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Departmental overview

The vision of the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts is a better future for all Australians by the continued development of world-class Australian communications, information technology, cultural, sport and information economy sectors. The Department's goal is to contribute to the development of these sectors so that they are:

• vigorous and sustainable in a global environment;
• innovative, creative and support excellence; and
• increasingly accessible to all Australians.

In working to achieve its vision and goal, the Department provides strategic advice and professional support to Ministers of the Australian Government. This includes policy development in broadcasting and online regulation, information and communications technology (ICT), intellectual property, the information economy, cultural development, sport, telecommunications and the arts.

The Department also administers legislation, regulations, and Commonwealth copyright, and delivers a wide range of programs and services.

Corporate priorities

The Department's Corporate Plan 2003-06 (available at www.dcita.gov.au) provides an overview of the strategic environment and the key business priorities. The key sectoral business priorities for 2003-04 are listed in table 1.1.

Table 1.1 Priorities for 2003-04

Arts	Sport	Communications
Advise on and implement the Government's response to the Contemporary Visual Arts and Craft Inquiry report (Myer Report)	Review the Tough on Drugs in Sport strategy	Assist the Government to develop its response to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission report on emerging market structures in the pay television sector
Refine assistance to cultural organisations	Undertake preliminary planning with agencies on Australian Government strategies in relation to the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006	Provide strategic advice on broadcasting regulatory arrangements in light of market and technological changes, including digital television, digital radio and ownership controls
Develop a whole-of-government strategy for Indigenous arts and crafts centres		Progress the further development of Australia's ICT industry, particularly by taking forward the recommendations of the ICT Framework for the Future
Implement the recommendations of the Review of Cultural Agencies		Implement the Government's response to the Regional Telecommunications Inquiry report
		Advise on and implement postal reforms. Progress the Telecommunications Action Plan for Remote Indigenous Communities. Advise on and implement telecommunication competition and consumer reforms

The Department's achievement of these priorities is discussed in sections 2 and 3 of the report.

Ministerial arrangements

The Hon Daryl Williams AM, QC, MP succeeded Senator the Hon Richard Alston as Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts on 7 October 2003.

Senator the Hon Rod Kemp served as Minister for the Arts and Sport throughout 2003-04.

Department contact details

The Communications, Information Technology and the Arts Portfolio consists of the Department, including Artbank, Old Parliament House and the National Portrait Gallery, and 23 other agencies.

Contact details for the Department are:

Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts

38 Sydney Avenue
Forrest ACT 2603

GPO Box 2154
Canberra ACT 2601

Tel: 02 6271 1000
Fax: 02 6271 1800

dcita.mail@dcita.gov.au
www.dcita.gov.au

Artbank

50C Rosebery Avenue
Rosebery NSW 2018

Tel: 02 9662 8011
Fax: 02 9662 2563

enquiries@artbank.gov.au
www.artbank.gov.au

Old Parliament House

King George Terrace
Parkes ACT 2600

GPO Box 2154
Canberra ACT 2601

Tel: 02 6270 8222
Fax: 02 6270 8111

info.oph@dcita.gov.au
www.oph.gov.au

National Portrait Gallery

Old Parliament House
King George Terrace
Parkes ACT 2600

GPO Box 2154
Canberra ACT 2601

Tel: 02 6270 8236
Fax: 02 6270 8181

npg@dcita.gov.au
www.portrait.gov.au

Portfolio structure

Portfolio agencies are listed below.

Contact details are at Appendix 1.

• Australia Business Arts Foundation Limited
• Australia Council for the Arts
• Australian Broadcasting Authority
• Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• Australian Communications Authority
• Australian Film Commission
• Australian Film, Television and Radio School
• Australian Government Information Management Office
• Australian National Maritime Museum
• Australian Postal Corporation (Australia Post)
• Australian Sports Commission
• Australian Sports Drug Agency
• Australian Sports Foundation Limited
• Bundanon Trust
• Film Australia Limited
• Film Finance Corporation Australia Limited
• National Archives of Australia
• National Gallery of Australia
• National Library of Australia
• National Museum of Australia
• NetAlert Limited
• Special Broadcasting Service Corporation
• Telstra Corporation Limited (Telstra)

Department structure

Helen Williams AO, Secretary of the Department, together with Alan Stretton, Deputy Secretary for Arts and Sport, Fay Holthuyzen, Deputy Secretary for Communications, and Rod Badger, Deputy Secretary for the Information Economy comprise the Department's Executive. The role of the Executive is discussed in more detail in Section 3 of this report.

The Department's Executive, clockwise from top left: Fay Holthuyzen, Deputy Secretary for Communications; Rod Badger, Deputy Secretary, Information Economy; Helen Williams, Secretary; Alan Stretton, Deputy Secretary for Arts and Sport.

Organisational chart

As illustrated in the organisational chart, the Department is organised into divisions which broadly support the outcome and output structure.

ORGANISATIONAL CHART (open PDF)

Outcome and output structure

The Department's outcome and output structure on which performance reporting is based for 2003-04 reflects the diverse nature of the Department as well as the changes resulting from the integration into the Department of functions of the former National Office for the Information Economy (NOIE) on 8 April 2004. The reporting structure is set out in the following table.

Table 1.2 Outcome and output structure

Outcome 1	Development of a rich and stimulating cultural sector for all Australians
Output 1.1	Policy advice, program management and agency support which promotes access to and excellence in Australia's cultural activities and preservation and development of our cultural collections
Output 1.2	Preservation of and access to Old Parliament House and the National Portrait Gallery and their respective collections
Outcome 2	Development of a stronger and internationally competitive Australian sports sector and encouragement of greater participation in sport by all Australians
Output 2.1	Policy advice, program management and agency support in relation to sports, anti-doping and industry development measures which support the Australian sports sector
Outcome 3	Development of services and provision of a regulatory environment which encourages an efficient and effective communications sector for the benefit of all Australians
Output 3.1	Policy advice and program management which encourage competitively priced and reasonably accessible telecommunications and postal services
Output 3.2	Policy advice and program management which promote accessible high quality broadcasting services
Output 3.3	Policy advice and program management that assist the development of the Information and Communications Technology industry
Output 3.4	Policy and program management of copyright issues that encourage the production of content and promote reasonable access to research and cultural materials
Information Economy
Outcome 1	A sustainable effective and internationally competitive information economy
Output 1.1	Strategic advice, activities and representation relating to Australia's development as an information economy, nationally and internationally

Outcome 1 and Output 1.1, which relate to Information Economy, were transferred from the former NOIE.

Changes to the outcome and output structure

On 1 July 2003, Questacon - the National Science and Technology Centre (Questacon), transferred to the Education, Science and Training Portfolio and ScreenSound Australia - the National Screen and Sound Archive (SSA) was integrated with the Australian Film Commission. These two bodies were formerly part of the Department.

On 8 April 2004, the programs, policy and research functions relating to the Information Economy were transferred to the Department from the former NOIE. A separate Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) was also established to focus on promoting and coordinating the use of new information and communications technology to the delivery of Government programs and services.

In the 2004-05 Budget, the Department revised Outcome 3 and added a new output (Output 3.5) to reflect this change.

Table 1.3 summarises the changes to the Department's outcome and output structure since the 2003-04 Portfolio Budget Statements.

The significant structural changes experienced by the Department in the last two years will continue into 2004-05. As part of the new service delivery arrangements for Indigenous affairs, which take effect from 1 July 2004, the Department received a range of programs in broadcasting, sport, recreation and culture. The Department will again review both its outcome and output structure and its organisational structure to reflect the new responsibilities in relation to the information economy and in delivering Indigenous programs.

Table 1.3 Changes in outcome and output structure

2003-04 Portfolio Budget Statements		2003-04 Portfolio Additional Estimates		2004-05 Portfolio Budget Statements
Outcome 1	Development of a rich and stimulating cultural sector for all Australians	Outcome 1	No change	Outcome 1	No change
Output 1.1	Policy advice, program management and agency support which promotes access to and excellence in Australia's cultural activities and preservation and development of our cultural collections	Output 1.1	No change	Output 1.1	No change
Output 1.2	Preservation of and access to Old Parliament House and the National Portrait Gallery, ScreenSound Australia and their respective collections	Output 1.2	Preservation of and access to Old Parliament House and the National Portrait Gallery and their respective collections - ScreenSound integrated with the Australian Film Commission as of 1 July 2003	Output 1.2	No change
Output 1.3	National leadership in engaging people in science and technology through development of programs and exhibitions, support for science learning in schools and interaction with industry partners		Output 1.3 was removed because Questacon was transferred to the Education, Science and Training Portfolio as of 1 July 2003
Outcome 2	Development of a stronger and internationally competitive Australian sports sector and encouragement of greater participation in sport by all Australians	Outcome 2	No change	Outcome 2	No change
Output 2.1	Policy advice, program management and agency support in relation to sports, anti-doping and industry development measures which support the Australian sports sector	Output 2.1	No change	Output 2.1	No change

Table 1.3 Changes in outcome and output structure (continued)

2003-04 Portfolio Budget Statements		2003-04 Portfolio Additional Estimates		2004-05 Portfolio Budget Statements
Outcome 3	Development of services and provision of a regulatory environment which encourages an efficient and effective communications sector for the benefit of all Australians	Outcome 3	No change	Outcome 3	Development of services and provision of a regulatory environment which encourages a sustainable and effective communications sector for the benefit of all Australians and an internationally competitive information economy and Information and Communications Technology industry. Expanded to include the information economy functions transferred from the former NOIE on 8 April 2004
Output 3.1	Policy advice and program management which encourage competitively priced and reasonably accessible telecommunications and postal services	Output 3.1	No change	Output 3.1	No change
Output 3.2	Policy advice and program management which promote accessible high quality broadcasting services	Output 3.2	No change	Output 3.2	No change
Output 3.3	Policy advice and program management that assist the development of the Information and Communications Technology industry	Output 3.3	No change	Output 3.3	No change
Output 3.4	Policy and program management of copyright issues that encourage the production of content and promote reasonable access to research and cultural materials	Output 3.4	No change	Output 3.4	No change
				Output 3.5	Strategic advice, activities and representation relating to Australia's development as an information economy, nationally and internationally. New output - transfer of functions from the former NOIE

Document ID: 15672 | Last modified: 6 February 2008, 9:57am