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I 1 !REVIEW OF COMMONWEALTH FUNCTIONS; PRIME MINISTERIAL STATEMENT HIGHLIGHTS

The Review of Commonwealth Functions, chaired by the ~

Minister for Industry and Commerce, Sir Phillip Lynch, is

the most significant and far reaching Ministerial review

of its kind ever undertaken by an Australian Federal

Government. Ã¢ÂÂ

The review has aimed to streamline the functions; of the

Commonwealth Government by eliminating waste, inefficiency

and unnecessary duplication with the States and private

enterprise.

It has also aimed to reduce the burdens Government imposes

on private enterprise through costly regulation and unnecessary

demands for low priority information.

....... —  The review is based on the recognition that smaller but

more efficient Government is essential if Australians are

to get lower taxes, higher incomes, more jobs and reduced

inflation.

The review has been based on the liberal philosophy that

it is not for government to try to do what individuals

, and private enterprise can do for themselves.

Some 350 decisions arise from the review.

A committee of senior Ministers, chaired by the Minister for

Industry and Commerce, Sir Phillip Lynch, will be responsible

for reviewing progress and monitoring implementation of the

decisions.

2

All Commonwealth departments and associated authorities

have been extensively reviewed to determine:

* which functions currently performed by the

Commonwealth can be handed over or sold to

private enterprise and where the burden of

regulation on business can best be reduced;

* which functions can be more appropriately and

efficiently handled by the States; and

* which functions can be reduced or eliminated as

being of lesser priority and of those remaining

how they can be more efficiently performed.

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3.

Transfer of Functions to the Private Sector

.  Â· The Australia Post Courier Service will be abolished.

Ã¢ÂÂ   Ã¢ÂÂ   Â· The Housing Loans Insurance Corporation is to be sold.

Â·

A major review will be undertaken of the activities

of Telecom to determine the extent to which the

services it offers might be more effectively provided

by the private sector.

The Australian Government Clothing Factory is to be

offered for lease or sale as a going concern, along

with the Ordnance Factory at Bendigo.

- Â· The Australian Government Publishing Service Bookshops  will be leased to the private sector.

Ã¢ÂÂ¢

Depending on the result of other reviews affecting

air services, the government will consider offering

..the domestic airline, terminals throughout Australia....

for sale.

The Shipbuilding Board will be abolished, and the ship

design function transferred to the private sector.

Surplus Commonwealth land and shareholdings are to be

identified and sold. . .

Â· The Professional Employment Offices of the Commonwealth  Employment Service will be integrated with normal C.E.S

operations and the C.E.S. Templine service abolished.

4.

In Canberra, the Belconnen Mall will be offered for sale

as well as the Canberra Retail Markets, Havelock Guest

House, the Mugga Quarry, and the Hotmix Plamt:. -

In Canberra, the provision of sporting and cultural

facilities, motor vehicle testing, marketing and sale

or residential and commercial land and landscaping "

activities of the City Parks Administration to be

transferred to private sector. :

5.

Contracting Out to Private Enterprise

. The in-house design of major works by the Department of

Housing and Construction will be reduced from 60 percent

to 50 percent of its activities, and its in-house performance

of minor works, repairs and maintenance activities reduced

by around 50 percent.

. Increased use for essential functions of private surveyors,

lawyers and accountants.

. Review of scope for increased sub-contracting of Mint's

total requirements for coinage blanks to be undertaken.

.. Private sector—tenders, are to be invited for sole rights to

market and distribute all Australian numismatic coins.

. The bulk of the work of the Government Printing Office, other

than essential Parliamentary and Government work,  will be

contracted out. Â·

. The work of cleaning and watching Commonwealth properties

by the Department of Administrative Services and the

provision of non-departmental food services will be

contracted to private sector.

. Private sector provision of computer software services and

technical advice to be significantly expanded.

6 il

Government Regulation and Paper Burdens

The Prices Justification Tribunal will be abolished. ;

There will be a reduction in the scope of the activities'

of the Trade Practices Commission. ~

The oversight of Qantas operations by the Department of

Transport is to be reduced and Qantas will have the :

ability to set its own minimum fares.

The establishment of TAA as a public company should result

in a new era of competition between the two airlines.

The Government has yet to make a decision concerning the

ownership of that company.

It.has already been decided to establish an inquiry into

whether further major de-regulation of Australia's domestic

airline industry is a desirable long-term objective.

Activities of Australian National Line and Australian

National Railways are also to be significantly de-regulated

The Australian Bureau of Statistics is to eliminate a

number of low priority statistical collections and review

the frequency of others.

Rent control in the A.C.T. will be abolished and shopping

hours de-regulated.

7.

Ã¢ÂÂ ÃÂ¯./

Industry Assistance and Taxation Concessions

. Wherever possible we intend to apply the "user-pay" '

principle and introduce new or increased Ã¢ÂÂ¢

charges for government services as the best possible _ _

determinant of the value of those services. .  ,

. Export expansion grants scheme to be continued in :

present form to June 1982 and extended to June 1983

with a reduction of grant rates by 50 percent.,

. Charges will be introduced for actuarial and valuation

services, archives services, the services provided to

industry by the Australian Atomic Energy Commission and

for translation services and the assessment of overseas

qualifications.

. The Investment Allowance in respect of capital expenditure

---  on new plant and-equipment wi-11 be reduced from 20%" to 18%.

. .  The special loading of 20% on the basic rates of depreciation

_  available to certain classes of plant and equipment is to

be reduced to 18%.

. The rebate of 30% available in respect of money paid on

shares by a taxpayer to an eligible petroleum company

is to be reduced to 27%.

8.

Transfer of Functions to the States

. The operations of the Schools' Commission are to be

curtailed by reducing the Commission's direct involvement , '  .  -i

in program administration and information collection.

Activities of the State Offices of the Commission will ... /

be sc al ed  dow n and the C e n t r a l  Of fi ce  B u il di ng  Unit

disbanded.

. T he  C u r r i c u l u m  D e v e l o p m e n t  C e n t r e  wil l be abolished,

unless the States are p r e p a r e d  to m e e t  50 perc en t of

its o p e r at in g costs.

. S p ec ia l supp or t for e d u c a t i o n  r e s e a r c h  and the E d u c at i on

.  R e s e a r c h  ...a n d .  D e v e l o p m e n t  C o m m i t t e e  will-be. -terminated   .  .......

T hi s w i l l  a ll ow  the States to de te rm in e their own

p r io ri ti es  in these areas.

. F r o m  the end of 1981, C o m m o n w e a l t h  funding will cease

for 30 out of 70 e xi sting C ol le ge s  of A dv anced Education,

.-.. . ... w h i c h  will be c on so l i d a t e d  into larger m ul t i - p u r p o s e  or .

m u l t i - c a m p u s  colleges. (The 30 colleges are princi pa l ly

single p u rp os e tea ch er  e d u c a t i o n  c o l l e g e s .) C o n s i d e ra t io n

w il l  be g iven to f unding larger institutions which

i n c o r po ra te  elements of the former colleges.

. The Government will not provide financial support in this

triennium for the establishment of a university in the

Northern Territory.

. For students undertaking second and higher qualifications,

tuition fees will be introduced in universities and Colleges

of Advanced Education. Students receiving Commonwealth

Post-Graduate awards will be exempt.

9.

Eligibility for several forms of -student allowance,

particularly the Tertiary Education Assistance Scheme, '  '

will be tightened, but increased assistance for those

who genuinely need it will be available through a Loans '

Scheme. Â·

In the A.C.T. the Commonwealth Teaching Service Commissioner :

role will be terminated, and the functions currently ^  *

performed by the Commissioner taken over the Public Service

Board, the Department of Education and the A.C.T. Schools .

Authority. '

The A.C.T. Schools Authority will be restructured to

improve its operating efficiency and management.

Other-major programs-which have been identified, for early ;Â·  -transfer to the States, include urban public transport,

school dental scheme and the soil conservation programs. Â·

Field activity under the adult migrant education program will

be undertaken where possible by the States and non-government

bodies.

Staff of the Australian National Railways working for the

South Australian Transport Authority are proposed to be

transferred to that Authority.

. Federal expenditure under the Ord River ..Irrigation Act .....

will end following the meeting of existing commitments.

All States will be asked to share the operating costs of

the Australian Institute of Criminology. A new building

for the Institute will not proceed.

We will transfer to the States where practicable

responsibility for nuclear control-and regulation.

The Regional Development Program, the Decentralisation Advisor-

Board, the Commonwealth Council for Rural Research and Extensi

all duplicate areas of State activity and will be terminated.

10.

There will be major cuts in the capital works area

The Government will withdraw its offer of- assistance

for the proposed Sydney-Melbourne railway electrification

. The building of a convention centre in Canberra will

not proceed and capital works for the proposed. Museum ;

of Australia will be deferred indefinitely.

.  In future all proposals for capital works will be examined

only in the Budget context.

The Government believes that the most rigorous controls must

continue to be exerted over spending by Commonwealth

Departments and authorities.

. There will be a three percent cut in real terms

on the current level of spending by departments and

authorities on administrative and operational, items .

for the coming financial year.

.  There will be a further tightening of Budget review

:  -  procedures with the proponent having to justify any -  .

increase in expenditure over the previous year.

.  The computerised staff management system, MANDATA, will

be terminated.

. There will be a winding up or amalgamation of approximately

40 advisory committees.

in view of the lack of priority accorded to this project'

by the States

11.

The requirement that unemployment benefit claimants visit

C.E.S. offices fortnightly is to be removed.. In future, -r-

all registered unemployed persons will be interviewed ,

after four months; those under 25 will be re-interviewecT

after eight months. '_

The regular collection of C.E.S. statistics of persons

registered for unemployment and unfilled vacancies :

will be ended.

There will be a significant reduction in the number of

statutory bodies and positions in the A.C.T. affecting

some 30 separate bodies.

The staffing of the London and Washington diplomatic

missions will be cut by 232 and 75 staff respectively.

The Assisted Passage Scheme will be terminated.

.  '  x

4. . 12

Reviews

There will be a major review of the organisation of the ~-

Department of Defence in the light of the five years of.

experience since the Defence re-organisation in 1976. The

review Will report by mid 1982. '_

We propose to engage consultants of international standing

to review and report on the appropriate responsibilities:and

scaling down of activity of the National Capital

Development Commission.

We intend to establish a major external review of

Government laboratory facilities and services to ensure

a rational and co-ordinated usage of available services

and facilities.

A major review of Telecom will be undertaken.

A review of the staffing levels of the Reserve Bank of

Australia has been instituted by the Governor of the

Bank.

An independent review will be made of the Australian

Institute of Aboriginal Studies.

Ministers will be examining critically the need for '

continued existence of all statutory bodies within

their portfolios.

Staff Savings

Cumulatively the decisions resulting from the Review

of Commonwealth functions will have a major impact on

the size of the Commonwealth bureaucracy.

The re-allocation of functions between Commonwealth

and States and between government and private sector, ;

together with the decisions in relation to the Commonwealth's

own activities, will result in reduction in the order of

10,000 to 11,000 in the number of Commonwealth Government

employees.

Over and above the specific staff savings resulting from

the reduction or abolition of functions, the Government

has decided that it should work at achieving an objective

of a further 2 per cent reduction in the number of

Commonwealth Government employees in the area subject

to staff ceilings over the next two years. "

It is expected that this will lead to a total reduction

in staffing of the order of 16,000 to 17,000.

-. - -These estimates exclude further possible savings from

the major reviews into Defence administration, Telecom

and the National Capital Development Commission and from

other reviews.

Expenditure Implications

Compared with the costs of continuing programs on the

basis of existing policies and arrangements, the

estimated overall effects of these measures will be an

eventual on-going saving in Budget outlays of the order

of $560 million.

Government revenue will also be boosted from the sale

of assets and from a broad ranging reduction in various

forms of assistance to industry through the tax system,

saving some $130 million.

The Government's attitude to expenditure restraint

will again be firmly in evidence in its approach at the

forthcoming Premiers' Conference and Loan Council meeting

and in our determination to hold down outlays in the

1981-82 Budget where further savings can be expected.

PRIME MINISTER'S STATEMENT TO THE PARLIAMENT

THURSDAY, 30 APRIL 1981

REVIEW OF COMMONWEALTH FUNCTIONS

Mr Speaker, Â·

.  The Review of Commonwealth Functions, chaired

by the Minister for Industry and Commerce, Sir Phillip .

Lynch, has been the most significant and far reaching

Ministerial undertaking of its kind ever undertaken by a

federal government.

Its immediate aims are to streamline and fine

down Commonwealth operations

- partly by withdrawing from functions more

appropriately handled* by the States or private

.  enterprise

- and partly by rationalising the functions

which properly belong to the Commonwealth.

In the wider perspective, the aim of the

Review is to establish the conditions under which there

can be

increased opportunities for all

better care for those in need.

The Review's starting point is that

Australia's greatest resource is the Australian people

and that the role of government is to enable people to

exercise their abilities, their skills, their

imaginations and their enterprise. Â·

2

When this happens the result is

- economic growth

....- more jobs

- higher incomes and a better life for all.

If we ask why it is that the free and

democratic nations of the West provide the best way of

life for ordinary people, the unmistakable answer is

that it is because people who live in these societies

are free to build for themselves the kind of life that

suits them best.

Ã¢ÂÂ¢  .  ; ' Â·  ... Ã¢ÂÂ   .  Â·  -  Ã¢ÂÂ   .

O n l y  i n d i v i d u a l s  hav e full kno wl ed ge  of their

own needs, w a n t s  and p r i o r i t i e s ;  p o l it ic ia ns , o f f i ci al s

and b u r e a u c r a t s  n e i t h e r  h ave this k n o w l e d g e  nor. can ever

have it. T hi s  is w hy  g o v e r n m e n t  m us t  not be intrusive

and why st ro ng  and e f f i c i e n t  g o v e r n m e n t  must not g ro w

into big and b u r e a u c r a t i c  g o v e r n m e n t .

Big g o v e r n m e n t  c o n c e n t r a t e s  power, loses a

p e r s p e c t i v e  on its o wn  l i m i t a t i o n s ,  and l ea v e s  less room

for p eo p l e  to m ake their own choices.

A n d  we m u s t  not fo rg et  that it is people

- t he ir  k n o w l e d g e  and their talents

- t heir e n t e r p r i s e  and d e t e r m i n a t i o n

- .  t h e i r  b el i e f  that t hey can s u c c e e d

who have b u i l t  A u s t r a l i a .  Â·

Ã¢ÂÂ   v  3. .

S  '  ' . ' Â· Ã¢ÂÂ  Â· Â· Â·  Ã¢ÂÂ   . . .

Fortunately, Australia's experience of big

government has been comparatively slight. We had a

taste of it between 1972 and 1975. .

.  In those years the Commonwealth Government's

claims on the nation's earnings rose from 23.8% of GDP

in 1972-73 to 30.1% in 1975-76. Between June 1972 and

June 1975 the number of Commonwealth Government

employees rose by 52,000 and the number of State

employees rose by -114,000.

It is not surprising that towards the end of

this period, private sector employment fell. It fell

because the growth of government produced a massive loss

of confidence and private enterprise was crowded out.

'Government was taking up too much room. Since the 1975

election, the Government has been making an historic

turnaround. —

The Government has taken the view that we

would all be better off in a material as well as in a

social and political sense by establishing a more

limited, and more realistic, role for government.

Smaller government means eliminating waste,

duplication and unnecessary costs of government. It

does not mean austerity. The benefits of our program

are now visible for everyone to see.

' More limited government is now encouraging

massive job creation. In the last two years three

hundred thousand new jobs have been added to the

Australian economy - far more than government itself

could have provided. .

But we must continue to make sure that there

is sufficient room for the kind of individual

initiatives which have built Australia and which are

vital for Australia's future. .

.  This is why the Government has emphasised and

re-emphasised the importance of the economy and the need

for the most stringent controls on government

expenditure. The Government has had to concentrate on

economic management, not because it alone matters, but

because a sound economy is a precondition of other

objectives.

A sound and growing economy is important to

Australians and their families. It is important in

promoting the a rts, in improving social security, health

services, education and the environment.

Thie growth of government and increasing

centralisation in Canberra had been going on for a long

time. ,/

The temptation for governments to increase

their own power and expenditure is great and Labor gave

a momentum to the growth of government which has been

reined in substantially over the last five years.

5.

> The figures make the position plain.

In the three years before 1972-75 there was a

real growth of 4.5 percent in Commonwealth outlays. In

the next three years there was an enormous 10 percent

real growth per annum. In the five years since then,

this government has brought the growth, down to only

about 1 percent per annum. .  Â·

We have worked for a turnaround. And I

believe that the Review of Commonwealth Functions will

contribute to a momentum that is building up in support

of that turnaround.

Each step towards reducing the cost of

government to the community - slight.though each may

appear in isolation, contributes to this.

And alongside expenditure restraint, we have

worked to reduce the burdens of bureaucracy on people,

and we have returned a considerable degree of

independent responsibility to the States.

It is in the context of these concerns and

aspirations that the particular actions of the Review of

Commonwealth Functions should be viewed. I

I turn now to the specific decisions arising

from the Review of Commonwealth functions.

6

Transfer of Functions to Private Sector

S .  Â·  '  .

In detailing the decisions I will first of all

deal with those which express the Government's

objectives of strengthening private economic activity

and the influence of individuals over the economy

through their choices in the market place.

In the view of the Government, activities of a

commercial kind are generally best performed in the

private sector, where they are open to greater influence

from consumers and to the disciplines of competition.

The Government has therefore decided that a

number, of significant activities presently carried out

by the Commonwealth Government can more efficiently be

undertaken by private enterprise.

We propose to offer for sale as a going

concern the Ordnance Factory at Bendigo, the Wool

Testing Laboratory and some Commonwealth equity in the

‘  Wool St o r e s . We will offer the Australian Government

Clothing Factory for lease or sale as a going concern to

the private sector. The Australian Government

Publishing Service Bookshops will be offered for lease

to the private sector, as will the management of migrant

hostels.

Similarly there are a number of ' >as where

services are provided to the private sect.Â·.: by

government but which would be more effectively provided

by the private sector itself.

7.

Depending upon the result of other reviews

affecting air traffic we will be prepared to consider

offering the domestic airline terminals throughout

Australia for sale.

The Government has decided to proceeed with

the sale of the Housing Loans Insurance Corporation.

Shipbuilding assistance will be scaled down,

the Shipbuilding Board abolished, and the ship design

function will be transferred to the private sector.

/ Surplus Commonwealth land and storehoidings

are to be identified and sold.

Again, the Government does not consider that

traditional Government monopolies should be able to use

their privileged position to compete with private Â·

enterprise where no public benefit can be discerned.

Accordingly, the Australia Post Courier Service will be

abolished and increased use will be made of private

contractors for mail cartage. The Australian, Postal

Commission will, however, maintain a service to be known

as Australia Post Express, for the carriage of postal

items only, as part of the mail service. The

Commission's statutory monopoly powers will be closely

examined to see whether they should be reduced! or

eliminated.

8

In the area of telecommunications, a

technological explosion is now occuring and exciting

opportunities for private activity to introduce

diversity and innovation are expanding rapidly. The

area is a complex one, and the many significant issues

arising here required detailed investigation beyond the

resources of time available in the present review. The

Government takes the view that the traditional monopoly

in this area can no longer be considered sacrosanct.

Accordingly, a major review will be undertaken of the

activites of Telecom to determine the extent to which

the services it offers might be more effectively

provided by the private sector. Pending the outcome of

this inquiry the determination of standards for

interconnection equipment will be transferred from

Telecom to an independent body.

The Professional Employment Offices of the

Commonwealth Employment Service will be integrated with

normal CES operations. The Templine service will be

abolished and the requirements of employers and job

applicants for temporary vacancies will be re-absorbed

within the CES. Ã¢ÂÂ

A major portion of the National Acoustic

Laboratories work will be carried out by the private

sector. However the.NAL will continue to fit hearing

aids for eligible persons. '

A,

In the Australian Capital Territory, the

Belconnen Mall will be offered for sale to private

enterprise as well as the Canberra retail.markets,

Havelock Guest House and the Mugga quarry and Hoiimix

Plant. .

9

We will complement the transfer of activities

to private enterprise by contracting out to the private

sector for the supply of certain goods and services to

the Government. The in-house design of major works by

the Department of Housing and Construction will be

reduced from 60 percent to 50 percent of its activities

and its in-house performance of minor works, repairs and

maintenance activities reduced by around 50 percent.

The increased use of contracting out will also

be reflected in the provision by the.private sector of

computer software services and technical advice. The

Commonwealth also proposes to make increasing use of

private surveyors, lawyers and accountants to perform

essential functions on a contract basis.

The scope for sub-contracting an increased

proportion of the Mint's total requirements for coinage

blanks to the private sector will be' reviewed and

private sector tenders will be invited for the sole

rights to-'  market and distribute all Australian

numismatic coins.

Contracting out will also affect the

Government Printing Office whose activities will now be

confined to essential Parliamentary and Government work,

with the bulk of other work contracted to the private

sector. Again, the work of cleaning and watching

Commonwealth properties by the Department of

Administrative Services and the provision of

non-departmental food services will be contracted to the

private sector. ‘

10

There is also scope for further contributions

from outside Government to the nation's defence effort.

The Defence Department will from now on be encouraging

the private sector and universities to perform a wider

range of activities in defence science, research and

development and will extend the use of contractors'

services, where cost effective, for the Naval Dockyards

and the Defence workshops, including quality control

requirements. .  ‘

A significant number of Government operated

services in the ACT will be transferred to the private

sector. I mention here particularly the provision of

sporting and cultural facilities, motor vehicle testing,

the marketing and sale of residential and commercial

land and the landscaping activities of the city parks

administration. There will be a significant reduction

'in the number of statutory bodies and positions in the

ACT, affecting some 30 separate bodies.

Government Regulation and Assistance Schemes

One of the many virtues of the free enterprise

system based on the market is that it decentralises

-influence and control over what is produced to the . . . . .  .  . .

greatest extent possible. - -

It gives consumers a greater say through their

spending decisions than any other system. Through their

decisions they have a dominant influence over the

allocation of resources. .

11.

The more government intervenes to change the

impact of consumers' decisions through regulation and

subsidies, the more control over the economy passes from

the many to the few.

In the course of the Review of Commonwealth

Functions we have given close attention to many of the

Government's regulatory activities, and to programs of

industry assistance. "

Some degree of regulation is necessary to .

ensure the proper functioning of our free enterprise

system. Government has a role in setting basic ground

rules to facilitate the smooth functioning of private

business activities and to ensure that appropriate

information is equally available to all participants.

, Over the years there has evolved a great deal

of legislation.which involves regulation of industry.

Although some of this legislation benefits the community

as a whole, and some of it has been put in place at the

request of the private sector, it none the less imposes

substantial costs on the taxpayer and the consumer and

particularly on individual business enterprises. It is

evident that much of government regulation of private

sector activity is neither necessary nor effective and

is certainly more costly than is self-regulation.

12

As a significant step in the necessary process

of deregulation we will abolish the Prices Justification

Tribunal. This body has outlived its usefulness as a

regulatory mechanism and is placing an undue burden on

industry; there is no evidence that it is having: any .

significant impact on the restraint of inflation. An

appropriate mechanism will be established for the

maintenance of the Government's petroleum product

pricing policy. ,

There will be a rationalisation of the

industry assistance advisory functions within and

between Departments, including a reduction in the level

of activity of the Industries Assistance Commission

following from the completion of current tariff review

references.

The Government will continue its efforts to

free the airlines from undue regulation and restriction.

The oversight of QANTAS operations by the Department of

Transport is to be reduced and a new Financial Directive

issued to the airline which will free QANTAS to conduct

.its operations.in a more commercially competitive... .

manner, including the ability to set its own minimum

fares. '

In relation to the domestic airlines^

Government policy has already recognised the advantages

of greater competition. The Government has 'announced

its in-principle decision to establish TAA as a public

company. The Government has yet to make a decision

concerning the ownership of that company.Â·  This action

and the introduction of different and wide-bodied

aircraft by each airline should result in a new era of

competition between the two airlines.

13.

_ In addition the Government has decided to

establish machinery independent of the regulatory

authority, the Department of Transport, to hear and make

decisions upon proposals for changes to airfares. We

have also announced the establishment of an inquiry into

whether further major deregulation of Australia’s

domestic airline industry is a desirable long terra

objective. The activities of the Australian National

Line and Australian National Railways are also to b e '

significantly deregulated. *

The Industries Assistance Commission is to

investigate modifications and improvements to the

Ã¢ÂÂ¢ Customs By-Law system. Rent control in the ACT will be

abolished and shopping hours deregulated. Â·

There are cases where both the Commonwealth

and the States seek to regulate the same activities.

Duplicated regulation is inherently inefficient.

Therefore there will be a reduction in the range of

activities of the Trade Practices Commission and the

associated Trade Practices Division of the Department of

Business and Consumer Affairs which overlap with the

States. The Commission will reduce its activities; by

more selective complaints investigation, reduce its

level of adjudication work, reduce staff in education

and safety and information standards monitoring and

limit compliance work in relation to misleading and

deceptive conduct and other unfair business practices to

those matters that raise issues of importance at the

national level. The -Department of Business and Consumer

Affairs will continue to maintain a national" role in

product and labelling standards.

14.

Apart from the burden of regulation, the

Government is also continually reminded by industry of

the burden imposed by the paperwork requirements of

government.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics is to

eliminate a number of low priority statistical

collections and review the frequency of other

collections. Some 27 collections will be scrapped! "

forthwith and another 29 subjected to further

investigation and consultation with the States as to

their usefulness. Charges will be introduced for

industry-initiated statistical collections.

- We will make a concerted effort to scale down

the paper burden on the private sector. All Ministers,

and the departments and authorities responsible to them

are examining, with a view to reducing, the current

level of data and information they collect.

These measures by no means represent the end

of our commitment to examining the possibil ites for

deregulation. In particular we are looking forward to

the forthcoming report of the Campbell Committee of

inquiry into the Financial System. We expect that it

will give guidance on the possibilities for achieving

substantial deregulation of another major area of. .  .

business activity which the Commonwealth directly

influences.

15 x

Finally in this connection, it should also be

emphasised that it is not only necessary for the

Commonwealth to review its regulatory activity. As has

been pointed out by the Confederation of Australian

Industry, the States have if anything, even more

considerable responsibilities in these areas. I hope

that the measures I have announced will act as a

stimulus to the States to review their own extensive

regulatory provisions.

Industry Assistance

It is not only unnecessary regulation and

information demand which imposes costs on the community.

Assistance schemes for industry also impose costs on

taxpayers, and it is necessary that these too be subject

to review to determine the balance between costs and

.benefits. .

As private economic activity strengthens and

becomes increasingly competitive, government assistance

becomes less necessary and industry can be asked to pay

more of the costs of the government services it ......

requires. Taxpayers should only be asked to meet the

costs of subsidies and other assistance where the

benefits clearly warrant the expense.

In the improved climate for business

operations we believe there is less need for specific

government initiatives to promote particular business

activities which are essentially the responsibility of

business itself and when profits should provide an

adequate incentive.

Wherever possible we intend to apply, the

"user-pays" principle and introduce new or increased

charges for Government services as the best possible

determinant of the value of those services. Consistent

with this we will be examining further the feasibility

of requiring industry to meet the cost of membership of

international commodity organisations. Charges will

also be introduced for actuarial and valuation services

archives services, the services provided to industry by

the Austral ian Atomic Energy Commission, and for

translation services and the assessment of overseas

qualifications.

The program of export inspection charging,

aimed at recovering approximately 50 percent of total

costs, is to be extended; in the case of fish andÂ· dried

fruit from 1 July 1981; of livestock, dairy products,,

eggs and honey from 1 July 1982^ and of fresh, canned

and processed fruit and vegetables from 1 January 1983.

A significant rationalisation of meat inspection

services has already been commenced and will be

finalised by the Australian Agricultural Council inÂ·

August 1981.

The differential between the interest rate on

commercial borrowings by the Australian Wheat Board! for

the Wheat Board interest subsidy scheme and the cost of

borrowing from the Rural Credits Department of the

Reserve Bank is to be reduced by one percentage point.

The Commonwealth's expenditure on wool promotion

activities is to be set at $20 million for the next 3

years. .  Ã¢ÂÂ

Reflecting the success of Australia's

exporters in recent years the cost of the Export

Expansion Grants Scheme has been considerably more than

the Government anticipated. On its introduction in 1978

the Scheme was estimated to cost $66 million annually;

in the 1980-81 Budget $200 million was provided. The

Government has now decided that on its expiry in June

1982 the Export Expansion Grants Scheme will be extended

by one year to June 1983 pending review by the IAC; but

that grant rates will be reduced by 50 per cent from 1

July 1982. The Export Now campaign is to be terminated.

In the improved climate for business

operations we believe there is less need for specific

government initiatives to promote particular business

activities which are essentially the responsibility of

business itself and when profits should provide an

'adequate incentive. Accordingly the productivity

improvement and industrial working environment functions

of the Department of Science and Technology are to be

significantly scaled down. The Business Information

Centres, established on a trial basis, will be

terminated. - -

Taxation Concessions

Taxation concessions for industry, which are

equivalent in all practical senses to direct

expenditures from the Budget, have also been reviewed

and we have decided to reduce a number of currently

available concessions. Some of the reductions are of

the order of 10 per cent; the details of how the

reductions are to be effected in each particular case-

are set out in an Attachment to this statement.

18 x

The reductions will affect the investment

allowance, the 20 per cent loading on depreciation

rates, the outright deductions for conversion of oil or

LPG—fired plant, the accelerated write—o ff.o f 'general

mining and petroleum mining development expenditure and

the petroleum shareholder rebate. Â·

The Government acknowledges that'there is

inevitably an element of arbitrariness about these<

proposals but believes that some reductions in the level

of taxation concessions available to industry are

essential if the burden of containing the public sector

is to be shared by all groups in the community.

Transfer of Functions to the States Â·  I

I now turn to deal with the functions.and

responsibilities which will be returned to the States.

Australia has prospered as a federal system.

The federal system has strengthened and unified the

nation by giving the major regions embodied in the

States sufficient autonomy to adjust the services

provided by government to local needs and desires, while

at the same time guaranteeing each of them a strong

voice in national affairs. A nation Australia's size

cannot be effectively governed from Canberra, and

attempts to inflate Canberra's power have been rejected

again and again by the Australian people. ' : Â·

19.

The State and local governments are closer to

the'recipients of many services and are better placed to

administer those programs. Their structure and location

permits maximum response and involvement by those most

affected by the decisions of government; they provide

an effective barrier against centralist control.

Since coming to office we have acted to

strengthen the bond of federalism between the .

Commonwealth and State Governments. This has been

reflected particularly in the changing balance of

responsibility for the administration of programs and a

marked decline since 1975-76 in the proportion of

Commonwealth assistance provided to the State/local'

government sector in the form of specific purpose

payments. Over this period , the proportion of total

Commonwealth assistance provided as untied general

revenue payments has risen from less than 40 per cent to

around 50 per cent.

This has provided a considerable increase in

the funds available to the States which they can spend

at their own discretion and without interference. The

decisions I will announce continue this trend to allow

the States greater freedom in deciding how they will

spend their available finances.

Our aim will be to maintain and assert

national concern and to stimulate appropriate *

initiatives, while eliminating unnecessary overlap,

waste and interference in the delivery of services and

programs. .  -

x

20. x

Health .  .  Ã¢ÂÂ

'  \ Â·  Â·  Â·  .  .

T h e  G o v e r n m e n t  h a s  c o n c l u d e d  a n  e x t e n s i v e

r e v i e w  o f  t h e  a r r a n g e m e n t s  f o r  m e d i c a l  a n d  h o s p i t a l  c a r e

in A u s t r a l i a .  T h e  c h a n g e s  f l o w i n g  f r o m  t h a t  r e v i e w  w e r e

b a s e d  u p o n  t h e  f o l l o w i n g  o b j e c t i v e s :  Â·

. e n s u r i n g  t h a t  e l i g i b l e  p e n s i o n e r s  a n d  t h e

d i s a d v a n t a g e d  m e m b e r s  o f  o u r  c o m m u n i t y  h a v e

f r e e  a c c e s s  t o  h i g h  s t a n d a r d  h e a l t h  c a r e ;

. e n c o u r a g i n g  t h e  g e n e r a l  c o m m u n i t y  to a c c e p t

g r e a t e r  p e r s o n a l  r e s p o n s i b i l i t y  f o r  t h e i r

h e a l t h  c o s t s  t h r o u g h  t h e  a p p l i c a t i o n  o f  t h e

Ã¢ÂÂ¢ ” u s e r - p a y s "  p r i n c i p l e ;

. r e m o v i n g  i n e f f i c i e n c i e s  a n d  w a s t e  w i t h i n  t h e

p u b l i c  h o s p i t a l  s y s t e m .

T h e  m e a s u r e s  a n n o u n c e d  y e s t e r d a y  b y  t h e

M i n i s t e r  f o r  H e a l t h  m e e t  t h e s e  o b j e c t i v e s  a n d  r e p r e s e n t

a c o m p r e h e n s i v e  a n d  r e s p o n s i b l e  p o l i c y  t o  m a i n t a i n

e x i s t i n g  h i g h  h e a l t h  c a r e  s t a n d a r d s  w h i l e  e n s u r i n g  t h a t

p r o v i d e r s  a n d  c o n s u m e r s  o f  h e a l t h  s e r v i c e s  a r e  m a d e  m o r e

c o n s c i o u s  o f  t h e  c o s t s  o f  t h o s e  s e r v i c e s .  T h e  c h a n g e s :

. r e s t o r e  t o  t h e  S t a t e s  t h e i r  t r a d i t i o n a l

r e s p o n s i b i l i t y  f o r  m a n a g i n g  p u b l i c  h o s p i t a l s

a n d  e n c o u r a g e  t h e m  to i n c r e a s e  e f f i c i e n c y

w i t h i n  t h e s e  h o s p i t a l s ;

. s t r e n g t h e n  a r r a n g e m e n t s  to p r o t e c t  e l i g i b l e

p e n s i o n e r s  a n d  d i s a d v a n t a g e d  p e r s o n s '  a g a i n s t

t h e  c o s t  o f  h o s p i t a l  a n d  m e d i c a l  c a r e ;

x:

21.

. ensure that the general population becomes

Ã¢ÂÂ more aware of the costs of health services by

increasing their responsibility for their

health care costs while encouraging them tor

provide for these costs through health

.  insurance based on community-rating;

. enhance the invaluable role played by the

private health delivery sector and especially

that of private hospitals. '

These changes represent the outcome of a most

comprehensive review of the health care sector in

Australia; a review that would not have been possible

without the untiring work of the Minister for Health and

I am especially appreciative of his efforts.

Finally, the number of and.expenditure on

,advisory committees within the Health portfolio are to

be significantly reduced. We will negotiate with the

States with a view to transferring the pathology

laboratories to them.

Education

As with Health, the Commonwealth believes that

the States have a primary responsibility for the

.administration .and .delivery of educational services.

Accordingly, it proposes to reduce significantly its  '  Â· Â·  -v

i n v o l v e m e n t  in t h i s  a r e a .

'X

22.

There will be a reduction in the Schools

Commission’s direct involvement in program

administration and information collection. Accordingly,

the activities of the State offices of the Commission

will be scaled down and the Buildings Unit in the

Central Office disbanded.

Consistent with a reduced role for the

Commonwealth in activities which are the proper preserve

of the States, the Curriculum Development Centre will be

abolished unless the States are prepared to meet SO

percent of its operating costs. Special support for

educational research and the Education Research and

Development Committee will be terminated. This will

allow the States to determine their own priorities in

these areas. .

In the ACT the Commonwealth Teaching Service

Commissioner's role will be terminated and the functions

currently performed by the Commissioner taken over by

the Public Service Board, the Department of Education

and the ACT Schools Authority. The Minister for

Education will develop proposals for the re-structuring

of the ACT Schools Authority to improve its operating

efficiency and management.

V,

X

23.

The Government has before it the Reports of

the Schools Commission and the Tertiary Education

Commission for the 1982-84 Triennium and will shortly be

issuing formal guidelines to the two Commissions. In

determining these guidelines the Government will be

applying maximum expenditure restraint to. the programs

in all sectors. Â·  '  .  '

At the tertiary level the Government has been

concerned at the proliferation of separate institutions

and proposes immediate action to reverse this trend and

* to provide for more efficient use of resources. Arising

from the -recommendations of the Tertiary Education

Commission, the Government will promote a major

rationalisation and re-allocation of resources in higher

education. This will involve consolidation into larger

units of 30 existing Colleges of Advanced Education, for

which teacher education is the main activity, by their

Ã¢ÂÂ¢  incorporation into multi-purpose or multi-campus

colleges with a single governing body or by integration

with neighbouring universities.

24

Additional resources will be provided for

institutions which are able to expand their effort in

the technology and business studies. An amount of $5

million will be earmarked within the general recurrent

grants for universities and colleges of advanced

education in the years 1982 and 1983 to facilitate this

process. Some action has already been taken in the

States and it is the Commonwealth's intention to reach

agreement with each State concerning the rationalisation

measures by the end of 1981. If this cannot be done,

the Commonwealth will not be prepared to continue

recurrent funding for the colleges concerned after the

end of 1981, and if the State Governments wish these

colleges to continue as separate entities they will have

to make their own separate financial provision.

In noting the view expressed by the Tertiary

Education. Commission in its Triennial Report that

engineering courses in Victoria should be rationalised,

the Commonwealth has decided to accelerate this process

and intends that the engineering schools at Bendigo and

Preston CAE's and at Deakin University be phased out

with no new students admitted after 1981. The

assessment of grants for the University of Western

Australia and Murdoch University is to be based on a

greater sharing of resources and collaboration between

these two institutions. The Government does not see a

need to establish a University in the Northern Territory

as proposed by the Northern Territory Government and

will not be providing funds for this purpose in the

forthcoming triennium. Â·

25

' For second and higher qualifications In

universities and colleges of advanced education, fees

will be introduced except for recognized double degree

and diploma combinations. These fees will apply to new

enrolments from 1982 but students who are in receipt of

Commonwealth Government Postgraduate Awards will be

exempt from these fees. The Government does not intend

to introduce fees for tertiary students undertaking

their first qualification.

Eligibility for student assistance under the

Tertiary Education Assistance Scheme and the Adiult

Secondary Education Assistance Scheme is to be

tightened.

, From the beginning of 1982, however, a; loans

scheme will be introduced for tertiary students. This

will enable them to supplement their current income by

amounts which will be repayable after graduation. This

is a form of assistance which recognizes the substantial

benefits flowing to individuals from a higher education

and thus expresses a sound balance of community and

individual interest. It ^educes the burdens on

taxpayers in an entirely appropriate way. T h e.......

availability of this additional form of financial,

assistance will be taken into account in determining the

level of benefits under the Tertiary Education

Assistance Scheme. Â·

26.

Other Transfers to the States

Other major programs which have been

identified for early transfer to the States include

urban public transport and the soil conservation

programs. These transfers will involve the States

taking responsibility for full policy and administrative

matters. We intend that field activity under the Adult

Migrant Education Program will be undertaken wherever

possible by the States and non Government bodies with

the Commonwealth's role restricted to arranging and

co-ordinating only.

We will be proposing to the South Australian

Government that the staff of the Australian National

Railways working for the South Australian Transport .

Authority should be transferred to that Authority. The

New South Wales Government will be given the option of

taking over'the Glebe Estate Project and all States will

be asked to share the operating costs of the Australian

Institute of Criminology, given that State law

enforcement and related authorities benefit from, the

Institute's activities. A new building in Canberra.for

the Institute will not be proceeded with.

~  Responsibilities for the regulation $nd

control of nuclear activities are to be implemented as

far as possible by the States and Northern Territory,

with the Commonwealth maintaining a co-ordinating role.

27

' The Australian National Parks and Wildlife

Service is to maintain its present policy functions, and

will maintain control of marine parks and the essential

Commonwealth interests in the Kakadu National Park, but

we propose to scale down its general activities and to

delegate responsibility for the operation of non-marine

parks to the Northern Territory and Territory

administrations. Responsibility for the financing of

environmental regulatory services in the Northern

Territory will be transferred to the Northern Territory

Government.

The funding of the Aboriginal Sacred Sites

Protection Authority will also be transferred to the

Territory Government. Grants to the States for

Aboriginal Housing will be integrated into the

Commonwealth - State Housing Agreement.

A number of other Commonwealth activities

which impact on State functions are also to be

terminated as we no longer consider that they fulfil a

useful purpose commensurate with their costs and the

States are fully capable qf meeting any remaining:

responsibilities themselves.Â· The Regional Development

Program, the Decentralisation Advisory Board, the

Commonwealth Council for Rural Research and Extension

and Commonwealth involvement in rural extension services

all duplicate areas of State activity and will be

abolished. Expenditure under the Ord River Irrigation

Act will be terminated after existing commitments have

been m e t .

28

X

We have carefully reviewed other joint.

Commonwealth/State programs, and for the time being at

leaht we consider that the Commonwealth should remain

appropriately involved but we are determined to simplify

their administration and eliminate any overlap and

intrusion on what are properly the administrative .. ‘

concerns of the States. To this end we have decided

that the following principles are to be employed in

future by Commonwealth Ministers and departments in ,the

administration of joint Commonwealth/State programs.

Commonwealth involvement in the determination of

guidelines for joint programs will embrace general

objectives only and deal in broad terms with the

manner in which these objectives should be sought;

administrative involvement of Commonwealth

, departments will be limited to that necessary to Â·

ensure that the project, program or service is

being progressed satisfactorily towards the agreed

broad -objectives; and

- accountability reports will be limited to the

minimum necessary to satisfy the Commonwealth

Auditor-General and the Commonwealth Authorities

concerned that Commonwealth funds have been

expended properly.

'  '  Ã¢ÂÂ   -v

Rationalisation of Commonwealth Government activity I

I turn now -to the decisions relating to the

Commonwealth Government's own internal activities..

29

In making these decisions we have had several

objectives in view. These were:

.  firstly to make sure that Commonwealth Government

activity does not crowd out private enterprise,

inhibiting the private sector expansion on which

job opportunities depend <

secondly to reduce unnecessary demands on the

taxpayer by cutting back on bureaucracy

thirdly to make sure that Commonwealth Government

activities are performed with the greatest

efficiency and effectiveness possible.

_  The Government's attitude to expenditure

restraint will be firmly in evidence in its approach at

the forthcoming Premiers Conference and Loan Council

meeting. We will be able to demonstrate to the States

that we have taken another major step towards putting

our own house in "  order; :  we will be expecting them to

follow our example.

Expenditure on capital works is an important

item in the Commonwealth Budget. With the boom in

private.investment associated with resource development

there is a need to avoid overstretching the capacity of

the building and construction industry. We have

accordingly decided on major reductions in this area.

30

- The Government will withdraw its offer of

assistance for the proposed Sydney-Melbourne railway

electrification in view of the lack of priority; accorded

to this project by the States. Capital works for the

proposed Canberra Convention Centre and Museum of .

Australia will be deferred indefinitely and the proposed

Commonwealth Government offices in Adelaide will be

postponed for several years. '

No funds will be made available in the coming

financial year for a number of building projects,

including the Canberra Law Courts, the National Library

Extension, the Townsville Commonwealth Offices, the

Australian Federal Police headquarters, the Ã‘ÃÂÃÂÃÂ

headquarters, the National Biological Standards

Laboratory and the Australian Dental .Standards;

Laboratory. Ã¢ÂÂ  .  '  . . .  .  ....

In future all proposals for capital works will

be examined solely in the Budget context. This will

enable the Government to estimate more accurately the

impact of these proposals not only on Budget outlays but

also on building and construction resources within the

economy. .

The future capital expenditure on airport

works is being reviewed and a more co-ordinated approach

to priorities will be established. Particular attention

is being given to the scope for private sector and

airline involvement in the construction of facilities,

including the scope for developing facilities of a more

modest standard.

Ã¢ÂÂ¢  .  .  Ã¢ÂÂ   X Â·

31.

Other Commonwealth Activities "

S  .  "  '  Â·  .

I n  a d d i t i o n  to t h e s e  d e c i s i o n s , t h e  G o v e r n m e n t

b e l i e v e s  t h a t  t h e  m o s t  r i g o r o u s  c o n t r o l  m u s t  c o n t i n u e  t o

b e  e x e r c i s e d  o v e r  s p e n d i n g  b y  d e p a r t m e n t s  a n d

a u t h o r i t i e s .  Â·.

F o r  t h e  c o m i n g  f i n a n c i a l  y e a r  th e  G o v e r n m e n t

i n t e n d s  t h a t  t h e r e  w i l l  be  a 3 p e r c e n t  r e d u c t i o n  in r e a l

t e r m s  on  t h e  c u r r e n t  l e v e l  o f  e x p e n d i t u r e  b y  d e p a r t m e n t s

a n d  a u t h o r i t i e s  o n  a d m i n i s t r a t i v e  a n d  o p e r a t i o n a l  i t e m s ,

i n c l u d i n g  p r o p e r t y  a c q u i s i t i o n ,  r e p a i r s  a n d  m a i n t e n a n c e

a n d  f u r n i t u r e  a n d  f i t t i n g s .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

- T h e r e  w i l l  be a f u r t h e r  t i g h t e n i n g  o f  B u d g e t

r e v i e w  p r o c e d u r e s  w i t h  t h e  o n u s  o f  p r o o f  b e i n g  o n  t h e

p r o p o n e n t  to j u s t i f y  a n y  i n c r e a s e  in e x p e n d i t u r e  o v e r

Â«the s a m e  m o n e y  p r o v i d e d  in t h e  p r e v i o u s  y e a r .  C o u p l e d

w i t h  t h i s  w e  i n t e n d  t h a t  t h e r e  s h o u l d  be a f u r t h e r

i m p r o v e m e n t  in t h e  e f f i c i e n t  m a n a g e m e n t  of G o v e r n m e n t

d e p a r t m e n t s . E v e r y  e f f o r t  w i l l  be m a d e  to e l i m i n a t e

n o n - e s s e n t i a l  s e r v i c e s ,  to c o m b i n e  c o m m o n  s e r v i c e  a r e a s ,

Ã¢ÂÂ  to m a k e  m o r e  e f f i c i e n t  u s e  of A D P  a n d  to d e c e n t r a l i s e

and d e l e g a t e  m a n a g e m e n t  d e c i s i o n s  to i n d i v i d u a l

d e p a r t m e n t s .

- - T h e  G o v e r n m e n t  h a s  d e c i d e d  to t e r m i n a t e  the .

- c o m p u t e r i s e d  s t a f f  m a n a g e m e n t  s y s t e m ,  c a l l e d  M a n d a t a .

T h e  t e r m i n a t i o n  of M a n d a t a  w i l l  be a c h i e v e d  w i t h o u t  a n y

i n c r e a s e  in s t a f f  c e i l i n g s  in d e p a r t m e n t s  a n d  w i l l

r e s u l t  in a s i g n i f i c a n t  r e d u c t i o n  of s t a f f  w i t h i n  the

P u b l i c  S e r v i c e  B o a r d .  "

32

x

The level of research activity and - expend i t ur e ^Â·

undertaken within Government departments and authorities _

will be curtailed. The number of advisory committees ~

and councils will be significantly reduced by abolition ^

or amalgamation - this will apply particularly to the

Science and Technology, Health, Education, Immigration

and Ethnic Affairs, Capital Territory and Social ;

Security portfolios. ’

Altogether we will be winding up or ,

amalgamating some 40 advisory committees. In future the

Government will not as a general rule provide an annual

payment or sitting fee to part-time members of advisory

bodies, although individual cases of hardship or. real

need will be considered on their merits.

The Government proposes to' terminate the

'Assisted Passage Scheme forthwith. Negotiations will be

necessary with some Migration-Agreement countries to

phase out the scheme. Assisted passages will be

available1  only to eligible refugees and to those

formerly eligible whose applications have been lodged by

today. We also intend to abolish the Legislative

Drafting Institute and the Council for Aboriginal

Development and not to proceed with the establishment of

a Broadcasting Information Office.

The Commonwealth Legal Aid Commission is to be

replaced by an advisory body which, while retaining its

independence, will be serviced by staff of the

Attorney-General1  s' Department rather than by a staff of

its own.

33.

The Industrial Relations Bureau will be

maintained. Following our review the Government

.believes that it is functioning with increasing

effectiveness.

In the interests of improved administration

and better service for clients, we will examine the

scope for greater co-location of the offices of the

Departments of Social Security and the Commonwealth

Employment Service. In future, claim forms for "

unemployment benefit and fortnightly income statements

will be lodged directly with the Department of Social

Security; the requirement that unemployment benefit

claimants visit CES offices fortnightly is to be

removed.

x

Again, in future all registered unemployed

persons will be interviewed by CES officers after four

months and those under 25 still unemployed after 8

months will be re-interviewed. The reasons for

selecting these periods are so they will coincide with

the eligibility criteria for our manpower and training

programs.

'  The emphasis will therefore clearly be to help

people: by placing them in employment, with our

training programs, and by career counselling for those

most severely affected by long term unemployment. .

'  The regular collection and publication of CES

statistics of persons registered for unemployment and of

unfilled vacancies will be terminated; more reliable

information on unemployment levels will continue to be

available through the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

34 34.

Significant room for staffing reductions

exists in our diplomatic missions overseas. The  * Â·  *

staffing of the London and Washington posts overseas ~

will be cut by 232 and by 75 staff respectively. New ^

guidelines will be issued on overseas representation.

The overseas representation of the Department :

of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs will also be reviewed "  '

in the light of revised and more efficient procedures

for the recruitment and selection of persons for

permanent settlement in Australia.

There will be a streamlining of procedures for

persons applying for temporary entry to Australia and

for the granting of Australian citizenship.

The Australian DevelopmentÂ·Assistance Bureau

;will be retained as a separate entity but, to the .

maximum extent possible, its activities and personnel

will be integrated with the Department of Foreign

Affairs. *' The need to maintain separate State offices

for ADAB will be reviewed, with the administration and

supervision of overseas students becoming a

responsibility of the Department of Education and

individual tertiary institutions.

One of the major benefits flowing from this

extensive review of Commonwealth activities is that

resources are freed to activities which the Government

believes should be significantly developed. A more

efficient public sector will produce substantial

benefits in enabling us to more fully implement current

priorities. .  .

I make particular mention here of a case in

point. A re-allocation of existing resources In the

Australian Atomic Energy Commission research

establishment and in the CSIRO will enable the

Government to establish a New Institute of Energy and

Earth Resources in the CSIRO.

.  The establishment of this Institute is a

recognition of the high priority the Government believes

must be given to energy research. It will consolidate

Australia* s present nuclear research establishment into

a first class nuclear science and technology research

organisation and establish a first class non-nuclear

research organisation.

. The Government has also decided that the

Australian Marine Sciences and Technologies Advisory

Committee (AMSTAC) should from now on report direct to

the Minister for Science and Technology. Previously it

was a Standing Committee of the Australian Science and

Technology Council (ASTEC). It will now be separate

from that body, although ASTEC will be represented on it

with observer status.

The Government will also explore with State

Governments the appropriateness and feasibility of

transferring to the States the remaining Commonwealth

operational elements of the administration of

quarantine. That would leave policy matters 1Â® relation

to quarantine with the Department of Health for people

and the Department of Primary Industry for animals and

plants. ’

X

Reviews

^ We intend to establish major reviews into a

number of significant areas of Commonwealth activity in

order to further tighten administration and achieve a

more efficient and effective service . Â· "

First of a l l , I wish to announce that there

will be a major review of the organisation of the ;

Department of Def en ce , in the light of the five year's of

experience since the Defence re-organisation in 1976.

Generally we believe the amalgamation of the individual

service departments into a unified Defence Department

has served Australia w e l l , but we think it is now.

opportune to stand back and consider what further

improvements might be made. The review will assess the

suitability of the Defence organisation to propose and

implement policy for the achievement of Government

defence objectives.

Secondly, we propose to engage consultants of

international standing to review and report on the

appropriate responsibilities and scaling down of:

activity of the National Capital Development Commission,

having regard to the allocation of planning functions

between the NCDC and the Department of the Capital

Territory, including consideration of the extent of

regulation of .land u s e , design and siting. -  .

Thirdly, we also intend to establish "a major

external review of Government laboratory facilities and

services to ensure a rational and co-ordinated use of

available services and facilities. As previously

mentioned, a major review of Telecom will be undertaken

and review of the staffing .levels of the Reserve Bank of

Australia has been instituted by the Governor of the

Bank. An independent review will be made of the

Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies. -

The Government is conscious of the need' for a

close watch to be kept on the activities of statutory

and non-departmental bodies. Ministers will be

examining critically the need for continued existence of

all statutory bodies within their portfolios. In

addition we will be proposing the establishment of a

Joint Parliamentary Standing Committee to review the

performance, role, functions and continued need for all

statutory bodies; references to this Committee will be

initiated by a Minister or by either House of

Pariiament. ‘  .

I table a'schedule of the decisions arising

from the Review of Commonwealth Functions and seek leave

to incorporate it in Hansard. Separate attachments to

this schedule also summarize assets to be sold1, advisory

bodies to be abolished, capital works proposals,

colleges of advanced education affected by funding

changes, details of changes to taxation concessions,

statistical collections which are to be eliminated or

reviewed and the detailed terms of reference of the

proposed Defence review. Altogether some 350 separate

decisions are involved.

Given the range, depth and importance of the

decisions I have announced today, the Government regards

it as essential that there be a vigorous follow-up of

their implementation. The task of reining in the growth

of government is a continuous process, and we are

determined to ensure that there is positive progress in

implementing today’s decisions. To this end a Committee

of senior Ministers, chaired by the Minister for

Industry and Commerce, will have responsibility fo.r

reviewing progress and monitoring particularly those

areas where implementation is not proceeding

satisfactorily. The Committee will report to Cabinet on

a regular basis.

The Review has covered a vast span of

Commonwealth Government activity. Many of the changes

will not be achieved quickly. Legislative action will

.be -required in'some cases, as will negotiations-with---State Governments. Other changes involve the sale or

transfer of assets to the private sector which

necessarily will take some time. .  .

Staff Savings

Cumulatively these decisions will have a major

impact on the size of the Commonwealth bureaucracy. The

re-allocation of functions between Commonwealth and

States and between government and the private sector,

together with the decisions in relation to the

Commonwealth's own activities, will result in reduction

in the order of 10,000 to 11,000 in the number of

39

Commonwealth Government employees. Over and above the

'specific staff savings resulting from the reduction or

abolition of functions, the Government has decided that

it should work at achieving an objective of a further 2

per cent reduction in the number of Commonwealth .

Government employees in the area subject to staff

ceilings over the next two years.

As I have indicated, some of the changes

"depend upon negotiations with the States and private

sector but on the basis of staffing assessments made so

far it is expected that this will lead to a total

reduction in staffing of the order of 16,000 to 17,000.

These estimates exclude further possible savings from

the major reviews into Defence administration, Telecom

and the National Capital Development Commission and from

other reviews .and examinations of functions. ___ _ __ . . .

The magnitude of the staff reductions involved

means that a massive redeployment operation will be

necessary. However, mainly in cases where the functions

to be changed .  involve highly' specif ic job skills, there

could well be some categories of persons for whom the

Commonwealth has no continuing employment and where some

retrenchment will therefore be inevitable. The

Government will seek to confine any retrenchments to

these types of situations.

X

In order to ensure that maximum opportunities

are taken to redeploy surplus staff the Public Service

Board will be oversighting closely all appointment and

promotion action in departments and authorities. Staff

identified as surplus will have the protections; afforded

by the Commonwealth Employees (Redeployment and '

Retirement) Act and Public Service Arbitrator’s

Determination No 509 of 1977. The Public Service Board

will be in touch with departments and Public Service Act

authorities regarding the arrangements required: to keep

staffing in line with the reductions to be achieved.

I wish to emphasise that the Government

believes that the public service has fully adequate

capacity to make these reductions with consequent

improvements to efficiency.

,  Â·  The Government" has a high regard for the

quality of service provided by the Commonwealth Public

Service. The Government recognises and appreciates the

contribution that the public service as a whole makes

and the staff savings identified do not reflect, on the

efficiency or dedication of the individuals involved.

Rather we believe it is time to redress the balance

between the public and "private sectors.

Expenditure Implications .

V.

It will be clear by now that the Rev i e w  of

Commonwealth Functions has been much more than an

expenditure review- e x e r c i s e . Indeed many of: the

decisions such as those involving contracting out to the

private sector or transfers to the States do not have,

immediate expenditure savings as their principal

objective. .

Nevertheless, the Government has regarded the

Review of Commonwealth Functions as making an important Â·

contribution to the objective of further reining in

government spending, to make room for private sector

growth and pave the way for significant reductions in -Ã¢ÂÂ =

the burden of taxation. .  .

Compared with the costs of continuing programs

on the basis of existing policies and arrangements', the "

estimated overall effect of these measures will be an

eventual on-going saving in Budget outlays of the order

of $560 million.J Government revenue will also

be boosted, from the sale of assets and from a

broad ranging reduction in various forms of assistance

to industry through the tax system, saving some $130 million

The Government's attitude to expenditure

restraint will again be firmly in evidence in its

approach at the forthcoming Premiers' Conference and

Loan-Council meeting and in our determination to h old;

down outlays in "the 1981-82 Budget where further savings

can be expected.

42. x

CONCLUSION .  Ã¢ÂÂ

Let me refer again to the context of today's

decisions. They are a further expression of the

Government's determination to make sure that the

Commonwealth's operations are as streamlined and Â·

efficient as they can be and that there is room for the

private sector to grow.

The decisions I have just announced will

benefit all Australians. They will contribute to the

further pursuit by the Government of lower inflation, Ã¢ÂÂ

higher economic growth, lower taxes, better wages and

r less centralised government.

These decisions are a major step in the

reversal of the growth of government. A further step in

the readjustment of the role and size of government to

the needs of the new stage of change and development now

opening up.

- -V.

S i n c e  t he G o v e r n m e n t  c a m e  to o f f i c e  in 1975,

i n f l a t i o n  h a s  b e e n  c o n t r o l l e d ,  a nd p r i v a t e  s e c t o r

e m p l o y m e n t  h a s  i n c r e a s e d ,  w h i l e  t h e  n u m b e r  of

C o m m o n w e a l t h  e m p l o y e e s  h a s  f a l l e n . We h a v e  g i v e n  h i g h

p r i o r i t y  to r e d u c i n g  the C o m m o n w e a l t h  d e f i c i t .  The c o s t

of the g r o w t h  o f  g o v e r n m e n t  t h a t  o c c u r r e d  b e t w e e n  1 9 7 2

and 1 9 7 5  w a s  o b s c u r e d  b y  t he d e f i c i t s  w h i c h  wer e  run up

in those y e a r s ; d e f i c i t s  w h i c h  A u s t r a l i a n s  h a v e  h ad to

k e e p  p a y i n g  b a c k  e v e r  s i n c e .

43.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, deTicit

financing was popular in democratic societies. The

feeling grew up that people needed only to ask, for

governments to be entitled to spend. Unrealistic

expectations were generated, and they in turn increased

the damage caused by this approach. We have led in

saying that that view is wrong, and many countries are

now following our example.

Let me also make it plain that small and

limited government bears no relationship to mean and

ungenerous government. On the contrary, by

strengthening the economy, limited government provides

the foundation for generous social security

arrangements.

It has been a fundamental concern of this

Government to give priority to helping those in need. '

They are among the beneficiaries of more efficient

government. To emphasis this fact unmistakeably, no

-reductions in income security provisions have been made

as a result of this review.

Economic growth also provides a foundation for

bringing down taxes; but only provided that government

expenditure is held d o w n .

........  Economic growth over the next few years;, in

combination with continued restraint of government

spending, will lead to a reduction in the relative size

of the public sector and to higher real incomes for

Australians. ’

x

Limited government means a better working

-economy and a more responsible society. Bloated and

excessive government means the reverse. It also

encourages impossible expectations. .  .......

The Review of Commonwealth Functions has had

to make many hard decisions. Decision about priorities

are always difficult. But the Review Committee has been

very clear about its priorities. ‘

- that the overall well being of Australia must

come first

- and that the conditions of an even better

' future for Australia must be firmly

established.

Only by achieving the kind of turnaround to

which this Review has made such a significant

contribution; only by scaling down big government;

only by a relevant and balanced distribution of powers

between the Commonwealth and the States; and only by

the Commonwealth fixing its own priorities within the

resources which it can legitimately command, can the

Government discharge its responsibility to Australia and

the future of Australia. - I

I thank the Committee, and as chairman

Sir Phillip Lynch in particular, for the enormous amount

of work they have undertaken in the course of this

Review^ which has laid the foundation for the

far-reaching decisions I have announced today.

4  ÃÂ

' ÃÂ·

1 -

ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS .  ÃÂ'

Function Government Decision

1. Aboriginal  Housing

2. Applied Ecology  Pty Ltd .

3. Sacred Sites

Protection  Authority

. States Grants for Aboriginal Housing to be  incorporated in the  Commonwealth-States  Housing Agreement. .

(and earmarked: as an '  identifiable program  component) ......

. Commonwealth funding  to be withdrawn. ’

. Funding be transferred to  the Northern Territory  Government.

. * Â»

4. Council for CAD to be abolished.

Aboriginal with advisory functions

Development (CAD) and powers transferred

and National .  to the NAC.

Conference (NAC)

5. Institute of . A n  external review of the

Aboriginal Studies institute to be conducted

(including its  inter-relationship with  the proposed Museum of  Australia an<3 the Heritage

Â·  Comm ission.)

- 2 -

Ã¢ÂÂ¢  A >

t Â·

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

’  " X

Function Government Decision

1. Property and Survey  . Activities . Increased.  use to be made of.'  private surveyors so that .

the private sector obtains  an agreed target proportion ^  of Commonwealth survey work ~  within 5 years; ’

. Overseas property activities^  of statutory authorities . to be transferred to the ;

Overseas Operations Branch  of the Department of  Administrative Services . . Department of Administrative

Services to assume policy  control for all aspects of  domestic property.

2. Disposal of Surplus  Land . Surplus Commonwealth land  to be sold or leased.

3. Government Printing  .  and Publications ' Â·

. Capacity of Government .  Printer to be limited to  -that required for Parliament  and the urgent and

confidential needs of  government. .

. Remaining work to be  transferred to private  sector. '

. AGPS bookshops to be leased  to private sector. .

4. Storage of Goods " ... . Departments to identify

and dispose of surplus  goods. . Establishment of .

Departmental bulk stores _Ã¢ÂÂ~ to be controlled.

.  Â· Ã¢ÂÂ   .

. Storage costs to be  recovered. . Contracting out to private  sector of routine disposal

of goods to be increased.

5. Purchasing Policy Development and Review . Role of Purchasing Division to be extended

to purchases by statutory  authorities and departments  over the Regulation 52  limit to achieve greater

purchasing economies.

- 3 -

6. Purchasing Division,  Technical Services  Sections

7. Management  Support Services  within Portfolio

Function

8. Ministerial  Document  Service

Government Decision

. Resources devoted to this  function to be reduced.

Ã¢ÂÂ¢ Management support for  AGPS, Transport and Storage^  Division andl Australian  Electoral Office to be ^

centralised with  Management Services :;

.  Division of Department.

. Circulation of daily compilation of Ministerial  Statements to be limited  to essential users.

9. Cleaning and Watching . Cleaning and watching of

of Commonwealth Â·Â· Â·/Ã¢ÂÂ Â· Ã¢ÂÂ Ã¢ÂÂ 'Â·Â·Â·Â·-Ã¢ÂÂ * -Â· -Commonwealth properties to   Properties be undertaken by private

sector.

10. Food Services

11. ACT Non-nvigrant  Guest Houses

12. Use of Hire Cars

13. Management of Migrant  -  -  Hostels Â·  Â·  Â· .  r r  ÃÂ Â·  -  - Â·

. Mon-departmental food and - other services provided by  CACS Ltd. to be transferred  to private sector. . Departmental services to be

subject to further review.

. Havelock House to be placed  on market. . Future of remaining guest  houses to be reviewed.

. Preference to be given  to firms that use  Australian made cars. Â¥ . Migrant hostel management

to be transferred to the  private sector on a  management fee arrangement.

7

<

A T T O R N E Y - G E N E R A L 'S

Function

1. Crown Sol i c i t o r ' s   Division

2. Australian Legal   Aid Office

3. Production of High   Court D e c i s i o n s

4. Legislative Drafting   Institute

5. Private Publication   of C o m m o nwealth   Statutes

6. Institute of

Criminology

7. Court Reporting   S e r v i c e s ....

. Suita b l e  w o r k  to be let out-'   to pri v a t e  sector. ‘- V

Ã¢ÂÂ   .  Ã¢ÂÂ   . >;Â·*-'Â· '

. N e w  S o u t h  W a l e s , T a s m a n i a  ^

and N o r t h e r n  T e r r i t o r y   G o v e r n m e n t s  to be invited v   to t a k e  o v e r  A u s t r a l i a n  ^ > :   L e g a l  Aid O f f i c e  func t i o n s .  .

. P r o d u c t i o n  a n d  m a r k e t i n g  "

o f  H i g h  C o u r t  D e c i s i o n s   to r e m a i n  w i t h  private ' "

s e c t o r  . Ã¢ÂÂ

. I n s t i t u t e  to b e  a b o l i s h e d   and r e p l a c e d  with on the job   t r a i n i n g . Ã¢ÂÂ   '  '  Â·  .  .

. R e s t r i c t i o n s  on private   p u b l i c a t i o n  in c o m p e t i t i o n   w i t h  g o v e r n m e n t  p u b l i c a t i o n  .   to b e  e a s e d .

. N e w  b u i l d i n g  not to be

p r o c e e d e d  w i t h .  Â·

. S t a t e s  to b e  asked to

c o n t r i b u t e  s i x - s e v e n t h s   o f  all c o s t s  o f  the

I n s t i t u t e .  -

. E f f i c i e n c y  o f  the Court .

Court R e p o r t i n g  . .

S e r v i c e  and s c o p e  for   l i m i t i n g  i t s  s e r v i c e s  to

- e s s e n t i a l  r e q u i r e m e n t s   to b e  e x a m i n e d .  ,

Government Decision

BUSINESS AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS

Function

1. Bankruptcy

2. Customs By-law  System

3. Prices Justification  Tribunal

4. Consumer  Affairs  Activities

5. Policy Advice  on Industries  -  Assistance

Government Decision

. Bankruptcy work to be V s Â· Â· * Â·

c o n t r a c t e d  to p r i v a t e

s e c t o r . Ã¢ÂÂ i

. I n d u s t r i e s  A s s i s t a n c e

.T

C o m m i s s i o n  to i n v e s t i g a t e Â· i m p r o v e m e n t s  to b y - l a w s y s t e m .

. T r i b u n a l  to b e  a b o l i s h e d   Â·. An a p p r o p r i a t e  m e c h a n i s m  Â· .   w i l l  be e s t a b l i s h e d  for   t h e  m a i n t e n a n c e  o f  the

G o v e r n m e n t ' s  p e t r o l e u m   p r o d u c t  p r i c i n g  p o l i c y .

. A c t i v i t i e s  o f  Trade

P r a c t i c e s  C o m m i s s i o n  to be   r e d u c e d  b y :  Ã¢ÂÂ

-  M o r e  selectiveÂ· c o m p l a i n t s   .  i n v e s t i g a t i o n ; - R e d u c e d  a d j u d i c a t i o n  work; -  R e d u c e d  e d u c a t i o n  func t i o n s .  . and s a f e t y  and inf o r m a t i o n

s t a n d a r d s  m o n i t o r i n g . . N a t i o n a l  p r o d u c t / l a b e l l i n g   s t a n d a r d  s e t t i n g  role to   b e  m a i n t a i n e d . . S t a f f  in T r a d e  P r a c t i c e s

D i v i s i o n  o f  B A C A  to be   c o r r e s p o n d i n g l y  r e d u c e d .

. S c o p e  for r a t i o n a l i s i n g a s s i s t a n c e  a d v i s o r y  f u n c t i o n   w i t h i n  and b e t w e e n  D e p t s   to be e x a m i n e d . '  _

. IAC staffing: to be r e d uced -   f o l l o w i n g  c o m p l e t i o n  o f   T a r i f f  R e v i e w  r e f e r e n c e s . . S t a f f  in I n d u s t r i e s

A s s i s t a n c e  D i v i s i o n  of B A C A   to be c o r r e s p o n d i n g l y   r e d u c e d .

CAPITAL TERRITORY

Function Government Decision

1. Recreation and Cultural Facilities

2. Motor Vehicle Testing  Centres

3. Lands

4. Canberra Commercial  Development Authority

5. Canberra Retail  Markets Trust

6. National-Capital  Development  Commission

.  :  ’ * Â· .' :

7. C i t y  P a r k s

A d m i n i s t r a t i o n

. M a x i m u m  f u t u r e  p r o v i s i o n  o f  -Â­

r e c r e a t i o n  a n d  c u l t u r a l   f a c i l i t i e s  t o  b e  b y  .

p r i v a t e  sector., Â·

. S c o p e  f o r  existingÂ· ÃÂ"

f a c i l i t i e s  to  b e  l e a s e d  Â·Â»

o r  s o l d  to b e  e x a m i n e d . ^

. M o t o r  d e a l e r s  a n d ’  g a r a g e s  t o   p e r f o r m  t e s t i n g  o f  c a r s  Â·

f o r  r e g i s t r a t i o n  p u r p o s e s .  -

. T h e  p r i v a t e  s e c t o r  a l o n e  to   m a r k e t  a n d  s e l l  r e s i d e n t i a l   a n d  c o m m e r c i a l  l a n d  i n c l u d i n g   o v e r  t h e  c o u n t e r  s a l e s .

. A u t h o r i t y  to  b e  a b o l i s h e d .

. B e l c o n n e n  M a l l  to b e  s o l d  to   t h e  p r i v a t e  s e c t o r .  .

. T r u s t  t o  b e  t e r m i n a t e d  a n d   f a c i l i t i e s  ‘soldi to a   t r a d e r  c o - o p e r a t i v e .

. C o n s u l t a n t s  o f

i n t e r n a t i o n a l  s t a n d i n g   t o  b e  e n g a g e d  to r e v i e w   a n d  r e p o r t  on  the a p p r o p r i a t e   r e d u c t i o n  in th e

r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s  an d   s c a l e  o f  a c t i v i t y  f o r  .

N C D C  ( h a v i n g  r e g a r d  to t h e   a l l o c a t i o n  o f  p l a n n i n g  "   f u n c t i o n s  b e t w e e n  N C D C  a n d   t h e  D e p a r t m e n t ,  o f  t h e

C a p i t a l  T e r r i t o r y , Ã¢ÂÂ  " i n c l u d i n g  c o n s l d i e r a t i o n  o f   -the e x t e n t  o f  r e g u l a t i o n  o f   l a n d  u s e ,  d e s i g n  a n d

s i t i n g . )

. T h e  i s s u e  o f

f r e e  p l a n t s  to o w n e r s   o f  n e w  h o m e s  to b e

d i s c o n t i n u e d . . E x i s t i n g  c o n t r a c t

a r r a n g e m e n t s  to b e  e x t e n d e d   to c o v e r  all a s p e c t s  o f

. l a n d s c a p i n g  a c t i v i t i e s .

- 7 -

Function Government Decision

8. Statutory and Comparable Bodies and  Positions

Architects, surveyors,  real estate, stock and  station and business  agents to regulate  themselves. Ã¢ÂÂ¢ Charges for registering and

(where appropriate) .  .

regulating professional . -  Â· .  groups be reviewed to ^

cover administrative ;

costs. . Various review bodies to  bd“ transferred to the

Administrative Appeals  Tribunal, including the  Land Commissioner and  Valuation Review Board. . Milk Authority and the

Show Ground Trust to assume  responsibility for their  staffing requirements. . Extent of building industry

regulation to be reduced  subject to appropriate  Â·Â·. safety requirements being preserved. .  :

. Rent control to be

abolished. . Review of 3rd party

insurance arrangements  to be expedited. . Controller of Prices  to be abolished. Milk _

price control to be -

undertaken by the Milk  Authority. '

. Co-operative trading  societies to be* ..Â·  deregulated,. ~

. Shopping hours to be Â·

deregulated1.Â· .

. Minister for Health  to examine scope  for reducing Government  involvement in .

registration/regulation  of health professionals. . Nature Conservation Â·

Advisory Committee to be  abolished.

Function Government Decision

8. Statutory and Comparable Bodies and  Positions

Architects, surveyors,  real estate, stock and  station and business  agents to regulate  themselves. . Charges for registering and

(where appropriate) . .

regulating professional — .  groups be reviewed to ^

costs. . Various review bodies to  b f  transferred to the .

Administrative Appeals  Tribunal, including the  Land Commissioner and  Valuation Review Board. . Milk Authority and the

Show Ground Trust to assume  responsibility for their  staffing requirements. . Extent of building industry

regulation to be reduced  subject to appropriate  safety requirements  being preserved. .

. Rent control to be  abolished. . Review of 3rd party

insurance arrangements  to be expedited. Ã¢ÂÂ¢ Controller of Prices  to be abolished. Milk

price control to be .

undertaken by the Milk  Authority. . Co-operative trading  societies to beÂ» .

deregulated!. . Shopping hours to be .

deregulated. .

. Minister for Health  to examine scope  for reducing. Government  involvement in

registration/regulation  of health professionals. . Nature Conservation Advisory Committee to be

abolished;.

cover administrative

Function . Government Decision;

.  -  X  Â·

v  ;

Â· T A B ,  L i q u o r  L i c e n s i n g   .  . B o a r d  a n d  P o k e r  M a c h i n e   L i c e n s i n g  B o a r d  to b e   a m a l g a m a t e d . . Â·

. S c o p e  f o r  o p e r a t i n g   ’Â·  h o u s i n g  l o a n s  s c h e m e   t h r o u g h  b a n k s  or  b u i l d i n g   s o c i e t i e s  t o  b e  e x a m i n e d .

COMMUNICATIONS

Function Government Decision

1. ABC - Accommodation  Arrangements

2. Broadcasting  Information  Office

3. Australia Post - . Australia Post Courier

Service to be abolished. . Australia Post to maintain a postal  express service for

postal items only, as  part of the mail service.

.  . Private contractors to

be used for mail cartage.  . Australian Postal "  .  Commission's statutory  monopoly powers to be

. examined with a view to

x reduction .or elimination.

Ã¢ÂÂ¢ Scope for rationalisation . ÃÂ¹ Â­ ÃÂ¿ÃÂ¯ existing ABC locations *  to be examined!. Â·  t :

’. Broadcasting Information  Office not to be

established. .

4. Telecom .  . A n  independent inquiry

Ã¢ÂÂ   -  - of Telecom to be established

to examine the extent to  which .there could be a ,

.  ......... wider private sector .

_  involvement in

......  activities currently

-  .  performed by Telecom. .

. The determination of

T  - -  standards for equipment

for the interconnect

.  market be transferred

Ã¢ÂÂ¢  from Telecom to an

'  Â·  ,  Ã¢ÂÂ 'Â·Ã¢ÂÂ  Ã¢ÂÂ '. Â·  independent body.

5. Post Offices .as. _ .  . . .  Post Offices .to provide

Agents for Government -  brochures and information

Activities for business and community

.  on government programs.

. Post Office information  agency activities not  to compete with private  enterprise.

- 10 -

DEFENCE

Function

X

G o v e r n m e n t  D e c i s i o n

1. Defence S c i e n c e ,   .... R e s e a r c h  and

Dev e l o p m e n t

2. Naval D o c k y a r d s

3. Defence W o r k s h o p s

Ã¢ÂÂ¢ 4. Quality C o n t r o l / -   A s s u r a n c e

5. D e f e n c e - W a r e h o u s i n g

6. Defence Printing   Esta b l i s h m e n t

7. Defence R e v i e w

. Direct C o m m o n w e a l t h   i n v o l v e m e n t  to be   r e d u c e d . . Pr i v a t e  s e c t o r  and

u n i v e r s i t i e s  to   b e  e n c o u r a g e d  to   p e r f o r m  a c t i v i t i e s .

. Use of  contractors' s e r v i c e s  to b e  e x t e n d e d . '

. C o n t r a c t  arrang e m e n t s  for '   r e p a i r s  and m a i n t e n a n c e   to be extended.

. G r e a t e r  use to be m a d e

o f  p r i v a t e  sect o r  and   G o v e r n m e n t  factories to   m e e t  q u a l i t y  control   r e q u i r e m e n t s . . A  s i n g l e  D e f e n c e  Quality

A s s u r a n c e  S e rvice to be   ...established,

,. F u r t h e r  ratio n a l i s a t i o n  and   c e n t r a l i s a t i o n  of Defence   w a r e h o u s i n g  to be u n d e r t a k e n .

. D e f e n c e  Printing; -

E s t a b l i s h m e n t ^ B r u n s w i c k ,  to be .

transferred! to AGP S  wit h i n  twe l v e  m o n t h s .

. A  m a j o r  r e v i e w  of Defence   o r g a n i z a t i o n  to be   ’Ã¢ÂÂ   c o n d u c t e d , to report b y  -

m i d - 1 9 8 2 .  .  "

Â· Â· Â·  '  .*>

Ã¢ÂÂ  S . -7 Â· .

- 11-

EDUCATION

Function . Government Decision -

1. Adult Secondary Education Assistance  Scheme

X

. Eligibility to be restricted  to those needing ___

qualifications for Ã¢ÂÂ¢  employment. . —

2. Schools Commission . Direct involvement of Schools

Commission in program  administration in the :

States and information  collection to be reduced. .. State Offices to be scaled :

down accordingly. Â· ’

. Buildings Unit in central  office to be abolished. .

3. School Â·

Building Costs

. Subsidies for school buildings and other capital  .  facilities to be based on an

amount equal to the mean of  average costs for each  '  sector (eg. government school and non-government,

primary and secondary) . . Commonwealth funding will  not be available for  "Government school buildings ......  in States which exceed this

average cost level in the  Ã¢ÂÂ   building of new facilities.

4. Curriculum  Development  Centre

. Centre to be abolished  - (unless the States agree to

contribute 50 per cent of

Ã¢ÂÂ   Â·  Ã¢ÂÂ¢ . - - I .  V  t -  *  Â·  Â· Ã¢ÂÂ   - Ã¢ÂÂ   -  Â·

operating costs). - - Â·. -In future, only curriculum .  projects requested by the

"  .  '  Â·  ,  .  ...

'  Australian Education Council and cost shared 50:50 by the  -  States to be undertaken.

5. Research  Activities

. Special support for  " Â·  educational research to be terminated . . Education

Research and Development  Committee to be abolished.  . In-house and contracted  research activities of the

Department of Education  to be scaled down.

- 12 -

Function Government Decision;

6. International  Education

7. Student Loans

8. Eligibility for  TEAS .

. Participation in international education  activities, particularly  UNESCO and OECD, to be

scaled down. .  ‘

Ã¢ÂÂ¢ A  loan scheme;, . Ã¢ÂÂ  >

administered by o

tertiary institutions, to .  "> be introduced from the  beginning of 1982 as a .  ;  ,

supplement to TEAS. *  --Â·

. Changes to TEAS rates to  be considered in the light  of this additional form  of assistance.

. Eligibility for living  away from home allowance  for those 21 to 25. to be

restricted to those  required to live away .

from home by reason of  geography of home  conditions. -."De facto relationships

no longer to be an

acceptable qualification'  for independent status. . Periods of registration for employment, with or .

without receipt of  Unemployment Benefits,  to be taken into account Â·

in determining the :

2 year qualifying  period for independent  status.

- 13 -

Function Government -Decision

9. Tertiary Tuition  Fees

10. Rationalisation of Colleges of. .Ã¢ÂÂ  Advanced Education

. Tuition fees to be introduced in universities Â·  and CAE’s for students  undertaking degrees and Â·  diplomas subsequent to an Â·  Ã¢ÂÂ¢ ‘ xiv \ '

initial tertiary f

qualification, Ã¢ÂÂ   except for recognised double:  degree or diploma  combinations. . Fees to apply to :

new enrolments from 1982. -  -. The scale of fees to be

announced in the Budget  context. . Postgraduate students .  receiving Commonwealth

Government Postgraduate  Awards to be exempted  from fees. *

. Grants to universities and Ã¢ÂÂ¢  colleges to be offset .  .  ,  .  Ã¢ÂÂ

to take account of fee  income. Â·

..'Consideration, to be  given to funding .

activities of single  purpose CAE's where they  have been amalgamated with  or into larger institutions

to the satisfaction of Â·

the Commonwealth  Government by the end Â·

of 1981. . Commonwealth funding for  thirty single-purpose  CAE's to cease as single

purpose institutions  .from the end of 1981. . The consolidation of  institutions is to .

result in genuine  amalgamations: with one  governing body and a real  saving of resources. . The States to, be given the .

option of taking over .

affected colleges after  1981 on the basis that  they provide the full  funding involved.

Function Government Decision

\

11. Proposed U n i v e r s i t y   in the N o r t h e r n   Territory'

12. ACT e d u c a t i o n

. An amo u n t  o f  $5m to .

b e  ea r m a r k e d  within   total funds m a d e   a v a i l a b l e  for univer s i t i e s   and c o l l e g e s  in 1982   and 1983 to facilitate

this r a t i o n a l i z a t i o n   o f  a c t i v i t i e s  t h rough   e x p a n s i o n  of   t e c h n o l o g i c a l  and   b u s i n e s s  s t u d i e s . . The e n g i n e e r i n g  schools

at Preston a n d  ,

B e n d i g o  CAE's and   at Deakin U n i v e r s i t y   to be run down with

no n e w  s t u d e n t s  accepted   a f t e r  1981. -

. The future of the

e n g i n e e r i n g  school at   Caul field CAE to be examined . Funding for the U n i v e r s i t y   of We s t e r n  Aus t r a l i a  and

M u r d o c h  U n i v e r s i t y  to be   b a s e d  on a g r e a t e r   sharing of re s o u r c e s  and

c o l l a b o r a t i o n .

. C o m m o n w e a l t h  funding not   to be provided for the   e s t a b l i s h m e n t  o f  a   U n i v e r s i t y  in the   N o r t h e r n  T e r r i t o r y  in

the 1982 / / 8 4  T riennium. -

. The C o m m o n w e a l t h  Teaching   Service C o m m i s s i o n e r  to   be  a b o lished and the   f u n c t i o n s  to be absorbed   b y  the Public Service

B o a r d , the A C T  Schools   A u t h o r i t y  and the .

D e p a r t m e n t  of Education. . The ACT Sc h o o l s  Au t h o r i t y   to be r e s t r u c t u r e d  . . Use of A C T  school

b u i l d i n g s  to b e   s i g n i f i c a n t l y  rationalised.

Function Government Decision

13. Education Program for  Unemployed Youth Administration of program  to be transferred to the

School to Work Transition  Program.

EMPLOYMENT AND YOUTH AFFAIRS

Function Government Decision

1. Professional Employment Offices (PEO) -. PEO's to be discontinued ^

as a separate network from  the Commonwealth! Employment  Service. " ’

2. Occupational  Information

Ã¢ÂÂ¢ Â·  . * >

. Services to be rationalised .  having regard to level of  State services. "  ’

3. Vocational Psychology . Services to be rationalised ;

having regard to level of  State services. ^

4. CES Templine Service . Templine to be abolished.

5. Waterfront Employment  Offices . Operation to be discontinued.  . Functions to be performed by

private employers.," .

6. Other Aspects of CES

Operation

. Typist/stenographer testing  in Perth to be abolished. . . Employer paid advertisements  to be discontinued in areas

-where CES has not been the  -  traditional source of job  vacancies o Ã¢ÂÂ  "

7. Former Regular Servicemen’s Vocational  Training Scheme

. Scheme to be terminated.

8. Labour Market  Research

. Further rationalization  between Bureau of Labour

'  -

Market Research and research  positions in Department  to be undertaken.

9. CES Statistics . Regular collection and .

publication of. CES '

statistics of persons  registered for unemployment  and of unfilled! vacancies  to be discontinued.

10. CES Recall Interviews . All registered unemployed

to be interviewed after 4  months and those under 25  re-interviewed after 8  months. .

Function Government Decision!

11. Aspects of CES . Initial UB claim forms

UB Administration and fortnightly income Ã¢ÂÂ ="

statements to be returned

,  direct to the Department ofr

Social Security. .

. The requirement that f

claimants visit CES offices Â· * *  fortnightly to be removed.

- 18 -

FINANCE

Function Government Decision

1. Cash Mode of Salary

payment

2. Enemy Subjects Trust  Accounts

Cash payments for staff  employed by the fÂ·.-#

Commonwealth to be ’

eliminated (with the  exception of certain  industrial type payrolls) .

Trust Account to be  terminated .

- 19 -

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Function

1. Public Affairs Branch

2. Australia-Japan  Relations

3. Advisor on Science,  Technology and the  Environment

4. Overseas Aid .

5. ADAB Regional  Offices

. Departmental public _-Â·

relations operations to be Â· ...  scaled down. Ã¢ÂÂ   ÃÂ"

. Australia - Japan Relations  function to be rationalised 1  by: .

- examining overlap between Standing ;

Committee on japan, *

Consultative Committee on Â« Ã¢ÂÂ

Relations with Japan  and Australia-Japan  Foundation ; - reviewing need for a

separate Japan  Secretariat;: . Â· - reducing Foundation  staff and/or scaling

down Information and  Cultural Relations  Branch.

. Abolish position. .

Government Decision

. ADAB to be retained as an

entity with its own  director. .Â· Officers of ADAB to be '

integrated into ’

Department to greatest  extent possible to  allow for maximum: - interchangeability of

personnel; and - common support services.

.  . State Offices Â©if ADAB  to be reviewed;  with a  view t o : - supervision of sponsored

overseas students becoming  the responsibility of  tertiary institutions;

- 20 -

Function

6. Policy Towards  International  Organisations

J

7. Eastern Regional   Organisation for   Public Administration

Government Decision

- administration of the   overseas student training ^   program being transferred-" to the State offices of ' -

Department of Educationi. - greater use to be made i -  ^

of private sector J

travel firms to arrange ~  travel; 1

. Future location of International Training ; Institute to be considered.

. Australia's membership of,  and level of contribution  t o, international  organisations to be reviewed.

. Australian membership to be  terminated.

8. Oversea's . Revised directive on overseas

Representation ' representation to be issued.

.Â·Ã¢ÂÂ Â·Staffing in London and  -  Washing ton posts to be

" "  significantly reduced.

HEALTH

1. Pathology Laboratories

Function

2. Policy Advice on  Aspects pf Health  Care

3. Institute of Anatomy

4. Statutory Qualifications  for the Director-  General^ of Health

5. School Dental Scheme

6. International Health

7- Portfolio Advisory .  v.

Committees

. The transfer of the pathology laboratories to *  the States to be taken .  >*'

up with State Governments. Â«

. Staffing levels in areas >

dealing with emvironmenta 1 : health, toxicology, food  standards, preventative ; medicine , nutrition and

epidemiology to be Â·

rationalised, v . Â·

. Institute of Anatomy ultimately to become part of  proposed National Museum.

. Relevant legislation will be amended to remove  the statutory requireÂ­ ment for the Director-

General of Health to be a  qualified medical  practitioner.

. To be transferred to the  States .

. Level of Commonwealth  staffing and involvement  to be reviewed!.

. Operating costs: to be  signficantly reduced.

Government Decision '

8. National Acoustics . The major portion of NAL*s

Laboratories " ~ ~ ------  -- -Â· -  work to be carried out by the

private sector with .

.  ;  Australian firms tendering

. - .  for the manufacture and -

~  assembly of hearing aids.

.  . NAL will continue to fit

and repair aids for eligible  persons.

HOME AFFAIRS AND ENVIRONMENT

Function

1. Australian Archives

.  S  '  "

2. F i l m  a n d  T e l e v i s i o n   S c h o o l

3. " L i f e .  B e  In I t "  P r o g r a m

4. U r a n i u m

5. E n v i r o n m e n t a l   P r o t e c t i o n  ( N u c l e a r   D e v e l o p m e n t )

. A r c h i v e s  p r e m i s e s  to b e   s h a r e d  w i t h  S t a t e s  w h e r e   p o s s i b l e .  "

. .  Ã¢ÂÂ   ÃÂ'

. Film and TV School to be ~

directed to pursue full ’ * cost recovery for its ^

Open Program activities.

. Commonwealth support for -the program to be terminated.

. Responsibility for -the '  regulation and control of   nuclear activities in   Australia to be implemented   as far as possible by the

States and Northern   Territory, with the  Commonwealth maintaining   a co-ordinating role.

. Responsibility for the   financing of Northern   Territory environmental   regulatory services be

transferred to the  Territory Government   (subject to the Territory   establishing an independent   environmental regulatory

agency and continuing -

to have the Alligator   Region Co-ordinating ; Committee and the Ã¢ÂÂ¢  Supervising Scientist   consider the annual  programs of the Northern   Territory) . *

Government Decisions

Function Government Decision

6. Australian National  Parks and Wildlife  Service (ANPWS) .

'  .  ' Â»  .  .

. ANPWS to maintain control  of marine parks and its  present policy functions. --  . Operations functions, other

than through management " A  advice, to be gradually ^

scaled d own. J

. Except where the Commonweal Â£hi  is requested by a Territory  to maintain full control, . operation of non-marine ;

par ks, other than through  management advice, to be  left to the Northern "

Territory and Territory  administrations to  conduct under delegation. . Essential Commonwealth

interests in the Kakadu  National Park to be  maintained.

7. Australian Archives  Charge for Services . Charging for archival  storage of records of

..Commonwealth business  - undertakings to be  initiated. -

8. Women's Issues ;  . . The Office of Women's

Affairs in the Department  of Home Affairs and .  .

Environment and the Women's  Bureau in the Department .  of Employment and Youth -  Affairs to be continued.

-  Ã¢ÂÂ   Ã¢ÂÂ   .  Ã¢ÂÂ   Ã¢ÂÂ   Â·

. Other Departments -

to integrate their  .  women's unit functions .  .

with their Departmental -

functions. Â·

9. Cultural and Heritage .  Ã¢ÂÂ  Matters . Staffing levels in the  Department and associated

authorities concerned  with cultural and heritage  matters to be reviewed.

HOUSING AND CONSTRUCTION

Function Government Decision!

1. Design of Major

New Works

2. Minor Wor ks ,  Repairs and  Maintenance

In-house designi activities j*"  to be reduced from 60 per ' '

cent to a maximum of .  W

50 per cent of total Â· -

Commonwealth n e e d , Â·

: .  . Â· >

ÃÂ ÃÂ· - h o u s e  a c t i v i t i e s  to b e  . v   r e d u c e d  b y  a r o u n d 1 5 0  p e r   c e n t .

3. A d v i s o r y

S e r v i c e s  .

4. M u g g a  Q u a r r y

a n d  H o t m i x  Â·

C o m p l e x  (ACT)

5. M o n i t o r i n g   B u i l d i n g  I n d u s t r y ;   H o u s i n g  C o s t s ;   H o u s i n g  P o l i c y   A d v i c e

6. M a n a g e m e n t   Structure-.

7. G l e b e  E s t a t e

8. H o u s i n g  L o a n s  Â·

I n s u r a n c e  C o r p o r a t i o n   (HLIC)

. E x p e r i m e n t a l  B u i l d i n g   S t a t i o n  to b e  d i s p o s e d  o f .

. I n c r e a s e d  r o l e  for C S I R O ,  ‘   A M D E L  a n d  p r i v a t e  s e c t o r  in   t h e  p r o v i s i o n  o f  t e c h n i c a l   a d v i c e  in t h i s  a r e a  to b e   e x a m i n e d  .

. T o  b e  s o l d .  .

. L e v e l  o f  a c t i v i t i e s  a n d   ...staff!ng to b e  r e d u c e d  .

. M a n a g e m e n t  s t r u c t u r e  o f   D e p a r t m e n t  to b e  r e v i e w e d   i n ' l i g h t  o f  c h a n g e s  in s c a l e   a n d  p a t t e r n  o f  w o r k s  p r o g r a m .

. D i s c u s s i o n s  to b e  h e l d

w i t h  a v i e w  to t r a n s f e r r i n g   G l e b e  E s t a t e  to N S W   G o v e r n m e n t  (or, if the   S t a t e  r e j e c t s  t h a t  t r a n s f e r ,   "to o t h e r w i s e  d i s p o s e  o f  it) .

. H L I C  to b e  s o l d  ( s u b j e c t  to   t h e  u n d e r s t a n d i n g  tha t  th e   p u r c h a s e r  m a i n t a i n s  th e   l e v e l  o f  s e r v i c e s  p r e s e n t l y

p r o v i d e d ) . Ã¢ÂÂ

- 25 -

IMMIGRATION AND ETHNIC AFFAIRS

Function Government Decision __

1. Assisted Passage  Scheme .

. Assisted Passage Scheme toC  be terminatedÂ· forthwith. ' -  . Negotiations to be sought  with migration agreement V.

countries to phase out .  .

Assisted Passage Scheme. . Special provisions to continue to apply for ;

refugees. ;

2. Citizenship . Administrative procedures

for granting citizenship  to be streamlined.

3. Information  Services

. Production of certain  publications; to be  terminated and others  rationalised. . Department’s information

role to be rationalised.

4. Committee on Overseas  Professional  Oualifications {COPO)

. Charges for examination  . . .  of qualifications to be  introduced where  appropriate. ‘

5. Adult Migrant and  Refugee Education  Program

. Commonwealth’s; role to be  restricted to arranging and  co-ordinating only by  '  relinquishing responsibility

for the condiuct of .

individual programs . -. Field activity to be  contracted out to State  and non-government

bodies. *

. Allowance payments to be  made by Department of  Social Security.

6. Population and Labour  Mar k e t .Research . Population and1  labour market research activities

to be rationalised  .  between Departments of  Immigration and Ethnic  Affairs and Employment

and Youth Affairs and  staffing to be reduced.

Function Government Decision '

7. Translation/ Interpreting Services . Translation Services  to be:

- transferred to private -

. . .  -  Â·  Ã¢ÂÂ   '  Ã¢ÂÂ  agencies where they can *

provide the service; '

— withdrawn in areas of  prime State  responsibility. — Charges to be introduced^

on a cost recovery  basis. . Telephone Interpreting  Service hours of

operation to be reduced. ' — Telephone diversion .

equipment to be used to enable larger  capitals to service  smaller States. . National Accreditation

Authority for  Translators and  Interpreters to become  self-funding as soon  ...as possible.

8. National Groups  Directory

. Production to be Ã¢ÂÂ

discontinued.

9. Overseas Services . Overseas based staff

associated with the  recruitment and selection  of persons for permanent  Ã¢ÂÂ Â· settlement in Australia

to be reduced.

10. Temporary Entry to .

Australia

. Requirements and procedures  to be streamlined.,

11. Advisory Bodies . Single advisory council

to replace: - Australian Ethnic  Affairs Council; - Australian Population

and Immigration Council; - Australian Refugees  Advisory Council.

INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE

Function

1. Australian Government  Clothing Factory

2. Ordnance Factory, Bend igo'

3. Ship Design

4. Ship Building

5. Advisory Committees

'  ' . '  Ã¢ÂÂ   "

G o v e r n m e n t  D e c i s i o n

. F a c t o r y  t o  b e  o f f e r e d  to   p r i v a t e  s e c t o r  f o r  s a l e  o r   l e a s e  a s  a g o i n g  c o n c e r n .

. T o  b e  s o l d  to p r i v a t e

e n t e r p r i s e  ( w i t h   p r o t e c t i o n  o f  d e f e n c e   i n t e r e s t s ) . Â·

. S o m e  a c t i v i t i e s  t o  b e

t r a n s f e r r e d  t o  M a r i b y r n o n g   f a c t o r y .

. F u n c t i o n  to b e  t r a n s f e r r e d   t o  p r i v a t e  s e c t o r .

. S h i p  B u i l d i n g  B o a r d   t o  b e  a b o l i s h e d .

. S h i p b u i l d i n g  a s s i s t a n c e   f u n c t i o n s  t o  b e  s c a l e d   d o w n .

. A d v i s o r y  C o m m i t t e e s  t o  b e   r a t i o n a l i s e d .

INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS

Function

X Â·  .

Government Decision Â·

1. Industrial Training . Trade training activities-'

of the Departments of  Industrial Relations and f_  Employment and Youth Affairs  to be rationalised.

'  ’  r .

2. Coal Mining Industry  Long Service Leave . Negotiations to be held ^

with States, industry and  unions with aim of  termination of current ’  '

arrangements involving  Commonwealth. * '

3. International Employment and Labour  Relations

. Activities between the  Departments of Industrial  Relations and Employment  and Youth Affairs to be

rationalised. ‘

4. Industrial . T o  be retained.

Relations Bureau

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND ENERGY

Function

1. Australian Atomic Energy Commission  Research .

2. Regional Development and Regional Development  Program

3. Soil Conservation  Program Â·  Ã¢ÂÂ

4. Energy Policy

. Cost recovery to be sought/"  from private sector. ~ ‘

Ã¢ÂÂ   ‘  .  7 --

Ã¢ÂÂ¢ Â· ' Ã¢ÂÂ  i Â·

. C o m m o n w e a l t h  to w i t h d r a w  ^   f r o m .r e g i o n a l  d e v e l o p m e n t  C   a c t i v i t i e s .  ^

Ã¢ÂÂ¢ Regi o n a l  D e v e l opment P r o g r a m  .

and D e c e n t r a l i s a t i o n  ;

A d v i s o r y  Board! to be   a b o l i s h e d . . E x p e n d i t u r e  under' Ord River   Irrigation Act to be

t e r m i n a t e d  after existing   c o m m i t m e n t s  have been m e t .

. To be t r a n s f e r r e d  to   the States.

. D e p a r t m e n t a l  staffing to be   r a t i o n a l i s e d

Government Decision

PRIMARY INDUSTRY

Function

1. "Australian Fisheries"  Magazine

2. Australian Plague  Lo gust Commission

3. Policy Advice,  Research and -

Support Functions  in Department

4. Food and Agricultural  Organisation (FAO)

5. Commonwealth Council  for Rural Research  and Extension

6. Rural Extension  Services

7. Wool Testing  Authority'

8. Wool Stores

9. Wool Promotion

Government Decision;

Ã¢ÂÂ¢ Production costs, to be recovered by charging a fee.

Commonwealth staffing  involvement to be  terminated. Commonwealth to continue to  meet 50 percent of. costs.

. Scope for staff: reductions  to be examined.,

. Australia’s representation  .  to be scaled down'!. Ã¢ÂÂ¢ Activities to b e concentrated In Department

of Primary Industry.

. Abolish.

. Direct Comm on wea.lt h  involvement in rural  extension services to be  terminated.

. To be sold to private sector

. Minimum storage capacity  needs to be retained. ' . Australian Wool. Corporation  to arrange for sale

of some Commonwealth equity  in Wool Stores.

. Commonwealth contribution  to remain at same money  level for 3 years..

Function Function Government Decisions

.  v Ã¢ÂÂ   Ã¢ÂÂ   Ã¢ÂÂ

10. Wheat Board Interest  Subsidy V -  '  .  Ã¢ÂÂ   .  ’

. T h e  d i f f e r e n t i a l  b e t w e e n  -s~

t h e  i n t e r e s t - r a t e :  o n   c o m m e r c i a l  b o r r o w i n g s  b y  * .

t h e  A u s t r a l i a n  W h e a t  B o a r d  Â·   f o r  t h e  W h e a t  B o a r d  ~

i n t e r e s t  s u b s i d y  s c h e m e  Â·Â·Â»

a n d  t h e  c o s t  o f  b o r r o w i n g  Â·

f r o m  R C D  o f  t h e  R e s e r v e  Bank.

. t o  b e  r e d u c e d  b y  o n e  ^

p e r c e n t a g e  p o i n t *  ;;

11. C h a r g i n g  f o r  E x p o r t   I n s p e c t i o n . E x p o r t  i n s p e c t i o n ,  c h a r g i n g   t o  b e  e x t e n d e d  a t  5 0  p e r c e n t

c o s t  r e c o v e r y  r a t e  t o :-

—  f i s h  a n d  d r i e d  f r u i t  f r o m   1 J u l y  1 9 8 1 ;

—  l i v e s t o c k ,  d a i r y  p r o d u c t s ,   e g g s  a n d  h o n e y  f r o m

1 J u l y  1 9 8 2 ;  '

—  f r e s h , c a n n e d  a n d   p r o c e s s e d  f r u i t s  a n d   v e g e t a b l e s  f r o m

x 1 J a n u a r y "  2 9 8 3 .

12. F o r e s t r y  a n d  F o r e s t   P r o d u c t s . " E x p e n d i t u r e  o n  f o r e s t r y   'Â·.Â·Â·. u n d e r  So f t  w o o d s ;  F o r e s t r y

- - . —  —  A g r e e m e n t  A c t  a n d  T a s m a n i a n  .

N a t i v e  F o r e s t r y  A c t  to   b e  d i s c o n t i n u e d ,  w h e n   c u r r e n t  a r r a n g e m e n t s  e x p i r e .

1 3 .  M e a t  I n s p e c t i o n  Â· 'Â· . P r o p o s a l s  f o r  r a t i o n a l i s a t i o n

o f  m e a t  i n s p e c t i o n

: a r r a n g e m e n t s  t o  b e  f i n a l i s e d   b y  t h e  A u s t r a l i a n   A g r i c u l t u r a l ' C o u n c i l  in A u g u s t  1 9 8 1 .

PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Function

1. Audit of NT

Authorities by  Auditor-General

2. Mandate

3. Interchange Program

. Service performed by  Auditor-General for the  Northern Territory  Government

to be discontinued.

. Mandate to be terminated,  with consequent staff  saving in PSB and within  the existing staff  ceilings of affected

Departments. .

. Staff Interchange program  to be expanded.

Government Decision

- 33 -

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY .  ' '  . ‘  -Â· .  Â·  .  '  -

"‘ "'X Ã¢ÂÂ

Function Government Decision Â·

1. Baseline Air Pollution Station Â·

2. Productivity  Improvement

. Industrial  Management

. Operation of' the Station to be contracted out. -Â·>Ã¢ÂÂ Â·  .  } i  Â· * Ã¢ÂÂ  ' .

: ' Ã¢ÂÂ   Ã¢ÂÂ   Â· .*Â»

. . .  . Ã¢ÂÂ

. A c t i v i t i e s  t o  b e  .

s u b s t a n t i a l l y  r e d u c e d  a n d   t h e  r e m a i n d e r  t r a n s f e r r e d  to;   t h e  D e p a r t m e n t  o f  I n d u s t r i a l   R e l a t i o n s .

. P r o d u c t i v i t y

P r o m o t i o n  C o u n c i l   o f  A u s t r a l i a

. G r a n t  t o  b e  r e d u c e d  b y

Â· 1 4  p e r  c e n t  a n d  .

C o m m o n w e a l t h  s t a f f i n g  t o  b e   p h a s e d  o u t  o v e r  t w o  y e a r s .

. P r o d u c t i v i t y

D e v e l o p m e n t  . . . . . . .

. D e p a r t m e n t ’ s  a c t i v i t i e s   i n  t h i s  a r e a  to

b e  s c a l e d  d o w n .

. P i l o t  p r o g r a m s  f o r   I n n o v a t i o n  Â«... . Â· -

. A s s i s t a n c e  to

I n v e n t o r s  S c h e m e

. A d m i n i s t r a t i o n  o f  S c h e m e   t o  b e  s t r e a m l i n e d . ,

. A b o v e  t h r e e  f u n c t i o n s   t o  b e  t h e  s u b j e c t  o f  a

f u r t h e r  report, to t h e   M i n i s t e r  c o n d u c t e d  b y  "

. . p e r s o n s  f r o m - t h e  p r i v a t e

s e c  t o r . .

. . N a t i o n a l  M a t e r i a l s  Â·

H a n d l i n g  B u r e a u Â· Â·  - Â· - - -- -

. F u n c t i o n s  t o  b e  t r a n s f e r r e d   t o  a r e s e a r c h  " o r g a n i s a t i o n   f u n d e d  b y  t h e  p r i v a t e  -

s e c t o r  o r ,  f a i l i n g  t h a t ,   w o u n d  u p .

Function Government Decision

. Technological  Transfer

Industrial (Physical)  Working Environment

Advisory Bodies

A %

Commonwealth activities  to be substantially reduced.  Technology Awareness Program  to be discontinued. v

Funding of Technological  Transfer Council to be '  l

retained until 1982 and Ã¢ÂÂ

continuing Commonwealth  involvement evaluated. ~ Grant to Industrial D e s i g n ^  Council of Australia to be  discontinued.

. Function to be scaled down.  . Any residual activities  to be transferred to  Department of Industrial

Relations .

. The following bodies to be abolished: - Meteorology  Research Advisory

Committee- ; - National Consultative . Committee on Occupational Safety and Health;

- National '

Committee on  Occupation Safety  and Health in "

Government Employment; - Information Technology Council; '

- Employee ,  Â·

Participation Steering  Committee; - Advisory Committee  on International Â·

Scientific and.  Technological Activities; - Astronomy Advisory Committee; Â·  -

- Australian  Inventions Advisory  Committee; - Australian '

Numerical Meteorological  Research Centre  Advisory Committee;

Function Government Decision

" ........  '< '  '  Ã¢ÂÂ   '

-  B a l l o o n  L a u n c h i n g  _

S t a t i o n  C o - o r d i n a t i n g  ~

C o m m i t t e e ;  - Ã¢ÂÂ   ’ .

-  T e c h n o l o g y  -

T r a n s f e r  C o u n c i l  . '?

Advisory Board; fv,

.  ’  ÃÂ .

. The following Committees to ~  be amalgamatedi ‘

- the Antarctic Names ;.

Committee of Australia, ; the Antarctic Polar Medal Assessment Committee  & the Heard Island & Â·

McDonald Islands Names  Committee of Australia; - the Antarctic  Research Program

Planning Committee & the .  Antarctic Research Policy Advisory Committee; - the Queen

.  Elizabeth-II Advisory  Committee & the  Â·Â· Australian Research  Grants Committee;

- the Queen*s ‘  .

Fellowship Advisory  Committee & the -

Australian Marine  Sciences & Technologies  Advisory Committee -  Funding Advisory Panel. "

5. Review of Laboratory - ^ inquiry into government

.  Services -  . laboratory service*? to be

Ã¢ÂÂ   -  Â·  ... ..................carried out by a committee

with representatives from the  private sector and tertiary

Â·  '  Â·:Â·-Ã¢ÂÂ Â· -  Â· Â·  institutions. '

6. Business Information  Centres

. Trial C e n t r e s  to be   t e r m i n a t e d . . A c t i v i t y  to b e  u n d e r t a k e n   by Post O f f i c e s  (see .   C o m m u n i c a t i o n s )  . SOCIAL SECURITY Function 1. Regional Office  Network 2. Advisory Committees 3. Development and  Administration of  Welfare Program 4. Administration of  Department e Rate of expansion’ ,  of  Regional Offices to be  reduced. Ã¢ÂÂ¢ Co-location of DSS  and CES Offices  to be extended. . The following committees to  be incorporated into the  State and Territory  Consultative Committees on  Social Welfare: - Children's Services '  Sub-Committees of the  A.C.T. and N.T. - Consultative Committees  on Social Wei fa re ; - Homeless Persons  Advisory Committees. . Women's Welfare Issues  Consultative committee to  be abolished and its  interests incorporated into  ..the National Consultative  Co un c i 1 on SoeiaOi Wei fare. . Social work activity to  be confined to that Â· relating to Departmental  functions. . Social Welfare Division  of Department fcÂ©> be scaled  d o w n . . . A review be. undertaken of: - resources devoted to area management; . - Productivity Control  ‘ System. Government Decision TRADE AND RESOURCES Function Government Decision 1. International Commodity  Organisations . . Examination to be made of: ~ — industry payment of full 7 "   direct cost of membership - of international commodity   organizations; '  ^ . membership to be withdrawn . where the industries are   not prepared to meet   these c o s t s . . 2. "Export N o w ”   Campaign . To be terminated. 3. Uranium . Uranium Export Office staffing to be significantly   scaled d o w n . Â·  : 4. Export Incentives . Export Expansion Grants   Scheme to be continued on   its present form to June ' .  1982 and extended to June Â· .  Â·  Ã¢ÂÂ  1 9 8 3  w i t h  g r a n t  r a t e s   r e d u c e d  b y  5 0  p e r  c e n t . ' . E x p o r t  M a r k e t .  D e v e l o p m e n t   G r a n t s  S c h e m e  to b e  c o n t i n u e d   in i t s  p r e s e n t  f o r m  t o  J u n e   1 9 8 3 .  , . C u r r e n t  a n d  f u t u r e  m e t h o d s   o f  a s s i s t i n g  t h e  e x p a n s i o n   o f  e x p o r t  o f  g o o d s  a n d   s e r v i c e s  t o  b e  r e f e r r e d  . t o  t h e  I A C  f o r  r e p o r t   b y  3 1  D e c e m b e r  1 9 8 1 Â·  Ã¢ÂÂ  - 38 - TRANSPORT Function -Â· 1 . Engagem ents and Discharges of Merchant  Seamen 2. Transport Planning and  Research 3. Provision of Explosives  Handling/Support  Facilities for  Defence and the Private  Sector 4. Deregulation of Australian  National Railways and  Australian National Line Government Decision ~ Ã¢ÂÂ¢ Supervision to be reduced., jp ;  .  Ã¢ÂÂ   Ã¢ÂÂ   - ' ; " . .Â·Â» . Ã¢ÂÂ   >  . Assistance to be. terminated (except Australian " Road Research Board and -  . Australian Railways Research."   and Development   O r g a n i s a t i o n ) . — . Full cost recovery to be   sought for commercial   activities at Port Wilson   facility. . ANR staffing level to be   determined as a commercial   .  judgment without reference   to the Public Service Board.   . T h e  salary of the General   "Manager of A N R  to be   determined b y  the '   Remuneration Tribunal. _ . ANL & ANR to determine salary levels below that of   General Manager. . Alternative superannuation   schemes for ANL and ANR   .  . employees can be developed   if a p p r o p r i a t e . . The Minister to approve a .   basis for fare and freight   rates. . Â· Â·  Â· . Further deregulation   proposals relating to   Ã¢ÂÂ¢  expenditure control, access   to capital mark e t s  and   compliance w i t h  Commonwealth   directions to be considered. . Value of contracts requiring Ministerial - approval to be raised to   $2 m or such other amount Â· the Minister determines. Function Government Decision 5. Australian National  Railways . ANR staff working for  South Australian State  Transport Authority to be . . . .  ’ Ã¢ÂÂ  transferred to that ~  Authority. . 6 . Australian National   Line Â· ANL to develop a corporate   plan to achieve a trading   profit within a specified   t i m e . : 7. Ministerial and   Industry Councils .. Minister to discuss with   States the integration of   the Australian Transport Â·   Advisory Council and Marine   and Ports Council of '  Â· Australia. ... Aviation Industry Advisory   Council meetings to be   held only twice a year. 8 . Departmental Oversight   of Qantas . Departmental oversight of   . ,  Qantas particularly in the area of financial . performance, to be reduced. 9. Qantas Financial   .. D i r e c t i v e ... ....  Ã¢ÂÂ  . M i n i s t e r  to take up with   Qantas inclusion of the   following matters in a '   n ew  Financial Directive: ..... .  .  ~ Ã¢ÂÂ  Â·  — - tariff charge approval to be by Minister not   Secretary of Department -   of Transport; . Ã¢ÂÂ¢  '  - simplification of ' tariff approval   procedure; - elimination of power to set minimum   f a r e s . Ã¢ÂÂ  10. Airports .  :. . Depending on the result   of other reviews affecting   air traffic , consideration   to be given to offering   the domestic airline   terminals throughout   Australia for sale and   for the provision and   maintenance of all new   terminal .facilities to be   undertaken by the private   sector . Function Government Decision 11. Transport Research -  Â·  Ã¢ÂÂ   Ã¢ÂÂ   -Â· Â· 12. Urban Public Transport 13. Office of Road Safety 14. Lighthouses . The scope for contracting  maintenance of major civil .  aerodromes to be. examined. . Scope for contractors .Â· r -1  providing certain airways ÃÂ   equipment to be examined. . Further approvals for V airport funding to await   development of a co-ordinated approach to priorities : i n c l u d i n g : ‘ - the scope for private - sector/airline Ã¢ÂÂ . involvement in   construction o f   facilities; - the scope for a more   modest standard Â· of facility. . . Ownership of the following   airports be transferred   under aerodrome local -. ownership p l a n : ' - Mackay   Maryborough - Cambridge (Tas) - North West Tasmania - other regions where Â·  . reasonable access to an alternative airport   available. . . References to the Bureau - of Transport.  Economics to   be restricted to major   studies. ; Function to be transferred   to the States. . Activities of the Office to ' be scaled down with efforts   to be concentrated in areas   of greatest significance. . Lighthouse demeaning program   to c o n t i n u e . - 41 - Function Government Decision 15. Coordination of . Divisional structure to be Transport Policy rationalised in conjunction with a top structure review - 42 - TREASURY Function Government Decision 1. Co-ordinator General of Public Works  * Â·  Â·  1  Ã¢ÂÂ¦  .  Ã¢ÂÂ  2. ACT Companies (Life   Insurance Holding   Companies) Ordinance .  1968 \  3. Reserve Bank Staffing 4. Australian Mint 5. Foreign Investment 6 . Office of the :  v Â· Australian Government   .  Actuary , Â· Â· 7. Advisory Committees 8 . Office of Life   Insurance Commissioner, Office   of Insurance   Commissioner . Function to be terminated. . Ordinance to be repealed  .*> . . A  r e v i e w  o f  s t a f f i n g  l e v e l s  .   h a s  b e e n  i n i t i a t e d  b y  t h e  Â·   G o v e r n o r  o f  t h e  B a n k . . S c o p e  f o r  f u r t h e r s u b - c o n t r a c t i n g  f o r  c o i n a g e   b l a n k s  to t h e  p r i v a t e  s e c t o r   t o  b e  r e v i e w e d . . P r i v a t e  s e c t o r  t e n d e r s  t o  b e   i n v i t e d  f o r  t h e  s o l e  r i g h t s   t o  m a r k e t  a n d  d i s t r i b u t e  a l l   A u s t r a l i a n  n u m i s m a t i c  c o i n s   w i t h i n  A u s t r a l i a . . N o t i f i c a t i o n  r e q u i r e m e n t s   . ’ to F o r e i g n  I n v e s t m e n t  R e v i e w   B o a r d  f o r  a c q u i s i t i o n s  o f   s h e l f  a n d  s h e l l  c o m p a n i e s  a n d   c o r p o r a t e  r e o r g a n i s a t i o n s  *   t o  b e  e l i m i n a t e d . . R e a l  e s t a t e  t h r e s h o l d  l e v e l   t o  b e  i n c r e a s e d  f r o m   $ 2 5 0 , 0 0 0  t o  $ 3 5 0 , 0 0 0 . . C h a r g e s  f o r  w i d e r  r a n g e  o f   s e r v i c e s  p r o v i d e d  to < - s t a t u t o r y  a u t h o r i t i e s  to   t o  b e  i n t r o d u c e d . , . G o v e r n m e n t  E c o n o m i c  P a n e l  Ã¢ÂÂ    a n d  C o n s u l t a t i v e  G r o u p   t o  b e  a m a l g a m t e d . . F i n a n c i a l  C o r p o r a t i o n s   A c t  a d v i s o r y  c o m m i t t e e s   t o  b e  r a t i o n a l i s e d . . A c t i v i t i e s  to b e  r e v i e w e d   w i t h  a v i e w  t o  r e d u c i n g   s u p e r v i s i o n  o f  i n d u s t r y . Function Government Decision 9 . valuation Services . Charges for a wider range of Taxation Office of services provided to statutory authorities   Ã¢ÂÂ¢  to be introduced., 10. Statistical . Certain lower priority Collections collections fco> be ‘  eliminated or reviewed in conjunction with   the S t a t e s . . Frequency of other collections to be reviewed.   . Levy to be changed for   collections carried out at   the request of business. VETERANS' AFFAIRS- Function Government Decisions 1. Defence Service  Homes Scheme . Level of staff for Defence Service Homes Scheme,  _  to be reduced. .  f*6. 2. Repatriation,  Artificial Limb  and Appliance Centres .  Ã¢ÂÂ   '  1  . . The number of artificial .Â·Â» limbs and appliances ^ contracted out for private   manufacture to be increased. 3* Veterans Disability   Pensions for   Veterans suffering   Serious Service   Related Mental Illness . Maintenance deductions to - - be a b o l i s h e d . . . Control of pensions, to be   handed over to States. - 45 - GENERAL Function Government Decision 1. Contracting Out of Services . Contracting to be  further extended to  private sector where  practical. . 2. Management Services  in Departments . Revised and more " efficient arrangements to apply to: . - common services; - reporting on efficiency;. - elimination of ’  non-essential services; - use of ADP; - decentralised management  cells; - level of stenographic  assistance and control  of typing resources; - delegations; . Public Service Board to monitor resource  ruse more closely. 3. Development of _  '  '  Computer Software '  . Development work a n d ' technical advising to be  contracted to private  .  sector wherever practical. 4. ADP Acquisition Procedures ' . N e w  procedures to be  .  established for computer acquisitions. Â· . CSIRO to be main  Ã¢ÂÂ   technical adviser to Government. 5. Part-time Study Leave  in Public Service and  Statutory Authorities - y  .  0  '  . Paid time off to be given only in . essential cases and -  - only to officers who  accept a continuing  employment obiigation  with the Commonwealth. Function Government Decision 6. Remuneration of Members of Advisory Bodies  % 7. Printing Services in  Departments  (See DAS 3) 8. Data Collection 9. Administrative  ex penditure : Â· tt'... ÃÂ»  Zi ~  c  ;  . . A s  a g e n e r a l  r u l e  ___ n o  r e m u n e r a t i o n  to > b e  p a i d  t o  members, o f  r~.. Government advisory bodies  Ã¢ÂÂ   (although individual cases ÃÂ¹ Â­ ÃÂ¿ÃÂ¯ hardship or real need  will be considered on ^ their merits). . In-house printing : by departments Â· * to be rationalised  with a view to .  .  . essential printing .  being undertaken  by AGPS and  commercial printers  to the greatest .  possible extent. . 'Paper burden* on  private sector to be  significantly scaled .  down. . For 1981-82 a 3% real  reduction on 1980-81  levels of departmental  expenditure to apply to: - furniture and fittings; - repairs and maintenance; - property; Â· - fitting out of leased premises; " - acquisition of sites  and buildings ; - other non-Defence administrative Â· _  expenditure; - administrative expenditure  Of statutory authorities. Function Government Decision 10. Major capital  works projects . N o  funds in 1981-82  budget for following  projects: - Canberra Law Courts Ã¢ÂÂ   '  V  " (deferred for 3  years);  - National Library   (deferred for 2  years) ; - Townsville   Commonwealth Offices; - Australian Federal   Police Headquarters; - A S 10 headquarters; - National Biological   Standards Laboratory; - Australian Dental   Standards Laboratory; - Adelaide Commonwealth   Offices (deferred for   several yeajrs) ; . Australian Museum and   Canberra Convention _ ____ ___  Centre to be deferred indefinitely . Sydney-Melbourne rail   electrification not to   _ be proceeded with. . In future all budget   financed capital works ,   including proposals for   projects to be included   on Design List C, will   be considered only   in the Budget context. - 48 - Function Government Decision 11. Commonwealth/State  Administration In future, the following  principles are to be used by Commonwealth Departments Â·  and Authorities in the ÃÂ administration of. " Programs: - Commonwealth ‘  Â· guidelines for joint Â· programs are to embrace  general objectives only and deal in broad _ _  terms with the manner  of achieving them; - Commonwealth administrative involveÂ­ ment is to be limited to  ensuring the project is  progressing . satisfactorily; and - accountability reports  are to be limited to the  minimum necessary to . -  satisfy the Auditor-  General and the Commonwealth  authorities concerned  that Commonwealth funds  have been expended  properly. Commonwealth/State Function Government Decision 12. Review of Statutory  Authorities " . Ministers to scrutinise  all authorities within  their portfolios and  report to the Prime Minister on: - those that should  be terminated; - those that  should continue; - those that should  be reviewed in depth. . PSB to review extent Â· of departmental;  oversight of statutory  authorities and other  bodies and report to  the Prime Minister on the  scope for  eliminating or  substantially reducing  the functions and  staffing involved. . A Joint Parliamentary  N .  Standing Committee to be established; to .  '  Ã¢ÂÂ  . Â· "  review the performance,  role, functions and  continued need for all  authorities, with  references to the  Committee to be initiated  .  by a Minister o>r by either House of the  Parliament. 13. Follow-up Procedures . Rigorous follow up  -  on implementation Â·Â·Â·;.Â·Â· Â·  - -  Â· of Report. -Â·Â·. . Ministers for Industry  and C o m m e r c e F i n a n c e  , Minister Assisting the  Ã¢ÂÂ¢L-  Prime Minister the Treasurer to revÂ·iew  follow-up and  monitor implementation. A  1 REVIEW OF COMMONWEALTH FUNCTIONS  ASSETS TO BE SOLD 'ATTACHMENT A. - Surplus land , property and store holdings   Havelock House (ACT) Belconnen Mall (ACT) Canberra Retail Market Trust  Mugga Quarry and Hotmix Complex (ACT)  Australian Government Clothing Factory   Ordnance Factory, Bendigo  Wool Testing Authority  Domestic Airline Terminals  Housing Loans Insurance Corporation   .  Experimental Building Station . -ATTACHMENT B REVIEW OF COMMONWEALTH FUNCTIONS  CAPITAL WORKS No funds to be provided in the' 1981-82 . Budget for the following projects;- '  Ã¢ÂÂ   '  Ã¢ÂÂ   ÃÂ² - Canberra Law Courts (Deferred for 3 years) . Â· > - National Library (Deferred for 2 years) ^ - Townsville Commonwealth Offices /' - Australian Federal Police Headquarters ^ - AS10 headquarters : - National Biological Standards Laboratory ---- Australian Dental Standards Laboratory - Adelaide Commonwealth Offices (Deferred for   several years) Museum of Australia and the Canberra   Convention Centre to be deferred   indefinitely Not proceed with - Sydney-Melbourne rail electrification - Institute of Criminology Building *  attachment c - REVIEW OF COMMONWEALTH FUNCTIONS   CHANGES TO ADVISORY BODIES To be Reviewed ; . Australia-Japan Relations Function to be   rationalized by: . - examining overlap between Standing   Committee on Japan, Consultative '   Committee on Relations with Japan and   Japan and Australia - Japan Foundation .  Advisory committees established under the   Financial Corporations Act. To be Abolished ACT Fair Rents Board Ã¢ÂÂ   ACT Nature Conservation Advisory Committee Education Research and Development Committee Decentralisation Advisory Board Meteorological Research Advisory Committee Commonwealth Committee on Occupational Safety   and Health in Australian Government Employment National Consultative Committee on   Occupational Safety and Health Information Technology Council " National Employee Participation Steering   Committee Advisory Committee on Internetional   Scientific and Technological Activities ‘  Astronomy Advisory Committee Australian Inventions Advisory Committee Australian Numerical Meteorological Research   Centre Advisory Committee Balloon Launching Station Co-ordinating   Committee '  -  ‘ C 2 Technology Transfer Council Advisory Board  '  X ' Women's Welfare Issues Consultative Committee Homeless Persons Advisory Committees Children's  ACT and NT  Wei fare Services Sub-Committees of the Â·  f  Consultative Committees on Social ÃÂ. To be Amalgamated Australian Ethnic Affairs Council, Australian.'  Population and Immigration Council and  Australian Refugee Advisory Council. The Antarctic Names Committee Â©>Â£ Australia, Â·  the Antarctic Polar Medal Assessment  Committee and the Heard Island: and McDonald  Islands Names Committee of Australia ' The Antarctic Research Program Planning  Committee and the Antarctic Research Policy  Advisory Committee The Queen Elizabeth II Advisory Committee  and the Australian Research Grants Committee The Queen's Fellowship Advisory Committee  and the Australian Marine Sciences and  Technologies Advisory Committee -.Funding  Advisory Panel. The ACT TAB, the Liquor Licensing Board  and the Poker Machines Licensing Board. Transport Advisory Council and Marine and  Ports Council of Australia Â» Ã¢ÂÂ  Â· Government Economic Panel and the Economic  Ã¢ÂÂ Consultative Group ---- * D 1 ATTACHMENT D REVIEW OF COMMONWEALTH "FUNCTIONS COLLEGES OF ADVANCED EDUCATION FOR WHICH .  COMMONWEALTH FUNDING AS SEPARATE INSTITUTIONS   WILL CEASE FROM THE END OF 1981 New South Wales Alexander Mackie CAE  Armidale CAE  Catholic TC  Goulburn CAE  Guild TC  Milperra CAE  Newcastle CAE  Nursery School TC  Folding College  Sydney Kindergarten TC  Sydney TC  Wollongong IE L Victoria SCV Burwood . SCV Coburg . . .  " SCV Frankston " Â· SCV Hawthorne .  Â· SCV Institute of Catholic Education  SCV Institute of Early Childhood Development  SCV Melbourne  SCV Rusden " SCV Toorak Queensland Brisbane Kindergarten TC  Kelvin Grove CAE  Mount Gravatt CAE  Townsville CAE South Australia . Hartley CAE . Salisbury CAE Western Australia Claremont TC  Mt Lawley TC  Nedlands TC ATTACHMENT E Australian Bureau of Statistics Collections which   will be Discontinued or Reviewed ! REVIEW OF COMMONWEALTH FUNCTIONS 1. Collections to be Discontinued ' . Survey of Consultancy Services Provided Overseas; . Price Indexes of Copper Materials used in the   Manufacture of Electrical Equipment; . Co-operatives; . Unit Trusts, Land Trusts and Mutual Funds   Rates Levied (NSW) ; . Municipal and Shire Elections (NSW); ' . Water Authorities (Vic.); . . Eggs Set and Chickens Hatched; . Tea and Coffee; . Poultry Slaughterings; . Pig Survey (Vic.); Â· ___________ Tr.ansfers-.and. Conveyances and Mortgages, .of .. '  Real Estate; - . Mortgages of Real Estate (Vic.); ,  Â· Ã¢ÂÂ . Real Estate Transactions (NSW); . Land for Housing (NSW); . Sales of Land and Houses (NSW); . Production of Minerals and Mineral Products; . Boat Statistics; " . Forestry; - . Hunting and Trapping; Ã¢ÂÂ   . Boat Registration; . . Rock Lobsters in Cold Stores (WA) ; , . Newsprint Usage Survey; - .  -  . Â·  Selected Services Industries Collection; .  . Australian Library Services; .  . . Fire Statistics (WA and NSW); ' . Workers Compensation (Vic.); . Birth Expectations Survey; 2. Collections to have their frequency reduced from every two years to every three years " . Project SCORE; - Ã¢ÂÂ  Â· Ã¢ÂÂ  Â· Â· . Survey of Energy R&D. 3. Collections to be Reviewed in Consultation with the States - 1 Country Towns' Food Prices; ‘ Wholesale Price of Fruit and Vegetables (WA  and Ql d ); .  ‘ ATTACHMENT E REVIEW OF COMMONWEALTH FUNCTIONS Australian Bureau of Statistics Collections which   :  will be Discontinued or Reviewed 1. Collections to be Discontinued . Survey of Consultancy Services Provided   Overseas; . Price Indexes of Copper Materials used in the   Manufacture of Electrical Equipment; . Co-operatives; . Unit Trusts, Land Trusts and Mutual Funds   Rates Levied (NSW); . Municipal and Shire Elections (NSW); *  * . Water Authorities (Vic.); . Eggs Set and Chickens Hatched; . Tea and Coffee; . Poultry Slaughterings; . . Pig Survey (Vic.); . .Transfers-..and--Conveyances, and Mortgages .of   Real Estate; . Mortgages of Real Estate (Vic.); V. Real Estate Transactions (NSW); . Land for Housing (NSW); . Sales of Land and Houses (NSW); . Production of Minerals and Mineral Products; .  . Boat Statistics; ' . Forestry; . Hunting and Trapping; . . Boat Registration; . Rock Lobsters in Cold Stores (WA) ; _ . Newsprint Usage Survey; Â· Ã¢ÂÂ¢  '  . Selected Services Industries Collection; ~ . Australian Library Services; . . Fire Statistics (WA and NSW); ' Ã¢ÂÂ   . -  Workers Compensation (Vic.); . Birth Expectations Survey; 2. Collections to have their frequency reduced from .  every two years to every three years ' . Project SCORE; . . Survey of Energy R&D. 3. Collections to be Reviewed in Consultation with the States - 1 Country Towns' Food Prices; * Wholesale Price of Fruit and Vegetables (WA  and Ql d); . E 2 . Wholesale Prices of Fatstoek and Meat (Qld)  . Stocks of Dwellings; -  - _ . Rail/Bus Survey; . . . . Road Lengths (NSW) ; ' . Private Buslines (Vic.); . Private Urban Bus (Qld); . Metal and Mineral Prices (NSW); , . Sand, Gravel, Quarry Material Production (Qld); . Registered Shops and Factories (WA); . Demolitions; . Population Estimates (Qld); . Probation and Parole (Qld); . Mental Health; ' . Perinatal Health; ^ Health and Welfare (NSW); ' . Health and Welfare (Qld); . Government Employment by Award (WA); ^ . Workers Compensation (NSW);, and . . State Supplementaries. Other Collections to be Reviewed . Survey of Selected Private Pensions Funds; . Agricultural Census; . Life Insurance; . Catch Statistics Survey; . Sawmilling and Woodchipping Survey;: and  . Labour Costs Survey. . F 1 REVIEW OF COMMONWEALTH FUNCTIONS  DETAILS OF CHANGES IN TAXATION CONCESSIONS .  Â·  .  .ATTACHMENT F Ã¢ÂÂ   Set out hereunder are details of the bases on which proposed reductions in the various income tax   concessions are to be effected. . * > Except where otherwise indicated, where the ^  concessions described below apply in relation to the ^   incurring of capital expenditure (e.g ., on certain kinds ;  of eligible plant, equipment or buildings), the . * reduction in the concessions are to apply in respect of   such expenditures incurred under a contract entered into   after 30 April 1981 or, where the expenditure relates to   an item or structure constructed by the taxpayer   entitled to the concession, the construction of the item   or structure commenced after that date. Relevant   expenditures incurred under contracts entered into on or   before 30 April 1981 will continue to attract tax   concessions on the existing bases. * Industry Generally 1. Investment allowance . The investment allowance in respect of capital   expenditure incurred in acquiring or constructing "  certain new plant and equipment is to be reduced from   2 0 % to 18% of the expenditure. . 2. Special depreciation on plant J ' '  The special loading of 20% on the basic rates of depreciation available for certain classes of plant   and equipment is to be reduced to 18%. 3. Deductions for costs of converting oil or  LPG-fired plant x The special concession in respect of capital  costs incurred in converting certain oil, or LPG-fired  plant to alternative energy sources at present permits  the immediate deduction of the relevant costs in t h e .  year in which they are incurred. Under the: new  arrangements 50% of those costs will be deductible in  the year in which they are incurred and the remaining  50% will be deductible in the succeeding year. '  i  k Mining Industry 4. Capital expenditure incurred on the development  of a mine or oil field Deductions in respect of allowable capital  expenditure incurred in respect of the development of a  mining property or an oil field are calculated by  reference to the lesser of the estimated life of the  mine or field or 5 y e a r s . . Under the new arrangements, annual deductions  in respect of allowable capital expenditures are to be  calculated by reference to the lesser of the estimated  life of the mine or field or 6  y e a r s . 5. Petroleum shareholder rebate The rebate of 30% available in respect of   moneys paid on shares by a taxpayer to an eligible   petroleum company is to be reduced to 27%.. . .  .  The reduced rebate will apply to, monies paid after 30 April 1981, unless the monies were paid in Â·Â·.   respect o f  calls made on or before 30 April 1981 in .   respect of shares owned by that date. Monies received   in shares or before 3 0  April 1981 by a listed petroleum   company or petroleum investment company that are passed   on after .that as .paym-ents or shares to eligible .  . petroleum companies will continue to attract the 30 per  cent rebate on the basis of the present law. Â· ATTACHMENT G REVIEW OF THE DEFENCE ORGANISATION  Terms of Reference ” REVIEW OF-COMMONWEALTH FUNCTIONS The Terms of Reference of the Review will be: To review the organisation of the higher   Defence machinery in the light of experience -  since the Defence reorganisation of 9 February 1   1976, with particular reference to: '  _ (a) the suitability of the organisation to   propose and implement policy for the   achievement of governmental defence '   objectives, including development of: (i) capability for independent Â· defence of our national security i n t erests; ' -  (ii) national defence preparedness;. (iii) defence co-operation with allies .  and regional friends; and (iv) i n c r e a s e d .self-reliance in the . Ã¢ÂÂ   national infrastructure supporting Defence; (b) the scope for further rationalisation and   economy in managerial arrangements for   defence-related activities of the .  Government now conducted outside the   Defence Organisation; - - (c) the suitability of the organisation for a defence emergency or war; \ (d) the distribution of responsibilities   within the higher Defence machinery as -  laid down in Defence and other relevant   statutes and in the Directives issued by   .. the Minister for D e f e n c e ; and .  . .  . (e) the organisation and functions of the   senior Defence C o m m i t t e e s . To report conclusions and to make   recommendations to the Minister for Defence   in respect of the foregoing by mid 1982.

. Trial C e n t r e s  to be   t e r m i n a t e d . . A c t i v i t y  to b e  u n d e r t a k e n   by Post O f f i c e s  (see .

C o m m u n i c a t i o n s )  .

SOCIAL SECURITY

Function

1. Regional Office  Network

2. Advisory Committees

3. Development and  Administration of  Welfare Program

4. Administration of  Department

e Rate of expansion’ ,  of  Regional Offices to be  reduced. Ã¢ÂÂ¢ Co-location of DSS

and CES Offices  to be extended.

. The following committees to  be incorporated into the  State and Territory  Consultative Committees on

Social Welfare: - Children's Services '

Sub-Committees of the  A.C.T. and N.T. - Consultative Committees  on Social Wei fa re ; - Homeless Persons

Advisory Committees. . Women's Welfare Issues  Consultative committee to  be abolished and its

interests incorporated into  ..the National Consultative  Co un c i 1 on SoeiaOi Wei fare.

. Social work activity to  be confined to that Â·

relating to Departmental  functions. . Social Welfare Division  of Department fcÂ©> be scaled

d o w n . .

. A review be. undertaken of: - resources devoted to area management; .

- Productivity Control  ‘ System.

Government Decision

TRADE AND RESOURCES

Function Government Decision

1. International Commodity  Organisations .

. Examination to be made of: ~ — industry payment of full 7 "   direct cost of membership -

of international commodity   organizations; '  ^

. membership to be withdrawn .

where the industries are   not prepared to meet   these c o s t s . .

2. "Export N o w ”   Campaign

. To be terminated.

3. Uranium . Uranium Export Office

staffing to be significantly   scaled d o w n . Â·  :

4. Export Incentives . Export Expansion Grants

Scheme to be continued on   its present form to June '

.  1982 and extended to June

Â· .  Â·  Ã¢ÂÂ

1 9 8 3  w i t h  g r a n t  r a t e s   r e d u c e d  b y  5 0  p e r  c e n t . '

. E x p o r t  M a r k e t .  D e v e l o p m e n t   G r a n t s  S c h e m e  to b e  c o n t i n u e d   in i t s  p r e s e n t  f o r m  t o  J u n e   1 9 8 3 .  ,

. C u r r e n t  a n d  f u t u r e  m e t h o d s   o f  a s s i s t i n g  t h e  e x p a n s i o n   o f  e x p o r t  o f  g o o d s  a n d   s e r v i c e s  t o  b e  r e f e r r e d  .

t o  t h e  I A C  f o r  r e p o r t

b y  3 1  D e c e m b e r  1 9 8 1 Â·  Ã¢ÂÂ

- 38 -

TRANSPORT

Function

-Â· 1 . Engagem ents and

Discharges of Merchant  Seamen

2. Transport Planning and  Research

3. Provision of Explosives  Handling/Support  Facilities for  Defence and the Private

Sector

4. Deregulation of Australian  National Railways and  Australian National Line

Government Decision ~

Ã¢ÂÂ¢ Supervision to be reduced., jp

;  .  Ã¢ÂÂ   Ã¢ÂÂ   - ' ; " . .Â·Â»

. Ã¢ÂÂ   >

. Assistance to be. terminated (except Australian " Road Research Board and -  .

Australian Railways Research."   and Development   O r g a n i s a t i o n ) . —

. Full cost recovery to be   sought for commercial   activities at Port Wilson   facility.

. ANR staffing level to be   determined as a commercial   .  judgment without reference   to the Public Service Board.   . T h e  salary of the General

"Manager of A N R  to be

determined b y  the '

Remuneration Tribunal. _

. ANL & ANR to determine

salary levels below that of   General Manager. . Alternative superannuation   schemes for ANL and ANR   .  . employees can be developed

if a p p r o p r i a t e . . The Minister to approve a .

basis for fare and freight   rates. . Â· Â·  Â·

. Further deregulation   proposals relating to   Ã¢ÂÂ¢  expenditure control, access   to capital mark e t s  and

compliance w i t h  Commonwealth   directions to be considered. . Value of contracts

requiring Ministerial -

approval to be raised to   $2 m or such other amount Â·

the Minister determines.

Function Government Decision

5. Australian National  Railways . ANR staff working for  South Australian State

Transport Authority to be

. . . .  ’ Ã¢ÂÂ  transferred to that ~

Authority. .

6 . Australian National

Line

Â· ANL to develop a corporate   plan to achieve a trading   profit within a specified   t i m e . :

7. Ministerial and   Industry Councils

.. Minister to discuss with   States the integration of   the Australian Transport Â·   Advisory Council and Marine   and Ports Council of

'  Â·

Australia. ... Aviation Industry Advisory   Council meetings to be   held only twice a year.

8 . Departmental Oversight

of Qantas

. Departmental oversight of   . ,  Qantas particularly in the

area of financial .

performance, to be reduced.

9. Qantas Financial   .. D i r e c t i v e ... ....  Ã¢ÂÂ

. M i n i s t e r  to take up with   Qantas inclusion of the   following matters in a '   n ew  Financial Directive:

..... .  .  ~ Ã¢ÂÂ  Â·  —

- tariff charge approval to be by Minister not   Secretary of Department -   of Transport; .

Ã¢ÂÂ¢  '  - simplification of '

tariff approval   procedure; - elimination of power to set minimum

f a r e s . Ã¢ÂÂ

10. Airports .  :. . Depending on the result

of other reviews affecting   air traffic , consideration   to be given to offering   the domestic airline

terminals throughout   Australia for sale and   for the provision and   maintenance of all new

terminal .facilities to be   undertaken by the private   sector .

Function Government Decision

11. Transport Research -  Â·  Ã¢ÂÂ   Ã¢ÂÂ   -Â· Â·

12. Urban Public Transport

13. Office of Road Safety

14. Lighthouses

. The scope for contracting  maintenance of major civil .  aerodromes to be. examined. . Scope for contractors .Â· r -1

providing certain airways ÃÂ   equipment to be examined. . Further approvals for V

airport funding to await   development of a co-ordinated approach to priorities :

i n c l u d i n g : ‘

- the scope for private -

sector/airline Ã¢ÂÂ .

involvement in   construction o f   facilities; - the scope for a more

modest standard Â· of facility. .

. Ownership of the following   airports be transferred   under aerodrome local -.

ownership p l a n : '

- Mackay

Maryborough - Cambridge (Tas) - North West Tasmania - other regions where Â·  .

reasonable access to an alternative airport   available. .

. References to the Bureau - of Transport.  Economics to   be restricted to major   studies.

; Function to be transferred   to the States.

. Activities of the Office to ' be scaled down with efforts   to be concentrated in areas   of greatest significance.

. Lighthouse demeaning program   to c o n t i n u e .

- 41 -

Function Government Decision

15. Coordination of . Divisional structure to be

Transport Policy rationalised in conjunction

with a top structure review

- 42 -

TREASURY

Function Government Decision

1. Co-ordinator General of Public Works  * Â·  Â·  1  Ã¢ÂÂ¦  .  Ã¢ÂÂ

2. ACT Companies (Life   Insurance Holding   Companies) Ordinance .  1968

\  3. Reserve Bank Staffing

4. Australian Mint

5. Foreign Investment

6 . Office of the :  v Â·

Australian Government   .  Actuary , Â· Â·

7. Advisory Committees

8 . Office of Life

Insurance Commissioner, Office   of Insurance   Commissioner

. Function to be terminated.

. Ordinance to be repealed  .*> .

. A  r e v i e w  o f  s t a f f i n g  l e v e l s  .   h a s  b e e n  i n i t i a t e d  b y  t h e  Â·

G o v e r n o r  o f  t h e  B a n k .

. S c o p e  f o r  f u r t h e r

s u b - c o n t r a c t i n g  f o r  c o i n a g e   b l a n k s  to t h e  p r i v a t e  s e c t o r   t o  b e  r e v i e w e d .

. P r i v a t e  s e c t o r  t e n d e r s  t o  b e   i n v i t e d  f o r  t h e  s o l e  r i g h t s   t o  m a r k e t  a n d  d i s t r i b u t e  a l l   A u s t r a l i a n  n u m i s m a t i c  c o i n s   w i t h i n  A u s t r a l i a .

. N o t i f i c a t i o n  r e q u i r e m e n t s   . ’ to F o r e i g n  I n v e s t m e n t  R e v i e w   B o a r d  f o r  a c q u i s i t i o n s  o f   s h e l f  a n d  s h e l l  c o m p a n i e s  a n d

c o r p o r a t e  r e o r g a n i s a t i o n s  *   t o  b e  e l i m i n a t e d .

. R e a l  e s t a t e  t h r e s h o l d  l e v e l   t o  b e  i n c r e a s e d  f r o m   $ 2 5 0 , 0 0 0  t o  $ 3 5 0 , 0 0 0 .

. C h a r g e s  f o r  w i d e r  r a n g e  o f   s e r v i c e s  p r o v i d e d  to

< - s t a t u t o r y  a u t h o r i t i e s  to   t o  b e  i n t r o d u c e d . ,

. G o v e r n m e n t  E c o n o m i c  P a n e l  Ã¢ÂÂ    a n d  C o n s u l t a t i v e  G r o u p   t o  b e  a m a l g a m t e d .

. F i n a n c i a l  C o r p o r a t i o n s   A c t  a d v i s o r y  c o m m i t t e e s   t o  b e  r a t i o n a l i s e d .

. A c t i v i t i e s  to b e  r e v i e w e d   w i t h  a v i e w  t o  r e d u c i n g   s u p e r v i s i o n  o f  i n d u s t r y .

Function Government Decision

9 . valuation Services . Charges for a wider range

of Taxation Office of services provided

to statutory authorities

Ã¢ÂÂ¢  to be introduced.,

10. Statistical . Certain lower priority

Collections collections fco> be

‘  eliminated or reviewed

in conjunction with   the S t a t e s . . Frequency of other

collections to be reviewed.   . Levy to be changed for   collections carried out at   the request of business.

VETERANS' AFFAIRS-

Function Government Decisions

1. Defence Service  Homes Scheme

. Level of staff for Defence Service Homes Scheme,  _  to be reduced. .  f*6.

2. Repatriation,  Artificial Limb  and Appliance Centres

.  Ã¢ÂÂ   '  1  .

. The number of artificial .Â·Â»

limbs and appliances ^

contracted out for private   manufacture to be increased.

3* Veterans Disability   Pensions for   Veterans suffering   Serious Service

Related Mental Illness

. Maintenance deductions to - -

be a b o l i s h e d . .

. Control of pensions, to be   handed over to States.

- 45 -

GENERAL

Function Government Decision

1. Contracting Out of Services

. Contracting to be  further extended to  private sector where  practical. .

2. Management Services  in Departments . Revised and more "

efficient arrangements to apply to: .

- common services; - reporting on efficiency;. - elimination of ’

non-essential services; - use of ADP; - decentralised management  cells; - level of stenographic

assistance and control  of typing resources; - delegations; . Public Service Board

to monitor resource  ruse more closely.

3. Development of _  '  '  Computer Software '  . Development work a n d ' technical advising to be

contracted to private  .  sector wherever practical.

4. ADP Acquisition Procedures '

. N e w  procedures to be  .  established for computer acquisitions. Â· . CSIRO to be main

Ã¢ÂÂ   technical adviser to

Government.

5. Part-time Study Leave  in Public Service and  Statutory Authorities

- y  .  0  '

. Paid time off to be

given only in .

essential cases and -  -

only to officers who  accept a continuing  employment obiigation  with the Commonwealth.

Function Government Decision

6. Remuneration of Members of Advisory Bodies  %

7. Printing Services in  Departments  (See DAS 3)

8. Data Collection

9. Administrative  ex penditure

: Â· tt'... ÃÂ»  Zi ~  c  ;  .

. A s  a g e n e r a l  r u l e  ___

n o  r e m u n e r a t i o n  to >

b e  p a i d  t o  members, o f  r~..

Government advisory bodies  Ã¢ÂÂ   (although individual cases ÃÂ¹ Â­ ÃÂ¿ÃÂ¯ hardship or real need  will be considered on ^

their merits).

. In-house printing :

by departments Â· *

to be rationalised  with a view to .  .  .

essential printing .  being undertaken  by AGPS and

commercial printers  to the greatest .

possible extent.

. 'Paper burden* on  private sector to be  significantly scaled .  down.

. For 1981-82 a 3% real

reduction on 1980-81  levels of departmental  expenditure to apply to: - furniture and fittings; - repairs and maintenance; - property; Â·

- fitting out of leased premises; "

- acquisition of sites  and buildings ; - other non-Defence administrative Â·

_  expenditure; - administrative expenditure  Of statutory authorities.

Function Government Decision

10. Major capital  works projects

. N o  funds in 1981-82  budget for following  projects: - Canberra Law Courts

Ã¢ÂÂ   '  V  " (deferred for 3  years);

- National Library   (deferred for 2  years) ; - Townsville   Commonwealth Offices;

- Australian Federal   Police Headquarters; - A S 10 headquarters; - National Biological

Standards Laboratory; - Australian Dental   Standards Laboratory; - Adelaide Commonwealth

Offices (deferred for   several yeajrs) ; . Australian Museum and   Canberra Convention _ ____ ___  Centre to be deferred

indefinitely . Sydney-Melbourne rail   electrification not to   _ be proceeded with.

. In future all budget   financed capital works ,   including proposals for   projects to be included   on Design List C, will   be considered only

in the Budget context.

- 48 -

Function Government Decision

11. Commonwealth/State  Administration

In future, the following  principles are to be used by Commonwealth Departments Â·  and Authorities in the ÃÂ

administration of. "

Programs: - Commonwealth ‘  Â·

guidelines for joint Â·

programs are to embrace  general objectives only and deal in broad _ _

terms with the manner  of achieving them; - Commonwealth administrative involveÂ­

ment is to be limited to

ensuring the project is  progressing .

satisfactorily; and - accountability reports  are to be limited to the

minimum necessary to . -  satisfy the Auditor-  General and the Commonwealth  authorities concerned

that Commonwealth funds  have been expended  properly.

Commonwealth/State

Function Government Decision

12. Review of Statutory  Authorities "

. Ministers to scrutinise  all authorities within  their portfolios and  report to the Prime Minister on: - those that should

be terminated; - those that

should continue; - those that should  be reviewed in depth. . PSB to review extent Â·

of departmental;  oversight of statutory  authorities and other  bodies and report to

the Prime Minister on the  scope for  eliminating or  substantially reducing

the functions and  staffing involved. . A Joint Parliamentary  N .  Standing Committee

to be established; to

.  '  Ã¢ÂÂ

. Â· "  review the performance,  role, functions and  continued need for all  authorities, with

references to the  Committee to be initiated  .  by a Minister o>r by

either House of the  Parliament.

13. Follow-up Procedures . Rigorous follow up

-  on implementation

Â·Â·Â·;.Â·Â· Â·  - -  Â·

of Report.

-Â·Â·. . Ministers for Industry  and C o m m e r c e F i n a n c e  , Minister Assisting the  Ã¢ÂÂ¢L-  Prime Minister the

Treasurer to revÂ·iew  follow-up and  monitor implementation.

A  1

REVIEW OF COMMONWEALTH FUNCTIONS  ASSETS TO BE SOLD

'ATTACHMENT A. -

Surplus land , property and store holdings   Havelock House (ACT) Belconnen Mall (ACT) Canberra Retail Market Trust

Mugga Quarry and Hotmix Complex (ACT)  Australian Government Clothing Factory   Ordnance Factory, Bendigo  Wool Testing Authority

Domestic Airline Terminals  Housing Loans Insurance Corporation   .  Experimental Building Station .

-ATTACHMENT B

REVIEW OF COMMONWEALTH FUNCTIONS  CAPITAL WORKS

No funds to be provided in the' 1981-82 .

Budget for the following projects;- '

Ã¢ÂÂ   '  Ã¢ÂÂ   ÃÂ² - Canberra Law Courts (Deferred for 3 years) . Â· > - National Library (Deferred for 2 years) ^ - Townsville Commonwealth Offices /'

- Australian Federal Police Headquarters ^ - AS10 headquarters :

- National Biological Standards Laboratory ---- Australian Dental Standards Laboratory - Adelaide Commonwealth Offices (Deferred for   several years)

Museum of Australia and the Canberra   Convention Centre to be deferred   indefinitely

Not proceed with

- Sydney-Melbourne rail electrification - Institute of Criminology Building

*  attachment c -

REVIEW OF COMMONWEALTH FUNCTIONS   CHANGES TO ADVISORY BODIES

To be Reviewed ;

. Australia-Japan Relations Function to be   rationalized by: .

- examining overlap between Standing   Committee on Japan, Consultative '   Committee on Relations with Japan and   Japan and Australia - Japan Foundation

.  Advisory committees established under the   Financial Corporations Act.

To be Abolished

ACT Fair Rents Board

Ã¢ÂÂ   ACT Nature Conservation Advisory Committee

Education Research and Development Committee

Decentralisation Advisory Board

Meteorological Research Advisory Committee

Commonwealth Committee on Occupational Safety   and Health in Australian Government Employment

National Consultative Committee on   Occupational Safety and Health

Information Technology Council "

National Employee Participation Steering   Committee

Advisory Committee on Internetional   Scientific and Technological Activities

‘  Astronomy Advisory Committee

Australian Inventions Advisory Committee

Australian Numerical Meteorological Research   Centre Advisory Committee

Balloon Launching Station Co-ordinating   Committee '  -  ‘

C 2

Technology Transfer Council Advisory Board  '  X '

Women's Welfare Issues Consultative Committee

Homeless Persons Advisory Committees

Children's  ACT and NT

Wei fare

Services Sub-Committees of the Â·  f  Consultative Committees on Social ÃÂ.

To be Amalgamated

Australian Ethnic Affairs Council, Australian.'  Population and Immigration Council and  Australian Refugee Advisory Council.

The Antarctic Names Committee Â©>Â£ Australia, Â·  the Antarctic Polar Medal Assessment  Committee and the Heard Island: and McDonald  Islands Names Committee of Australia '

The Antarctic Research Program Planning  Committee and the Antarctic Research Policy  Advisory Committee

The Queen Elizabeth II Advisory Committee  and the Australian Research Grants Committee

The Queen's Fellowship Advisory Committee  and the Australian Marine Sciences and  Technologies Advisory Committee -.Funding  Advisory Panel.

The ACT TAB, the Liquor Licensing Board  and the Poker Machines Licensing Board.

Transport Advisory Council and Marine and  Ports Council of Australia Â» Ã¢ÂÂ  Â·

Government Economic Panel and the Economic  Ã¢ÂÂ Consultative Group

---- *

D 1

ATTACHMENT D

REVIEW OF COMMONWEALTH "FUNCTIONS

COLLEGES OF ADVANCED EDUCATION FOR WHICH .  COMMONWEALTH FUNDING AS SEPARATE INSTITUTIONS   WILL CEASE FROM THE END OF 1981

New South Wales

Alexander Mackie CAE  Armidale CAE  Catholic TC  Goulburn CAE  Guild TC

Milperra CAE  Newcastle CAE  Nursery School TC  Folding College

Sydney Kindergarten TC  Sydney TC  Wollongong IE

L

Victoria

SCV Burwood .

SCV Coburg . . .  "

SCV Frankston " Â·

SCV Hawthorne .  Â·

SCV Institute of Catholic Education  SCV Institute of Early Childhood Development  SCV Melbourne  SCV Rusden "

SCV Toorak

Queensland

Brisbane Kindergarten TC  Kelvin Grove CAE  Mount Gravatt CAE  Townsville CAE

South Australia

. Hartley CAE

. Salisbury CAE

Western Australia

Claremont TC  Mt Lawley TC  Nedlands TC

ATTACHMENT E

Australian Bureau of Statistics Collections which   will be Discontinued or Reviewed !

REVIEW OF COMMONWEALTH FUNCTIONS

1. Collections to be Discontinued '

. Survey of Consultancy Services Provided Overseas; . Price Indexes of Copper Materials used in the

Manufacture of Electrical Equipment; . Co-operatives; . Unit Trusts, Land Trusts and Mutual Funds

Rates Levied (NSW) ; . Municipal and Shire Elections (NSW); '

. Water Authorities (Vic.); .

. Eggs Set and Chickens Hatched; . Tea and Coffee;

. Poultry Slaughterings; . Pig Survey (Vic.); Â·

___________ Tr.ansfers-.and. Conveyances and Mortgages, .of ..

'  Real Estate; -

. Mortgages of Real Estate (Vic.); ,  Â·

Ã¢ÂÂ . Real Estate Transactions (NSW); . Land for Housing (NSW); . Sales of Land and Houses (NSW);

. Production of Minerals and Mineral Products; . Boat Statistics; "

. Forestry; -

. Hunting and Trapping; Ã¢ÂÂ   . Boat Registration; .

. Rock Lobsters in Cold Stores (WA) ; ,

. Newsprint Usage Survey; -

.  -  . Â·  Selected Services Industries Collection; .  . Australian Library Services; .  .

. Fire Statistics (WA and NSW); '

. Workers Compensation (Vic.); . Birth Expectations Survey;

2. Collections to have their frequency reduced from every two years to every three years "

. Project SCORE; - Ã¢ÂÂ  Â· Ã¢ÂÂ  Â· Â·

. Survey of Energy R&D.

3. Collections to be Reviewed in Consultation with the States -

1 Country Towns' Food Prices; ‘

Wholesale Price of Fruit and Vegetables (WA  and Ql d ); .  ‘

ATTACHMENT E

REVIEW OF COMMONWEALTH FUNCTIONS

Australian Bureau of Statistics Collections which   :  will be Discontinued or Reviewed

1. Collections to be Discontinued

. Survey of Consultancy Services Provided   Overseas; . Price Indexes of Copper Materials used in the

Manufacture of Electrical Equipment; . Co-operatives; . Unit Trusts, Land Trusts and Mutual Funds

Rates Levied (NSW); . Municipal and Shire Elections (NSW); *  * . Water Authorities (Vic.); . Eggs Set and Chickens Hatched; . Tea and Coffee;

. Poultry Slaughterings; .

. Pig Survey (Vic.); .

.Transfers-..and--Conveyances, and Mortgages .of   Real Estate; . Mortgages of Real Estate (Vic.); V. Real Estate Transactions (NSW);

. Land for Housing (NSW);

. Sales of Land and Houses (NSW);

. Production of Minerals and Mineral Products; .  . Boat Statistics; '

. Forestry;

. Hunting and Trapping; .

. Boat Registration; . Rock Lobsters in Cold Stores (WA) ; _

. Newsprint Usage Survey; Â·

Ã¢ÂÂ¢  '  . Selected Services Industries Collection; ~ . Australian Library Services; .

. Fire Statistics (WA and NSW); '

Ã¢ÂÂ   . -  Workers Compensation (Vic.); . Birth Expectations Survey;

2. Collections to have their frequency reduced from .  every two years to every three years '

. Project SCORE; .

. Survey of Energy R&D.

3. Collections to be Reviewed in Consultation with the States -

1 Country Towns' Food Prices; *

Wholesale Price of Fruit and Vegetables (WA  and Ql d); .

E 2

. Wholesale Prices of Fatstoek and Meat (Qld)  . Stocks of Dwellings; -  - _

. Rail/Bus Survey; . . .

. Road Lengths (NSW) ; '

. Private Buslines (Vic.); . Private Urban Bus (Qld);

. Metal and Mineral Prices (NSW); ,

. Sand, Gravel, Quarry Material Production (Qld); . Registered Shops and Factories (WA); . Demolitions;

. Population Estimates (Qld); . Probation and Parole (Qld); . Mental Health; '

. Perinatal Health; ^ Health and Welfare (NSW); '

. Health and Welfare (Qld);

. Government Employment by Award (WA); ^

. Workers Compensation (NSW);, and . . State Supplementaries.

Other Collections to be Reviewed

. Survey of Selected Private Pensions Funds; . Agricultural Census; . Life Insurance;

. Catch Statistics Survey; . Sawmilling and Woodchipping Survey;: and  . Labour Costs Survey. .

F 1

REVIEW OF COMMONWEALTH FUNCTIONS

DETAILS OF CHANGES IN TAXATION CONCESSIONS

.  Â·  .  .ATTACHMENT F

Ã¢ÂÂ   Set out hereunder are details of the bases on

which proposed reductions in the various income tax   concessions are to be effected. . * >

Except where otherwise indicated, where the ^  concessions described below apply in relation to the ^   incurring of capital expenditure (e.g ., on certain kinds ;  of eligible plant, equipment or buildings), the . *

reduction in the concessions are to apply in respect of   such expenditures incurred under a contract entered into   after 30 April 1981 or, where the expenditure relates to   an item or structure constructed by the taxpayer

entitled to the concession, the construction of the item   or structure commenced after that date. Relevant   expenditures incurred under contracts entered into on or   before 30 April 1981 will continue to attract tax   concessions on the existing bases. *

Industry Generally

1. Investment allowance .

The investment allowance in respect of capital   expenditure incurred in acquiring or constructing "  certain new plant and equipment is to be reduced from   2 0 % to 18% of the expenditure. .

2. Special depreciation on plant

J ' '  The special loading of 20% on the basic rates

of depreciation available for certain classes of plant   and equipment is to be reduced to 18%.

3. Deductions for costs of converting oil or  LPG-fired plant x

The special concession in respect of capital  costs incurred in converting certain oil, or LPG-fired  plant to alternative energy sources at present permits  the immediate deduction of the relevant costs in t h e .  year in which they are incurred. Under the: new  arrangements 50% of those costs will be deductible in

the year in which they are incurred and the remaining  50% will be deductible in the succeeding year.

'  i  k

Mining Industry

4. Capital expenditure incurred on the development  of a mine or oil field

Deductions in respect of allowable capital  expenditure incurred in respect of the development of a  mining property or an oil field are calculated by  reference to the lesser of the estimated life of the

mine or field or 5 y e a r s . .

Under the new arrangements, annual deductions  in respect of allowable capital expenditures are to be  calculated by reference to the lesser of the estimated  life of the mine or field or 6  y e a r s .

5. Petroleum shareholder rebate

The rebate of 30% available in respect of   moneys paid on shares by a taxpayer to an eligible   petroleum company is to be reduced to 27%.. .

.  .  The reduced rebate will apply to, monies paid

after 30 April 1981, unless the monies were paid in Â·Â·.   respect o f  calls made on or before 30 April 1981 in .   respect of shares owned by that date. Monies received   in shares or before 3 0  April 1981 by a listed petroleum   company or petroleum investment company that are passed

on after .that as .paym-ents or shares to eligible .  . petroleum companies will continue to attract the 30 per  cent rebate on the basis of the present law. Â·

ATTACHMENT G

REVIEW OF THE DEFENCE ORGANISATION  Terms of Reference ”

REVIEW OF-COMMONWEALTH FUNCTIONS

The Terms of Reference of the Review will be:

To review the organisation of the higher   Defence machinery in the light of experience -  since the Defence reorganisation of 9 February 1   1976, with particular reference to: '  _

(a) the suitability of the organisation to   propose and implement policy for the   achievement of governmental defence '   objectives, including development of:

(i) capability for independent Â·

defence of our national security i n t erests; '

-  (ii) national defence preparedness;.

(iii) defence co-operation with allies .  and regional friends; and

(iv) i n c r e a s e d .self-reliance in the .

Ã¢ÂÂ   national infrastructure supporting Defence;

(b) the scope for further rationalisation and   economy in managerial arrangements for   defence-related activities of the .  Government now conducted outside the

Defence Organisation; - -

(c) the suitability of the organisation for a defence emergency or war; \

(d) the distribution of responsibilities   within the higher Defence machinery as -  laid down in Defence and other relevant   statutes and in the Directives issued by

.. the Minister for D e f e n c e ; and .  . .  .

(e) the organisation and functions of the   senior Defence C o m m i t t e e s .

To report conclusions and to make   recommendations to the Minister for Defence   in respect of the foregoing by mid 1982.

