director. The unit received no complaints from clients in 2008–09.

The unit does not deal with ‘quality of service’ complaints, which are handled by the divisions. In 2008–09 AQIS received a total of 469 complaints and 106 compliments.

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