This Agency Multicultural Plan covers the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Other portfolio agencies have separate AMPs or have received exemptions

Our vision for Multicultural Access and Equity

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) strives to present to the world an image of Australia that closely reflects our social and cultural diversity – an image that DFAT's staff increasingly reflects and is able to project overseas directly. Our support for this diversity hinges on our efforts to provide the best possible access for Australians of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to services allowing them to travel overseas as safely as possible. At the same time, we are reaching out ever more to communities in Australia to inform those aspects of Australia's foreign policy aimed at creating greater inter-cultural understanding throughout the world.

Our Agency

The department is responsible for advancing the interests of Australia and Australians internationally. To this end, we work with other government agencies to ensure that Australia's pursuit of its global, regional and bilateral interests is coordinated effectively.

DFAT is the lead agency managing Australia's international presence through a network of 95 overseas posts in 77 countries. Over 4,200 staff in Canberra, state and territory offices and overseas posts, including locally engaged staff, are focused on achieving outcomes in three areas:

• advancing Australia's international strategic, security and economic interests through bilateral, regional and multilateral engagement;
• protecting and ensuring the welfare of Australians abroad through timely and responsive travel advice and consular and passport services in Australia and overseas; and
• securing Australia's presence overseas through the provision of security services and information and communications technology infrastructure, and the management of the Commonwealth's overseas owned estate.

Our AMP

This AMP was developed in consultation with functional and policy divisions of DFAT, as well as state and territory offices. It seeks to ensure that DFAT's client services aimed at helping Australians travel or reside abroad as safely as possible – especially in relation to passports and consular assistance – remain best practice in interactions with people from CALD backgrounds. The AMP also strives to increase awareness of Multicultural Access and Equity issues throughout the department to improve ways of presenting both Australia's foreign and trade policy priorities to CALD communities, as well as an image of Australia as a socially and culturally inclusive society abroad.

Leadership

Through its overseas operations and networks, DFAT has unique experience, among Australian government agencies, in dealing directly with a broad range of cultural and linguistic contexts. The department draws on this experience in engaging effectively with CALD clients in Australia and overseas.

Minimum Obligations:

• Executive Accountability – Agency to assign a Senior Executive Officer to be responsible for implementation of Multicultural Access and Equity obligations in the agency
• Agency commitment – Agency leadership to ensure that staff understand and are committed to Multicultural Access and Equity implementation.

Engagement

DFAT's effective interaction with CALD communities enhances their understanding of the department's provision of passport and consular services to the Australian public, as well as an awareness of Australia's foreign policy and trade priorities affecting those communities' countries of origin.

Minimum Obligations:

• Stakeholder Engagement – Agency to have an engagement strategy to understand CALD communities' interaction with agency
• Language and Communication – Agency to have a language and communication plan for CALD communities, including on the use of languages other than English and incorporating the use of interpreters and translators.

Performance

DFAT is committed to making measureable progress in uptake of Smartraveller services and obtaining positive feedback on the department's efforts to make its services more accessible to CALD communities to help all Australians travel overseas as safely as possible. DFAT also sees value in ensuring that Australia's international engagement is, where appropriate, informed by views from CALD communities.

Minimum Obligations:

• Performance indicators and reporting – Agency to develop a set of KPIs relating to engagement with, or outcomes of services to, CALD clients.
• Feedback – Agency to have arrangements to ensure affected CALD communities are able to provide feedback on agency Multicultural Access and Equity performance.

Capability

DFAT has uniquely strong expertise in cultural and foreign language competency, owing to the international focus of its operations. DFAT staff are competent in more than 30 languages and have broad-ranging experience in dealing with foreign government officials and other representatives. The increasing diversity of DFAT officers, including many born overseas, has also contributed to the department's ability to more directly present a multicultural image of Australia overseas.

Minimum Obligations:

• Cultural Competency – Agency to have training and development measures to equip staff with cultural competency skills.
• Research and data – Agency to collect ethnicity data on the CALD groups with which the agency engages and to which it delivers services directly or indirectly.

Responsiveness

DFAT is committed to delivering consular assistance in a prompt and effective fashion and to ensure effective passport services for all Australians. The department is also attentive to issues raised by CALD community groups in relation to aspects of Australia's foreign and trade policies.

Minimum Obligations:

• Standards – Any whole-of-government standards and guidelines developed by the agency must address Multicultural Access and Equity considerations.
• Policy, program and service delivery – Provision to ensure that policies, programs, community interactions and service delivery (whether in-house or outsourced) are effective for CALD communities.
• Outsourced services – Provision for incorporation of Multicultural Access and Equity requirements in funding agreements with states or third-party service deliverers.

State what actions your agency plans to take to improve its Multicultural Access and Equity responsiveness (complete the table below). Please number your actions for ease of reference. When considering your actions, keep in mind that the obligations can go beyond service delivery, for example policy development or communication.

Openness

DFAT is committed to accountability on the quality of its service delivery to all clients, including from CALD communities, and to transparency in its efforts to receive feedback and enhance service delivery.

Minimum Obligations:

• Publishing – Agency to publish AMP on agency website and performance reports against agency KPIs for CALD in agency annual reports.
• Data – Agency to make CALD data available to other agencies and the public

State what actions your agency plans to take to be open and accountable about Multicultural Access and Equity (complete the table below). Please number your actions for ease of reference. When considering your actions, keep in mind that the obligations can go beyond service delivery, for example policy development or communication.