Moving Ahead with the New Budgeting Framework
The highlight of the past year was successful delivery of the second accrual based outcome-output Budget. The achievement was significant for the speed with which the new framework was accepted and understood by agencies and because our people were able to deliver the Budget while maintaining a healthy balance between work and home life. We will continue to refine the framework to ensure the clarity and comprehensiveness of budget information is maximised.

During the year we also implemented a rolling programme of output pricing reviews with agencies. This programme will continue through 2000-01 and 2001-02 and aims to assess the prices of agency outputs, through the use of tools such as benchmarking and market testing.

e-Solutions for Managing Knowledge
During 1999-2000, DOFA continued to make progress with online initiatives. As well as providing online access for all the material for the 2000-01 Budget (www.fed.gov.au), we launched an information portal for Australian public sector management www.fedinfo.gov.au. We manage this internet hub, which provides the public sector with direct access to information for both day-to-day work and longer term planning.

Our challenge in 2000-01 will be to focus our knowledge management efforts in an innovative way, so that we become a lead agency in managing information and delivering services on the Internet to the public, business and other agencies. To this end, we have created a new e-Solutions business group to harness our efforts.

Global Outsourcing Award and Other International Activities
DOFA's achievements in advancing the theory and practice of outsourcing as a powerful management tool were recognised internationally in February. We won the Outsourcing World Achievement Award, in the Government Executive category, at the 2000 Outsourcing World Summit in the United States. This achievement recognises our lead role in implementing competitive tendering and contracting across the Australian Public Service and our leadership in government outsourcing.

We have also been involved in providing budgeting assistance to the new East Timorese administration. DOFA entered into an agreement with the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), to provide a team to the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor. Since they arrived in May, our officers have been establishing a working Budget for East Timor's new government. Their focus in 2000-01 will be to help the United Nations and the new East Timor Administration implement this budget and establish effective budget management practices.

Undertaking Antarctic Mapping
In the 2000-01 Budget, the Government announced it would undertake a programme to map the limits of the Continental Shelf off the Australian Antarctic Territory beyond Australia's 200 nautical miles Exclusive Economic Zone. Highlighting the diversity of DOFA's business, we have been given responsibility for managing this project in consultation with the Antarctic Division of the Department of Environment and Heritage.

Our main role will be to contract private and/or public sector operators to collect and analyse data, and cooperate with other agencies to ensure that Australia is in a position to make a submission of data to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf by November 2004.

Managing Our People
A key component of DOFA's employment framework is the flexibility provided to our staff. This enables officers to have tailored packages for remuneration, conditions, training and development. We also have a performance management framework which applies to all staff, and in 1999-2000 almost 98 per cent of staff received a performance bonus.

Our leadership development programme gives all staff the opportunity to identify strengths against a core set of DOFA behaviours and to develop plans which encourage leadership growth. We have also introduced a Work and Home Life Balance programme, which includes amongst other things a number of family friendly policies and practices.

The combination of these initiatives are aimed at continuing to position DOFA as an employer of choice.