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Outputs: report on end-of-year position for non-financial performance measures

Employment Initiatives
Private Sector Industrial Relations Services
Public Sector Industrial and Employee Relations Services
Workplace Health and Safety Services
Electrical Safety Services
Administration of the Industrial Court and Commission System

Each year, as part of the papers for the Queensland State Budget, DEIR prepares its annual Ministerial Portfolio Statement (MPS). This document reports on the outputs the department is responsible for. DEIR has six outputs:

• Employment Initiatives
• Private Sector Industrial Relations Services
• Public Sector Industrial and Employee Relations Services
• Workplace Health and Safety Services (including Workers’ Compensation Policy)
• Electrical Safety Services
• Administration of the Industrial Court and Commission System.

An MPS is a forward-looking document that provides financial and non-financial performance information for each output, focused on the new financial year. To align with the budget timetable, the MPS is usually published in May of each year and includes an estimate of the end-of-year position for financial and non-financial performance.

The following tables disclose the actual end-of-year position for all DEIR non-financial output measures for the past three years.

Output: Employment Initiatives

Notes:

1. This program ceased on 30 June 2006 with payments finishing in December 2006.
2. As a result of machinery-of-government changes, this measure transferred to the Department of State Development in 2006–07.
3. This figure refers to apprentices appointed as part of the 300 Apprentice Program. These apprenticeships are due for completion in 2006–07.
4. The 2006–07 actual figure includes the Youth Justice Service previously funded under the Community Jobs Plan.

Output: Private Sector Industrial Relations Services

Notes:

1. There are many factors outside the control of the department that impact on the achievement of these measures. However, they are key measures for the output. The target is based on what could reasonably be achieved if other factors had little or no impact.
2. Since the commencement of the federal government’s Work Choices legislation, wage complaint activity has reduced due to the decrease in employees under the state IR jurisdiction. This enabled a greater number of audits to be conducted in 2006–07 than was proposed. The figures include general audits, targeted audits, and audits under the Child Employment Act 2006. The industrial inspectorate has found general and targeted audits to be an effective tool for ensuring compliance with workplace-related legislation, agreements and awards. In addition to ensuring employees receive lawful entitlements, audit activity creates awareness of employer obligations and assists in creating an ‘equal playing field’ for employers.
3. In 2006–07, there has been an increase in calls from both employees and employers to the department’s Wageline and Fair Go Hotline in relation to concerns, confusion and reports about the impact of Work Choices. It is expected that this will continue in 2007–08, but it is likely to be at lower levels.
4. New measure.
5. The survey methodology for client satisfaction with wage complaints and information services is under review and comparable data is not available. The client satisfaction measure for policy services is assessed through a stakeholder survey. The policy survey was conducted; however, the result is considered statistically invalid due to a low response rate. During 2006–07, PSIR commissioned client satisfaction research from an independent market research company. This research found high levels of client satisfaction with PSIR services. Overall client satisfaction for PSIR services was 77% and satisfaction with Wageline services was 80%.
6. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) provides a measure of wages for full-time adult non-managerial employees at various points along the wage distribution. The three measures of wage dispersion provided here represent the ratio between different points along that distribution (D1) or the 10^th percentile. The D9-D1 measure is the ratio of the wage 10% from the top of the distribution (D9) for the 90^th percentile to the median wage (D5). An increase in the ratio indicates an increase in wage dispersion (i.e. an increase in wage inequality). The decision by the ABS to measure Employee Earnings and Hours only on a biannual basis means it is not possible to report this measure on an annual basis. The 2006–07 figures are based on the May 2006 ABS Employee Earnings and Hours survey figures.
7. It is probable that the impact of Work Choices can be seen in the wage dispersion 2006–07 actual figures with ratios involving D1 figures. Many employees reliant on award wage and minimum wage increases would fall into this decile. From the commencement of Work Choices, many D1 employees would not have experienced a pay rise (the federal minimum wage increase was not applied until 1 December 2006) and could have experienced an effective drop in pay due to the impact of AWAs removing penalty rates and other ‘protected conditions’. As such the ratios where D1 pay rates are the denominator are higher than estimated for 2006–07.
8. 2006–07 actual wage dispersion figures for D9-D1 are higher than forecast due to the high wage rates currently being achieved in the mining industry and other skills shortage industries related to the resources boom. In Queensland, particularly since the early 1990s, the earnings of the top 10% of full-time adult non-managerial employees has grown faster than the earnings of the bottom 10% of the median, contributing to earnings inequality in comparison with D9 figures.
9. This figure is substantially lower than the estimate, mainly due to the impact of Work Choices on industrial disputes, including the legislation’s imposition of large fines on both employees and employers for unlawful industrial action.
10. Complexities associated with wage complaint investigation have increased the time taken to finalise complaints.

Output: Public Sector Industrial and Employee Relations Services

Notes:

1. Measure renamed from ‘stakeholder satisfaction in achieving government wages policy’.
2. The removal of the primary wages claim and other significant whole-of-government issues (under the Public Sector Wage Bargaining Memorandum of Agreement) is reflected in lower levels of industrial disputation and consequently improved client/stakeholder satisfaction.

Output: Workplace Health and Safety Services

Notes:

1. The state-wide compliance campaign implemented measure relates only to state-wide safety campaigns. Fifteen campaigns were scheduled for 2006–07. However, two campaigns have been postponed until 2007–08.
2. Includes WHSO and prescribed activity certificates (Asbestos B which is a new licence).
3. A change in administrative procedures employed by WorkCover has resulted in a break in the statistical series. Therefore it is not possible to estimate a result for 2006–07 at this time. The department is working with the scheme regulator to develop a process to rebase the statistical series to give comparable year to year results for this measure.
4. In 2006–07, the two industry compliance campaigns nominated as being those which were to be used for revisit analysis include: distribution centres (transport) and safe use of plant (manufacturing).
5. In 2006–07, this measure changed from annual to biennial. The survey will be conducted again in 2007–08.

Output: Electrical Safety Services

Notes:

1. This figure includes all dangerous electrical events assessed by the Electrical Safety Office. The methodology for the measurement of electrical investigations conducted in 2007–08 is being altered to more accurately measure investigative work as opposed to other inspectorate work.
2. Appliance approvals are market driven. Applications have reduced due to interstate competition and a growth in third party approval providers.
3. This measure is a three year moving average which is being benchmarked commencing in 2006–07.
4. In 2006–07, this measure has changed from annual to biennial. The survey will be conducted again in 2007–08.
5. Electrical safety seminar programs for industry and the community were introduced in 2006–07 as a benchmark year.
6. Type 2 comprehensive investigations include all investigations other than those involving fatalities and grievous bodily harm.
7. Comprehensive investigations are down in 2006–07 due to difficulty in recruiting investigators as a result of the skills shortage and higher than normal absence for training of existing inspectors to upskill on fire investigations.
8. New measure for 2006–07.

Output: Administration of the Industrial Court and Commission System

Notes:

1. 2006–07 actual figures reflect the impact on the workload of the QIRC from the introduction of the federal industrial relations reforms on 27 March 2006.
2. Measured from 2005–06.
3. Stage 2 of the Industrial Matters System Project involving online lodgment of forms has been placed on hold as a result of the impact of the federal industrial relations reforms. Therefore information to enable measurement is not available for 2006–07.

Last updated 21 July 2009

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