SENATE

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Page 28 Senate Friday, 21 October 2016 and potentially at another estimates hearing. On the basis of that information you could ask some further questions. Senator McALLISTER: That said, I think Mr Eccles has undertaken to attempt to do it today. Senator Scullion: Yes, indeed. Senator DODSON: I appreciate what you are saying, Minister, but the committee would just like to make sure that the opportunity was extended to Mr Beven. If that is his concurring position, then let's note that as well. Senator Scullion: Mr Beven has the right, as I said. I am not about to— Senator DODSON: I understand. I just want to make sure that he was not feeling intimidated by anything. Mr Beven: No, Senator. I am comfortable with that position. Senator SMITH: Mr Beven, how is ORIC performing with regard to meeting the Commonwealth public sector workforce targets with regard to Indigenous employment? Mr Beven: Where ORIC currently stands is that, at the moment, we have an FTE of about 47 staff located across eight offices around the country, predominantly located in the north of Australia where most of our corporations are based. In 2007, when I was appointed, about 13 per cent of our staff were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Where we currently sit today is that 49 per cent of our staff are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people—one of the highest levels in the Australian Public Service. We are hopeful that, by the end of this calendar year, early next year, we should hit 50 per cent of our staff being Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. That is something I am really proud of and our staff are really proud of. One hundred per cent of our clients are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. One of my key strategies over the last nine years was to ensure that our staff reflect our client base, and I think we have been quite successful at that. Senator Scullion: Senator Dodson touched on: where are these people coming in at the entry level? Are they not only at entry levels? It is a quite important question. We are well advanced in having the CEO of both the ILC and the IBA being Indigenous people. I will have some more to report on that soon. We are not as advanced in replacing Mr Beven with an Indigenous person, but we have had some significant conversations about how that might be achieved. We have a particular strategy to do that. So it is my intention— Senator SMITH: Are you leaving? Senator Scullion: No. It is part of the strategy— Senator SMITH: Succession planning. Senator Scullion: It will be a replacement strategy to ensure that, when Mr Beven does depart, with the transitional arrangements, as everyone is working towards a particular place—that mentoring period of time—you will have to have someone working with them for a period of time. That is what we have found with the ILC and the IBA. There are plans afoot in both the organisations for that to be achieved. Again, we are well advanced in conversations with the registrar in that regard. Senator SMITH: Mr Beven, excuse my ignorance, but have you been the CEO of ORIC for that whole period, from 2007 to 2016? Mr Beven: Yes, from late 2007. Senator SMITH: To what do you attribute that quite remarkable increase, from 13 per cent to 49 per cent? What sorts of elements or strategies have you put in place under your leadership? Mr Beven: The first thing we did was set those targets; that is where we wanted to position ourselves. Over the last nine years we took a deliberate approach of ensuring that we had special measures, positions, within our organisation, right across all levels. The 49 per cent of our staff that are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander are just at lower levels; they are all the way up through senior management. We have positions right across all levels of our organisation which are for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people only. We have ensured that those opportunities are available. Our staff turnover rate is quite low. It is below the departmental average and has been for some time. We have staff that have been with us for coming on for 30 years now. It is the nature of the work people enjoy, the opportunities we have provided to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We have diversified outside of Canberra. It is always difficult to attract people to work in Canberra, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who want to be closer to their homes, their families and their communities. We have 10 staff now based in the region, and 90 per cent of those staff are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is about location of staff and creating opportunities. Senator SMITH: Is it fair to say that in ORIC there are now career paths that might have been absent before, so if you join ORIC at a lower level, you can see a career path for yourself to a higher level in the organisation? FINANCE AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION LEGISLATION COMMITTEE
Friday, 21 October 2016 Senate Page 29 Mr Beven: It is, but I do have to acknowledge that we only have an FTE of 47 staff and a low turnover rate. We do say to staff that, 'In reality, there may not be opportunities within our organisation, but we want to set you up as best as possible so that, if other opportunities arise outside of our organisation, you can take advantage of that.' As the minister is saying, it is not just at the middle level, the senior level; it is going one step further now and looking at the deputy registrar and registrar positions in the short term. So there are definitely those career pathways. CHAIR: Senator, I am conscious that Senator Kakoschke-Moore needs to get to the airport, and her questions are on outcome 2. Senator SMITH: I am happy to proceed to outcome 2. CHAIR: Thank you, Senator. We thank the officers from ORIC for their attendance here today. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet [11:43] CHAIR: We will now move to outcome 2 of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. We will deal with general questions first. If senators have general questions that fit neatly under the programs, it would be best to ask those questions when the programs arise. If they do not fit under any of the programs, it would be appropriate to ask them under general questions. I understand that the minister flagged that he would like to make an opening statement. Senator Scullion: My opening statement deals with much of the opening remarks from Senator Dodson about a whole range of things—about incarceration, out-of-home care, all of those sorts of matters—and deals with some of the issues around youth detention. If Senator Kakoschke-Moore's questions are not within that scope, perhaps I could help, and that way the senator has a better chance of making it to the airport. CHAIR: That is a good idea. Thank you, Minister. We will go to Senator Kakoschke-Moore, and then we will come back to you, Minister, for your statement. Senator KAKOSCHKE-MOORE: My questions are focusing mainly around jobs, particularly tourism. Recently I visited the town of Ceduna on the west coast of the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. There I met with the Ceduna council, who are seeking to develop tourism opportunities in the local area in order to create more jobs. They have a fantastic idea of creating a wildlife park in that area to drive tourism and jobs. I was curious to know what support is available for local councils or community organisations who want to develop initiatives like wildlife parks, with the aim of developing jobs in a local area. Senator Scullion: Whilst the officer comes to the table, I can say that right at this moment we are in levels of engagement with not only the mayor but also the other principal organisations and communities around Ceduna about some economic development processes. I will allow the first assistant secretary to answer the question for you. Ms Williams: Yes, certainly, there is funding available under the IAS for opportunities such as the one you identify, Senator. As the minister noted, we are working very closely with Ceduna leaders around developing up those opportunities. Senator KAKOSCHKE-MOORE: Does the department have a long-term strategy when it comes to Indigenous tourism and the jobs that can be created in that area? Senator Scullion: No, not specifically, in that this is about supporting what communities want to do. Some communities believe that tourism is what they want to do, particularly in the areas of ethnobotany and interpretive walks. There is a lot of Indigenous tourism focused around that at the moment. But we, I guess, are generally more reactive when the community says, 'These are the sort of tourism ventures or other ventures we'd like to get involved in.' So I would not say that we have a tourism bent particularly or that we would like to allocate funds on tourism. It is generally held that business development—it does not matter what business—would come from that process. Senator KAKOSCHKE-MOORE: I suppose you are more responsive to the requests of the community, rather than imposing a particular plan on them. Senator Scullion: Yes. Senator KAKOSCHKE-MOORE: I would like to take you now to Kangaroo Island in South Australia. There, the local football club, Dudley United, joined with the Clontarf Foundation. They linked together to develop a program in which Indigenous boys head to Kangaroo Island to play football for the local team. This helps the team keep up their dwindling numbers in a rural area, and it also provides the boys with opportunities for work, education and training. After the success of this grassroots program, is the government looking to FINANCE AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION LEGISLATION COMMITTEE
Page 1 and 2: COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Proof Com
Page 3: SENATE FINANCE AND PUBLIC ADMINISTR
Page 6 and 7: Page 2 Senate Friday, 21 October 20

SENATE

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?