Outcomes and program performance

Government outcomes are the intended results, impacts or consequences of actions by the Government on the Australian community. Agencies deliver programs which are the Government actions taken to deliver the stated outcomes. Agencies are required to identify the programs which contribute to Government outcomes over the Budget and forward years.

Each outcome is described below together with its related programs, specifying the performance indicators and targets used to assess and monitor the performance of the GRDC in achieving government outcomes.

Outcome 1 Strategy

The GRDC’s primary objective is to support effective competition by Australian grain growers in global grain markets, through enhanced profitability and sustainability. Over the period from 2007–08 to 2011–12, this objective will be achieved by four overarching corporate strategies and a set of strategies for each sub-program, as set out in Prosperity through Innovation.

To ensure that its strategies remain relevant, the GRDC continually monitors and reviews changes in its business environment. Factors that are expected to influence the business environment in 2009–10 include:

• the continuing need for greater understanding of both the impact of agriculture on greenhouse gas emissions and climate change and the impact of climate change on agriculture
• competition for grains, between domestic traders, the livestock industry and the emerging biofuels industry, affecting domestic grain prices
• the importance of demonstrating the impact of R&D on productivity and sustainability
• continuing change in the characteristics of the Australian and global grain markets, including changes to grain-marketing arrangements, global recession, global food crisis and high levels of volatility in grain prices and input costs
• continuing progress on developing a National Grains Research, Development and Extension (RD&E) strategy.

Informed by its five-year strategies and by business conditions, the GRDC each year tailors its investment portfolio to best address:

• Australian grain grower priorities, as identified through consultation meetings held with the Grains Council of Australia, local research advisory committees, grower groups, grower organisations and individual grain growers
• Australian Government priorities, as identified by the National Research Priorities and Rural R&D Priorities
• national and international developments in agricultural technologies.

At the operational level, the GRDC’s organisational structure is divided into three lines of business: Practices, Varieties and New Products (described as ‘sub-programs’ for performance reporting purposes). These closely reflect the pathways to market that demonstrate the most potential to deliver profits to Australian grain growers and reward sustainable farming practices. The lines of business are supported by three enabling functions: Corporate Services, Corporate Strategy & Impact Assessment, and Legal & Procurement. A fourth sub-program, Communication & Capacity Building, delivers the outputs of the communication and capacity-building programs that are managed within the three lines of business.

Outcome 1 Budgeted Expenses and Resources

Table 2.1 provides an overview of the total expenses for outcome 1 by program.

Table 2.1: Budgeted Expenses and Resources for Outcome 1

Contributions to Outcome 1

Program 1.1 Key Performance Indicators

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