Departmental overview

The department helps make Australia stronger, safer and more prosperous by promoting and protecting our interests internationally and contributing to global stability and economic growth. We do this overseas through a network of 97 embassies, high commissions, consulates-general and multilateral missions.

The department’s network of honorary consuls overseas provides consular assistance to Australians in locations where the Australian Government does not have other representation. (See Appendix 14.)

At home, we work through our state and territory offices, supporting Australian business and citizens working or travelling overseas. We depend on a highly skilled, flexible workforce capable of developing and implementing foreign, trade and investment and development policy, negotiating international agreements, delivering an effective aid program, and providing high-quality consular and passports services. This business is often conducted in one of the 29 foreign languages in which the department’s staff are proficient.

The Secretary and five deputy secretaries constitute the department’s executive. Supported by the senior executive service, the executive provides management and leadership on foreign, trade and investment, and development policy in Australia and overseas, as well as on consular, passports and corporate issues. The executive is also responsible for the department’s governance and the promotion of its priorities and values, guided by the Strategic Framework 2015–2019 and the Values Statement. The department’s organisational structure is outlined in Fig. 1.

Secretary and Deputy Secretaries of the Department of Foreign A airs and Trade (as at 30 June 2015) — Secretary and Deputy Secretaries of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (as at 30 June 2015). L. to R.: (front) Secretary Peter Varghese AO, Deputy Secretary Jan Adams PSM; (back) Deputy Secretaries Ric Wells, Ewen McDonald, Jennifer Rawson, Gary Quinlan. *[DFAT]*

**Figure 1:** Executive structure (as at 30 June 2015)

Post integration management agenda

The adoption of a new integrated structure for the department on 1 July 2014 brought together the department’s foreign, trade and investment and development policy and program responsibilities. The challenge has been to build a unified organisational framework and culture and to consolidate and enhance the capabilities of the integrated department. To this end, we launched our Strategic Framework and Values Statement in December 2014.

The Strategic Framework 2015–2019 is a high-level statement of the department’s purpose, what we do to achieve the outcomes expected of us by the Government and Australian community, and our key priorities over the next four years.

It also identifies the main assets we bring to bear in carrying out our work and how we will conduct ourselves in doing so—our core values, as set out in the DFAT Values Statement.

To deliver the objectives of the Strategic Framework, the department needs to strengthen organisational capabilities, including in business and workforce planning, policymaking and strategic thinking, risk management and innovation and knowledge management.

A renewed commitment to leadership is central to strengthening our capabilities and delivering our objectives to the highest standard. As part of this renewal, we launched the DFAT Leadership Strategy. Our employees at all levels are responsible for embodying strong leadership as they pursue their individual work priorities. We are also analysing barriers to women taking up leadership roles and will take further action to address barriers from 2015–16.

The department is embracing innovation as part of the Strategic Framework. On 23 March 2015, the Foreign Minister launched the innovationXchange to promote and encourage the use of innovation across the aid program, followed by the release of the DFAT Innovation Strategy on 24 March 2015.

The strategy aims to develop a more innovative culture that encourages and promotes new ideas and better ways of doing things.

innovationXchange—new approaches to aid

innovationXchange is working with country programs and sectoral teams within the department to support innovative ideas and share ‘next practice’ in global development.

innovationXchange is testing new approaches to designing and delivering aid, including co-creation of solutions to known development problems, open calls for development innovations and creating a new model for bringing medium-large businesses into the Pacific to create sustainable business models with positive social outcomes.

innovationXchange will follow five key principles to embed innovation in the aid program:

1. Openness—We work in the open, sharing learnings broadly to support participation in innovation and drive new, better thinking.

2. Leadership—We demonstrate and influence change towards new ways of working.

3. Collaboration—We co-create with a range of partners.

4. Agility—We are problem solvers in the business of funding trials. A cycle of iteration, adaptation and learning will be the foundation for our progress.

5. Engagement with Risk—We look at risk differently. We recognise the upside of risk and that innovation offers the potential for reward and big impact. Taking risks is essential to pioneering new approaches. We strive to achieve transformational change, knowing that the path to that change is not always clear.

An Innovation Working Group has been established to implement the strategy.

The innovationXchange also has a role in facilitating innovation across the department and hosted the inaugural departmental Ideas Challenge.

Ideas Challenge—improving efficiencies

The inaugural Ideas Challenge was run from March to June 2015 to embed innovative and creative thinking to improve efficiency and impact across the department. This challenge was open to all staff, who were invited to submit innovative ideas, which had the potential to enhance the department’s work, to an open, online platform. Exceeding expectations, over 50 per cent of staff participated in the challenge through lodging, providing comment or voting on ideas. Two of the 392 ideas lodged were selected as winning submissions and will be developed further and trialled if feasible. Approximately 20 additional ideas are currently being considered for implementation across the department.

Ideas Challenge—encouraging collaboration and creativity. Michael Lynch presenting his winning idea—the ‘Cloud Passport’—to the judging panel, Canberra, 15 June 2015. [DFAT]

**Figure 2:** Outcomes and programs structure, 2014–15

Structure of the Foreign Affairs and Trade Portfolio

The foreign affairs and trade portfolio supports the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Minister for Trade and Investment and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and to the Minister for Trade and Investment to advance Australia’s foreign, trade and investment, and development policy.

Six agencies make up the portfolio:

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Australian Trade Commission (Austrade)
Tourism Australia
Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS)
Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)
Export Finance and Insurance Corporation (Efic)

NB: Efic is not subject to outcome reporting under the Portfolio Budget Statements 2014–15.

**Figure 3:** Foreign affairs and trade portfolio structure and outcomes