Other disclosures

Local Jobs First

The Local Jobs First Act 2003, introduced in August 2018, brings together the Victorian Industry Participation Policy and Major Project Skills Guarantee, which were previously administered separately.

The Authority is required to apply the Local Jobs First policy to all metropolitan Melbourne or state-wide projects valued at $3 million or more, or any regional Victoria projects valued at $1 million or more.

The Authority undertook no projects subject to the Act during the 2021-22 reporting period.

Government advertising expenditure

In 2021–22 there were no government advertising campaigns with total media spend of $10,000 or greater (exclusive of GST).

Consultancy expenditure

Details of consultancies (valued at $10,000 or greater)

In 2021–22, there was one consultancy where the total fees payable to the consultants were $10,000 or greater.

The total expenditure incurred during 2021–22 in relation to this consultancy is $52,000 (excl. GST).

Table 6: Details of consultancies (valued at $10,000 or greater) ($ thousand)

Details of consultancies under $10,000

In 2021-22, there were no consultancies engaged during the year, where the total fees payable to the individual consultancies was less than $10,000. The total expenditure incurred during 2021-22 was nil.

Information and Communication Technology expenditure

For the 2021-22 reporting period, the Authority had a total ICT expenditure of $0.566m, with details shown below.

Table 7: ICT expenditure ($ thousand)

ICT expenditure refers to the Authority’s costs in providing business enabling ICT services within the current reporting period. It comprises Business as Usual (BAU) ICT expenditure and non-Business as Usual (Non-BAU) ICT expenditure. Non-BAU ICT expenditure relates to extending or enhancing the Authority’s current ICT capabilities. BAU ICT expenditure is all remaining ICT expenditure that primarily relates to ongoing activities to operate and maintain the current ICT capability.

Disclosure of major contracts

The Authority did not award any major contracts valued above $10 million or more during 2021–22.

Freedom of information

The Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the Act) allows the public a right of access to documents held by the Authority.

Information about the type of material produced by the Authority is available on its website under the Part II Information Statement.

During the 2021–22 financial year, the Authority received no applications.

Access to documents may be obtained through a written request to the Freedom of Information Officer, as detailed in section 17 of the Act.

Making a request

Access to documents can be made by a written request to the Authority’s Freedom of Information Officer.

When making a Freedom of Information request, applicants should ensure requests are in writing and clearly identify the documents being sought.

Requests for documents in possession of the Authority can be made via email to foi@plsa.vic.gov.au(opens in a new window) or by mail to:

Attention: Freedom of Information Officer
Portable Long Service Authority
PO Box 443
Bendigo VIC 3552

An application fee of $30.60 applies.

Further information

Access charges may also apply once documents have been processed and a decision on access is made, such as but not limited to photocopying, search and retrieval charges. Further information regarding Freedom of Information can be found at ovic.vic.gov.au/freedom-of-information/(opens in a new window)

Compliance with the Building Act 1993 (Vic)

The Authority does not own or control any government buildings and consequently is exempt from notifying its compliance with the building and maintenance provisions of the Building Act 1993 (Vic) (the Act).

The Authority met all relevant compliance provisions of the Act in our building and maintenance activities during the year.

Competitive neutrality policy

The Authority does not provide services that compete with the private sector and is therefore not subject to the requirements of the Victorian Competitive Neutrality Policy or subsequent reforms.

Compliance with the Public Interest Disclosures Act 2012

The Public Interest Disclosures Act 2012 (the Act) encourages and assists people in making disclosures of improper conduct by public officers and public bodies. The Act provides protection to people who make disclosures in accordance with the Act and establishes a system for the matters disclosed to be investigated.

The Authority encourages its officers and members of the public to report known or suspected incidences of improper conduct and detrimental action.

Disclosures of improper conduct or detrimental action by the Authority or any of its employees and/or officers must be made directly to the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission:

Level 1, North Tower, 459 Collins Street
Melbourne, VIC 3000
Phone: 1300 735 135(opens in a new window)
Internet: www.ibac.vic.gov.au(opens in a new window)

Table 8: Disclosures under the Public Interest Disclosures Act 2012

Compliance with the Carers Recognition Act 2012

To the extent applicable, the Authority has taken all practical measures to comply with obligations under the Carers Recognition Act 2012 (the Act). These include:

• ensuring our staff have an awareness and understanding of the care relationship principles set out in the Act.
• considering the care relationships principles set out in the Act when setting policies and providing services.
• promoting the availability of flexible work arrangements and providing resources to effectively support this.
• providing support to all staff through the Employee Assistance Program.
• increasing awareness of the flexible work arrangements and special leave arrangements available to staff during the COVID-19 pandemic to support home schooling and caring responsibilities.

Compliance with the Disability Act 2006

The Authority acknowledges the importance of strengthening the rights of people with a disability. We are committed to creating and maintaining an accessible and inclusive environment for all people with a disability who come into contact with the Authority, whether as employees, stakeholders or members of the public more generally.

The Department of Premier and Cabinet developed a comprehensive Disability Action Plan 2017–20 which informs the Authority’s policies ensuring we remain responsive to the needs of people with a disability.

Office-based environmental impacts

The Authority’s three offices maximise natural light, with electronics, lighting, heating and cooling turned off each evening.

Staff are encouraged to avoid printing where possible and senior staff members have been provided with portable devices to assist with this initiative. In addition, the Authority utilises of “Follow Me” printing which allows us to undertake usage reporting, apply print policies organisation-wide and solve mobile printing issues while also reducing waste, saving on average, 30% of wasted print jobs sent by mistake.

All office waste systems across our locations are segregated, reducing the amount of recyclable material directed to landfill.

Authority staff are strongly encouraged to adopt “green commuting” through active or public transport when undertaking business activities, particularly when travelling between our Bendigo and Melbourne locations as well as a higher percentage of meetings being conducted via Video Conferencing where possible to reduce unnecessary or excessive travel.

The Authority committed to and phased out single-use plastics in its offices. This is in line with the Authority’s recognition of the importance of reducing our impact on the environment.

Some of the steps included the Authority phasing out purchasing plastic bin liners, single-use cutlery and plates, along with adjustments to procurement practices.

Internal promotion about the importance of banning single use plastics, their impact and more sustainable practices was posted on our intranet to help educate staff further.

Subsequent events

There are no post balance date events that materially affect the Authority’s 2021–22 financial statements.

Additional information

The Authority’s published reports and documents are available online at plsa.vic.gov.au.

Any relevant information in relation to the financial year is retained by the Accountable Officer and is available on request subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 1982.

Attestation for financial management compliance with Standing Directions 5.1.4

Portable Long Service Benefits Authority Financial Management Compliance Attestation Statement

I, Julius Roe, on behalf of the Responsible Body, certify that the Portable Long Service Benefits Authority has no Material Compliance Deficiency with respect of the applicable Standing Directions under the Financial Management Act 1994 and Instructions.

Asset Management Accountability Framework (AMAF) maturity assessment

The following sections summarise the Authority’s assessment of maturity against the requirements of the Asset Management Accountability Framework (AMAF). The AMAF is a non-prescriptive, devolved accountability model of asset management that requires compliance with 41 mandatory requirements. These requirements can be found on the Department of Treasury and Finance (DT) website (dtf.vic.gov.au/infrastructure-investment/asset-management-accountability-framework(opens in a new window)).

The Authority’s target maturity rating is ‘competence’, meaning systems and processes are fully in place, consistently applied and systematically meet the AMAF requirement, including a continuous improvement process to expand system performance above AMAF minimum requirements.

The Authority has assessed requirements 3 and 10 as not applicable.

Leadership and Accountability (requirements 1-19)

The Authority has met its target maturity level in this category.

Planning (requirements 20-23)

The Authority has met its target maturity level in the category.

Acquisition (requirements 24 and 25)

The Authority has met its target maturity level in this category.

Operation (requirements 26-40)

The Authority has met its target maturity level in this category.

Disposal (requirement 40)

The Authority has met its target maturity level in this category.