Services are delivered in accordance with agreed measures

2019–20 Defence Corporate Plan

Activity 4.1a

Portfolio Budget Statements 2019–20

Programs 2.2, 2.3, 2.10, 2.11

Partially Achieved

A sustained focus on improving the service delivery experience of Defence personnel and greater collaboration in service design is continuing to evolve Defence’s service delivery framework. Integrated Service Delivery aims to reduce complexity for staff within the organisation through a more connected service delivery system, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the services that Defence delivers.

Defence has made progress towards aligning enabling capabilities to the Service Delivery Framework. Key milestones for 2019–20 were achieved, such as commencing an ICT Service Desk continuous improvement program, progressing process improvement, and establishing customer engagement forums. However, some milestones were not achieved, such as endorsement of a single service delivery brand and 30 per cent reduction in ICT procurement processing times. These milestones will be achieved next financial year.

Achievements include:

  co-locating enabling services in service hubs at bases throughout Australia. This initiative is delivering positive results and continues to expand, with 46 service hubs established by 30 June 2020

  launching an improved, simpler and more modern Defence Intranet home page

  enabling single sign-on functionality for Defence credit card acquittal

  reducing by 21 per cent the total number of forms needed to do business, and transitioning into use of digital workflows

  simplifying and aligning processes for new and departing employees.

The Defence Estate Strategy implementation plan is delivered as agreed

2019–20 Defence Corporate Plan

Activity 4.1b

Portfolio Budget Statements 2019–20

Program 2.10

Achieved

Implementation of the 2016–36 Defence Estate Strategy is in its fourth year, with Defence remaining on track to deliver the 2016–21 Defence Estate Strategy Implementation Plan.

Defence estate investment, divestment and acquisition programs are being delivered to align the estate to support current and future Defence capability requirements. Approved Facilities and Infrastructure Project expenditure by state/territory and federal electorate for 2019–20 can be found at Web Table D.9.

Development of the Defence Estate Asset Management Framework and the Estate Engineering, Governance and Integrity System has progressed to the implementation stage. When mature, they will enhance Defence’s delivery and management of the estate to achieve the objective of an estate that is safe, compliant, and fit for purpose to support Defence capability.

Defence continued to undertake environmental management to support capability, particularly in remediation and decontamination. The third year of the Regional Contamination Investigation Program 2017–2020 is in delivery. Unexploded Ordnance and Exploded Ordnance waste demilitarisation and clearance works continue on priority training areas to support estate development. To increase the efficiency of construction project delivery, Construction Environmental Management Plan reforms are progressing to streamline consideration of environmental matters for capability facilities projects.

The Local Industry Capability Plan initiative seeks to maximise the opportunities for local businesses to be involved in Defence’s capital facilities and infrastructure projects. Work has commenced on further initiatives to support this activity.

Defence is ensuring that infrastructure projects being delivered by Australia support our international partners and meet our bilaterally agreed outcomes. To support these initiatives, Defence has acquired additional land around the Shoalwater Bay Training Area. The expansion of this training area will enhance the training environment for Defence and international personnel.

Defence senior committees and accountable officers undertake informed decision-making to ensure strategy, capability and resources are aligned to highest priorities

2019–20 Defence Corporate Plan

Activity 4.1c

Portfolio Budget Statements 2019–20

Program 2.2

Achieved

The Enterprise Committee Governance Framework matured through 2019–20 with further work undertaken to improve and refine processes related to the effective functioning of the committees. Improvements included standardising templates, updating guidance and charters, and streamlining meeting outcomes.

There were 83 enterprise committee meetings in 2019–20. These committees were used by the strategic centre to set priorities, manage resources and steer the organisation. For example, the enterprise committee framework was used to progress, prioritise and finalise decisions on changes to Defence strategy and capability in developing the 2020 Defence Strategic Update and 2020 Force Structure Plan.

Financial advice meets the Minister, Secretary and Chief of the Defence Force’s requirements

2019–20 Defence Corporate Plan

Activity 4.1d

Portfolio Budget Statements 2019–20

Program 2.3

Achieved

Defence provided professional and timely strategic advice to the Minister for Defence, the Secretary and the Chief of the Defence Force. This include

  ministerial and Cabinet submission

  responses to parliamentary question on notice

  support to Senate Estimates and other public accountability activities

  internal reporting and briefings.

Defence provided financial information and advice based on an understanding of the underlying cost drivers of the business. All financial information was supported by reliable and validated data sources in Defence’s financial systems, meeting the requirements of the Minister, the Secretary and the Chief of the Defence Force.

Defence meets legislated financial requirements and timeframes

2019–20 Defence Corporate Plan

Activity 4.1e

Portfolio Budget Statements 2019–20

Program 2.3

Achieved

Defence met the agreed statutory time frames for producing its 2019–20 budget deliverables, including:

  the Defence Portfolio Budget Submission

  the Defence Portfolio Budget Statements

  the Defence Portfolio Additional Estimates Statements

  input to the Commonwealth Budget Management System.

Defence produced audited Defence Financial Statements for publication in this Annual Report. The Australian National Audit Office determined that the Defence Financial Statements:

  complied with the Australian Accounting Standards—Reduced Disclosure Requirements and the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability (Financial Reporting) Rule 2015

presented fairly the financial position of Defence as at 30 June 2020 and its financial performance and cash flow for the year.

Reform implementation plan milestones are met

2019–20 Defence Corporate Plan

Activity 4.2a

Portfolio Budget Statements 2019–20

Program 2.2

Achieved

The Defence 2022 program is strengthening Defence’s strategic centre to ensure that we re capable of delivering on our objectives and outcomes effectively and efficiently, with a continued focus on workforce reform, business transformation, integrated service delivery and support to Australian defence industry.

Defence progressed agreed reforms as planned in 2019–20. These enterprise-level reforms build on the foundational reforms of the First Principles Review, which created a more efficient and integrated One Defence organisation with strong leadership and accountability.

Legal services

Defence continued to deliver high-quality legal services across its complex and diverse operating environment through a more integrated legal service that includes a joint military law capability. Following the black summer of 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, Defence Legal

Division has progressed reforms to the Defence Act 1903 to enhance Defence’s response to natural disasters and emergencies. Defence Legal Division continues to identify legal reforms to better enable Defence’s response to current and emerging strategic challenges.

Enterprise resource management

Defence’s Enterprise Resource Planning Program achieved its target milestones in the reporting period. Release 1A design has been undertaken during 2019–20. Release 1A initiatives include establishing a new protected cloud environment, a new chart of account to support finance reform, a new set of master data management capabilities, and a finance structure and human resources organisation structure.

Security services

Defence progressed work to transform its security business processes to deliver greater assurance and timeliness of security vetting services for Defence, industry and the whole-of-government workforce. Defence also worked with industry in growing the Defence Industry Security Program to provide industry with more opportunities to work with Defence and easier access to Defence security services.

Information management

The Enterprise Information Management Centre of Expertise is working to deliver the essential governance, standards and change management needed to transform how Defence information is managed.

Strategic communications

The reform of Defence’s media and communications function saw the introduction of a shared service model operating under a strategic centre. The reform is now embedded across Defence and has generated a number of efficiencies that have strengthened support to ministers, shortened response times for media enquiries and improved the management of communication resources. Defence is focused on continual improvement of this function and has published a communication strategy that better aligns communication with organisational objectives, and provides a coherent narrative to reinforce Defence’s strategic priorities.

Cultural reform priorities are implemented as set out in the Pathway to Change: Evolving Defence Culture 2017–22 strategy

2019–20 Defence Corporate Plan

Activity 4.2b

Portfolio Budget Statements 2019–20

Program 2.2

Partially achieved

Defence’s focus has remained on reforming, refining and reinforcing culture through the six key cultural reform priorities of Pathway to Change: Evolving Defence Culture 2017–2022:

  Leadership accountability

  Capability through inclusion

  Ethics and workplace behaviours

  Health, wellness and safety

  Workplace agility and flexibility

  Leading and developing integrated teams.

In 2019–20, a review of Defence’s cultural reform initiatives confirmed that there has been progress against each of the six priorities, both within Groups and Services and at the enterprise level. Groups and Services are leveraging enterprise-level initiatives for their local environment, with the majority capturing their efforts in a cultural plan. The cultural programs

of the three Services are well established:

  Navy—Next Generation Navy

  Army—Good Soldiering

  Air Force—New Horizon.

Cultural reform progress is measured through a number of internal surveys, which capture organisational climate indicators and the workforce’s shared experience of the One Defence Leadership Behaviours. Defence’s organisational climate indicators are overall positive, with employees and personnel indicating moderate workplace morale, very high team productivity and high workplace engagement in 2019. Survey data from 2019 also indicates that the One Defence Leadership Behaviours are being positively demonstrated in the workplace.

Implementation of the six key cultural reform priorities for 2019–20 is assessed as partially complete, as expected in the third year of a five-year plan. The development of a measurement framework (underway) will further support our efforts to monitor achievement of the activity target over the remaining two years.

Milestones within the Defence Strategic Workforce Plan and Total Workforce Model are implemented and critical skillset levels achieved

2019–20 Defence Corporate Plan

Activity 4.3a

Portfolio Budget Statements 2019–20

Program 2.12

Partially achieved

The Defence Strategic Workforce Plan is reviewed annually for achievement against milestones and to ensure alignment with Defence planning guidance. This review also includes a refreshed environmental scan of influences on the Defence workforce. The 2020 assessment of progress against Defence Strategic Workforce Plan milestones indicated that Defence continued to maintain momentum in most areas of the workforce system, while also identifying actions to achieve the required reform, reshaping and rebalancing of the workforce.

The partially achieved result for this activity pertains to the continuing workforce pressures in critical categories such as cyber, intelligence, engineering, health and information and communication specialists, as Defence grows its demand in these occupations.

Defence will continue to build its capacity to identify future skills requirements, which is critical to acquiring and developing the workforce required to deliver and operate new capabilities and technologies. The Job Family renewal project was successfully implemented and a related body of work is now underway to enhance the assessment of critical occupations within Job Families. A program of work to better capture the skills and expertise Defence has across a large and diverse workforce is another area of focus.

We continue to pursue a capable, agile and resilient workforce that will deliver Defence outcomes in a dynamic strategic environment. Strategic workforce planning has been a significant body of work throughout the year to inform the force structure planning process. The future workforce requirements established through that process will inform a comprehensive update of the Defence Strategic Workforce Plan that commenced during the reporting period and is expected to be released in the latter part of 2021.

Defence is compliant with Work Health and Safety legislation, regulations and standards to ensure the wellbeing of its workforce and members of the broader Australian community

2019–20 Defence Corporate Plan

Activity 4.3b

Portfolio Budget Statements 2019–20

Program 2.12

Partially achieved

Defence remains committed to providing a compliant work health and safety environment to ensure the wellbeing of the Defence workforce and the broader Australian community.

The number of notifiable incidents per 1,000 Defence personnel reduced from 4.0 in 2018–19 to 3.8 in 2019–20.

Defence also saw a slight improvement in notifications to Comcare. In 2019–20, 64 per cent of initial notifications to Comcare were made within 24 hours of the incident occurring, up from 63 per cent in 2018–19. Written notification time frames also improved, with 57 per cent of notifiable incidents in 2019–20 being reported to Comcare within 48 hours, compared to 54 per cent in 2018–19. To further improve our notification time frames we are streamlining our processes, designing communication campaigns and improving supporting ICT platforms.

The partially achieved result for this activity reflects the ambition of our target, which is to continuously strive towards zero injuries or illnesses while also satisfying legislative requirements. Any injuries to our people are unacceptable. However, injuries are likely to occur due to the nature of Defence’s business. This means we need to make our safety culture the highest priority.

Defence has increased its involvement in innovative mental health initiatives, including the Comcare lead indicators program and the Australian Public Service (APS) Mental Health Capability Taskforce initiatives.

To support the health and safety of personnel, the New Starters Program has been extended to the broader Defence organisation, including ADF members and the families of APS employees.

Delivery meets appropriate standards, including welfare support, transition services and health services

2019–20 Defence Corporate Plan

Activity 4.3c

Portfolio Budget Statements 2019–20

Programs 2.12, 2.4

Achieved

Defence delivers a range of support services and measures of practical assistance to members and their families. These are across the themed areas of mobility and absence from home support, support during critical incidents, support to commanders managing their people, and transition support.

A number of mobility support related programs and services are available, including the Partner Employment Assistance Program; the Defence Childcare Program; the Dependants With Special Needs Program; resilience programs, including the SMART suite of programs for

Defence families; the Education Assistance Scheme; and regular engagement with families.

In 2019–20 Defence provided 310 ADF partners with employment-related support through the Partner Employment Assistance Program. This includes 26 partners who were able to access support due to expanded eligibility criteria in response to the COVID-19 health crisis.

Defence has 16 childcare centres and three out-of-school-hours care centres across Australia, each providing priority access to ADF families. As of 30 June 2020, 859 children from 679 ADF families were enrolled in Defence childcare centres.

The Defence School Mentor Program provides annual funding and governance support to schools to employ Defence School Mentors to help ADF children to integrate and be actively involved in their school community, improve resilience, strengthen relationships and improve or maintain overall wellbeing. In 2019–20, a total of 248 schools received support under the program.

The Family Support Funding Program provides grant funding and governance support to community organisations that deliver support programs and services to Defence families and the communities in which they live. In 2019–20, 48 not-for-profit community organisations received grant funds under the program.

A total of 950 applications for the Education Assistance Scheme were processed in 2019–20.

The Community Support Coordinator Program provides funding and governance support to Defence community groups to manage the operations of community centres. In 2019–20, 35 Defence community support coordinators were engaged through the program. Defence community centres provide opportunities for Defence members and their families to engage with their local communities, foster friendships, support wellbeing and provide access to information on managing the demands of military life.

Defence also offers assessment, crisis intervention and brief counselling services, and provides referrals to outside services. Services are available 24/7 through the Defence Family Helpline and are complemented by regionally based staff.

Defence also provides individualised, needs-based support to ADF members and their families as they transition from permanent service to civilian life under the Defence Force Transition Program. Defence supported the transition of 5,982 members and their families in 2019–20.

Administration meets agreed requirements

2019–20 Defence Corporate Plan

Activity 4.4a

Portfolio Budget Statements 2019–20

Program 2.14, 2.15, 2.17

Achieved

The determination of the nominal interest transactions for Defence Forces Retirement Benefits, Defence Force Retirement and Death Benefits and the Military Superannuation and Benefits Scheme were correctly made and recorded in compliance with the monthly financial reporting timetable set by Defence.

‘Other Administered’ transactions were correctly determined and recorded in compliance with the monthly financial reporting timetable set by Defence. ‘Other Administered’ comprises interest on overdue accounts, interest on operational bank accounts, interest on loans to build accommodation, dividends and tax equalisation receipts from Defence Housing Australia, and royalty receipts.

The scheme is consistently identified in surveys as a contributor to the retention of ADF personnel

2019–20 Defence Corporate Plan

Activity 4.4b

Portfolio Budget Statements 2019–20

Program 2.16

Achieved

Australian Defence Force members have consistently identified in surveys that the Defence Home Ownership Assistance Scheme is a key factor influencing them to remain serving. Interest in the scheme remained positive throughout 2019–20. The bushfires and COVID-19 had a negligible impact on numbers, which remained consistent with previous reporting Periods.

During 2019–20 the Department of Veterans’ Affairs processed 5,967 Defence Home Ownership Assistance Scheme applications, and 3,273 Defence Home Ownership Assistance Scheme subsidy payments commenced.