Document Index Budget Related Paper "Promises Kept for a Stronger Australia"

Families and the Community - Contents

• Families and the Community
  • The Attorney-General's Portfolio
    • Additional counselling and mediation dispute resolution services
    • Expand supervised children's contact services by 25 additional services
    • Establish Family Law advice telecommunication services
  • The Education, Training and Youth Affairs Portfolio
    • Enhancement of the National School Drug Education Strategy
  • The Family and Community Services Portfolio
    • Additional funding for Marriage and Relationship Education
    • Increase Men's access to Family Relationship Support Services
    • Improve access to Centrelink through Electronic Service Delivery
    • Expand respite support for carers of young people with disabilities
    • Optical surveillance to assist in detecting cases of serious social security fraud
  • The Finance and Administration Portfolio
    • Develop measures of relative disadvantage to target resources for indigenous Australians
  • The Immigration and Multicultural Affairs Portfolio
    • Additional funding to extend Living in Harmony campaign
    • Adult migrant English programmes and settlement programmes
  • The Prime Minister and Cabinet Portfolio
    • Additional funding for partnerships against domestic violence
  • The Veterans' Affairs Portfolio
    • Production of Documentary `Australians at War'
    • Establish ANZAC Commemorative Site at Gallipoli, Turkey
    • Improve Claims Management Process
    • ANZAC Hall at the Australian War Memorial
    • Construction of a Memorial to Bomber Command

The Attorney-General's Portfolio

Additional counselling and mediation dispute resolution services

Explanation

This measure is a cross-portfolio measure affecting both the Attorney-General's and Family and Community Services portfolios.

The Government will provide funding over three years for its election commitment to increase awareness of alternatives to litigation and to increase the availability of non-litigious dispute resolution services. This will be achieved by providing community and professional awareness and education campaigns and by increasing the availability of counselling, mediation and primary dispute resolution services through Legal Aid Commissions and community based organisations.

The Attorney-General's Department and the Department of Family and Community Services have implemented a partnership arrangement to more effectively deliver counselling and mediation services to troubled families.

This measure delivers on the Government's election commitment in Our Families, Our Strength, Our Future.

Expand supervised children's contact services by 25 additional services

Explanation

The Government will provide funding for its election commitment to at least 25 additional children's contact services to meet the growing demand for greater accessibility to these services and to reduce delays and waiting times. Children's contact

services help those separated parents who have difficulties in working within agreed access or parenting arrangements by facilitating safe contact with or handover of children.

The additional services will also assist in reducing the numbers of parents contesting breaches of contact orders by providing safe, appropriate and managed opportunities for contact and changeover of children and referrals to other appropriate services to assist with conflict between parents.

The Attorney-General's Department and the Department of Family and Community Services have implemented a partnership arrangement to more effectively deliver children's contact services.

This measure delivers on the Government's election commitment in Our Families, Our Strength, Our Future.

Establish Family Law advice telecommunication services

Explanation

The Government will establish a national family law telecommunication advice and information service to facilitate the resolution of family disputes and encourage compliance with parenting orders and child support payments. The advice and information service will be easily accessible to clients across Australia. It will also provide a viable alternative to litigation for families by providing access to timely and cost effective information and primary dispute resolution services.

This measure delivers on the Government's election commitment in Law and Justice and Our Families, Our Strength, Our Future.

The Education, Training and Youth Affairs Portfolio

Enhancement of the National School Drug Education Strategy

Explanation

The Government announced in 1998 that, as part of its commitment to the National Illicit Drug Strategy, it would provide additional funding to extend activities under the National School Drug Education Strategy.

This measure provides funding for the extension of professional development and pre-service training of teachers, information and education for parents on drug matters and school and community partnership projects. It enhances and builds on existing State and Territory activities and is consistent with Government objectives set out in the National Drug Strategic Framework 1998-99 to 2002-03.

This measure delivers on the Government's election commitment in Tough on Drugs -- Strengthening the Fight.

The Family and Community Services Portfolio

Additional funding for Marriage and Relationship Education

Explanation

The Government will provide additional funding for three years to support community-based marriage and relationship services and to promote greater community awareness and use of the full range of preventative relationship breakdown support services. Greater use of preventative services may assist in reducing levels of demand on other family support and crisis services such as counselling, therapy, youth, legal and Child Support Agency services.

This measure delivers on the Government's election commitment in Our Families, Our Strength, Our Future.

Increase Men's access to Family Relationship Support Services

Explanation

The Government will provide funding until the end of 2001-02 for projects to increase men's access to relationship support services. In addition to the $9 million allocated through this measure, $1.5 million of funding was provided in 1998-99.

This initiative is part of the Government's commitment to strengthen and support families, especially through preventative action.

This measure delivers on the Government's election commitment in Our Families, Our Strength, Our Future.

Improve access to Centrelink through Electronic Service Delivery

Explanation

The Government will fund a trial which will allow people dealing with Centrelink to make simple enquiries about their payments and entitlements over the phone without the need to speak directly to an operator. The pilot will be limited to a specific geographic area in regional Australia and will complement other regional initiatives of the Government. It is expected to be in operation by December 1999.

This measure will:

• allow Centrelink to develop and trial a pilot automated call handling facility; and
• allow the Department of Family and Community Services, in consultation with the Office of Government Online, to report in the 2000-01 Budget context on broader proposals for increased provision of electronic service delivery as a means of conducting business with the Government.

This measure delivers on the Government's election commitment in Securing Our Information Future.

Expand respite support for carers of young people with disabilities

Explanation

The Government will expand carer respite support from 1999-2000 for the carers of young people with disabilities.

This measure will support some 900 carers who have been unable to access existing State respite care or assistance provided under Commonwealth initiatives.

This measure delivers on the Government's election commitment in Our Families, Our Strength, Our Future.

Optical surveillance to assist in detecting cases of serious social security fraud

Note: The 1998-99 MYEFO provided estimates of the impact of measures on the underlying cash balance.

Explanation

The Government announced savings of -$8.6 million in 1998-99 on a cash outlays basis in the MYEFO.

This measure was reported in the MYEFO as follows:

"The Government has decided that Centrelink will contract reputable surveillance providers to assist in investigating up to 2,000 cases of serious social security fraud in a full year. The measure, which is to be implemented from 1 January 1999, is expected to significantly reduce cases of serious fraud on the social security system.

Surveillance will be instituted only after careful consideration of whether such action is in the public interest and after all alternative methods of investigation have been exhausted. Private surveillance companies contracted by Centrelink will be required to adhere to all relevant privacy legislation, guidelines and conditions."

This measure delivers on the Government's election commitment.

The Finance and Administration Portfolio

Develop measures of relative disadvantage to target resources for indigenous Australians

Explanation

To ensure funding for programmes aimed at improving the situation of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is distributed on a needs basis, the Government has decided that the Commonwealth Grants Commission will develop measures of relative disadvantage to help target resources for indigenous Australians.

The Commission will produce a report on the relative needs of indigenous Australians across each programme area (housing, infrastructure, health, etc) for each Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission region, and by State and Territory. This report will be used as a basis for implementing new arrangements that improve the allocation of funding to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

This measure delivers on the Government's election commitment in Beyond Welfare.

Further Information

The Commonwealth Grants Commission Amendment Bill 1999 was introduced into the House of Representatives on 30 March 1999. The Act must be amended before the Commission can be asked to commence its inquiry.

The Immigration and Multicultural Affairs Portfolio

Additional funding to extend Living in Harmony campaign

Explanation

The Government will promote and celebrate community harmony in Australia by providing an additional $5 million to extend its Living in Harmony campaign.

The initiative is designed to engage all Australians in recognising that social harmony is the hallmark of a successful diverse society. The initiative consists of three linked strategies, a community grants programme (as its centrepiece), a partnerships programme, and a public information strategy.

This measure delivers on the Government's election commitment in Living in Harmony.

Adult migrant English programmes and settlement programmes

Explanation

The Government remains committed to the continuation and improvement of the Adult Migrant English Programme (AMEP) and will, through the maintenance of current funding levels, provide $336m over 4 years ($85.9m in 1999-00) for this purpose. The AMEP provides basic English language tuition to adult migrants for whom English is not the first language. This commitment recognises that English language ability is one of the key factors in the successful settlement of migrants into the Australian community.

The Government has undertaken a number of reforms within current resources, including:

• tendering the AMEP Research Centre function, with the decision on the successful tenderer to be announced in June/July 1999 and a new five year contract to begin in January 2000;
• continuing to manage the operations and eligibility criteria of the AMEP in a flexible way to ensure that non-English speaking migrants derive effective and long-lasting benefits; and
• maintaining resources for English Language and Literacy training and education.

This measure delivers on the Government's election commitment in Living in Harmony.

The Prime Minister and Cabinet Portfolio

Additional funding for partnerships against domestic violence

Explanation

This measure meets the Government's election commitment to provide an additional $25 million to renew Partnerships Against Domestic Violence and to build on its success.

The new funding will build on the outcomes of Partnerships Against Domestic Violence and will focus on better prevention strategies in key areas such as community education, children affected by domestic violence, perpetrators of domestic violence and family violence in indigenous communities.

This measure delivers on the Government's election commitment in Opportunity and Choice.

Further Information

Partnerships Against Domestic Violence is a collaborative initiative between the Commonwealth and the States and Territories for developing innovative approaches to the prevention of domestic violence across Australia.

The Veterans' Affairs Portfolio

Production of Documentary `Australians at War'

Explanation

The Government will fund the production of a documentary series, Australians at War, for the Centenary of Federation, as a means of focussing attention on the contributions made by Australia's veterans in serving their country.

This measure delivers on the Government's election commitment in Saluting their Service.

Establish ANZAC Commemorative Site at Gallipoli, Turkey

Explanation

The Government will establish an ANZAC commemorative site at Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey, in conjunction with the New Zealand Government. The commemorative site will serve both as a venue for the annual Anzac Day Dawn Service held in Gallipoli and to inform visitors throughout the year of the Gallipoli campaign in World War I. Subject to Turkish Government approval, it is planned the new site will open on Anzac Day 2000.

This measure delivers on the Government's election commitment in Saluting their Service.

Improve Claims Management Process

Explanation

The Government will increase funding for ex-service organisations to train advocates, through the Training and Information Programme and to replace the lapsing Claims Assistance Grants Scheme with a new support programme called Building Excellence in Support and Training, to assist veterans, war widows and widowers to lodge claims.

This measure will provide ex-service organisations with assistance for necessary training and resources to help veterans, war widows and widowers with the preparation of their claims and reduce the rate of appeals. The measure will improve access to entitlements by veterans, war widows and widowers, especially those living in rural and remote areas. The proposal will be implemented from 1 July 1999.

This measure delivers on the Government's election commitment in Saluting their Service.

ANZAC Hall at the Australian War Memorial

Explanation

The Government has committed $11.9 million ($4.0 million in 1998-99) from the Centenary of Federation Fund, to construct a new ANZAC Hall behind the existing War Memorial.

The new hall, to be built at the rear of the existing structure, will house many substantial items from the national collection which are currently too large to be displayed. This project will give future generations of Australians the opportunity to see and appreciate important historical relics, and will strengthen awareness in the community of the achievements and sacrifices of Australian service men and women.

The ANZAC Hall is scheduled to open on ANZAC Day 2001.

This measure delivers on the Government's election commitment in Saluting their Service.

Construction of a Memorial to Bomber Command

Explanation

The construction of a Memorial to Bomber Command will commemorate the achievements and sacrifices of the RAAF bomber command squadrons in World War II. This will promote respect and understanding by the community of the role of Australian service men and women and the part they played in shaping the Australian character. The memorial is being developed from within existing resources at a cost of $100,000.

The memorial is proposed for development during the 1999-00 financial year.

This measure delivers on the Government's election commitment in Saluting their Service.