Glossary

ACCOUNTABLE AUTHORITY

The Secretary of the department.

ADMINISTERED ITEMS

Appropriation that consists of funding managed on behalf of the Commonwealth. This funding is not at the discretion of the entity and any unspent appropriation is returned to the Consolidated Revenue Fund at the end of the financial year. An administered item is a component of an administered program.

APPROPRIATION

An amount of public money parliament authorises for spending for a particular purpose.

AUSTENDER

The Australian Government’s web-based procurement system, which provides centralised access to all publicly available approaches to market, multi-use lists, annual procurement plans and reported contracts.

CLAIMS FINALISED

Claims that are granted or rejected.

COMMONWEALTH PROCUREMENT RULES

Whole-of-government rules that establish the core procurement policy framework and articulate the government’s expectations for government agencies and their officials when performing duties related to procurement.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

The process by which an agency is directed and controlled. It is generally understood to encompass authority, accountability, stewardship, leadership, direction and control.

CORPORATE PLAN

An outline of the strategies the department will follow to achieve its objectives and how the department will measure success. The department reports on the performance measures contained in the corporate plan in annual reports, and updates the plan every year.

eLEARNING

Web-based training: anywhere, any-time instruction delivered over the internet or a corporate intranet to browser-equipped learners.

MOBILE APP

A software application designed to run on smartphones, tablet computers and other mobile devices. Usually, they are downloaded from a platform to a target device such as an iPhone, Android phone or Windows phone; an iPad or other tablet; and a laptop or desktop computer.

ONLINE SERVICES

Web-based services that provide users with a wide variety of data transmitted over telecommunications lines. The department offers a range of online services to recipients and other subscribers, such as doctors. The department’s online services include sending electronic messages and online letters, accepting payment and benefit claims, handling Low Income Card renewals and offering health professionals secure access to Medicare electronic services.

OUTCOMES

The intended result, consequence or effect of government actions on the Australian community.

POLICY DEPARTMENTS

Australian Government departments that are responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs for the Australian community. The department delivers payments and services on behalf of a number of Australian Government policy departments and agencies.

PORTFOLIO ADDITIONAL ESTIMATES STATEMENTS

Statements that inform senators, members of parliament, government departments and agencies, and the public, of changes to the proposed allocation of resources to government outcomes since the Budget.

PORTFOLIO BUDGET STATEMENTS

Budget-related statements which explain how the government intends to spend the money included in the Appropriation Bills (Budget Bills).

PROGRAM

An activity that delivers benefits, services or transfer payments to individuals, industry and/or the community as a whole, with the aim of achieving the intended result specified in an outcome statement.

SERVICE TRANSFORMATION

To achieve the goal of ‘excellence in the provision of government services’ the department is always looking for new ways to transform service delivery. The department’s approach is collaborative and wide-ranging and includes fundamental reviews of business processes and the way the department manages work, as well as implementing new approaches and technologies in interactions with recipients.

SMART CENTRES

Virtual centres located within the department which carry out telephony and processing work. In practical terms smart centres mean recipients have better experiences, more personalised phone calls from staff, and access to department‑wide assistance tailored to their individual circumstances.

TELEPHONY

The construction or operation of telephones and telephonic systems. The term is also used to refer to computer hardware, software, and computer network systems that carry out functions traditionally performed by telephone equipment.

TWO-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION

A method of confirming identity to provide increased security for customers’ myGov accounts. For a customer to authenticate their identity they must provide something they know (username and password) and something they have (a mobile number to which one-time access passwords can be texted).