Corporate Plan 2009-2011
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Our Vision
A fair, equitable and accessible system of federal justice that contributes to a just and secure society.
Outcome Statement
Informed Government decisions about the development, reform and harmonisation of Australian laws and related processes through research, analysis, reports and community consultation and education.
Our Strategies
The ALRC has two strategic programs to achieve its outcome—conducting inquiries into aspects of Australian law and related processes for the purpose of law reform; and community education about law reform.
Program 1 Conducting inquiries into aspects of Australian law and related processes for the purpose of law reform
The inquiry process allows the ALRC to provide the Government with the research and analysis that underpins the recommendations for law reform and provides the basis for informed Government decisions to improve Australia’s legal framework.
ALRC recommendations must represent international best practice. The ALRC will continue to engage with other law reform and expert bodies nationally and internationally to share information and ideas and to benchmark ALRC practices and procedures.
Program 2 Community education about law reform.
Educational outreach programs ensure the participation of legal, expert and stakeholder communities in the process of law reform and that the views and concerns of these communities are considered in formulating ALRC recommendations. This engagement is essential to ensure proposed reforms are relevant and achievable and will be effective for their intended purpose.
Our Deliverables
Program 1 Conducting inquiries
The ALRC will:
- conduct inquiries at the request of the Attorney-General, expected to include at least two inquiries at any one time;
- research and analyse―to the highest professional standards―the legal, social and economic issues raised by each inquiry and ensure all these aspects are taken into account in formulating recommendations to government;
- deliver a final report to the Government for each inquiry―within the Government’s timeframe for reporting―that provides recommendations for reform;
- distribute high quality interim community consultation papers for each inquiry;
- deliver presentations and information sessions, as appropriate, on each inquiry;
- constitute an expert Advisory Committee for each inquiry;
- consult nationally with stakeholders, interested experts, and all relevant sectors of the community;
- advise the Attorney-General on priorities for law reform in Australia through regular briefings on law reform issues suitable for referral;
- continually improve community awareness of current inquiries by developing and implementing communication strategies for each inquiry using a range of communication tools, including the ALRC website and online strategies, contributions to external journals, printed material, and the mass media;
- consult internationally with law reform and other expert bodies and establish bilateral collaborative arrangements with national and overseas law reform bodies to facilitate the exchange of information on law reform; and participate in relevant regional and international organisations, including the Commonwealth Association of Law Reform Agencies and the Australasian Law Reform Agencies, to ensure best practice.
Program 2 Community education about law reform
The ALRC will:
- publish the ALRC’s journal, Reform, exploring topical and important areas of law reform;
- provide internship opportunities to law students from around Australia, expanding this program to include a targeted Indigenous internship stream;
- foster law reform debate and discussion through the annual Kirby Cup law reform debating competition;
- expand its educational processes to include online discussion forums and other means of encouraging relevant community participation in the ALRC’s activities;
- present at public conferences, seminars and parliamentary inquiries ensuring that the work of the ALRC is publically debated and discussed and contributes to the community’s knowledge about the Government’s law reform agenda;
- continually improve access to information on the ALRC’s work by providing information on the Commission’s findings and recommendations to Government, the legal profession, business leaders and relevant community bodies;
- maintain an up-to-date, accessible and informative website that provides increased access to ALRC publications and activities.
Our Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Program 1 Conducting inquiries
There are two Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the ALRC by which it will measure the success of Program 1 in delivering its objective, as follows:
1. The level of implementation that ALRC reports achieve over time.
The ALRC sets a KPI that over 80% of reports are implemented by Government and other bodies, either substantially or partially.
2. The number of citations or references to ALRC reports and recommendations in parliamentary debates, court and tribunal case reports, academic and other publications, and in the media.
The implementation by Government over time of ALRC recommendations gives an indication of the ALRC’s relative success in facilitating informed decision-making by Government. It is recognised that ALRC reports and recommendations are not self-executing. There is no statutory requirement for the Australian Government to respond formally to an ALRC report within a certain timeframe, nor is there a specified timeframe for implementation of recommendations. This can result in delay between the presentation of a final report to Government and the adoption of recommendations and their translation into legislation or other procedures. Therefore, implementation over time is a better measure of the ALRC’s success in achieving its desired outcome. Having the ALRC’s recommendations discussed on many levels in government and in the relevant community also provides an indication of the relevance of the ALRC’s work to fostering discourse that leads to informed decision-making.
Program 2 Community education about law reform
There are six Key Performance Indicators for the ALRC by which it will measure the success of Program 2 in delivering its objective, as follows:
- Readership of the Reform journal and other ALRC publications remains high, as evidenced by the number of journals and consultation papers distributed and accessed.
- The applications received from law students from around Australia to participate in the internship program.
- The level of interest in the Kirby Cup law reform debating competition.
- The ALRC is asked to present papers and findings at public events including law reform conferences and seminars, and is asked to contribute articles and papers about areas of law reform that are the subject of its inquiries.
- ALRC reports and recommendations are discussed and referred to in a wide range of media.
- Number of visits to the ALRC’s website and its online discussion forums continue to show a high level of activity and engagement in all aspects of the ALRC’s activities.
These KPIs measure the public’s engagement with the ALRC’s work and its relevance to current discourse recognising that informed Government decision-making about law reform benefits from informed community debate and discussion of the issues and processes involved.
May 2009