Annual Report 2003-04

Public Affairs Branch

Overview

The role of Defence public affairs is to explain the Government's defence policy and promote and defend Defence's reputation. The organisation supports all areas in Defence and provides public affairs services for military operations and support activities.

The increasing emphasis placed on issues management and public affairs support to military operations continued throughout 2003-04, with support given to operations in Iraq, the Solomon Islands and East Timor in a period of high operational tempo. Public affairs services were provided concurrently to the individual Services and Groups. Non-operational support included public affairs advice, media liaison, image and vision management and the publication of the Navy, Army and Air Force newspapers and the Defence Information Bulletin.

From July 2003 to February 2004, the Public Affairs and Corporate Communication Division was a separate division, led by the Head Public Affairs and Corporate Communication. In February 2004, the division was amalgamated with the ministerial support, Defence governance and renewal elements of the Defence Improvement Division to form the Ministerial Services and Public Affairs Division within Strategy Group. The division was a central advisory, communication and coordination area designed to improve the level of support to the Ministers, the Parliamentary Secretary and the senior Defence executives⁶.

Results for 2003-04

During 2003-04, Public Affairs:

• fully integrated public affairs into the military command chain and operational planning and established the deployable military public affairs capability, which gave Defence effective tactical public affairs support during a period of high operational tempo. Since being raised in 2002, the 1st Joint Public Affairs Unit has conducted over 75 significant deployments;
• provided a comprehensive media liaison function, fielding 5,392 media inquiries and issuing 1,401 media releases and alerts. The online media room was commissioned early in 2004 with a wide range of material, including up to date imagery, media releases and fact sheets available for immediate downloading by the media and researchers;
• responded to 3,353 public inquiries;
• completed the Defence 2020 Education Resource Program. The program was developed in association with teachers and utilised Defence case studies to give students a better understanding of the broader functions of Defence and defence-related issues. Copies were distributed to 3,100 secondary schools during June-July 2003. The program was awarded 'Best Secondary Educational Resource' by the Australian Teachers of Media at its 2004 annual conference;
• received 74 requests to make Defence establishments, resources and equipment available for the production of television programs, including documentaries, motion pictures and books. Of these, 19 requests were completed, a further 26 requests were in progress, 15 were declined and 14 failed to eventuate;
• provided display materials to 35 public information displays, career expos and media launches;
• supported more than 650 events including official farewell and welcome home events for ADF contingents deployed overseas and publication launches on military operations;
• coordinated the 'messages to the troops' facility which received 7,608 messages from the public for deployed ADF personnel;
• received 25 million unique visits over the year on the redesigned Defence internet defence.gov.au domain, which is an increase of more than 31 per cent from 2002-03;
• distributed some 162 hours of vision of Defence activities in response to television and production house requests. Defence produced 62 video news releases to support of public affairs activities; and
• produced 69 issues of Navy, Army and Air Force newspapers, with a total print run per edition of 62,000 copies. This service kept sailors, soldiers, airmen and women abreast of changes to policy and conditions of service. An ongoing program of staff development and adoption of new technologies is improving the content, layout and design of the newspapers.

6. See the Organisational Changes section of Chapter One for further changes to the organisation from 26 July 2004.

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