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Objectives

The Department of Justice and Community Safety provides a wide range of services to Government and the community, including services to support the administration of justice, the protection of human rights, and legal services to Government. Ambulance, Fire Brigade and Bushfire and Emergency Service prevention and response services are provided through the Emergency Services Bureau. Community Policing services, which are provided by the Australian Federal Police under an agreement between the ACT and Commonwealth Governments, are also administered by the Department, which assists Government with related policy advice.

Other portfolio responsibilities include the registration of births, deaths and marriages; maintaining title to land; consumer affairs; regulation and licensing of a range of commercial activities; administration of the Rental Bonds scheme; and the conduct of elections and referenda.

• improving efficiency in the justice system by legislative and procedural review;
• refining the interim benchmarks for Administration of Justice, Corrective Services and Emergency Management;
• establishing a comprehensive victims support service following amendments to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act 1983;
• continuing the planning for appropriate correctional facilities for the ACT;
• re-structuring and improving the delivery of health and medical services to people in custody at the Belconnen Remand Centre (BRC);
• expanding the capacity of the BRC to accommodate increasing detainee numbers;
• developing Police and Emergency Services operational arrangements for the 2000 Olympic Games activities in Canberra; and
• modernising the Department’s IT environment.

Department of Justice and Community Safety
Operating Statement

Department of Justice and Community Safety
Statement Of Financial Position

Department of Justice and Community Safety
Cashflow Statement

Notes to the Budget Statements

Operating Statement

Significant variations are as follows:

• government payment for outputs (GPO): the decrease of $1.815m in 1999-2000 GPO is mainly due to:
• a net increase of $7.840m for initiatives in 1999-2000. These initiatives include $1.135m for the Victims of Crime Support Service, $0.070m to establish the Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee, $1.1m for the Emergency Services Bureau communications centre, $0.968m for Corrective Services including increased capacity for the Belconnen Remand Centre, $2m for IT modernisation, $2.173m for increased costs for sentenced prisoners, additional funding of $0.310m for the Director of Public Prosecutions, and a reduction of $0.026m associated with the deferral of the Neighbourhood Dispute Resolution Service;
• a decrease due to a transfer of GPO from JACS to DHCC of $0.160m in 1999-2000 as part of the Correctional Health Services initiative;
• an increase of $0.270m from DUS to JACS for the devolution of services associated with publications and registry, contracts and purchasing, and shopfront activities;
• a reduction of $8.319m following a benchmarking study into comparative pricing for outputs in the Magistrates Court, Supreme Court, Corrective Services and Emergency Services Bureau. The Department’s level of service delivery is maintained through an Injection for Operations (see below); and
• a decrease of $0.250m arising from efficiencies anticipated through administrative restructuring and the market testing of the provision of court reporting, recording/transcription and litigation support services ($0.1m), improved accommodation utilisation ($0.1m), and user charging for fire safety function previously funded through GPO ($0.050m).
• operating expenses: the increase in 1999-2000 of $6.914m is mainly due to increased employee and administration expenses flowing from the introduction of new initiatives in 1999-2000;
• abnormal item: an amount of $5.430m in 1998-99 represents the recognition of revenues and receivables for ACT sentenced prisoners in NSW gaols. This reflects the accounting treatment of revenues and expenses associated with a revised payment schedule with NSW, under which the ACT moves from being one year in arrears of payments to the NSW Department of Corrective Services, to one quarter in arrears of payments; and
• injection for operations: the $3.269m in 1999-2000 is related to the comparative pricing study mentioned above, and is reflected in the Department’s operating loss of $8.319m. This item is a cash injection to enable the Department to deliver its current level of services.

Statement of Financial Position

Significant variations are as follows:

• assets: in 1999-2000 the main components of an overall reduction of $2.906m are:
• a decrease of $4.472m in receivables, relating to the prisoner payments to NSW and GPO revenue accrued by the Department in 1998-99; and
• an increase of $1.5m in works in progress, reflecting the commencement of the Police and Emergency Services infrastructure improvement program;
• liabilities: the increase of $0.242m is represented by a decrease of $1.354m in creditors and an overall increase of $1.596m for employee entitlements, resulting from a review of employee expenses which identified additional accruals.

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