Business Enabling Services

Chief Financial Officer

Assistant Secretary, Chief Financial Officer: Grant Stevens
Phone: 02 6215 3825

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) contributes towards the outcomes of the Department by providing reliable and timely financial information that supports decision making and drives efficiency and continual improvement in organisational performance. 

The key products and services include:

• Financial Accounting and Reporting, covering: annual financial statements, external audit coordination, general ledger management, accounting policy, taxation, payroll and asset accounting.
• Budgeting and Treasury, covering: external and internal budgeting (including capital planning and departmental forecasting), coordination and review of new policy proposals and investment initiatives, portfolio agency monitoring, internal budget system administration, banking, cash flow and appropriation management.
• Client Facing Services, covering: financial analysis and advice to business areas, preparation of Divisional/Group costings, budgets and forecasts, production of monthly and ad hoc financial management reports, and coordination of ad hoc financial planning and business case requirements across business areas. 
• Financial Operations, covering: accounts processing, Cabcharge and credit card management.

Facilities Management

Assistant Secretary: Brent Heaver
Phone: 02 6215 2550

Facilities Management delivers a range of workplace services to the department including:

• Property and facilities management
• Office services
• Protective security management
• Information and records management

Human Resources

Assistant Secretary : Abby Whiting
Phone: 02 6215 3197

HR Assist
Phone: 02 6215 3937

Human Resources delivers a range of human resource services to the department including:

• recruitment and payroll services
• advice and support on employee relations and conditions
• work health and safety services
• assisting the department to embed its strategic goals through workforce planning, staff surveys and targeted recruitment programs, including the Graduate program
• advice and support on HR policy and programs
• management and provision of learning and development opportunities.

For more information, feel free to contact the friendly staff at the HR Assist.

Legal and Assurance

Assistant Secretary: Kelly Hoffmeister
Phone: 02 6215 2594

Legal and Assurance Branch provides the Department of Finance with audit, risk, internal financial governance, and in-house legal advice and assistance including on:

• commercial and public law matters
• assistance in the management of litigation
• drafting commercial and other instruments
• co-ordination of FOI, privacy and lodging Finance Legislative Instruments for registration on the Federal Register of Legislation.

The Legal and Assurance Branch is also responsible for:

• supporting the Audit Committee including the provision of internal audit services
• liaison with the ANAO as the department’s external auditors
• implementing the Enterprise Risk Management Framework
• implementing the Fraud Control Framework including fraud and corruption
• internal financial governance including PGPA compliance, maintaining the Accountable Authority Instructions and internal financial delegations.

Parliamentary and Corporate Engagement

Assistant Secretary: Ian Nicholas
Phone: 02 6215 2895

Parliamentary and Corporate Engagement provides advice and support to the Department on a range of activities including strategic communications, media management, graphic design, web design and management and corporate events.

We also provide an integral link to the Parliament and our Portfolio Ministers. We deliver advice and support to enable our ministers, the Department and portfolio agencies to fulfil their responsibilities to the Parliament.

In performing this role, we are responsible for a range of activities including delivery of the following services:

• Managing the Parliamentary Workflow System (PWS)
• Senate Estimates co-ordination
• Parliamentary liaison
• Cabinet liaison
• Home department support for our ministers.

We also provide a central coordinating role for Finance and other agencies in the Portfolio.

CBMS Operations

Assistant Secretary: Cathryn Martin
Phone: 02 6215 2285

The Central Budget Management System (CBMS) manages the flow of financial information between Finance and Commonwealth Government entities to facilitate cash and appropriation management, preparation of budget documentation and financial reporting.

The CBMS branch is responsible for providing support for CBMS users, in both Finance and Entities, including second and third level service request and incident resolution, problem and change management, quality control, training development and delivery, communications to users (including the management of the CBMS GovTEAMS community) and managing the vendor contracts for system development and maintenance. In conjunction with ICT’s Internal Services branch, the CBMS branch manages the CBMS solution and the PaaS ICT infrastructure.

Governance and Procurement

Assistant Secretary: Marc Vickers
Phone: 02 6215 1641

The Governance and Procurement Branch (GPB) consists of the Office of the CIO (OCIO), the IT Security Team and the Central Procurement Team (CPT).

• The OCIO develops and maintains Finance’s ICT Strategy and supports its implementation through the provision of ICT architecture services and advice.
• The IT Security Team is responsible for ICT security operations, policy, advice, certification and compliance across the internal and external ICT systems provided by Finance.
• The CPT conducts all ICT and labour hire contract procurements valued at $10,000 or more for Finance.

Government Services

Assistant Secretary: Marcel Gabriel
Phone: 02 6215 1592

The Government Services Branch (GSB) delivers Whole-of-Government services to Commonwealth agencies, including developing and supporting the secure telecommunications and digital collaboration needs of the Australian Government.

The branch is responsible for providing and managing:

• GovTEAMS, a comprehensive whole-of-government collaboration service for the Australian Public Service.
• the Intra-government Communications Network (ICON), an optical fibre network that links Commonwealth offices throughout Canberra;
• GovLINK, a secure inter-agency communication service that encrypts all nominated traffic between agency internet gateways; and
• The Parliamentary Document Management System (PDMS), delivering services to support the management of parliamentary workflow across government.

Internal Services

Assistant Secretary: Patrick Roberts
Phone: 02 6215 1792

The Internal Services Branch is responsible for managing the Service Centre, application support, quality assurance and testing, minor projects, the Finance information environment, and its supporting technology.

The priorities of Internal Services Branch are to:

• Deliver a high standard of support to clients through the Service Centre and Self-Service Portal
• Maintain and enhance the end user desktop environment and its supporting services.
• Maintain and enhance both core Departmental and business specific applications and the Finance information environment.
• Maintain and enhance core departmental IT hybrid infrastructure and supporting technology platforms.
• Deliver business analysis and testing services
• Deliver ICT projects and technology for business projects
• Management of key ICT contracts.

Online Services

Assistant Secretary: Sharyn Clarkson
Phone: 02 6215 3339

Online Services delivers ‘whole of government’ digital services and platforms to address the needs of entities. Online Services is responsible for:

• GovCMS Built by government as a whole of government service, GovCMS is available to organisations of any size. It is suitable for websites containing publicly available information up to Official: Sensitive. Using open source technology (Drupal) on a public cloud platform, GovCMS also provides cyber security protection services.
• directory.gov.au provides information about government structures, organisations and key people in a single place, making it easier to find and update information.

Parliamentary Expenses Management System

A/g Assistant Secretary: David Sabin
Phone: 02 6215 3030

Finance is implementing the Parliamentary Expenses Management System (PEMS) to provide an integrated ICT solution for Parliamentarians, former Prime Ministers, their staff and administering agencies to manage allowances, work expenses and associated services.

• PEMS responds to Recommendation 30 of the Review into An Independent Parliamentary Entitlements System.
• The PEMS project was approved in December 2017 and commenced on 8 January 2018.
• PEMS supports the work of Finance’s Ministerial and Parliamentary Services (MaPS) division and the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA).
• Parliamentarians and their staff benefit by having access to an online portal accessible from anywhere, at any time and from any computer or mobile device.
• Since 2018, PEMS has been available to Parliamentarians and their staff to submit and certify office and travel expense claims.
• Since July 2021, PEMS commenced providing payroll and many online HR administration services for parliamentarians’ staff.
• The final phase of PEMS is scheduled for implementation in July 2022, providing enhanced office and travel expense functions and new budget and reporting functions.

COMCAR

Assistant Secretary: Dean Edwards
Phone: 02 6215 2250

COMCAR provides high quality, secure and confidential car-with-driver and other ground transport services to the governor-general, current and former Prime Ministers, parliamentarians, members of the Federal Judiciary and other office holders.

COMCAR also provides ground transport and associated support services to visiting Guests of Government such as Royalty, Heads of State, Heads of Government and other foreign dignitaries, as well as services during major international events, such the ASEAN Special Summit, Group of Twenty meetings (G20), the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and other Ministerial forums hosted in Australia.

COMCAR has a national presence, with drivers located in each state and territory. COMCAR can provide or arrange transport and associated services in all metropolitan and country areas. Reservations for COMCAR services can be made 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The branch provides secretariat support for the Australian Political Exchange Council, which provides an international exchange program for young political leaders.

COMCAR also administers the following grants and programs:

• Australian Political Parties for Democracy Program (APPDP) grant which supports the development of democratic political party systems in other countries.
• Political Party Secretariat Training (PPST) program which assists members of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984 (MOP(S) Act) employees to develop skills and knowledge to support their employing parliamentarian to conduct electorate and parliamentary duties.

HR Frameworks

Assistant Secretary: Amanda Bruce
Phone: 02 6215 1499

Parliamentary Business Resources Framework

A/g Assistant Secretary: Georgia Weichert
Phone: 02 6215 3146

The Parliamentary Business Resources (PBR) Framework Branch is responsible for policy development and advice in relation to parliamentarians' work expenses and the delivery of services, including office accommodation, and support.

The Branch's key responsibilities include:

• Providing advice to our portfolio Ministers, particularly the Minister of Finance, regarding parliamentarians’ access to work expenses.
• Advising parliamentarians and their employees on work expenses and administering claims.
• Providing advice on PBR framework matters. 
• Liaising with relevant stakeholders in relation to the development of, and changes to, the work expenses of parliamentarians.
• Providing facilities and services to parliamentarians, including office accommodation and property services, equipment and vehicles.
• Managing the provision of services in the Ministerial Wing of Parliament House and the Commonwealth Parliament Offices in State/Territory capital cities.

Workforce Culture and Reform

Assistant Secretary: Tim Abrahams
Phone: 02 6215 2932