Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Table of Contents 

Information systems and recordkeeping..................................................................... 3 

Consultancies ............................................................................................................. 4 

Overseas travel .......................................................................................................... 5 

Waste Management and Recycling .......................................................................... 10 

Carbon Emissions .................................................................................................... 11 

Carers (Recognition) Act 2008 ................................................................................. 14 

Initiatives for Women ................................................................................................ 14 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Matters (The Queensland Government 

Reconciliation Action Plan 2009-2012)..................................................................... 15 

Queensland Multicultural Policy – Queensland Multicultural Action Plan: 2011-14 .. 17

Information systems and recordkeeping 

Information systems 

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) continues to operate, maintain 

and develop a range of information systems to support services, initiatives and corporate 

operations. Highlights include: 

The Fisheries Management System to support sustainable and profitable fisheries 

resources 

BioSIRT—a biosecurity incident, surveillance and management system to provide an 

effective and coordinated approach in responding to emergency incidents 

ArcGIS—a geospatial information system managing geographic and spatial information in 

a database for providing and integrating spatial information to information systems 

The Laboratory Information Management System—for managing sample testing results 

eResearch Archive—a scientific digital data repository to facilitate the publication of 

scientific knowledge 

Various content management systems—for internet and intranet content publishing 

Various grant and rebate administration and management systems 

eDOCS—an electronic document and records management system 

Other major achievements in corporate and information systems during 2011–12 include: 

Supporting the department in its actions to deal with biosecurity, flood and cyclone 

related emergencies 

Delivery of a new content management system for internet web publishing 

Completion of implementation of Sharepoint 2010—to provide collaboration services and 

productivity improvements 

Continuing to support the implementation of Council of Australian Governments reforms. 

Recordkeeping 

DAFF is operating a record-keeping strategy to ensure that the department is compliant with 

the Public Records Act 2002, Public Service Act 1996, and Information Standard 40— 

Recordkeeping. 

Records Management Services (RMS) delivers document and records management services 

to the department. 

2011–12 saw the business embedding of the electronic document and records management 

system—eDOCS with a continued program of training and implementation. All the legacy 

records (pre-2008) from the former Primary Industries and Fisheries correspondence system 

were migrated into eDOCS. 

Comprehensive transfer protocols were established for non-current records and a number of 

retrospective file capture projects were undertaken. Brands registration records dating back 

to 1872 were identified catalogued and transferred to the Queensland State Archives for 

permanent retention. 

A toolkit was developed to facilitate changes arising from machinery-of-government changes 

including administrative history templates, data mapping tools, processes for identifying 

records against functions and records migration protocols. 

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry 

Additional Published Information to the 2011-12 Annual Report 

3

Consultancies 

Table 1: Consultancies 

Consultancy 

1 May 2011 – 

30 June 2012 

Consultants—Management - 

Consultants—Human resources management $37 500 

Consultants—Communications - 

Consultants—Finance/accounting - 

Consultants—Professional/technical $213 691 

TOTAL $251 191 

DAFF consultancy expenditure outlined in Table 1 is reported for the period 1 May to 30 

June 2012 and includes the former Department of Employment, Economic Development and 

Innovation (DEEDI) corporate related expenditure of $104 995. 

The former DEEDI consultancy expenditure for the period 1 July 2011 to 30 April 2012 is 

reported in the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning Annual 

Report. 



4

Overseas travel 

DAFF overseas travel reported in Table 2 is for the two month period May–June 2012. 

Overseas travel for the period July–April will be reported in the Department of State 

Development, Planning and Infrastructure annual report. 

Table 2: Overseas travel 

Name and 

position 

Destination 

Reason for travel 

Agency 

cost 

Contribution 

from other 

sources 

External funding 

source 

Henri Bailleres, 

Team Leader 

Henri Bailleres, 

Team Leader 

Yashvir 

Chauhan, 

Senior Research 

Scientist 

Neil Cliffe, 

Manager 

Helping Primary 

Producers Adapt 

to Climate 

Change 

France and 

Portugal 

Laos 

Africa 

United 

States of 

America 

Underwent experiments 

performed within a World 

leading institute in 

industrial and mechanical 

engineering. Developed 

recommendations for 

improvements and 

changes in the current 

peeling/slicing methods 

used by partner 

companies. Attended the 

International Union of 

Forest Research 

Organisations (IUFRO) 

conference and present a 

paper and be a session 

chair. 

Participated in the 

inception meeting for a 

new ACIAR project and 

lead the team undertaking 

activities regarding 

primary wood processing 

efficiency of the project 

'Enhancement of key 

elements of the value 

chains for plantationgrown 

wood in Laos 

PDR'. 

Attended mid-term 

workshops in Kenya and 

Tanzania for the DAFF 

project on assessing 

Climatic Risk of Aflatoxin 

contamination in Eastern 

Africa project and the 

Capacity and Action for 

Aflatoxin reduction in 

Eastern Africa project. 

Actively participated in 

successful engagement 

and evaluation processes 

used in the Climate Risk 

Management and 

Adaptation Project. 

Nil $6 468.00 Australian Centre for 

International 

Agricultural 

Research (ACIAR) 


International 

Agricultural 


Nil $6 000.00 CSIRO/AusAid 

Nil $7 652.03 University of 

Southern 

Queensland 



5


position 

Destination 


Agency 

cost 

Contribution 

from other 

sources 


source 

John Dimes, 

Principal 

Scientist 

Kent Fanning, 

Research 

Scientist 

Peter Graham, 

Fisheries 

Technician 

Sharon Hamill, 

Senior Principal 

Scientist 

Stephen Harper, 

Principal 

Research 

Scientist 

Robert Henriod, 

Senior 

Horticulturist 

Ethiopia and 

Rwanda 

United 


America 

Papua New 

Guinea 

Indonesia 

Indonesia 

Indonesia 

Conducted participatory 

modelling workshop with 

Sustainable Intensification 

of Maize-Legume 

cropping systems for food 

security in Eastern and 

Southern Africa 

(SIMLESA) project 

scientists and farmers, a 

response to project 

partner request. 

Attended and presented a 

paper at the International 

Plum Conference and 

make field trips to 

commercial plum 

orchards. 

Helped with research and 

development of 

sustainable tropical 

aquaculture to increase 

productivity, by improving 

skills development and 

knowledge in both 

countries. 

Developed improved 

disease and agronomy 

strategies in allium and 

capsicum/chilli crops as 

part of a joint ACIAR 

project. Attended a 

project inception meeting. 








Met with counterpart 

horticultural and 

entomological experts 

and ACIAR delegates to 

plan, review and provide 

training in association 

with the ACIAR program 

for improving mango and 

mangosteen fruit quality 

to meet market access 

requirements. 

Nil $6 572.68 Sustainable 

Intensification of 

Maize-Legume 

cropping systems for 

food security in 

Eastern and 

Southern Africa 

(SIMLESA) project- 

Australian Centre for 

International 

Agricultural 


Nil $3 240.01 Horticulture Australia 


International 

Agricultural 



International 

Agricultural 



International 

Agricultural 



International 

Agricultural 




6


position 

Destination 


Agency 

cost 

Contribution 

from other 

sources 


source 

Victoria Jones, 

Research 

Scientist 

Irene Kernot, 

Science Leader 

Irene Kernot, 

Science Leader 

Rowan 

Lambourne, 

Manager 

Operations 

(Animal 

Biosecurity and 

Welfare) 

Desmond 

McGrath, 

Principal 

Horticulturist 

Hong Kong, 

Singapore 

and Malaysia 

Philippines 

Samoa 

United 


America 

Indonesia 

Built the export capacity 

of Avocado Export 

Company and chain 

partners by tailoring 

product information 

resources, delivery of 

training and setting up of 

monitoring systems. 

Undertook in-market trade 

development activities 

and supply chain 

facilitation activities in 

target markets of Hong 

Kong, Malaysia & 

Singapore to increase the 

value & volume of export 

sales. 

Reviewed the Philippines- 

Australia horticulture 

research programme and 

recommended an 

extension for five years to 

build on excellent 

outcomes in the first 

phase. Commenced 

planning the new 

programme to meet both 

Philippine and Australian 

research priorities. 

Assessed the adoption of 

the ACIAR project 

Horticulture Industry 

Development for market 

remote communities: 

Cape York and Samoa 

completed in 2008. The 

adoption study will assess 

the impact of capacity 

building of extension staff 

and the availability and 

use of information 

materials by farmers. 

Attended the 4th 

International Animal By- 

Products Symposium to 

provide input into 

Matthews Report (FMD 

Preparedness) 

recommendations. 






$5 259.27 Nil N/A 


International 

Agricultural 



International 

Agriculture Research 

(ACIAR) 

Nil $4 347.69 Federal Department 

of Agriculture, 

Fisheries and 

Forestry (DAFF) 


International 

Agricultural 




7


position 

Nandita 

Pathania, Plant 

Pathologist 

Anthony 

Pattison, 

Principal 

Nematologist 

Nikolas 

Sachlikidis, 

Senior Fisheries 

Biologist 

Linda Smith, 

Senior Plant 

Pathologist 

Lynton Vawdrey, 

Principal Plant 

Pathologist 

Brett Wedding, 

Principal 

Scientist 

Michael 

Widderick, 

Senior Research 

Scientist 

Destination 

Philippines 

Indonesia 

Indonesia 

Italy 

Philippines 

Japan 

China 




Undertook an ACIAR 

funded research trip to 

the Philippines to 

evaluate ongoing 

research trials and 

discuss project outcomes 

for preparation of a final 

project report. 

Validated and confirmed 

findings within the ACIAR 

project (Hort/2008/040) 

about management 

impacts and soil 

suppression in relation to 

Fusarium wilt. Ensured 

sustained economic 

banana production. 

Conduct field evaluations 

backed by laboratory 

analysis is essential to 

this process. 

Conducted a series of 

lobster experiments on 

tropical spiny rock 

lobsters. 

Participated in the 

Fusarium Laboratory 

Workshop to broaden 

Fusarium identification 

expertise. 

Reviewed an ACIAR 

funded Southern 

Philippines fruit program. 

Actively participated in a 

Trade mission for mango 

and avocado processors 

to meet Japanese buyers 

and to assess valueadding 

opportunities. 

Attended and presented 

at the 6th International 

Weed Science Congress. 

Developed links with 

international counterparts, 

sharing information on 

pertinent weed issues 

affecting Queensland and 

other international 

cropping regions, 

Agency 

cost 

Contribution 

from other 

sources 


source 


International 

Agricultural 



International 

Agricultural 



International 

Agricultural 


Nil $5 825.48 Cotton Research 

and Development 

Corporation (CRDC) 


International 

Agricutural Research 

(ACIAR) 

$2,858.63 Nil N/A 

Nil $2 835.11 Grains Research 

and Development 

Corporation (GRDC) 

and Weed Society of 

Queensland 



8


position 

Destination 


Agency 

cost 

Contribution 

from other 

sources 


source 

including herbicide 

resistance and new and 

existing difficult to control 

weeds. 

Sara Willis, 

Senior 

Extension 

Officer 

United 


America, 

Chile and 

Brazil 

Gained knowledge of 

international pork 

production systems 

including animal welfare 

and environmental 

management practices as 

well as processing and 

marketing initiatives via a 

Symposium and study 

tour. 

Nil $7 000.00 Australian Pork 

Limited and Alltech 

Australia 

Bruce Winter, 

Senior Plant 

Breeder 

China 

Attended the 9th 

International Oat 

Conference in Beijing, 

China. Present poster 

paper detailing current 

departmental research on 

genetic resistance to leaf 

rust in oats. Gathered 

information on the latest 

research methods, reestablish 

existing 

networks and build new 

networks with 

international researchers. 

Nil $4 048.62 Meat and Livestock 

Australia, Heritage 

Seeds 



9

Waste Management and Recycling 

Based on figures collected from reportable sites, DAFF’s 2011-12 waste generation was 

approximately 50% more than 2010–11. At most sites, waste generated remained consistent 

with that of 2010–11. However total waste generated was impacted by the closure of 

approved disposal sites and the preparation of these sites for sale. Generally, this process 

will result in higher than normal waste generation due to clean up and ‘make good’ efforts at 

the vacated sites. 

Due to the diverse nature of the department, waste generated ranged from clinical waste 

including sharps, general laboratory waste and blood products; trackable waste including 

manure, canine faeces and chemicals; regulated waste including animal effluent, fertilisers 

and waste chemicals to general office/household/workplace waste including paper, 

cardboard, printer/toner cartridges and green waste. 

Of the waste generated, DAFF reused or recycled approximately 11%. 



10

Carbon Emissions 

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) is committed to playing its part 

to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the delivery of government services to the 

community. 

The Queensland Government has previously established minimum greenhouse gas 

emissions reporting requirements for departments covering their main greenhouse gas 

emitting business activities; namely those linked to: 

vehicle use 

electricity consumption 

air travel 

These activities are sources of both direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions, which are 

reported as carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. 

It is noted that due to data collection limitations in previous years, the reporting period had 

been the 12 month period from 1 April of the preceding year to 31 March of the year in which 

the annual report was prepared. Some of the past data collection limitations have now been 

addressed. To enable a transition for the reporting period to a standard financial year, as a 

once-off exercise this annual report (i.e. for the 2011–12 financial year) will additionally 

outline the emissions data for the preceding three month period of 1 April 2011 to 30 June 

2011. For clarity the data for the two periods is presented in each section of Table 3 as two 

adjacent figures; namely data for the 12-month period 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012, followed 

by data for the three-month period 1 April 2011 to 30 June 2011 (shown in brackets). 

Reporting of greenhouse gas emissions by departments is limited due to the complexity of 

the operational boundaries within the public sector, especially in situations where internal 

government shared service providers are used. While the best available data has been used, 

in some instances estimates have had to be reported due to the shortcomings of data 

collection processes or systems. For example, in those government-owned office buildings 

where there are multiple government agency tenants and the electricity usage cannot be 

solely attributed to any one particular agency, the electricity usage by the tenant agencies 

may be distributed proportionally based on the floor area they occupy. 

Importantly, any comparison of emission levels with those of previous periods must first 

ensure that all the relevant parameters are identical and emissions information have not 

been affected by changes such as: 

changes in the configuration and make-up of the department's building portfolio 

 

 

changes to building functionality and/or occupancy levels 

changes to the emissions conversion factors used ((which may vary from year to year as 

published in Schedule 1 of the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting 

(Measurement) Determination)). 

Table 3 outlines the emissions relating to DAFF for: 

a) the 12-month period 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012 

b) the preceding three-month period 1 April 2011 to 30 June 2011 (shown in brackets). 

Carbon emissions associated with the operations of the DAFF during the 2011–12 year have 

been calculated by determining DAFF’s share of the former Department of Employment, 

Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI) emissions. More detail of the methodology 

adopted for specific emission sources is set out in the explanatory notes below. 



11

1, 2, 3 

Table 3: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (in tonnes of CO2-e) 

Activity 

Fuel consumption 

GROSS 

emissions 

LESS offsets NET emissions Notes 

QFleet leased & department 

owned vehicles 3 148.11 (876) 830.39 (442.67) 

2 317.72 

(433.44) 4 

Hired vehicles 110.04 (41.85) 67.02 (41.85) 43.03 (0.00) 5 

Electricity consumption 

Government-owned buildings 

20 336.85 (4 

342.28) 6 

Leased privately-owned 

buildings 236.81 (74.14) 7 

Air travel 

Domestic air travel on 

commercial airlines 926.58 (294.15) 604.29 (294.15) 322.28 (0.00) 8 

International air travel on 

commercial airlines 309.50 (95.04) 161.15 (95.04) 148.36 (0.00) 8 

Notes: 

1. Figures not in brackets are the emissions calculated for the period 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012. 

2. Figures in brackets are the emissions calculated for the 3-month period 1 April to 30 June in 2011, 

which falls outside the 12-month reporting period of 2011-12. 

3. Department of Housing and Public Works (DHPW) have advised that no carbon offsets are 

purchased for electricity on-charged by their department. 

4. These emissions are those attributable to fuel consumption in government vehicles and plant, 

including vehicles leased from QFleet. The Queensland Government Chief Procurement Office 

(QGCPO) manages the procurement of fuel by means of fuel cards as well as bulk fuel accounts 

with major suppliers. QGCPO has provided DAFF with data on these purchases. In addition DAFF 

purchased bulk fuel directly from suppliers in some remote areas. Consumption has been 

extrapolated from financial data in some instances. All emissions reported represent emissions 

associated with four primary fuel types: unleaded petrol, diesel, liquefied petroleum gas and E-10. 

Emission offsets were Greenhouse Friendly certified carbon offsets. These offsets were made 

for government vehicles that did not comply with the minimum Greenhouse Vehicle Guide ratings 

and to contribute to the whole-of-government commitment to offset 50% of vehicle emissions from 

2010. 

5. The hire car vehicle emissions figures are attributable to Avis Australia vehicles booked under the 

Standing Offer Arrangement for vehicle hire managed by the Queensland Government Chief 

Procurement Office. The emissions have been calculated by Avis Australia. The emission offsets 

figure relates to purchased national Greenhouse Friendly certified carbon offsets. Hire vehicle 

related emissions of the former DEEDI were allocated to DAFF and other new departments 

created from the former DEEDI proportionate to the redistribution of full time equivalent (FTE) 

staff. Emission offsets have been attributed to new departments in the same proportion as 

emissions. As of December 2011 the whole-of-government commitment to offset emissions 

associated with vehicle emissions ceased. 

6. Government owned buildings include those owned by DAFF as well as those owned by DHPW 

and leased to DAFF. DAFF has direct contracts with electricity suppliers in many buildings and 

relatively complete consumption records are available from these electricity suppliers. Buildings 



12

owned by DHPW are usually multi-tenanted and electricity costs are generally incorporated into 

rental costs since sub-metering for individual tenants is rare. For these buildings DAFF relies on 

DHPW for electricity consumption data. For sub-metered tenancies, exact data is generally 

available. In government office buildings without sub-metering, the electricity consumption and 

associated emissions have been apportioned 45% to the landlord (DHPW), and 55% to the 

tenants – in line with historical benchmarking. Incomplete electricity consumption records have 

been apportioned and/or extrapolated where necessary. Emissions have been calculated by 

converting relevant electricity consumption using the Scope 2 conversion factor of 0.88 kg CO2- 

e/kWh as published in Schedule 1 of the NGER Measurement Determination 2008 (amended July 

2011). Emissions for DAFF have been extrapolated from former agency emissions using a 2-stage 

process. Firstly, emissions related to former DEEDI owned sites with an annual electricity 

consumption of greater than 100 MWh were attributed directly to the new owning entity. 

Secondly, the remainder of the DAFFs emissions have been extrapolated based upon a 

redistribution of the emissions of the former DEEDI in line with the redistribution of FTE staff. 

7. Emissions related to electricity consumption in leased privately-owned buildings are based on 

available building-related electricity consumption records. The emissions reported are limited to 

those linked to the electricity consumed by this department in space leased within buildings other 

than government-owned (i.e. in privately-owned buildings). Electricity usage has been calculated 

or estimated using actual electricity records or lease charges received from landlords. Incomplete 

electricity consumption records have been apportioned and/or extrapolated where necessary. 

Leased building related emissions for DAFF have been extrapolated by taking the former DEEDI 

emissions and allocating them to DAFF in line with the redistribution of FTE staff. 

8. Air travel includes all flights recorded by the Queensland Government Chief Procurement Office 

(QGCPO), specifically: 

- international air travel on commercial airlines 

- domestic air travel on commercial airlines. 

These emissions are calculated by QGCPO using passenger-kilometres flown from data provided 

by the relevant commercial airline and applying a methodology based on International Civil 

Aviation Organisation criteria. This methodology uses an averaged consumption of fuel per 

passenger for flights, which can then be converted into tonnes of CO2-e. Air travel related 

emissions for DAFF have been extrapolated by taking the former DEEDI emissions and allocating 

them to DAFF in line with the redistribution of FTE staff. The emission offsets figure for air travel 

relates to purchased national Greenhouse Friendly certified carbon offsets. Emission offsets 

have been attributed to new departments in the same proportion as emissions. As of December 

2011 the whole-of-government commitment to offset emissions associated with air travel ceased. 

Energy Efficiency and Corporate Sustainability Projects 

During the 2011-12 year the former DEEDI undertook a range of energy efficiency related 

initiatives. DAFF has benefited from the following former DEEDI energy efficiency initiatives: 

Charleville office—lighting retrofit resulting in energy savings estimated at 46,373 kWh 

per annum. 

Longreach office—lighting retrofit resulting in energy savings estimated at 49,327 kWh 

per annum and undertaken investigations into improving energy efficiency of the air 

conditioning system. 

 

Wacol Tick Fever Centre—replacement of power packs in 18 emergency/exit lights to be 

compatible with new energy saving electronic ballast units. 

There were 15 Contestable electricity contracts which expired and new contracts were 

sourced through seeking offers from three Contestable market retailers. The new contracts 

are for a term of six months and will result in savings of approximately $850,000 had these 

sites not been in the Contestable market but were left in the normal regulated market. The 

contracts were taken for a term of six months to align with the QGCPO review of the whole of 

Government procurement of electricity needs. 

Ongoing tariff optimisation reviews have been implemented to ensure that sites are on the 

most cost effective tariff for their business type and usage profile. 



13

Carers (Recognition) Act 2008 

The department recognises the effort and dedication of its staff members that are carers. 

Carers provide a vital service to those they care for and the department has a number of 

actions and strategies to support them in their roles. 

The department currently has in place a Diversity and Equity Strategic Plan 2010–12 

showing our commitment to building a workplace where we are all given the opportunity to 

contribute effectively. As a result of this Plan, a Diversity and Equity framework has been 

developed showing the commitment to the creation of an inclusive environment where we 

value, respect and treat others equitably, embracing diversity. 

Strategies and actions that support the Carers (Recognition) Act 2008 

A Diversity and Equity Committee is being developed to provide a forum for discussions, 

awareness and education to all staff across the department on equity and diversity 

matters including issues relating to carers. 

The department celebrates Carers Week to assist with promoting awareness and 

education of the valuable role that carers play in our community along with the 

opportunity to ignite the conversation about carer issues. 1 

Human Resource policies are sent out to staff for consultation to allow for feedback on 

policy decisions that impact them. 2 

The department promotes and maintains a complaints management system accessible to 

carers and the community. All complaints received are actioned appropriately and 

feedback is analysed to inform amendments or improvements to departmental service 

delivery. The department has in place an appeals policy for all employees who believe 

they have been treated unfairly or are the subject of an unfair process in relation to their 

employment within the department. 3 

The department offers flexible work practices for all employees and provides options 

which can help them to achieve a better work and family balance. In order to maximise 

the number of potential employees, managers are open to considering different 

employment arrangements other than the traditional permanent full time placements, 

through the flexible work arrangements policy, including: job share, part time 

employment, phased employment, telecommuting purchased leave, career 

break/extended leave/part year employment, staggered hours, compressed work week. 4 

The department has in place a carer’s leave policy to provide employees with information 

on the conditions and entitlements with respect to carer’s leave. Carer’s facilities are 

located within various locations to assist carers to meet commitments. 5 

Initiatives for Women 

DAFF initiatives for women can be found in the DAFF 2011–12 annual report. 

1 Section 9(1)(b) principle 1 



4 Section 9(2) principle 6 

5 Section 9(2) principle 6 



14

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Matters (The 

Queensland Government Reconciliation Action Plan 2009- 

2012) 

The Queensland Government Reconciliation Action Plan 2009–12 contributes to 

reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Queensland. It covers four 

key areas: relationships, respect, opportunities and accountability. DAFF’s actions, outlined 

below, show our commitment to ‘closing the gap’ and support the National Partnership 

Agreement on Indigenous Economic Participation. 

Table 4: Supporting the Queensland Government Reconciliation Action Plan 

2009–12 

Initiative: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander reforms 

Action 

Implementation 

progress in 

2011–12 

The Queensland Government will work actively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait 

Islander peoples to achieve the Council of Australian Governments’ (COAG) 

national Closing the Gap targets and strategies, including in the key areas of early 

childhood, schooling, housing, health and economic participation. 

To increase the economic participation of Indigenous Queenslanders, the 

Queensland Government strengthened the Indigenous Employment Policy for 

Queensland Government Building and Civil Construction Projects (IEP 20% Policy) 

for building and civil construction in discrete communities through the introduction 

of improved implementation tools, including contract kits, community profiles and 

the consideration of Indigenous employment submissions as a non-price criteria in 

tender evaluations. 

Indigenous employment, training and supplier requirements were included in a 

range of capital projects outside discrete communities in a number of 

projects/programs across Queensland. 

To support and encourage the increased participation of Indigenous businesses in 

supply chains, the Queensland Government has entered into an agreement with 

QMI Solutions Ltd, trading as Industry Capability Network (Queensland) for: 

enhancement of the ICN Gateway database to provide a registry of 

Indigenous businesses in Queensland and report on the makeup and 

capability of Queensland Indigenous businesses; 

increase Queensland Indigenous businesses access to government and 

private sector infrastructure and resource and capital asset procurements; and 

provide resources to promote the ICN Gateway database and provide ongoing 

management of the database. 

Initiative: Annual agency planning and reporting 

Action 


progress in 

2011–12 

All Queensland Government agencies will incorporate relevant reconciliation 

actions in their annual business plans and report on the progress of the 

implementation of The Queensland Government Reconciliation Action Plan 2009- 

2012 as part of their annual reports. 

Reconciliation actions have been incorporated into relevant reports where 

appropriate. 

Initiative: Reconciliation Business Forum 

Action 

The Reconciliation Business Forum will be held each year for the next three years 



15


progress in 

2011–12 

Reconciliation Business Forums were held annually from 2009 to 2011. The 

forums have provided Indigenous businesses with a range of development and 

networking benefits. 

The 2011 forum was held in Cairns with more than 80 participants taking part. 

Initiative: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural awareness and capability 

Action 


progress in 

2011–12 

All Queensland Government agencies will have Aboriginal and Torres Strait 

Islander cultural awareness and cultural capability strategies in place to enable 

staff to better understand, respect and appropriately work with and deliver services 

to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities. 

To assist Queensland public servants to engage meaningfully and appropriately 

with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities, all Queensland 

Government agencies have developed Indigenous action plans which include 

cultural awareness and cultural capability strategies. A Cultural Capability 

Reference Group of government agencies was established to support the 

development of a whole of government Cultural Capability Framework and the 

Public Service Commission has commenced the development of a Cultural 

Capability Resource Guide. 

Initiative: Public Sector employment 

Action 


progress in 

2011–12 

All government agencies will implement Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 

employment action plans to target employment retention and career advancement 

of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees, in particular to middle and 

senior levels. Strategies to support this action include, but are not limited to, 

trainee, graduate, leadership, coaching, mentoring and mobility initiatives, formal 

study and professional development. 

Project 2 800 was implemented to assist in increasing the percentage of 

Indigenous people represented across the Queensland public sector. To make this 

happen, the Queensland Government has worked in partnership with universities, 

schools, TAFE institutes, employment providers and training organisations to 

assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates find employment. 

The Government has also built valuable relationships with Indigenous communities 

and worked with all public sector agencies and organisations to identify 

employment opportunities and to connect candidates with appropriate work 

opportunities. 

In addition, all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff have access to 

professional development strategies such as LearnWorX where there are a host of 

courses that can be undertaken including the four-day Foundations of Leadership 

course. A 12 month Diploma of Government course tailored specifically for 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is also available to assist them to gain 

the skills necessary to advance their career within the public sector. SARAS is also 

available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who wish to undertake a degree. 

The E2E program is also available which also provides mentors to help E2E 

students to achieve their study goals. These mentors are also supported by a 

network which meets monthly. 

A departmental Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander network group covering the 

whole state meets monthly. 



16

Queensland Multicultural Policy – Queensland Multicultural 

Action Plan: 2011-14 

Table 5: Queensland Multicultural Action Plan 2011–14—whole-of-government 

core outcomes 

Core outcome Performance indicators Measure 

Improved cultural 

competence of staff 

Improved access to 

interpreters for clients 

when accessing services 

Improved communication 

and engagement with 

Culturally and 

Linguistically Diverse 

(CALD) communities 

and/or organisations 

Improved recruitment 

and retention strategies 

for staff from CALD 

backgrounds 

Number of staff that have participated in 

cultural competence training annually 

Number of staff that have participated in 

cultural competence training as a percent of 

the total number of department staff for the 

year 

Amount spent annually on interpreters 

engaged by department and government 

funded non-government organisations 

Number of interpreters engaged annually by 

the department and government funded 

non-government organisations 

Number of key information publications 

translated into languages other than English, 

annually 

Number of languages in which publications 

are available 

Number of information sessions or 

workshops held for people from culturally 

and linguistically diverse backgrounds 

Number of culturally and linguistically 

diverse groups, peak bodies and other 

stakeholders consulted or engaged annually 

on the development or implementation of 

department projects, services, policies and 

programs 

Number and percentage of staff indicating 

they are from a non-English speaking 

background 

Number of complaints about racial 

discrimination within the department 

Developing online 

multicultural training— 

yet to implement 

Developing online 

multicultural training— 

yet to implement 

$1573.78 

12 

16 

12 

0 

Diversity and Equity 

Consultative 

Committee, HR 

Network 

192 

6.9% 

0 



17

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

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