Annual Report 2003-04

Responsiveness to the Ministers and the Parliamentary Secretary

Improving the timeliness and quality of support provided to Ministers and the Parliamentary Secretary remained an important focus for Defence. Defence continued to conduct dedicated staff information sessions and formal monthly Ministerial writing courses to educate staff and raise awareness about accountability to Government, the processes involved, and available departmental support.

Such sessions focused on building staff awareness and developing skills at the staff and management levels, the accountability of management, and the continued construction and support to a robust and responsive whole-of-Defence communication network that would support the Minister and Parliamentary Secretary. The Defence Committee continues to receive a monthly report on Defence's performance in meeting the requirements of the Ministers and Parliamentary Secretary in terms of timeliness and quality. During 2003-04, Defence provided its Ministers and Parliamentary Secretary with 4,711 submissions, an increase of 4 per cent on 2002-03. Defence also provided the Minister and Parliamentary Secretary with 54 briefs relating to visits to various Defence facilities across Australia, 113 meeting briefs and responded to 40 speech requests.

Defence received 11,547 items of correspondence during the year for the attention of the Ministers and the Parliamentary Secretary. Some 32 per cent of correspondence related to three issues: the sale of Defence-managed Commonwealth property at Point Nepean in Victoria; the sale of the former Artillery Barracks in Fremantle, Western Australia; and, to a lesser extent, the possible exposure of ADF personnel to depleted uranium in weapons. The remainder covered a wide range of issues including:

• the international war against terrorism;
• Defence's property disposal program;
• ADF honours and awards; and
• various issues regarding Australia's role within the coalition's nation rebuilding effort in Iraq (see the following section on the Defence Service Charter for more information on ministerial correspondence).

Defence received 267 parliamentary questions on notice, of which 107 were from the House of Representatives and 160 from the Senate. During 2003-04, 232 responses were published in Hansard - 97 for the House of Representatives and 135 for the Senate. In addition, 12 questions - two from the House of Representatives and ten from the Senate - were transferred to other portfolios.

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