Reflecting on the Year – from the Secretary
I am delighted to report on the achievements of the Department of Treasury and Finance during 2006–07.
The Department has undergone significant change over the past few years; a major focus has been to strengthen our values. We built on this during 2006–07 by reviewing the Department’s vision and mission – a pivotal undertaking involving everyone in the Department.
Our new vision statement: “Be the best. Lead the way. Make a difference.” resonates strongly with our team and powerfully captures what motivates us to deliver great outcomes for our community.
The key sentiment expressed in our new mission statement has been reflected in this year’s Annual Report theme – Supporting Our Community. I lead a team in which every individual is focused on contributing to the well-being of their fellow Tasmanians through their daily work.
During 2006–07 we contributed to the well-being of Tasmanians in a number of ways.
We continued to provide the Demographic Change Advisory Council with support and assistance in identifying strategies to address the issues associated with Tasmania’s ageing population. During 2006–07 the Council released a discussion paper inviting public comment on the key challenges and opportunities that are likely to emerge over the coming years. This will provide the Council with information to plan appropriately for Tasmania’s future.
In addition to our important annual tasks of preparing and monitoring the State Budget, managing state financial assets and borrowing activities, and undertaking whole-of-government financial and statistical reporting, we have been a major contributor to the development of an extensive package of budgeting and financial management reforms to ensure that Tasmanians have the highest levels of accountability, transparency, responsibility and governance from the Government. We are coordinating the drafting of a separate Financial Management Act and an Audit Act to replace the current combined Financial Management and Audit Act 1990. This new legislation will provide the Tasmanian community with improved financial transparency and greater government responsibility and accountability.
We have played an important role in providing input into the Commonwealth Grants Commission’s 2010 Review, which will determine the methods used for distributing GST revenue among the states from 2010. Tasmania’s contribution to the review process will ensure that the State’s financial needs are recognised.
Events such as the Taste of Tasmania, Festivale, Falls Festival, MSFest, V8 Supercars and the three major horse racing events in Tasmania are extremely important to the image and promotion of our tourism identity. They inject millions of dollars into the Tasmanian economy and attract large numbers of local patrons and visitors to our State. The Commissioner for Licensing and staff of the Liquor and Gaming Branch have established partnerships with organising committees, Tasmania Police, local government and, in the case of horse racing, TOTE Tasmania, to strike an appropriate balance between public expectation and safety.
We are strongly committed to supporting local businesses and during this past year we developed the Crown Contracts Confidentiality Policy, which ensures that unnecessary confidentiality provisions do not fetter scrutiny of government contracts. Further details of our support for local business are provided in the Government Procurement section on page 54.
Further evidence of Treasury’s significant contribution to the Tasmanian community can be found throughout this Annual Report. I am very proud of Treasury’s achievements in 2006–07. These achievements would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the entire Treasury and Finance team, and I thank them for their efforts over the past twelve months. I look forward with them to another highly productive year in 2007–08.
Don Challen
Secretary
Department of Treasury and Finance
