CONTENTS
- Updated Annual Report RMGs
- Annual Report Community of Practice – 4 April 2023
- Introduction to Annual Reports - targeted online sessions
- Refreshed RMG 107 Risk Potential Assessment Tool
- Updated RMG 308 Commonwealth Investment Framework
- Comcover Fund Member Renewal Questionnaire
- Comcover Insurance Community of Practice
- Guide to Implementing the Commonwealth Risk Management Policy Released
- 2023 Comcover Education Program
- Updates to structure.gov.au
- Tip of the Month
Updated Annual Report RMGs
The Annual Report RMGs have been updated and are available on the Finance website, links below:
- Annual reports for non-corporate Commonwealth entities (RMG 135)
- Annual reports for corporate Commonwealth entities (RMG 136)
- Annual reports for Commonwealth companies (RMG 137)
The Frequently Asked Questions have also been updated and are available on the Finance website:
In preparation for the 2022-23 annual reporting period, please note the following changes and new reporting requirements reference in the RMGs:
Other Highly Paid Staff (OHPS) reporting (Non-corporate and Corporate entities only)
The first banding for Other Highly Paid Staff has been indexed to start at $240,000. This change is reflected in the associated data template.
APS Net Zero 2030 Annual Reporting Requirements
As part of the reporting requirements under section 516A of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and in line with the Government’s APS Net Zero 2030 policy, all non-corporate Commonwealth entities and corporate Commonwealth entities are required to publicly report on the emissions from their operations. A table for reporting emissions and further details can be found in Annual reports for non-corporate Commonwealth entities (RMG 135) and Annual reports for corporate Commonwealth entities (RMG 136).
Gender reporting
For the 2022-23 Annual Report, consistent with advice from the Attorney-General's Department, entities are asked to describe gender in line with the Australian Bureau of Statistics' Standard for Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation Variables (2020).
The categories are:
- Man/Male
- Woman/Female
- Non-binary
- Prefers not to answer
- Uses a different term.
For those entities that have already collected reporting on the basis of male/female/gender x (indeterminate, intersex, unspecified) are encouraged to report Gender X as “Uses a different term”.
If you have any Annual Report feedback or queries, please contact us by phone on (02) 6215 1653 or by email at dar@finance.gov.au.
Annual Report Community of Practice – 4 April 2023
This CoP focused on:
- Changes to the Digital Annual Reporting Tool
- The requirements for the 2022-23 annual reporting period and
- A presentation of annual reporting requirements available in structure.gov.au.
Introduction to Annual Reports - targeted online sessions
The Digital Annual Report team are hosting targeted online Introduction to Annual Reports sessions on the following days:
- Commonwealth Companies – 11:00am Monday 15 May 2023
- Corporate Commonwealth entities – 11:00am Tuesday 16 May 2023
- Non-corporate Commonwealth entities -11:00am Wednesday 17 May 2023
To register interest in an Introduction to Annual Reports session please contact the dar@finance.gov.au.
Refreshed RMG 107 Risk Potential Assessment Tool
RMG 107 has been enhanced to align with the digital approach to our guidance. This guidance assists officials of Commonwealth entities who are responsible for preparing and completing the Risk Potential Assessment Tool as part of a New Policy Proposal within the Budget process. This enhanced version provides a user-friendly and more accessible guide. Please note that the content has not changed.
If you have any feedback on our RMGs or need further information in relation these updates, please contact us at PGPA@finance.gov.au.
Updated RMG 308 Commonwealth Investment Framework
The focal point of the updates to the Framework is a 3-step commercial assessment as a key tool for entities developing investment proposals. The 3-step commercial assessment helps identify commercial opportunities and assess the appropriateness of non-grant financing options for Government projects. It provides entities with a tool to inform the development, design and evaluation of potential project financing and delivery models, including partnering with the private sector.
The Framework also includes an expanded set of capability-building toolkit items, providing officials with additional how-to guidance to assist in using the Framework. The new toolkit items include guidance on delivery vehicles, commercial models, governance and financial modelling.
The updated Framework can be found on the Finance website here. For any questions please contact the team at InvestmentFramework@finance.gov.au.
Comcover Fund Member Renewal Questionnaire
Participation in Comcover is only available for Australian Government entities that are classified to the General Government Sector.
If you have questions about any of these matters, please contact your Comcover Relationship Manager on 1800 651 540 (option 3) or email comcover@comcover.com.au.
Comcover Insurance Community of Practice
The Comcover Insurance Community of Practice will be held on Wednesday 17 May 2023 from 10:00am via GovTEAMS.
If you would like further information, please contact the team at comcover@comcover.com.au.
Guide to Implementing the Commonwealth Risk Management Policy Released
RMG 211 is intended to be used as a learning resource and is not mandatory. It is important that entities develop frameworks and systems for managing risks that are tailored to their needs. Entities can elect to use the concepts in the guide, adapt them or use alternative methodologies.
For any queries on RMG 211 or the Commonwealth Risk Management Policy, please contact comcover@comcover.com.au.
2023 Comcover Education Program
Comcover’s Education Program (Program) assists officials at all levels to understand the principles of good risk management. Being able to understand the risks at each stage of the procurement lifecycle is important in achieving successful procurement outcomes. Being able to understand the risks associated with issuing an indemnity or warranty or the most appropriate method of risk retention or risk transfer support innovative outcomes though the procurement process.
The Program consists of four learning pathways designed to increase risk management capability across the Commonwealth. Key features of the Program are eLearning, face-to-face training, access to reference material, and networking.
The Program has been designed to provide tailored training and support across the following
four pathways:
Foundation level: All Commonwealth officials, regardless of level or role who are required to understand basic risk management concepts and how risk is managed in the Commonwealth.
Generalist level: Commonwealth officials, regardless of level, whose role requires them to engage with and apply their entity's risk management framework to successfully deliver outcomes. Generalists engage with risk at the activity level and have attained Foundation level capability.
Specialist level: Job role specialists who are required to design, implement and embed an entity's risk management and insurance framework. Specialists facilitate generalists and executives to fulfil their risk management responsibilities.
SES Professional Development Program: Senior Executive Service officials whose role requires them to communicate the acceptable levels of risk that are appropriate to their entity's profile, allocate resources and model the adoption of risk management policies, strategies and best practice in their entity.
The remainder of our 2023 workshop calendar is below:
| Generalist Practical Risk Management | Specialist Embedding Risk Management | Executive A Strategic Perspective to Managing Risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd August (Virtual) | 19th July (Day 1) 30th August (Day 2) | 29th August |
| 16th August | 20th and 21st September (Virtual) | 10th October (Virtual) |
| 18th October (Virtual) | 12th October (Day 1) 23rd November (Day 2) | 22nd November |
| 1st November | 15th and 16th November (Virtual) | 12th December (Virtual) |
To learn more about enrolling in these workshops and accessing Comcover Education opportunities please visit Education | Department of Finance or call 1800 651 540 and select Option 2.
Updates to structure.gov.au
Finance has made some recent updates to structure.gov.au that we thought we would share.
- Department of State/Portfolio summaries. Information about the bodies, administered legislation, ministerial roles, and matters dealt with by the Departments of State are now accessible through the PGPA Summary by clicking on the name of the portfolio category heading.
- how the matters are used by organisations; and,
- what other information would be useful to include on the new summary.
Tip of the Month
The latest data is available under Tools and templates on Finance’s PGPA Act Flipchart and List page.
