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AFMA’s Annual Operational Plan is a detailed plan for the delivery of AFMA’s outcome and program for the coming year. It includes strategies, responsibilities and performance indicators as well as outlining the actions we intend to take in the coming year to give effect to or further our main goals in our Corporate Plan.

Annual reports provide information about our operations and performance in each financial year.

Latest annual report

Past annual reports

Australian Public Service Employee Census 2020

83% of AFMA employees were willing to have their say on the issues that are important to them in the 2020 APS census. The results were presented to all staff by the CEO in January 2021.

In happy contrast to the 2019 census results, AFMA’s employee engagement index increased 3 points to 75%, sitting 2 points above the APS-wide engagement level. Engagement levels were supported by results that 90% of the agency’s employees believe strongly in the purpose of AFMA, with 93% willing to “go the extra mile”. Employee perception of supervisors is also positively driving positive engagement results.

The agency’s wellbeing index also increased a significant 10 points to 68%. While there has been a positive increase seen in the 2020 results, wellbeing remains slightly below the wider APS. An inclusive and respectful culture is driving engagement with an increase of 14% from 2019 results.

Positive change was also seen in internal and Senior Executive Service (SES) communication, in the following:

  • effective internal communication and effective SES communication
  • communication between SES and other employees
  • the communication of health and wellbeing; and
  • regularity of internal communication.

Employees responded positively to the actions that the agency took in managing COVID-19, recognising that AFMA continued to take steps to improve the way we worked during the pandemic. In general, employees were also more satisfied with the way change was managed within the agency.

Employee responses to the survey do point to several areas where further work is required, including around clarification of priorities, roles and responsibilities and managing staff time pressures.

Work has commenced on establishing priorities for action, noting that the 2021 APS Census is coming soon, and may indicate additional or changed areas of priority. The following themes were presented to all staff by the CEO as potential areas for immediate action:

  • priority setting within and between branches
  • distinctions between perceptions of workgroup achievements vs agency-wide or executive achievements
  • transparency in application of corporate policies, and
  • attraction and retention of good staff.

The 2020 census findings provide a valuable insight to understand employee views and experiences of working in AFMA, and the broader APS. Any actions taken to address the findings of the census will be a shared responsibility between all AFMA employees and the Executive.

View AFMA's 2019 APS Census results.

View AFMA's 2020 APS Census results.

Role and function

The Audit and Risk Committee operates in line with the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 and provides independent advice and assurance to the Chief Executive Officer of the appropriateness of AFMA's:

  • financial reporting including the annual audited financial statements
  • performance reporting including the framework for developing, measuring and reporting
  • systems of risk oversight and management including AFMA's risk management and fraud control framework
  • systems of internal controls associated with – governance, risk management, compliance and business continuity management arrangements

Download the charter determining the functions of AFMA’s Audit and Risk Committee.

Our Client Service Charter informs stakeholders and clients of the standards of service they can expect in their dealings with us.

The Client Service Charter process provides an avenue for clients to comment on our performance and a means to address concerns if they believe we are not meeting our service standards.

View AFMA’s Client Service Charter.

Our Corporate Plan has a five year focus. It tells stakeholders what our outcome and outputs are, and what indicators will be used to measure successful delivery of the outcome.

The Corporate Plan also outlines factors that are likely to influence the operating environment in the future, priorities for improvement and what our future directions are over the remaining period of the plan.

2020-21 AFMA Corporate Plan (PDF)

2019-22 AFMA Corporate Plan (PDF, 3.2MB)

2018-21 AFMA Corporate Plan (PDF, 2MB)

2017-20 AFMA Corporate Plan (PDF, 3MB)

2016-19 AFMA Corporate Plan (PDF, 430KB)

2015-18 AFMA Corporate Plan

2014-17 AFMA Corporate Plan (PDF, 1 MB)

Current arrangements

In line with the Department of Finance Cost Recovery Guidelines AFMA has reviewed and updated it’s Cost Recovery Implementation Statement (CRIS) for 2020-21.  AFMA’s CRIS describes how AFMA will charge fishing concession holders for the management of Commonwealth fisheries. AFMA’s 2020-21 cost recovered budget has been prepared in accordance with this statement.

The CRIS will be reviewed every year and cost recovered budget statements prepared accordingly.

Previous arrangements

AFMA’s CRIS 2010 was reviewed after the release of new cost recovery guidelines by the Department of Finance. The CRIS 2017 described how AFMA charged fishing concession holders for the management of Commonwealth fisheries in 2017-18.

An indexed listing of the files created within AFMA.

The Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) gives any person the right to:
  • access copies of documents (except exempt documents) we hold
  • ask for information we hold about you to be changed or annotated if it is incomplete, out of date, incorrect or misleading, and
  • seek a review of our decision not to allow you access to a document or not to amend your personal record.

You can ask to see any document that we hold. We can refuse access to some documents, or parts of documents that are exempt. Exempt documents may include those relating to national security, documents containing material obtained in confidence and Cabinet documents, or other matters set out in the FOI Act.

You can get certain information, including personal information we hold about you, without following a formal process under the FOI Act.

You should also check the information we have published under the Information Publication Scheme and FOI disclosure log to see if what you are seeking is already available.

Further information can be found from the following links:

The following are AFMA’s human resource policies and plans.

AFMA is required to comply with the obligations set out in the Legal Services Directions 2017, issued by the Attorney-General under the Judiciary Act 1903. Paragraph 11.1(ba) of the Directions prescribes that the Chief Executive Officer of a Commonwealth Agency is required to make publicly available records of the agency’s legal services expenditure for each financial year. These records include the total amounts spent on external legal expenses, such as counsel and legal firms’ fees, travel costs and other disbursements, and internal legal fees comprising of legal staff salaries and superannuation.

Portfolio Budget Statements inform Senators and Members of Parliament of the proposed allocation of resources to Government outcomes for the coming year. The statements detail financial arrangements, allot expenditure against individual activities and describe how these activities contribute to the government’s priorities.

View the full list of current and previous Australian Government Department of Agriculture Portfolio Budget Statements.

The AFMA Privacy Policy was established in June 2018.  The policy describes AFMA’s obligations in relation to personal information. This policy applies to all personal information held by AFMA including the personal information of employees, contractors and clients.

For further information please refer to the following documents:

If you wish to make any comments or suggestions about the privacy policy, you can do so by emailing privacy@afma.gov.au.

The Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 (PID Act) came into effect on 15 January 2014.  The Act creates a public interest disclosure scheme that promotes integrity and accountability in the Australian public sector. The public interest disclosure scheme extends beyond the Australian Public Service to a range of Commonwealth entities, including Commonwealth companies and authorities, and contracted service providers.  Only public officials, or persons deemed to be public officials, can make a Public Interest Disclosure. The Act promotes accountability and integrity in the Australian Public Service by encouraging the disclosure of information about suspected wrongdoing, supporting and protecting disclosers from adverse consequences and ensuring that public interest disclosures are properly investigated and dealt with.

Read more about public interest disclosure.

The Australian Government Regulator Performance Framework (RPF) was developed to ‘encourage regulators to undertake their functions with the minimum impact necessary to achieve regulatory objectives and to effect positive ongoing and lasting cultural change within regulators.

The RPF contains six indicators against which regulators are to measure their performance:

  • regulators do not unnecessarily impede the efficient operation of regulated entities
  • communication with regulated entities is clear, targeted and effective
  • actions undertaken by regulators are proportionate to the regulatory risk being managed
  • compliance and monitoring approaches are streamlined and coordinated
  • regulators are open and transparent in dealing with regulated entities
  • regulators actively contribute to the continuous improvement of regulatory frameworks.

Download a copy of AFMA's Regulatory Performance Framework fro 2019-20 (PDF)

Previous documents:

The Regulatory Change Plans outline proposed new regulatory plans and changes to regulatory plans. Each Commonwealth agency that has responsibility for business regulation is required to publish a regulatory plan on its website early in each financial year. The regulatory plan deals with changes within the agency’s area of responsibility and contains information about:
  • changes to business regulation which have occurred since the beginning of the previous financial year
  • activities planned in the current financial year which could lead to changes to business regulation.

AFMA’s regulatory plan can be found on the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources website as detailed in the Past Regulatory Change document and Proposed Regulatory Change document.

Remuneration of AFMA Chief Executive

2017-18 financial year

The remuneration of the AFMA Chief Executive is made under the sub-section 7(3) and 7(4) of the Remuneration Tribunal Act 1973.

Office Base Salary (per annum) Total Remuneration for office (per annum)
Chief Executive Officer, Australian Fisheries Management Authority $285,930 $391,680

Download the Determination 2016/19: Remuneration and Allowances for Holders of Full-Time Public Office.

Remuneration of Senior Executive

2016-17 financial year

Total Remuneration Executive No. Average Reportable Salary

$

 Average Contributed superannuation $ Average Allowances $ Average bonus paid $ Average Total remuneration $
$275,001 to $350,000 3 $215,101 $66,389 $22,517 $0 $304,007

Note – Information contained in above table excludes remuneration for Statutory Office Holders. Due to the small numbers of senior executives within AFMA, further breakdown of senior executive remuneration packages are not made available to avoid identification of individuals.

Key requirements/definitions

The ‘reportable salary’ column is prepared on a cash basis using reportable salary as defined as the sum of:

  1. gross payments (excluding bonuses)
  2. reportable fringe benefits (net amount)
  3. reportable employer superannuation contributions
  4. exempt foreign employment income

as reported in an individual’s payment summary.

The ‘contributed superannuation’ column is prepared on a cash basis using contributed superannuation as defined as follows:

  • For individuals that are in a defined contribution scheme (e.g., PSSap), ‘Contributed superannuation’ should include the defined contribution amounts. This amount is typically located on the individual’s payslip.

or

  • For individuals that are in a defined benefit scheme (e.g. PSS and CSS), ‘Contributed superannuation’ should include the Notional Employer ​Contribution Rate (NECR) amount, Employer Productivity Superannuation Contribution (also known as the Productivity Component) and any Additional Lump Sum Contribution paid during the financial reporting period.

The ‘reportable allowances’ column is prepared on a cash basis using reportable allowances as is equal to the ‘total allowances’ figure as reported in an individual’s payment summary. Reportable allowances excludes any allowances already reported in the gross payments line in the payment summary.

The ‘bonus paid’ column is prepared on a cash basis using bonus paid as is equal to the actual bonus paid to individuals during the reporting period and is a component of gross payments reported on the payment summary.

Senate Order on Entity Contracts – listing for the period 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020

The Senate Order on Entity Contracts requires the Australian Fisheries Management Authority to list contracts with an estimated value of $100,000 or more and which were:

1. entered into prior to 1 January 2020, not fully performed as at 31 December 2020; and/or
2. entered into during the 12 months prior to 31 December 2020.
Procurement contracts – a list is available through the Senate Order Report located on AusTender. The report is titled Entity Reports for complying with the Senate Order on Procurement Contracts and use of Confidentiality Provisions.

The contracts listed contain confidentiality provisions of a general nature that are designed to protect the confidential information of the parties that may be obtained or generated in carrying out the contract.  The reasons for including such clauses include:

  • ordinary commercial prudence that requires protection of trade secrets, proprietary information and the like; and/or
  • protection of other Commonwealth material and personal information

Grant contracts – No grants were administered during the 2020 calendar year.

Contracts for Supply of goods/services – No contracts for the supply of goods/services were entered into during the 2020 calendar year.

Disposal of Assets and other Financial arrangement contracts – No contracts for Disposal of Assets and other Financial arrangement contracts were entered into during the 2020 calendar year.

The estimated cost of complying with the Senate Order is $1,000, and is calculated based on time taken by hourly rate.

Download the 2019 AFMA Stakeholder Perceptions Survey (PDF).

Download the  2017 AFMA Stakeholder Perceptions Survey (PDF).

AFMA’s tender opportunities are published on the Australian Government Advertising website.