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5 Business Reference Model

5.4 Service Paths Business Area

The Service Paths Business Area represents the functions used by the Australian Government in providing its Services for Citizens.

A Service Path provides an avenue, or pathway, through which government services are provided to Australian individuals, businesses and other organisations. A given service for citizens may involve a number of these avenues.

For example, providing small business services may involve government grants, subsidies, tax incentives, advising and consulting, information and knowledge dissemination, permits and licensing, inspections and auditing and government regulations. Alternatively, business services associated with advertising standards may only involve information and knowledge dissemination or advising and consulting.

Figure 5‑4 shows the structure of the Service Paths Business Area, including the Business Capabilities for each LoB.

[20] Service Paths
[201] Credit and Insurance [202] Government Financial Assistance [203] Information and Knowledge Exchange [204] Payments to States, Territories and Local Governments [205] Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement
  • [20101] Direct Loans
  • [20102] General Insurance
  • [20103] Loan Guarantees
  • [20201] Concessions
  • [20202] Government Grants
  • [20203] Payments to Citizens
  • [20204] Rebates
  • [20205] Receipts from Citizens
  • [20206] Scholarships
  • [20207] Subsidies
  • [20208] Tax Incentives
  • [20301] Advising and Consulting
  • [20302] Analysis and Reporting
  • [20303] Discussion Forums
  • [20304] Guidance Dissemination
  • [20305] Information and Knowledge Dissemination
  • [20306] Knowledge Presentation
  • [20307] Research and Development
  • [20308] Information from Citizens
  • [20401] General Revenue Assistance
  • [20402] Project / Competitive Grants
  • [20403] Specific Purpose Grants
  • [20404] State Loans
  • [20501] Government Regulations
  • [20502] Inspections & Auditing
  • [20503] Permits and Licensing
  • [20504] Regulatory Standards / Reporting Guidelines

Figure 5-4: Service Paths Business Area

5.4.1 [201] Credit and Insurance F

Credit and Insurance involves the use of government funds to cover the subsidy cost of a direct loan or loan guarantee or to protect/indemnify members of the public from financial losses.

Business Sub Function Defines the set of Business Capabilities that
20101
Direct Loans F
  • affect the disbursement of funds by the government to a non-government borrower under a contract that requires the repayment of such funds with or without interest.
An example of a direct loan is the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) for tertiary students.
20102
General Insurance F
  • affect the provision of protection to individuals or entities against specified risks. The specified protection generally involves risks that private sector entities are unable or unwilling to assume or subsidise and where the provision of insurance is necessary to achieve social objectives.
20103
Loan Guarantees F
  • affect any guarantee, insurance, or other pledge with respect to the payment of all or a part of the principal or interest on any debt obligation of a non-government borrower to a non-government lender, but which does not include the insurance of deposits, shares, or other withdraw-able accounts in financial institutions.

5.4.2 [202] Government Financial Assistance F

Australian Government Financial Assistance refers to the provision of earned and unearned financial or monetary-like benefits to individuals, groups, or corporations. This includes support and facilitation of the payment of monies to the government from individuals, businesses and other organisations.

Business Sub Function Defines the set of Business Capabilities that
20201
Concessions
  • affect government financial assistance through concessions that do not directly involve money (including health and travel concessions).
20202
Government Grants F
  • affect the disbursement of funds by the government to a non-government entity to help fund projects or activities (including the processes associated with grant administration, including the publication of funds availability notices, development of the grant application guidance, determination of grantee eligibility, coordination of the peer review/evaluation process for competitive grants, the transfer of funds and monitoring/ oversight as appropriate).
20203
Payments to Citizens
  • affect the discretionary and non-discretionary disbursement of funds from the government to beneficiaries (individuals or organisations) who satisfy government eligibility requirements, with or without restrictions imposed on the recipient as to how the money is spent.
Payments include both earned and unearned government entitlement programs such as welfare assistance, unemployment benefits, medical benefits, etc.
20204
Rebates
  • affect the reimbursement by the government of financial costs or levies already paid by citizens.
20205
Receipts from Citizens
  • affect the provision of avenues for individuals, businesses and other organisations to make payments to the government.
20206
Scholarships
  • affect the provision of government financial assistance through scholarships to eligible students for education and training activities (including academic and athletic activities).
20207
Subsidies F
  • affect government financial assistance which reduces costs and/or increases revenues of producers or service providers.
20208
Tax Incentives F
  • affect special exclusions, exemptions, or deductions from gross income or which provide a special credit, a preferential rate of tax, or a deferral of tax liability designed to encourage certain kinds of activities or to aid taxpayers in special circumstances.

5.4.3 [203] Information and Knowledge Exchange

Information and Knowledge Exchange refers to activities supporting avenues through which the government exchanges information and explicit knowledge with individuals, businesses and organisations within the community – this includes research and development, the creation of explicit knowledge, advice, reporting and the dissemination of information and regulatory guidance.

Business Sub Function Defines the set of Business Capabilities that
20301
Advising and Consulting F
  • provide advice, guidance and consultative services to support the implementation of a specific service for citizens;
  • transfer knowledge and experience to citizens through advice, information and guidance.
20302
Analysis and Reporting
  • perform analysis on sets of information and reporting on the results.
20303
Discussion Forums
  • provide public forums to promote, facilitate and enable the transfer and exchange of information and knowledge through discussion (including organised and facilitated public gatherings and meetings, and electronic / online forums).
20304
Guidance Dissemination
  • publish or broadcast guidelines to assist in the interpretation and implementation of regulations.
20305
Information and
Knowledge
Dissemination F
  • publish or broadcast government information – this addresses those instances where the primary method used in providing a service is through the publishing or broadcasting of information.

    It is not intended to address circumstances where the publication of information is a by-product of an actual service path. For example, an agency might perform research (the service path) addressing a particular service for citizens (for example environmental management) and as a result publish a report on the findings. In this instance, the research would be the service path and publishing the report would be a services support activity.
20306
Knowledge Presentation
  • capture, catalogue and organise sets of government information or explicit knowledge into formats ready for people to use such as documents, publications, knowledge bases and information bases (including information types such as policies, procedures, facts, results of experience, problem solutions, standards, guidelines, rules, education and training materials, agency profiles, etc).
20307
Research and
Development
  • research and gather data and information and disseminating the results;
  • research, develop and evaluate new products, services, technologies, methodologies and ideas.
20308
Information from Citizens
  • provide avenues for individuals, businesses and other organisations to submit information to the government about their person, business or organisation;
  • provide avenues for individuals, businesses and other organisations to view information held about them by the government, and to check the progress and status of information transactions with the government.

5.4.4 [204] Payments to States, Territories and Local Governments F

Payments to States, Territories and Local Governments involve the transfer of funds or financial assistance from the Australian Government to state, territory and local governments.

Business Sub Function Defines the set of Business Capabilities that
20401
General Revenue Assistance F
  • affect the allocation of money to states and territories or their subdivisions in accordance with distribution formulas prescribed by law or administrative regulation for activities of a continuing nature.
20402
Project/Competitive Grants F
  • affect the funding, for fixed or known periods, of projects.
  • Project/Competitive grants can include fellowships, scholarships, research grants, training grants, traineeships, experimental and demonstration grants, evaluation grants, planning grants, technical assistance grants, survey grants and construction grants.
20403
Specific Purpose Grants F
  • affect the distribution of money to state, territory and local governments for a named purpose or service usually specifically noted by the Australian Government in appropriations language or other program authorising language.
20404
State Loans F
  • affect the disbursement of funds by the government to a state, territory or local government entity under a contract that requires the repayment of such funds with or without interest.

5.4.5 [205] Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement F

Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement involves the direct monitoring and oversight of a specific individual, group, industry, or community participating in a regulated activity via market mechanisms, command and control features, or other means to control or govern conduct or behaviour.

Business Sub Function Defines the set of Business Capabilities that
20501
Government Regulations
  • affect the implementation of government regulations governing conduct or behaviour in specific areas (including administering regulatory bodies and applying penalties for breaches of regulations).
20502
Inspections & Auditing F
  • affect the methodical examination and review of regulated activities to ensure compliance with standards for regulated activity.
20503
Permits and Licensing F
  • affect activities associated with granting, revoking, and the overall management of the documented authority necessary to perform a regulated task or function.
20504
Regulatory Standards /
Reporting Guidelines F
  • affect the establishment of allowable limits associated with a regulated activity and reporting requirements necessary to monitor and control compliance with allowable limits (including requirements for product sampling and testing, emissions monitoring and control, incident reporting, financial filings, etc).

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Last Modified: 25 November, 2011