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Appendices - Annual Report 2009-2010: Australian Human Rights Commission

Appendices

Appendix 1 – Total resources and expense for our outcome*

Table 37: Resources for outcome
Outcome 1 – An Australian society in which human rights are respected, protected and promoted through independent investigation and resolution of complaints, education and research to promote and eliminate discrimination, and monitoring, and reporting on human rights.
  Budget* 2009–10 $’000 Actual Expenses 2009–10 $’000 Variation $’000
  (a) (b) (a)−(b)
Output Group 1.1 – Australians have access to independent human rights complaint handling and public inquiries processes and benefit from human rights education, promotion and monitoring, and compliance activities.      
Departmental Outputs      
Ordinary annual services (Appropriation Bill No.1) 13,711 13,711 —
Revenues from independent sources (Section 31) 4,100 4,992 (892)
Expenses not requiring appropriation in the budget year 794 703 91
Subtotal for Output Group 1.1 18,605 19,406 (801)
Total for Outcome 1      
Departmental 18,605 19,406 (801)
Average staffing level (number) 117 110  

* Refer outcome structure

.

** Full-year budget, including any subsequent adjustment made to the 2009–10 Budget

Appendix 2 – Website statistics

Table 38: Visitors to the Commission website
Section Views of section home page Views of all pages in section
Commission homepage

www.humanrights.gov.au

 53112 n/a
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-social-justice

 97845 1299074
Age Discrimination

www.humanrights.gov.au/age/

 56105 111886
Complaints Information

www.humanrights.gov.au/complaints_information/

 62666 341006
Disability Rights

www.humanrights.gov.au/disability_rights/

 78968 1292487
Education Resources

www.humanrights.gov.au/education/

 65677 431124
Human Rights

https://humanrights.gov.au/

 144166 1133443

Information for Employers

https://humanrights.gov.au/education/employers

 32891 260251
Job Vacancies

www.humanrights.gov.au/about/jobs/

 46121 55802
Legal Information

www.humanrights.gov.au/legal/

 60447 537547
Media Releases

www.humanrights.gov.au/about/media/media_releases/

 18085 835128
Publications

www.humanrights.gov.au/about/publications/

 104435 n/a
Racial Discrimination

https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/race-discrimination

 68302 460221
Sex Discrimination

https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/sex-discrimination

 95349 407180

Appendix 3 – Staffing statistics

Table 39: Commission staffing profile (as at 30 June 2010)
Classification Male Female Full time Part time Total Ongoing Total Non-ongoing Total
Statutory Office Holder 2 2 4     4 4
SES Band 2   1 1   1   1
SES Band 1              
EL 2 ($95,306–$114,519) 8 10 14 4 18 0 18
EL 1 ($82,635–$90,619) 5 20 19 6 18 7 25
APS 6 ($66,063–$74,044) 11 24 30 5 24 11 35
APS 5 ($59,681–$64,459) 4 3 6 1 4 3 7
APS 3/4 ($48,009–$58,097) 5 27 26 6 21 11 32
APS 1/2 ($37,244–$46,741) 1     1 1   1
Total             123

Appendix 4 – Consultancy services

Table 40: Consultancy services
Consultant name Description Contract price Selection process* Justification**
Total   $56 545    
Schofield Georgeson Lawyers Project consultation for Intersections between the Law, Religion and the Human Rights project. $11 280 Open B & C
Sonia Wutzke Services for Phase 2 Evaluation of the Community Partnerships for the Human Rights Program. $14 520 Open B & A
Phoenix Consulting Research to identify impacts of hearing impairment and deafness in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. $30 745 Select A, B & C

* Explanation of selection process terms drawn from the Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines (December 2008):

Select tender: A procurement procedure in which the procuring agency selects which potential suppliers are invited to submit tenders. This procurement process may only be used under certain defined circumstances.

Open tender: A procurement procedure which involves publishing a request for tender and receiving all submissions delivered by the deadline.

** Justification for decision to use consultancy:

A – skills currently unavailable within the agency

B – need for specialised or professional skills

C – need for independent research or assessment.

The Commission’s purchasing procedures adhere to the Procurement Policy Framework incorporating the Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines and Finance circulars issued by the Department of Finance and Deregulation. The procedures address a range of procurement situations, allowing managers flexibility when making procurement decisions, while complying with the Commonwealth’s core procurement principle of value for money. There were no contracts exempt from publishing through AusTender in 2009–10.

Appendix 5 – Commonwealth Disability Strategy: Performance Reporting Template

Policy advisor role Performance indicator #1
Performance Indicator New or revised policy/program* assess impact on the lives of people with disabilities prior to decision.
Performance Measure Percentage of new or revised policy/program proposals that document that the impact of the proposal was considered prior to the decision making stage.
Current level of performance 2009–2010
  • Commission public Inquiries and exemption applications specifically seek the views of people with a disability.
  • National peak disability groups and selected regional groups are consulted on new projects in the development phase to seek their views on impact. In the Disability Rights Unit compliance is 100 per cent.
  • All submissions to Inquiries are taken in a range of formats, including verbal/audio (transcribed by the Commission), e-mail and handwritten letters.
  • All new initiatives are made publicly available through the Commission’s website, social networking sites and key disability organisations are informed of developments through the Commission’s e-alert and e-bulletin lists.
  • Through the use of the Commission’s website, social networking sites and e-based networks the Commission provides extensive information about new and revised policies and programs and seeks feedback at any stage on their effect.
Goals for 2010–2011
  • Promote implementation of the Disability Convention, including promotion of: effective review of laws, policies and programs; awareness of the Convention; and development of NGO strategies to use the Convention.
  • Promote adoption and implementation of Disability Discrimination Act Disability Standards.
  • In relevant policy documents and reports, the Sex Discrimination Commissioner will continue to raise the specific issues for women with disability.

  • Implement the Commission’s revised Disability Action Plan to include strategies that ensure Commission activities involve assessment of impact on people with a disability.

    In relevant policy documents and reports, the Social Justice Commissioner will continue to raise the specific issues for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability

  • Consultative Forum on Mature Age Participation Policy: The Age Discrimination Commissioner as a member of the Consultative Forum reviewed the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) Productive Ageing package. Part of this review considered policies on disability in mature age workers. SAGE worked in conjunction with DRU on the review of these policies and suggested recommendations for change.
Actions for 2010–2011
  • The Disability (Access to Premises – Buildings) Standards (Premises Standards) are due to come into force on 1 May 2011. They will lead to significant improvements in the level of access required in new buildings and existing buildings undergoing renovation. The Disability Rights unit of the Commission will be holding information sessions across Australia from September to December 2010.
  • The CEDAW Committee included recommendations for addressing gender equality of women with disabilities in its concluding observations for its review of Australia (July 2010). The Sex Discrimination Commissioner will be looking liaise with the Disability Discrimination Commissioner, the government and non-government organisations on the implementation of the CEDAW Committee’s recommendations.
  • As part of the advocacy on unlawful age discrimination the Age Discrimination Commissioner will continue to raise awareness of instances where the use of age discrimination as a thin veil for disability discrimination. Stereotypes of older people supposedly being at a ‘higher risk of injury’ can reveal a reluctance in some employers to provide workplaces that reflect their diverse workforce.
Policy advisor role Performance indicator #2
Performance Indicator People with disabilities are included in consultation about new or revised policy/program proposals*.
Performance Measure Percentage of consultations about new or revised policy/program proposals that are developed in consultation with people with disabilities.
Current level of performance 2009–2010

Consultation with people with disabilities and their representative organisations occurs at a number of levels, through:

  • direct contact with representative organisations at a national and state/territory level
  • invitation to respond to new and revised policy/programs in writing, through the Commission’s website, e-based networks or by phone
  • public forums, conferences and public meetings.
  • New initiatives are made publicly available through the Commission’s webpage and disability organisations, and individuals are informed of developments through the Commission’s listserve.
  • Wherever possible, public consultation events occur in accessible venues, with hearing augmentation and sign language interpreters available.
  • A hearing loop and Auslan intepreters are provided for attendees at the annual Human Rights Medals and Awards.
Goals for 2010–2011
  • The Sex Discrimination Commissioner will ensure that women with disability do not experience barriers to participating in any consultation or policy development processes held by the Commission.
Actions for 2010–2011  
Policy advisor role Performance indicator #3
Performance Indicator

Public announcements of new, revised or proposed policy/program initiatives are available in accessible formats* for people with disabilities in a timely manner.
Performance Measure

Percentage of new, revised or proposed policy/program announcements available in a range of accessible formats.

Time taken in providing announcements in accessible formats.
Current level of performance 2009–2010
  • All information about new Commission initiatives is available on a W3C/WAI compliant website, simultaneously with public release.
  • 100 percent of announcements and information material is available in accessible electronic format.
  • 100 percent of material produced is also available in standard print, large print, audio and Braille on request.
  • Time taken to produce in other than electronic format varies according to the size of the document, but generally within seven days.
  • Commission YouTube videos are captioned.

  • PodRights podcasts have transcripts as well.

    The e-alerts and e-bulletins are also available in HTML
Goals for 2010–2011
  • All videos and audio on the Commission’s website captioned and with transcripts to meet WCAG standards.
Actions for 2010–2011  

Accessible formats include electronic formats such as ASCII (or .txt) files and HTML for the Web. Non electronic accessible formats include Braille, CD-audio, large print and easy English. Other ways of making information accessible include video captioning and Auslan interpreters.

Provider role Performance indicator #1
Performance Indicator Providers have established mechanisms for quality improvement and assurance.
Performance Measure Evidence of quality improvement and assurance systems in operation.
Current level of performance 2009–2010
Obtaining information about the needs of service users
  • The Commission has processes in place to obtain information to ensure ongoing improvement of services. This includes an intake survey to gather information about disabilities of service users and any required assistance.
  • In 09–10, 4,585 enquiries to the Commission’s Complaint Information Service concerned disability related issues and the Commission received 1,057 complaints under the Disability Discrimination Act.
  • Of those who made complaints to the Commission (under all legislation) and completed an intake survey, 50% reported a disability.
  • In 09–10, 210 requests for assistance were recorded on the intake survey. Assistance provided included sign language interpreters, use of TTY, provision of information in alternative formats and assistance with writing.
Obtaining feedback about service delivery
  • The Commission undertakes service satisfaction surveys, which include requests for feedback on the accessibility of the complaint service and invite suggestions for service improvements.
  • In 09–10, 354 surveys were completed. 95% of surveyed parties reported that they were satisfied with the service and 58% rated the service as ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’.
Obtaining information & feedback from the community
  • The Commission’s Complaint Service undertakes community liaison visits in various locations around Australia. These enable direct feedback on service delivery.
  • In 09–10 organisations involved in such visits included legal & other advocacy services for people with disabilities.
Ensuring appropriate referrals
  • The Commission’s Complaint Information Service provides a referral service for people with disabilities.
  • In 09–10, referral information was reviewed and updated to ensure accuracy.
Ensuring appropriate staff knowledge and skills
  • Training for staff of the Commission’s Complaint Service includes specific training on service delivery for people with disabilities.
  • A number of such training sessions were held in 2009–10.
Goals for 2010–2011
  • Ensure processes are in place to identify needs of people with disabilities and enable feedback on service delivery.
  • Ensure ongoing improvement of service delivery for people with disabilities by utilising this data and feedback in annual planning activities, service reviews and staff training.
Actions for 2010–2011
  • Review of intake and service satisfaction surveys to ensure appropriate information is obtained to assist ongoing improvement of service provision for people with disabilities.
  • Ongoing targeted community liaison activities with key stakeholders.
  • Review and update referral information for people with disabilities.
  • Ongoing staff training regarding service provision for people with disabilities.
Provider role Performance indicator #2
Performance Indicator Providers have an established service charter that specifies the roles of the provider and consumer and service standards which address accessibility for people with disabilities.
Performance Measure Established service charter that adequately reflects the needs of people with disabilities in operation.
Current level of performance 2009–2010
  • The Commission’s Charter of Service was introduced in 1997–98. The Charter includes a specific commitment to ensuring accessibility of services for people with disabilities. A copy of the Charter of Service is provided to all parties to a complaint. The Charter is available on the Commission’s website and is also available in alternative formats on request. In 09–10 the Commission demonstrated its service commitment through the following actions:
  • Ensuring information about the law and the complaint process is available online, in electronic formats and in other formats on request.
  • Providing an email complaint information service and an online complaint lodgement process.
  • Providing a captioned audio-visual conciliation resource.
  • Providing a TTY service and sign language interpreters, where required.
  • Providing correspondence and other documentation in accessible formats.
  • Providing accessible venues for meetings and conciliation conferences.
  • Providing referrals to support/advocacy services for people with disabilities.
Goals for 2010–2011
  • Maintain a flexible approach to service delivery that reflects stated service standards.
Actions for 2010–2011
  • Ongoing review of all aspects of service delivery to ensure accessibility for people with disabilities.
Provider role Performance indicator #3
Performance Indicator Complaints/grievance mechanisms, including access to external mechanisms, in place to address concerns raised about performance.
Performance Measure Established complaints/grievance mechanisms, including access to external mechanisms, in operation.
Current level of performance 2009–2010
  • The Commission’s Charter of Service outlines how complaints about the service can be addressed, including an option for a formal complaint to be made to the Executive Director.
  • In 2009–10, only three complaints were received under this formal process and none of these complaints raised concerns about accessibility of the service.
Goals for 2010–2011
  • Ongoing provision of a fair and effective process to address concerns about service provision.
  • Ensure issues about service provision identified through this mechanism are feedback into service improvement activities.
Actions for 2010–2011
  • Efficiently and effectively address concerns about service delivery, including concerns raised through the Charter of Service complaint process.
  • Concerns raised in Charter of Service complaints are considered as part of annual planning activities, service reviews and staff training.