Year in review

On 11 August 2003, Major General Michael Jeffery AC CVO MC (Retd) was sworn in as Australia's twenty-fourth Governor-General at Parliament House, Canberra. His Excellency The Honourable Sir Guy Green AC KBE CVO was appointed Administrator of the Commonwealth of Australia on 15 May 2003 following the resignation of The Right Reverend Dr Peter Hollingworth AC OBE, until the swearing in of Major General Jeffery.

In carrying out the constitutional, ceremonial and community roles of the Governor-General, Major General and Mrs Jeffery's activity levels during their first year have been higher than those of any of their predecessors in the past decade or so. In their first year in office, the Governor-General, accompanied by Mrs Jeffery, has:

>	visited every State and mainland Territory, in many cases more than once
>	delivered more than 180 speeches
>	attended around 250 separate events across the States and mainland Territories
>	hosted more than 250 official functions, including a reception for over 500 family members after the Bali bombings
>	received over 150 callers, many of whom were representatives of the 180 organisations of which the Governor-General and Mrs Jeffery are patrons
>	received the Presidents of China and the United States of America, The Crown Prince of Thailand, and Their Royal Highnesses The Princess Royal and Prince Harry
>	represented Australia at the royal wedding in Denmark and the state funeral for President Reagan in Washington, and made official visits to Germany, Singapore and London
>	presented over 200 honours and awards at seven separate investiture ceremonies
>	presided over 28 meetings of the Federal Executive Council, which considered over 600 items of business
>	received the credentials of 23 ambassadors and high commissioners to Australia
>	assented to 185 pieces of legislation passed by the Commonwealth Parliament.

The staff of the Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General (the Office) have sustained a high level of activity as they supported the Governor-General and Mrs Jeffery in carrying out these duties.

In last year's report, I noted that there had been a significant and sustained increase in the number of nominations and awards being made within the Australian honours system. This trend continues, demonstrating further acceptance and embracing of the honours system as a means for all Australians to recognise exceptional achievement in so many areas. Further resources have been made available to assist with the expeditious processing of the large number of nominations being received. This remains a key pressure point for the Office during the coming financial year.

Recognising the heritage value and importance to the nation of the two official residences, Government House, Canberra, and Admiralty House, Sydney, and in order to satisfy heritage and occupational health and safety legislative requirements, the Office has initiated major work on a property master plan which, when completed, will provide the professional and expert underpinning for a ten-year strategy to maintain the houses as significant national assets belonging to all Australians. The master plan will cover necessary maintenance, landscape management, asset management and future building works. The Office is being assisted in this process with advice from the Official Establishments Trust.

Outlook for 2004-05

Importantly for the staff, negotiations will commence in the latter part of 2004 on a new certified agreement for the establishment of salaries and conditions of employment for staff in the Office. The current agreement formally expires on 30 April 2005. In developing the new agreement, the Office will be working within the Government's guidelines and will be looking for productivity benefits to justify any increase in wages or conditions.

The Office will also be undertaking a significant building construction project at Government House, Canberra, to provide appropriate office accommodation for the Australian Honours Secretariat. The staff of the Secretariat, like many other staff, are currently accommodated in a number of buildings that have been converted from their former use as residential accommodation dating back to the 1920s. The current accommodation is inadequate for the efficient and effective operations of the Secretariat and for the safety of staff.

I conclude by thanking the Office's staff members for their hard work and support during the past year. It is a credit to their professionalism and dedication that so many favourable comments are received from so many people about the way they continue to support the Governor-General and his wife in their important roles.

The office of Governor-General was established by the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia. Under the Constitution, the executive power of the Commonwealth is exercisable by the Governor-General as Her Majesty The Queen's representative in Australia, and extends to the execution and maintenance of the Constitution and the laws of the Commonwealth. Broadly, the Governor-General's duties fall into three categories: constitutional and statutory duties; ceremonial duties; and representational duties.

The statutory office of Official Secretary to the Governor-General was established in December 1984 by amendment to the Governor-General Act 1974. Before that date the Governor-General's Office was administered as part of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Under the Administrative Arrangement Orders the Governor-General Act 1974 is administered by the Prime Minister. Support for the Governor-General in carrying out his duties is provided by staff employed by the Official Secretary under section 13 of the Governor-General Act 1974.

The role of the Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General (the Office) is to assist the Governor-General in performing the constitutional, statutory, ceremonial and public duties associated with the appointment.

The Office is structured into three branches, which report to the Official Secretary in his capacity as the Chief Executive Officer. An organisational chart is at Figure 1.

This report is structured in terms of the Office's outcome and outputs, in line with the accrual budgeting and reporting requirements for Australian Government agencies and to provide information as required by the Government's guidelines for the preparation of annual reports. The Office's outcome and outputs are as follows.

In reporting in an output framework, the cost of the Corporate Management Branch is allocated across the various outputs in line with the proportional costs of supporting those outputs. Corporate Management Branch provides corporate services, policy frameworks, governance advice, and financial, human resource and information technology support for the Office. The branch also manages the official properties, coordinates physical security and is responsible for the congratulatory messages process.