ADDENDUM TO THE COMMUNICATIONS PROTOCOL BETWEEN THE OFFICE OF THE M INISTER FOR

CH ILD PROTECTION AND THE DEPARTMENT FOR CHILD PROTECTION AND FAMILY SUPPORT

(COMMUNICATIONS PROTOCOL)

This is an addendum to the Communications Protocol referred to above and signed by both parties

on 28 March 2017.

This protocol and addendum will remain in place until the implementation of the communication

protocol with the Department of Community Services.

7. Communications to facilitate timely progress offamily and domestic violence policy

• The Principa l Policy Adviser and the Director, Family and Domestic Violence Unit, Department

for Child Protection and Family Support (the Department), will arrange to meet on a regular

basis to support the timely progress and alignment on fa mily and domestic violence policy.

• As a guide meeting frequen cy could be every four to six weeks depending on the work programs

and priorities of the Minister's Office and the Department.

• This meeting may include, either on a regular or as required basis, the appropriate

representative in the Department of the Premier and Cabinet who is assigned to the fami ly and

domestic vio lence policy portfolio and/or responsible for advis ing on COAG matters in this and

related portfolios.

Signed :

Emma White DIRECTOR GENERAL

:!o .... May 2017

Hon Simone McGurk MLA Minister for Child Protection; Women's Interests; Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence; Community Services

COMMUNICATIONS PROTOCOL BETWEEN

THE OFFICE OF THE MINISTER FOR CHILD PROTECTION AND

THE DEPARTMENT FOR CHILD PROTECTION AND FAMILY SUPPORT

1. Communications from the Minister's Office to the Department for Child Protection and Family Support (the Department)

All requests should be for, and on behalf of, the Minister in relation to their responsibilities as Minister. Should this not be the case, this should be made clear at the time of the contact.

• Correspondence/Briefings (including Cabinet/Parliamentary responses, information or research)

Routine requests for draft correspondence, briefing notes, responses to Parliament or Cabinet documents, information or research must be directed through the tracking systems of the two offices (Correspondence Officer for the Minister, Coordinator Ministerial Liaison and Ministerial Liaison Officer for the Department) with a timeframe for response. The relevant Executive Director/s and the Director General must sign off on all matters prior to them being sent to the Minister's office.

• Meetings All requests for meetings with the Director General or other departmental staff must be referred to the Director General's Executive Officer and/or Director Executive Services.

• Legislation Matters relating to the drafting of legislation will be assigned a drafting officer, usually General Counsel, and this officer will be responsible for dealing with all matters associated with the legislation and keeping Executive Directors informed of developments. The Minister's Office will be kept informed through the Director General and/or Director Executive Services.

• Department resources Requirements involving the Department in committing resources (beyond the normal functions and duties of the Department's officers) must be sent to the Director General in writing. If this is not possible, the Director General must be informed as a soon as practicable.

• General Directions by the Minister's Office staff to the Department on the way they are to perform their duties require the concurrence of the Director General. All directions should be referred to the Director Executive Services.

Page 1 of 3

Time constraints on the Minister's Office, especially during Parliamentary sittings, may mean that a telephone or email approach by the Minister's Office to the Director Executive Services or Coordinator Ministerial Liaison/Ministerial Liaison Officer may be more appropriate than a formal written approach. In such instances a verbal or email response by the Department is also appropriate.

2. Communications from the Department to the Minister's Office • Briefing notes, invitations, requests for approval and other information for the Minister's

attention/consideration must be forwarded through the relevant Executive Director to the Coordinator Ministerial Liaison and/or Ministerial Liaison Officer and/or Director Executive Services for the Director General's approval. The Coordinator Ministerial Liaison/Ministerial Liaison Officer will forward all communications through the routine process.

• Performance standards in communications and dealings between the Ministerial Office staff and employees of the Department.

Type of Ministerial Request o Ministerial request for and on behalf of

the Premier or Governor o Ministerial request for and on behalf of a

WA Member of Parliament o Ministerial request for and on behalf of a

member of the public

Timeframe 5 working days

5 working days

10 working days

• Specific deadlines will be negotiated on a case by case basis by Ministerial Office staff and the Department Coordinator Ministerial Liaison/Ministerial Liaison Officer/Director Executive Services depending on the urgency of the communication.

3. Communications between the Department and another Minister or Member of Parliament

• Should the Department be contacted directly by a Member of Parliament, another Minister, or their staff, the Department staff member will inform the other party that all communication is to be directed through the Office of the Minister for Child Protection. The Department (through the Coordinator Ministerial Liaison/Ministerial Liaison Officer) will advise the Minister's Office of the contact as soon as possible.

• Where a Member of Parliament or another Minister is to attend any event, meeting or Department location for any reason, the Department (through the Coordinator Ministerial Liaison/Ministerial Liaison Officer) will advise the Minister's Office with sufficient notice to ensure that the Minister or their representative can decide whether to attend.

Page 2 of 3

• No staff member from the Department should initiate contact with another Minister or Member of Parliament or their staff without prior approval from Director General and the Minister's Office.

4. Cabinet matters

• All submissions for consideration by Cabinet must be directed through the Minister's Office. Prior to forwarding to the Minister's Office all submissions are to be sent to the Director Executive Services to be considered and approved by the Director General.

5. Media • When approached by the media for comment, the Department will advise the Media

Advisor for the Minister. Unless otherwise advised by the Media Advisor that the Minister wishes to make a Ministerial response the Department will provide a response to the journalist, once approved by the Director General.

6. Resolution procedure for a breach of these arrangements • The Minister or Chief of Staff and the Director General will discuss the breach and

decide on any further action.

HON SIMONE MCGURK MLA MINISTER FOR CHILD PROTECTION

'"2f March 2017

EMMA WHITE DIRECTOR GENERAL DEPARTMENT FOR CHILD PROTECTION AND FAMILY SUPPORT

; ... ~1? March 2017

Page 3 of 3

BRIEFING NOTE FOR THE MINISTER FOR CHILD PROTECTION; WOMEN'S INTERESTS; PREVENTION OF FAMILY AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE; COMMUNITY SERVICES

Department/Authority: Department of Local Government and Communities

Issue: Communications Agreement

Background: • The Public Sector Commissioner's Circular 2009-10 recommends the establishment of

Communications Agreements to appropriately manage communications between a Minister and his or her office and the department for which the Minister has responsibility.

• The circular clarifies section 74 of the Public Sector Management Act 1994, which requires a Minister of the Crown to make arrangements in writing, in relation to each department or organisation for which he or she is responsible, that set out 'the manner in which, and the circumstances in which, dealings are to be had, and communications are to be made, between ministerial officers assisting the Minister of the Crown and the employees in that department or organisation.'

Current situation: • The Department has drafted the attached Communications Agreement for the Minister's

consideration.

Recommendation/Action: • The Minister to approve and sign the attached Communications Agreement.

~~d I Not Approved

HON SIMONE McGURK MLA MINISTER FOR CHILD PROTECTION; WOMEN'S INTERESTS; PREVENTION OF FAMILY AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE; COMMUNITY SERVICES

DATE: J A:p-iJ ?-O 1"1-·

PREPARED BY: Daevid Anderson, Office of the Director General DATE: 27 March 2017

Ref No: E1711885 Page 1 of 1

COMMUNICATION AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE

OFFICE OF THE MINISTER FOR WOMEN'S INTERESTS; COMMUNITY SERVICES AND

THE DEPARTMENT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITIES

1. BASIS FOR COMMUNICATION

This arrangement formalises the manner and circumstances in which communications are to be had between ministerial officers assisting the Minister and employees of the Department of Local Government and Communities (hereafter called the Department).

This arrangement should be read in conjunction with:

• Administrative Instruction 102 - Official Communications; and

• Public Sector Commissioner's Circular 2009-10 - Communication Arrangements between Ministers and Agencies - s74 of the Public Sector Management Act 1994.

This Agreement seeks to ensure:

• quality service to the Minister's office;

• accuracy in written communications and ministerial correspondence;

• efficient monitoring and tracking; and

• timeliness in the delivery of ministerial services and correspondence.

In all communications, the statutory obligations and responsibilities of the relevant parties will be preserved.

2. MINISTERIAL OFFICE COMMUNICATIONS TO THE DEPARTMENT

• General Principles

All requests should be for, and on behalf of, the Minister in relation to his responsibilities as Minister. Should this not be the case, this should be made clear at the time of contact.

All communication to and from the Minister's office must be logged and tracked by the Department's Ministerial Liaison Coordinator (MLC).

All comments and advice from the Department must be endorsed by the Director General, and should be deemed non-authorised if not endorsed.

11 Page

• Directions to the Department

Ministerial office staff may only direct officers of the Department in a manner consistent with Section 74(2) of the Public Sector Management Act 1994 - i.e. with the agreement of the employing authority.

Any directions by the Minister to a specific Board of Management within the Department or Minister's portfolio will be given in accordance with the specific Act under which the Board was established.

• Routine requests for information or research

All matters should be directed through the Director General or staff in the Office of the Director General in the first instance.

Direct telephone or email contact with Departmental staff should not occur, except where urgent or specialist advice is required, in which case contact can be made with the Department's relevant Executive Director.

See Attachment 1 for details of approved officers.

In all cases, this contact must be followed up via email to the Director General, copying in the MLC (ministerials@dlgc.wa .gov.au).

• Ministerials

Ministerial Correspondence

Requests from the Minister's office for draft responses to ministerial correspondence should be sent to the Department via email to ministerials@dlgc.wa .gov.au or in hard copy.

Draft responses for the Minister's signature will be prepared by the Department and forwarded to the Minister's office for consideration via email or in hard copy.

A copy of the final correspondence, showing the date it was signed by the Minister, will be returned to the Department via email.

Timeline:

• Turnaround time for Premier's or Governor's requests - 5 working days following receipt.

• Turnaround time for Members of Parliament - 5 working days following receipt.

• Turnaround time for members of the general public - 10 working days following receipt.

• Or as requested by the Minister's office.

Briefing Notes

Requests from the Minister's office for briefing notes should be sent via email to ministerials@dlgc.wa .gov.au.

21Page

Following approval by the Director General, briefing Notes will be returned to the requesting officer via email , and/or in hard copy if requested.

All briefing notes, whether specifically requested or prepared at the Department's instigation, will be provided to the Minister's office in the agreed formal.

Timeline:

• As requested by the Minister's office.

Speech Notes

Urgent requests for speech notes and event briefs will be sent to the Department via email to ministerials@d lgc.wa .gov.au. Speech notes and event briefs will be prepared by Departmental staff and emailed to the Minister's Appointments Secretary in the agreed format following approval by the Director General.

Timeline:

• As requested by the Minister's office.

Parliamentarv Questions

Requests for draft responses to Parliamentary Questions will be emailed to ministerials@dlgc.wa.gov.au via the Parliamentary Questions System, with responses preparea ana returnea-followlng approval-By fl1eDirecfor General.

• Media enquiries

Requests for draft media responses are to be directed to the MLC in the first instance, though direct contact between the Minister's Media Adviser and the Department's Manager, Corporate Communications is allowed.

All draft responses are to be approved by the Director General then emailed to the Minister's office.

• Arranging a meeting with relevant Departmental staff and requesting their attendance

All meeting requests must be referred to the Director General or the Director, Office of the Director General.

• Matters relating to the drafting of legislation

A drafting officer will be nominated for each piece of legislation and this officer will be responsible for dealing with all matters associated with the legislation and for keeping the relevant Ministerial officer and Director General informed of developments.

• Significant and/or contentious issues

The Director General will ensure that the Minister is thoroughly informed of all significant and/or contentious issues, in particular any pending or likely adverse findings by regulatory bodies.

31Page

• Requirements involving the Department in committing resources (beyond the normal functions and duties of the Department's officers)

All such requests are to be directed to the Director General in writing.

3. DEPARTMENTAL COMMUNICATIONS TO THE MINISTERIAL OFFICE

• General Principles

All communication to and from the Minister's office must be logged and tracked by the Department's Ministerial Liaison Coordinator (MLC).

All comments and advice from the Department must be endorsed by the Director General, and should be deemed non-authorised if not endorsed.

• Formal meetings with the Minister

Formal meetings between the Director General and the Minister will occur on a regular basis, as scheduled with the Minister's Appointments Secretary.

• Communications from Department to office of a Minister responsible for another portfolio

With the exception of the Ministers relevant to the Department's other portfolio areas, contact with other Ministerial offices should be avoided where possible.

Enquiries related to the Women's Interests or Community Services portfolios should be directed through the Minister's office.

• Communications between the Department and Members of Parliament

All communications with Members of Parliament must be directed through the Minister's office in the first instance.

All approaches for Ministerial visits by other State or Commonwealth Ministers, or by members of the Agency to a State or Commonwealth Minister's office, will be co-ordinated through the Minister's Policy Adviser.

• Cabinet matters

All submissions for consideration by Cabinet must be directed through the Minister's office and approved by the Director General or other officer nominated by the Director General.

The formal timeframes required by Cabinet Services, and those required by the Minister's office are to be considered when preparing Cabinet documents.

41Page

• Media

Any media enquiries made directly to the Department should be discussed in the first instance with the Minister's Media Adviser.

Departmental responses must be approved by the Director General, and should be provided to the Minister's office for noting.

4. RESOLUTION PROCEDURE FOR A BREACH OF THESE ARRANGEMENTS

In the first instance, the Minister or his Chief of Staff and the Director General will discuss any breach of this arrangement and decide on the appropriate action.

HON SIMONE MCGURK MLA MINISTER FOR WOMEN'S INTERESTS; COMMUNITY SERVICES

--.. ~BJ~ ...... .. ....... .... ... ........ . Date: ·l .flF~ .. ~? .l.'t. ............ .... .... .

JENNIFER MATHEWS DIRECTOR GENERAL

Date: .... ..... ~(l.f.l(T .............. ..

51Page

Appendix 1

DEPARTMENT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITIES

Name Title Phone Email Jennifer Mathews Director General Extn: 21414 jennifer.mathews@dlgc.wa.gov.au

Mob: 0438 670 411

Jacqueline Lay Executive Assistant Extn: 21401 jacqueline.lay@dlgc.wa.gov.au

Narrell Lethorn Director, Office of the Extn: 18605 narrell .lethorn@dlgc.wa.gov.au Director General

Mob: 0421 585987

Daevid Anderson Manager, Ministerials Extn: 21465 daevid.anderson@dlgc.wa.gov.au and Strategic Coordination Mob: 0409 200 046

Claire-Havard -MinisteriaH: iaiso, , Extn~2-1'4e'l clairechavard@dlgc7wacgovcatl Coordinator

Stephanie Reincastle Strategy and Extn: 21432 stephanie.reincastle@dlgc.wa.gov.au Research Officer

Issy Rule Manager, Community Extn : 18688 issy.rule@dlgc.wa.gov.au and Corporate Communications

Scott Hollingworth Executive Director, Extn: 21488 scott. holli ngworth@dlgc.wa.gov.au Community Building and Services Mob: 0477 342 690

61P age

Department of Local Government and Communities

RECEIVED

29 MAR 2017

BY:

Minister for Child Protection; Women's Interests; Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence; Community Services

Ministerial Ref No: 74- ~ ~ \~ J. Departmental Ref No: 4-17 E1711885

Briefing Note Cover Sheet

Communications Agreement

Recommended

~/!.o/u Or> Director General Department of Local Government and Communities

DLGC

o 5 APR 2017

Received at 140 William 5t Attachments? V N

A Go"mmoo' ofW,,'em '0,""1, E1711885 .. Department of Local Government & Communities

111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

Responsible Minister: Minister for Community Services

Title: Briefing Note - Communications Agreement Minister McGurk

File: 4-17#02: [DLGC] - GOVERNMENT RELATIONS - REPORTING - Ministerial Briefing Notes - 2017

Date of Document: 27/03/2017 111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

DLGC Generated Ministerial

MOVEMENT HISTORY Date Officer Name Date & Init Advice 1 Comments

( Action Officer

Manager 1 j) , /trV ()~ SON 'l-~~ Manager 2

Executive Director

MLU 76/3 Claire HAVARD 24~ Director ~/3 Jennifer MATHEWS 1£111 General

( 20,/3 Minister's Office 291Jk .

RETURNED I COMPLETED Date Officer Name Date & Init Advice I Comments

MLU btl(. [; .. l(et'n(Mtfe 6/1( ~.

Director Jennifer MATHEWS General

Executive Director

Manager 1 D. Ander+tm .

Manager 2

Action Officer

Tick Box When Ready For Filing D Incorrect File. Please place on File No:

D ------- -- -----

Initial

Set File Enclose

111111111111111111111111111111 111111111111111111111111111111

CORRESPONDENCECOVERSHEET

Office of the Hon Minister Simone McGurk MLA Minister for Child Protection; Women's Interests; Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence; Community Services

Office SUm!ort Title Briefing note - Communications Agreement

Author M~thews, Jennifer Correspondence Number:

Department of Local Government and Communities 74-00106

Date Received 29/03/2017 Date Due 11104/2017 I I 1111111111111111111111111111

MINISTERIAL OFFICER DATE REFER TO ACTION REQUIRED

U\ '1.", ~ AGENCY DRAFT REPLY FOR MINISTER

<:.:r: (t' s»\ • t- LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITIES DRAFT REPLY FOR STAFF

~\I" (0 CHILD PROTECTION AND FAMILY SUPPORT DRAFT REPLY FOR PREMIER

51A Lj . REDRAFT

DL6.G hiLI DIRECT REPLY

,IN FO RMI\IIQN / NOTING

II NFA7;;erMPLE~ INTERNAL RESPONSE

OTHER:

l\~E.QIlHME/lJJS

REQUEST BRN/SPEECH NOTES YES I NO

GUEST ATIENDING:

OTHER MINISTER: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT YES I NO

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT SENT / /

0 URGENT 0 ROUTINE CROSS REFERENCE

Policy/Dept Date Comments/Referral Instructions

Irfl~ k ""lh .. il ,· MV AlIA ~ ~/fJ~U M'I/IL , ,

Minister's Comments

Date

MINISTERAmNDING YES I NO