PAES 2013-14 Section Attorney-General S Department

Attorney-General’s Department

Attorney-General’s Department

Section 1: Agency overview and resources

1.1Strategic direction

The strategic direction statement for the Attorney-General’s Department has been amended to include the changes in responsibilities arising from the Administrative Arrangements Order of 18 September 2013. The amended statement is set out below.

The Attorney-General’s Department is the central policy and coordinating department of the Attorney-General’s portfolio.

The Department seeks to achieve the outcome of a just and secure society, and a creative Australia, through the maintenance and improvement of Australia’s law and justice framework and its national security and emergency management system
and support for cultural programmes.

In 2013–14 the Department will focus on the following priority areas:

•supporting the Attorney-General as the First Law Officer of the Commonwealth

•adapting law and law enforcement in the digital economy

•promoting equity and efficiency to improve access to justice

•implementing the government’s freedoms and human rights priorities

•promoting participation in, and access to, Australia’s arts and culture through developing and supporting cultural expression

•combating serious and organised crime and corruption

•protecting national security and building resilient communities.

The Department will continue to work closely and cooperatively with its portfolio agencies, other government agencies (Commonwealth, state, territory and local government), advisory bodies, training institutions, businesses, professional associations, community organisations and citizens in achieving its objectives.

The Department will continue to strengthen its relationship with citizens, its capacity to provide strategic policy advice, the efficiency, quality and agility of its services, and its ability to look forward and proactively position itself to address the challenges facing the nation in coming years.

1.2Agency resource statement

The agency resource statement details the resourcing for the Department at Additional Estimates. Table 1.1 outlines the total resourcing available from all sources for the 2013–14 budget year, including variations through Appropriation Bills Nos.3 and4, special appropriations and special accounts.

Table 1.1: Agency resource statement—additional estimates for 2013–14 as at Additional Estimates February 2014

Table 1.1: Agency resource statement—additional estimates for 2013–14 as at Additional Estimates February 2014 (continued)

All figures are GST exclusive.

CAC Act = Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997.

Note: Details of amounts transferred to and from the Department under the Administrative Arrangements Order of 18 September 2013 are in Table 1.4.

1. Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2013–14 and Appropriation Bill (No.3) 2013–14.

2. Estimated adjusted balance carried forward from previous years.

3. Includes an amount of $8.666m in 2013–14 for the departmental capital budget (see Table3.2.5 for further details). For accounting purposes this amount has been designated as ‘contributions by owners’.

4. Section 31 relevant agency receipts—estimate. Includes estimated reimbursement from the Department of Defence for the administration of the Defence Abuse Response Taskforce of $10.500m at Budget 2013–14 and $51.694m at Additional Estimates 2013–14.

5. Includes an amount of $4.454m in 2013–14 for the administered capital budget, $2.769m for Outcome 1 and $1.685m for Outcome 2 (see Table3.2.10 for further details). For accounting purposes this amount has been designated as ‘contributions by owners’.

6. The reduction of $22.980m includes $33.911m from the Department for the transfer of indigenous law and justice functions to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet under the Administrative Arrangements Order of 18 September 2013.

7. For details, see the third-party payments table below.

8. Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2013–14.

9. Estimated opening balance for special accounts (less ‘Special Public Money’ held in an accountsuch as a Services for Other Entities andTrust Moneys Special Account). For further information on special accounts see Table 3.1.1.

Third-party payments from and on behalf of other agencies

1.3Budget measures

Table 1.2 summarises new government measures taken since the 2013–14 Budget. The table is split into expense and capital measures, with the affected programme identified.

Table 1.2: Agency 2013–14 Budget measures

Table 1.2: Agency 2013–14 Budget measures (continued)

Prepared on a Government Finance Statistics (fiscal) basis.

1. Measure announced in the 2013–14 Budget but not previously reported in a portfolio statement.

2. The lead agency for this measure is the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

1.4Additional estimates and variations

The following tables detail the changes to the resourcing for the Department at Additional Estimates, by outcome. Table 1.3 details the additional estimates and variations resulting from new measures since the 2013–14 Budget in Appropriation Bills Nos.3 and4. Table 1.4 details additional estimates or variations through other factors, such as parameter adjustments.

Table 1.3: Additional estimates and variations to outcomes from measures since 2013–14 Budget

Table 1.4: Additional estimates and variations to outcomes from other variations

Table 1.4: Additional estimates and variations to outcomes from other variations (continued)

1. Consolidated into a single line item for internal consistency and to improve readability.

1.5Breakdown of additional estimates by appropriation bill

The following tables detail the additional estimates sought for the Department through Appropriation Bills Nos. 3 and 4.

Table 1.5: Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2013–14

1. 2012–13 available appropriation is included to allow a comparison of this year’s appropriation with what was made available for use in the previous year.

Table 1.6: Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2013–14

1. 2012–13 available appropriation is included to allow a comparison of this year’s appropriation with what was made available for use in the previous year.

Section 2: Outcomes and planned performance

2.1Outcome and performance information

The following changes have been made to the Department’s outcome and programme structure since the 2013–14 Portfolio Budget Statements:

•the addition of a new Outcome 2 and new programme 2.1 for the arts functions transferred to the Department under the Administrative Arrangements Order of 18September 2013

•a change in the title of programme 1.8 from Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse to Royal Commissions to incorporate the Royal Commission into the Home Insulation Programme.

Outcome 1

Outcome 1 strategy

There are no changes to the strategy for Outcome 1 as reported in the 2013–14 Portfolio Budget Statements.

Table 2.1: Budgeted expenses for Outcome 1

Table 2.1: Budgeted expenses for Outcome 1 (continued)

1. Departmental appropriation combines ‘Ordinary annual services (Appropriation Bill No. 1 & Bill No. 3)’ and ‘Revenue from independent sources (s31)’.

2. Expenses not requiring appropriation in the budget year are made up of resources received free of charge of $0.165m and depreciation and amortisation expenses of $11.437m.

3. Expenses not requiring appropriation in the budget year are made up of resources received free of charge of $0.191m and depreciation and amortisation expenses of $15.175m.

4. Expenses not requiring appropriation in the budget year are made up of depreciation and amortisation expenses of $1.872m and concessions on loan advances of $28.781m.

5. Expenses not requiring appropriation in the budget year are made up of depreciation and amortisation expenses.

6. The revised average staffing level estimate for 2013–14 includes 306 in total for the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse,the Royal Commission into the Home Insulation Programme and the Defence Abuse Response Taskforce.

Expenses for Programme 1.1: Attorney-General’s Department Operating Expenses—Civil Justice and Legal Services

1. Includes expenses for the Defence Abuse Response Taskforce of $62.194m in 2013–14, $67.751m in 2014–15 and $7.799m in 2015–16.

2. Expenses not requiring appropriation in the budget year are made up of resources received free of charge of $0.165m and depreciation and amortisation expenses of $11.437m.

Expensesfor Programme 1.2: Attorney-General’s Department Operating Expenses—National Security and Criminal Justice

1. Expenses not requiring appropriation in the budget year are made up of resources received free of charge of $0.191m and depreciation and amortisation expenses of $15.175m.

Expenses forProgramme 1.3: Justice Services

Expenses for Programme 1.4: Family Relationships