Portfolio Overview

Portfolio Responsibilities

This document provides information about the Employment and Workplace Relations portfolio which comprises the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR), and the following statutory agencies:

Australian Industrial Relations Commission and Australian Industrial Registry (AIRC/AIR)
Comcare, the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission (SRCC), and the Seafarers’ Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Authority (Seacare Authority)
Indigenous Business Australia (IBA)
Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA)
National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (NOHSC)

The Office of the Employment Advocate (OEA) although not a statutory agency, operates as a separate entity within the department.

Figures 2 and 3 (page 11) show a break up of resources (administered and departmental) across the agencies within the Employment and Workplace Relations portfolio.

Portfolio Mission and Goals

Department

The department’s aims are to maximise the ability of working age Australians to participate actively in the workforce; and improve the productive performance of enterprises in Australia .

To do this, the department provides the Government with high quality advice and services to achieve three outcomes:

efficient and effective labour market assistance;
higher productivity, higher pay workplaces; and
increased workforce participation.

These outcomes:

are integrally linked to the achievement of broader government economic performance, employment and social goals;
contribute substantially to other government policy measures directed towards sustaining a fundamentally sound economy that is better able to adjust to external shocks, and designed to increase ‘welfare-to-work’ incentives;
are based on the knowledge that there is a direct link between the quality of workplace relations and employment;
have an impact on communities, organisations, business and individuals in metropolitan, regional and remote areas;
incorporate equity considerations in policy development, and through the way the department’s programmes and services are implemented;
reflect the mutual benefits of providing businesses, employers, employees and job seekers with access to electronic services delivered through the Internet, telephone, and touch screen kiosks; and
recognise the requirements for further reform to create competitive workplaces.

The department is committed to building a high performing organisation, and places importance on:

Our Ministers as key customers
Serving our key clients on behalf of our Ministers
- Job seekers
- Indigenous communities
- Employers and employees
High standards of performance and accountability
Effective people management
Learning
Striving to make a difference

The department’s key behaviours stem directly from these values:

Responsiveness

Ethics and integrity

Service to Ministers and clients

Professionalism

Enthusiasm

Creativity

Teamwork

Portfolio Agencies

Australian Industrial Relations Commission and Australian Industrial Registry

Australian Industrial Relations Commission

The principal function of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) is to give effect to the legislative framework for co-operative workplace relations which promotes the economic prosperity and welfare of the people of Australia .

Australian Industrial Registry

The mission of the Australian Industrial Registry (AIR) is to facilitate the operations of the Australian industrial relations system. In carrying out its mission, the agency seeks to achieve the following goals:

provide effective administrative support to the AIRC to assist it to meet the objectives of the Workplace Relations Act 1996;
provide clients of the AIRC/AIR with efficient, effective and timely services that facilitate the objectives of the Workplace Relations Act 1996;
comply with a regulatory framework and requirements both in relation to the Workplace Relations Act 1996 and the public service environment; and
provide Parliament and the Australian public with a service that is accountable and performed impartially.

Comcare and the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission and Seafarers’ Safety Rehabilitation and Compensation Authority :

Comcare

Comcare works in partnership with its customers to reduce the human and financial costs of workplace injuries and disease. Comcare achieves this by:

improving the safety and rehabilitation of employees in the Commonwealth jurisdiction and the compensation services we provide;
engaging our stakeholders and customers in achieving that improvement; and
supporting our people to enable them to best contribute to improving its business.

The Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission

The Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission (SRCC) fosters continuous improvement in occupational health and safety and workers’ compensation in the Commonwealth jurisdiction by:

seeking to ensure the health, safety and welfare of Commonwealth employees in the workplace;
providing adequate and appropriate compensation benefits, with a strong emphasis on return to work, including through rehabilitation, for employees who are injured in the course of, or as a result of, employment in the Commonwealth jurisdiction; and
providing advice to the Minister on issues relating to improving occupational health and safety , rehabilitation and workers’ compensation.

Seafarers’ Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Authority

The Seafarers’ Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Authority (Seacare Authority) aims to minimise the human and financial costs of workplace injury in the Australian maritime industry. The Seacare Authority pursues this objective by:

working with the industry to secure the health, safety and welfare at work of maritime industry employees;
promoting a fair, efficient and effective scheme of rehabilitation, return to work and compensation for maritime industry employees; and
managing efficiently the Seafarers’ Safety Net Fund.

Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency

The Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency’s (EOWA) vision is to create an Australia where women in the workplace can achieve their greatest potential. The Agency’s mission is to inspire Australian employers to create workplaces where women’s contribution is valued and recognised. EOWA works to achieve this by:

providing unique leading edge knowledge and solutions;
building strategic alliances and partnerships; and
inspiring community debate to increase the rate of change.

The planned outcome is equality of opportunity in employment for women.

Indigenous Business Australia

Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) was established by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission Amendment Act 2001, which came into effect on 17 April 2001. IBA extends the role of the former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Commercial Development Corporation (CDC).
IBA was originally created to assist and enhance Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders’ economic advancement, primarily through facilitating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander equity involvement in sound commercial ventures. Under the enabling legislation, IBA is required to meet this role by accumulating and using a substantial capital asset. The Act specifically requires that IBA engages in commercial activities.

With the passage of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act 2005 in March 2005, IBA ’s responsibilities were expanded to include two new programmes. These programmes provide home loans and business loans together with business development assistance. This has necessitated the development of a new programme structure.

The Home Ownership Programme provides concessional loans to low income Indigenous Australians and their families in order that they might purchase or construct a home. The programme can also provide loans to assist in essential repairs or improvements.

The Business Development Programme provides concessional business loans and in certain circumstances business grants. The programme also meets costs associated with the assessment of loan applications, the provision of aftercare to borrowers and general mentoring support for Indigenous people in business. The programme also supports the cost of research to improve knowledge on regional economic circumstances which would impact on small business viability.

National Occupational Health and Safety Commission

NOHSC is a body corporate, established by the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission Act 1985. NOHSC’s objectives as set out in section 7 of the Act are:

the development among members of the community of an awareness of issues relevant to occupational health and safety (OHS) matters and the facilitation of public debate and discussion on such issues;
the provision, in the public interest, of a forum by which representatives of the Australian, State and Territory governments and of employers and employees may consult together in, and participate in the development and formulation of, policies and strategies relating to OHS matters; and
the provision of a national focus for activities relating to OHS matters.

On 7 February 2005 , the NOHSC Office functions and staff were transferred to the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR). DEWR has delivered services on behalf of NOHSC from 7 February to 30 June 2005 . From 2005-06, DEWR will be directly appropriated to deliver these services.

Appropriations and variations at the portfolio level

Employment and Workplace Relations portfolio appropriations for 2005-06 are estimated to be $25.9 billion. This represents a significant increase from prior years which is primarily attributable to a number of recent administrative arrangement order changes. Administered appropriations account for 94 per cent of portfolio appropriations. They primarily comprise income support payments for working age individuals and outcome payments made under the Job Network programme. The remaining 6 per cent of portfolio appropriations are departmental appropriations, which are provided to fund departmental and service delivery activities.

Since the 2004-05 Portfolio Budget Statements, the total estimated portfolio appropriations have increased by $23.9 billion. The majority of this increase relates to administrative arrangement order changes. These include the transfer of:

Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) from the Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs Portfolio to the Employment and Workplace Relations Portfolio;
the Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) programme from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Services (ATSIS) to DEWR;
responsibility for all working age income support payments from the Department of Family and Community Services (FaCS) to DEWR;
responsibility for management of all asbestos-related disease claims against the Commonwealth, with the exception of those made by former Australian Defence Force members and their dependants under the Military Compensation and Rehabilitation Scheme and the Veterans’ Entitlements Act, from the Department of Transport and Regional Services (DoTaRS) and the Department of Finance and Administration (DoFA) to DEWR;
departmental resources from DEWR to the Department of Human Services (DHS); and
the transfer of the Business Development and Assistance Programme (BDAP) from the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) to IBA.