OUR EMPLOYEES

As at 30 June 2019, AFMA employed 171 employees (based on head count): 149 were ongoing and 22 were non-ongoing. These numbers do not include seven employees on long-term leave.

We had 114 employees located in our Canberra office, 22 employees located in our Darwin office, eight employees in Thursday Island and seven in Lakes Entrance. A further 20 casual field observers who undertake duties on commercial fishing vessels, located around Australia.

Our employment profile has not significantly changed from 2017-18. The proportion of part-time employees (excluding casual observers) has decreased slightly to 9.3 per cent in 2018-19 compared to 11.3 per cent in 2017-18.

The proportion of females has increased to 40.9 per cent from 39.4 per cent in the previous financial year. The percentage of women at EL1-EL2 levels for 2018-19 has increased to 37.0 per cent from 28.9 per cent in the previous year.

There has been a decrease in the number of employees from non-English speaking backgrounds with six employees in 2018-19, down from eight in 2017-18.

As a comparison with the 2017-18 financial year, the number of employees who have at least one parent from a non-English speaking background has decreased to 25 with the number of employees identifying as being Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander increasing slightly from seven to eight. In addition, employees who identified themselves as having a disability remained static at one in 2018-19.

Equal opportunity profile of AFMA employees as at 30 June 2019

NESB1: Persons from a non-English speaking background who were born overseas.

NESB2: Persons whose parent/s is/are from a non-English speaking background.

Total SES includes AFMA Chief Executive Officer

Non-ongoing employees employed by location, gender and employment status as at 30 June 2019

* These figures include 20 observers who are engaged as APS 2/3 casual employees and are reported in the Canberra ‘part time’ figures.

Ongoing employees employed by location, gender and employment status as at 30 June 2019

This table excludes seven employees who were on long-term leave as at 30 June 2019 and includes three ongoing APS employees on temporary transfer to AFMA. These figures relate to the nominal occupants of the position and not employees who may be acting at a higher classification as at 30 June 2019. This SES figure also includes AFMA’s Chief Executive Officer.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

AFMA’s Enterprise Agreement 2016

AFMA’s Enterprise Agreement 2016 contains employment terms and conditions for all our employees (excluding Senior Executive Service Officers). Salary increases for all non-SES employees with effect from 23 June 2019 are provided under a Section 24(1) determination.

AFMA’s Enterprise Agreement 2016 provides for the Chief Executive Officer and an employee covered by the agreement, to enter into an individual flexibility agreement. The terms of employment that may be varied under the Enterprise Agreement include (but are not limited to) hours of work, overtime rates, penalty rates, allowances, remuneration and leave.

AFMA entered into 51 individual flexibility agreements for 42 employees during 2018-19 as outlined in the table below and of these, nine employees entered into multiple agreements therefore the number of agreements is higher than the number of employees.

Individual flexibility agreements for 2018-19

Remuneration

With effect from 23 June 2019, AFMA’s salary ranges are contained in a Section 24(1) determination. The salary minimum and maximum amounts at each classification as at 30 June 2019 are shown in the table below.

Salary ranges for non-Senior Executive employees

AFMA does not provide performance bonuses.

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Ethical Standards

In working towards AFMA's goals and objectives, employees are expected to maintain the highest standards of business and personal ethics. These expectations are underpinned by:

• APS Code of Conduct
• APS Values
• AFMA's Code of Conduct and Ethics Policy

Australian Public Service Employee Census

Our employees are eligible and encouraged to participate in the annual Australian Public Service Employee Census. The census gathers feedback and allows us to address specific issues and shape future priorities. The Census is undertaken in May-June each year.

Results from the Census undertaken in May-June 2018 were positive, indicating that employees had a strong personal attachment to AFMA, enjoy working in their current role and are proud to work in the agency. The results also indicated that employees had the opportunity to apply what they learn in their day-to-day work and the appropriate skills, capabilities and knowledge to do their job and an increase in employees believing the agency was committed to creating a diverse workforce.

In the 2019 APS Employee Census, AFMA's response rate to this survey was 73.9 per cent, an increase from 69 percent for the previous year. This was below the average of the APS which saw an overall participation rate of 77 per cent.

Results to this census were far less positive, with levels of staff satisfaction lower compared to 2018 and to the APS more generally. AFMA has instituted a process to determine the root cause of some of the declines and seek continuous improvement. While it does seem that much of the decrease in morale and satisfaction has been driven by the large changes that AFMA has experienced (refer to Part 1 Outlook), there are opportunities for internal development and changed practice that should address many of the concerns raised.

AFMA Rewards and Recognition Program

We recognise that building a culture that values its employees and recognises performance is critical to retaining the best people. The annual AFMA achievement awards recognise individual and team achievements throughout the year. Nominations are sought from staff and the recipients agreed by the AFMA Executive Team. The awards are presented in December each year by the AFMA Chief Executive Officer.

The recipient of the 2018 Individual Achievement Award was Mick Roses, Chief Information Officer recognised for his strong leadership, vision, team spirit and personal drive to transform AFMA’s ICT capability.

Two groups were presented with the 2018 Team Achievement Award. The Lakes Entrance Office Project team (Scott Connors, Brendan Kearney, Stewart Cross, Mick Roses and Dave Newton), in recognition of their commitment and dedication in reaching AFMA’s goal to establishing a presence in the regional town of Lakes Entrance. The second team award was presented to the Thursday Island Domestic Compliance Team (of John Jones and Lyndon Peddell) in recognition of their commitment and dedication in the work undertaking for the transition of the Domestic Compliance Program from the Queensland Government to AFMA.

The Good Citizen award was presented to Don Bromhead for exemplifying corporate citizenship within AFMA and for being always willing to assist individual staff with scientific matters.

Ian Butler was the recipient of the Collaboration and Mentoring Award in recognition of his professionalism and willingness to invest time and provide support for AFMA's Graduate Program.

The Innovation Award was awarded to Sarah Schofield for her innovation in the way AFMA engages with industry and government stakeholders in producing a series of educational videos for the community and in reviewing the way the agency distributes information to ensure maximum engagement from broadcast and online publications.

The Unsung Hero award was awarded to Liana Douglas in recognition of her exceptional work in the introduction of EDRMS and the PaperLite Strategy.

At the ceremony, AFMA also provided ten-year service pins to 11 employees.

Development Awards

Each year, we offer employees the opportunity to nominate for an annual development award. The intention of the award is to recognise and reward performance on the part of the individual whilst providing an opportunity for personal development that benefits both the individual and AFMA.

During 2018-19, AFMA awarded the development awards which supported employees to:

• attend a suite of training in various aspects of technology One Cloud
• attend the Fish Biology Conference in Canberra
• attend the ANU National Security College Professional short course – Risk for National Security Practitioners or Antarctica
• attend Data Sharing in Governance Conference in Canberra.

Performance Management

The work that all our employees do is crucial to the achievement of our goals. AFMA’s performance management scheme is a collaborative, ongoing process between a manager and their employee/s that all employees are required to participate in.

The performance cycle ensures that:

• employees know what is expected of them
• individual and AFMA goals are aligned
• employees receive ongoing feedback and improvement advice
• employees identify, plan and deliver on areas for individual learning, capability and career development.

The aim of our performance management scheme is to ensure all staff have the right tools and processes to help meet key deliverables. The scheme is also an important tool to ensure that underperformance is identified early so it can be addressed quickly and effectively.

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

AFMA's 2018-19 corporate training plan clearly articulated our approach to learning and development. The plan identified a number of development priorities through capability plans submitted by employees, input from our Executive group and results from the 2018 APS Employee Census.

We provided a number of in-house courses during 2018-19 that covered a range of key areas including change, leadership, wellbeing, culture, procurement and contract management. Employees were also required to complete two mandatory online training courses through Learnhub (our on-line training tool). These were Respectful Workplaces and Difficult Conversations in the Workplace. Further to this, employees in consultation with their managers, also completed a third module identified to assist them in performing their current role.

In consultation with their managers in developing individual capability plans, employees were also able to enrol in relevant training and development opportunities that aligned with their specific role and responsibilities.

STUDY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Our study assistance program assists our staff to pursue studies that are directly relatec to our business, including 10 employees for studies in various areas including marine and Antarctic science, communications, environmental, economics and legal studies.

EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS

Graduate Development Program

We partner with the Department of Agriculture in the recruitment and delivery of the annual Graduate Development Program. The program includes a combination of on-the-job-training, mentoring, an industry visit and a formal training program. We engaged two graduates in 2018 and 2019 intakes. As part of the program, each graduate is required to complete three rotations with the first and third rotation completed in AFMA and the second rotation undertaken at the Department of Agriculture. We also hosted two graduates from the Department of Agriculture during the second rotation.

In October 2018, the graduates undertook an industry visit to Western Australia that focused on stakeholder perspectives on the drivers for underperforming fisheries. The industry visit provided graduates with valuable on the job learning experiences including an opportunity to meet with stakeholders.

Indigenous Australian Government Development Program

In focusing on building a more diverse workforce, we also participated in the Indigenous Australian Government Development Program. The Indigenous Australian Government Development Program is an entry-level employment and development program for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people who are interested in working in the Australian Public Service. It provides a structured introduction to the skills and knowledge necessary to commence a rewarding career in the Service. We engaged an employee under the Indigenous Australian Government Development Program in September 2017 who successfully completed the program in December 2018.

Australian National University Internships Program

The Australian National Internships Program gives undergraduate and postgraduate students an opportunity to work with Commonwealth agencies. During 2018-19, we hosted one student who contributed to reviewing the implementation of e-monitoring in the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery.

DIVERSITY

We are committed to fostering a diverse workplace free from discrimination and harassment, an environment that recognises and values the individual differences of employees, and fosters the contributions of people with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

Our commitment extends to attracting and recruiting people from diverse backgrounds and wherever possible, participation in whole of APS Programs.

Our employees are also able to participate in diversity networks and related events hosted by the Department of Agriculture.

There was also an opportunity for a number of our staff to attend a variety of workshops and conferences that focused on diversity. These workshops included:

• Women in Leadership Conference.
• Australian Human Resources Institute Inclusion and Diversity Conference.
• NAIDOC week celebrations including participate in the NAIDOC week football competition.
• Reconciliation day presentation hosted by Australian Research Council.

Observer Brendan Meteyard, Southern Ocean Photo courtesy AFMA Media Library