External scrutiny and accountability

Independent Evaluation Committee

The Independent Evaluation Committee (IEC) monitors the impact and performance of Australian aid. The committee has three external members (former World Bank Vice President, Jim Adams is the chair), and one DFAT representative (at deputy secretary level), as full members, and an observer from the Department of Finance. The IEC oversees ODE’s program of evaluation and performance analysis work, including verification of the Performance of Australian Aid report. The committee met three times in 2014–15.

Parliamentary committees of enquiry

Departmental officers appeared as witnesses before the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (JSCOT) in relation to seven proposed treaty actions. This figure does not include occasions on which Treaties Secretariat staff attended JSCOT hearings in an observer/advisory capacity. Officers also appeared as witnesses before the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security and the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. (See Appendix 6)

Courts and administrative tribunals

The department was involved in a number of legal matters during the year. (See Appendix 7)

Commonwealth Ombudsman

The Commonwealth Ombudsman commenced fourteen investigations with respect to the department’s activities in 2013–14 and provided one notice under subsection 12(4) of the Ombudsman Act 1976. No formal reports were issued.

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner—freedom of information and privacy

The Information Commissioner affirmed one freedom of information decision made by the department, and varied another, resulting in the release to the applicant of a small amount of additional material. The Information Commissioner declined to investigate three other applications for review. A further five applications for review were withdrawn by the applicants prior to any finding by the Information Commissioner.

The Privacy Commissioner finalised one privacy complaint, finding that the department did not interfere with the complainant’s privacy.

Legislation

The process for all portfolio-related legislation has been managed effectively.

The department facilitated the enactment of the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation Amendment (Direct Lending and Other Measures) Act 2015 that entered into force on 19 March 2015.

We also facilitated the enactment and amendment of a number of legislative instruments within the portfolio. Among them were the Autonomous Sanctions (Designated Persons and Entities and Declared Persons—Syria) Amendment List 2015 (No.1), the Autonomous Sanctions (Russia, Crimea and Sevastopol) Specification 2015, and the Charter of the United Nations Legislation Amendment (Sanctions—Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Iran) Regulation 2014.

The department provided input to legislation managed by agencies within the portfolio and contributed to the development of legislation initiated by other agencies that affected the foreign affairs and trade portfolio.

Reports by the Auditor-General

In 2014–15, the Auditor-General tabled in Parliament the following reports by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) related to the department’s operations:

Details of these reports can be found on the Australian National Audit Office website.

Compensation for detriment caused by defective administration

Fifteen new cases were lodged under the compensation scheme for detriment caused by defective administration and 11 were resolved during the year, including applications made in the previous financial year. Of these, 10 payments were made from administered funds and one application was rejected. Nine cases remained in progress at the end of the financial year.