APPENDIX (iii)
Divisions, branches and internal committees
Each of our four divisions contain a number of branches.
*In 2006–07 the Commercialisation and Financing Branch and the Market Structures Facilitation Branch merged to form the Shareholder Policy and Markets Branch. The new branch carries out the same functions as the previous two branches.
The primary responsibilities of the branch are to:
- provide advice to the Government on the resource management of government agencies, taking into account the Government’s strategies and priorities; and
- develop and implement financial management policy in the public sector in conjunction with the Government Finance and Accounting Branch.
The preparation and monitoring of the State Budget on behalf of the Government is a key element of these responsibilities.
Shareholder Policy and Markets Branch
The Shareholder Policy and Markets Branch (SPM) is responsible for:
- managing the Crown’s interests in Government Business Enterprises (GBEs) and State-owned Companies (SOCs), including:
- reporting to the Treasurer on corporate business plans and financial performance;
- advising on strategic issues, investment and diversification opportunities; and
- promoting best practice corporate governance;
- interacting with the international credit rating agencies;
- coordinating the necessary arrangements to facilitate a competitive retail electricity market and telecommunications market in Tasmania; and
- providing advice on the development of the State’s infrastructure, including private sector involvement.
The Shareholder Policy and Markets Branch was formed in August 2006 following the merger of the Commercialisation and Financing and the Market Structures Facilitation branches.
Government Finance and Accounting Branch
The primary responsibility of the branch is to maintain the financial records of the Public Account, which includes:
- management of the Finance-General Division and whole-of-government financial activities;
- managing state financial assets and borrowing activities;
- undertaking whole-of-government financial and statistical reporting activities;
- developing and promulgating financial management policy and practices throughout the public sector;
- coordinating and managing the operation of the integrated Budget Management and Financial Reporting System (BMFRS); and
- providing executive support for the Heads of Treasuries Accounting and Reporting Advisory Committee (HoTARAC).
Procurement and Property Branch
The primary responsibilities of the branch are:
- property sales and accommodation management;
- procurement policy and whole-of-government contract management; and
- management and funding of specific, identified, insurable liabilities of agencies (through the Tasmanian Risk Management Fund).
The primary responsibilities of the branch are to:
- monitor and analyse trends in economic conditions;
- provide information to enable Treasury to make forecasts of key economic indicators relevant to the Tasmanian economy;
- provide advice on a wide range of issues relating to industry reform and economic development;
- provide policy advice on industry assistance issues;
- undertake economic research and analysis on issues relating to the Tasmanian economy;
- provide research and secretariat services to the Demographic Change Advisory Council;
- ensure that the State continues to meet its economic reform commitments under the Council of Australian Governments’ National Reform Agenda, the National Water Initiative and other nationally agreed reforms; and
- manage the Government’s Legislation Review Program.
Intergovernmental and Financial Policy Branch
The primary responsibilities of the branch are to:
- provide policy advice on taxation, superannuation, gaming, licensing and intergovernmental financial relations issues;
- prepare and monitor estimates of taxation revenue and Australian Government general-purpose payments;
- provide support to the Tasmanian Community Fund; and
- examine and investigate regulatory and structural reform options for Tasmania’s water and sewerage sector.
The primary responsibilities of the branch are to:
- administer state taxation legislation, manage the assessment and collection of state taxes and provide advice to taxpayers (including the preparation of Revenue Rulings and Guidelines);
- ensure that taxpayers are in full compliance with state taxation legislation, through ongoing education, risk prioritisation and targeted audits;
- manage the collection of outstanding state taxation debts, including court recovery and prosecution action where appropriate; and
- administer Pensioner Rates Remissions, grants and subsidy arrangements, including the First Home Owner Grant Scheme and payroll tax rebate schemes.
The primary responsibilities of the branch are to:
- develop and maintain a regulatory and compliance framework for the sale and service of liquor in Tasmania in accordance with community expectations; and
- develop and maintain a regulatory and compliance framework that ensures the integrity of the gaming industry in Tasmania in accordance with community expectations.
Corporate Information Support Branch
The primary responsibility of the branch is to manage information effectively by providing:
- records;
- communications; and
- library services that keep staff, clients and the community informed.
The Records and Information Management team focuses on providing efficient organisation of information, enabling staff to effectively manage information including correspondence, records files and electronic information.
The Treasury Library supports research across the Department by providing efficient access to published information via databases, inter-library loans and the management of Treasury’s collection of serials, books and reports.
The Department’s communications team works with branches to ensure that the community has access to information about issues such as the State’s financial management, taxation and economic outlook through newsletters and the Internet.
The primary responsibilities of the branch are to provide management and support of the Department’s information systems infrastructure, including support of desktop PCs, servers, local and wide-area networks, and maintenance and development of business applications.
Finance and Administration Branch
The primary responsibility of the branch is to provide effective and efficient financial and administrative services to the Department, including:
- development, management and reporting of Departmental and branch budgets;
- preparation and submission of the Annual Financial Statements and other Statutory Returns;
- management of the Department’s corporate financial information systems;
- management of the Department’s accounts payable and accounts receivable activities; and
- facilities management and administration, comprising building services management and reception services.
The primary responsibilities of the branch are to:
- deliver effective and efficient human resource support services, including: personnel and payroll; recruitment and selection; learning and development; workplace diversity; employee health, safety and welfare; and performance management;
- develop and deliver contemporary human resource management policies and practices;
- manage and coordinate specific human resource projects; and
- provide high-level advice on strategic human resource issues and change-management requirements.
The Office of the Secretary reports directly to the Secretary. The primary responsibilities of the branch are:
- strategic oversight and policy development;
- providing executive support to the Secretary, other senior managers of the Department and major departmental committees;
- providing secretariat services involving liaison between the Department, the Treasurer (and his office), the Executive Council, the Cabinet Office and Parliament; and
- management of Treasury’s corporate planning and annual reporting processes.
We have two main management groups (the Executive Committee and the Corporate Management Group) with representation from all divisions.
We also have a number of specific-purpose committees responsible for overseeing audit and risk management, corporate information and information systems management, and a number of specific policy matters.
Audit and Risk Management Committee
The Audit and Risk Management Committee supports the governance, audit and risk management activities of the Department. The committee is responsible for quality assurance of financial management and reporting, and the management of key risks. It achieves this through maintaining a robust internal quality control framework for the whole Department and advising on the need for changes to the framework or associated processes.
The Cadet/Graduate Committee oversees the administration of the Cadetship and Finance Graduate programs, and monitors the work performance and academic results of the cadets and graduates. The committee is also responsible for the allocation of positions during the annual rotation of cadets and graduates within the Department.
Financial Assets and Borrowings Management Committee
The role of the Financial Assets and Borrowings Management Committee is to manage the State debt portfolio in line with the debt-management framework.
The role of the committee has been expanded to include the management of financial assets. This includes:
- retiring debt early;
- repaying debt on maturity;
- investing financial assets for higher returns; and
- changing levels of gross debt and financial assets such that net debt remains unchanged.
Information and Communication Steering Committee
The primary role of the committee is to:
- ensure the effective use of information resources within the Department; and
- maximise the efficiency of processes for the capture, storage, access and disposal of information in order to support our business processes and extend our corporate knowledge.
The committee is also responsible for reviewing and setting the strategic direction for the Department in relation to:
- technology infrastructure, applications development and support, and internal and external Web sites;
- information security and ensuring Treasury’s compliance with whole-of-government initiatives, such as the Tasmanian Government Information Security Charter and Framework; and
- all information management and communications issues.
Learning and Development Committee
The Learning and Development Committee oversees the planning and implementation of staff development strategies and initiatives. The aim of the committee is to promote Treasury as a learning organisation where:
- individuals are encouraged and provided with opportunities to learn, develop and apply their skills;
- professional development is a key part of managing individual performance, so that individuals are encouraged to take responsibility for their learning as part of their career planning; and
- organisational learning is aligned with Treasury’s strategic direction.
The role of the Procurement Review Committee is to review, before quotations are accepted or contracts awarded, the procurement process for all consultants, goods and services and building and construction contracts valued at $50 000 or more. This is to ensure that a fair and equitable process has been followed and that the principles outlined in the Treasurer’s Instructions have been adhered to.
Major Sales Program Oversight Committee
The Major Sales Program Oversight Committee (MSPOC) administers the Property Disposal Program, which is an ongoing process to dispose of non-strategic surplus government real property. The MSPOC is responsible for identifying potential surplus property, developing an annual government property sales program and forward estimates, and monitoring progress of the program.
Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Committee
The Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare (OHS&W) Committee meets regularly to consider OHS&W issues in the Department.
The main aims of the committee are to:
- promote health and safety in the workplace;
- implement accident prevention strategies; and
- report on and deal with accidents, incidents and “near misses”.
The primary role of the Staff Consultative Group is to keep senior management attuned to the opinion of all staff in the Department. It provides a mechanism for each employee to be involved in making Treasury a better place to work.
The Staff Consultative Group gathers input from throughout the Department in order to:
- represent staff views;
- help develop and test specific proposals for change, and provide pre-implementation advice on how the proposals might be put in place;
- provide feedback to the Executive Committee on staff views of progress in implementing change initiatives;
- provide feedback on specific questions posed by the Executive Committee; and
- provide a vehicle through which staff can raise other issues.
The role of the State Revenue Committee is to:
- make recommendations on the estimated state taxation receipts each year before they are submitted to the Budget Management Branch;
- monitor, when necessary, State taxation receipts and recommend revised estimates to reflect the likely end-of-year outcome;
- consider any taxation and associated issues that affect revenue;
- monitor tax-related expenditures (such as payroll tax grants and rebates, etc);
- monitor compliance activities carried out by the Revenue Branch with reference to State tax collection and related State expenditure programs;
- ensure that there are appropriate lines of communication with all relevant divisions of Treasury; and
- monitor GST-related transfers from the Australian Government and revise estimates when necessary.
Treasury Economic Forecasting Committee
The Treasury Economic Forecasting Committee meets monthly to consider interest rate forecasts, which are provided to the Financial Assets and Borrowings Management Committee to help with debt-management decisions.
The committee also meets on a number of other occasions throughout the year to consider key economic forecasts for inclusion in the State Budget.
