Family Responsibilities Commission

Report to the Family Responsibilities Board and
The Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships

Quarterly Report
No. 37

July 2017 to September 2017

Report prepared by the Family Responsibilities Commission under the leadership of Commissioner David Glasgow

Executive Summary
Quantified in the table below are the activities undertaken by the Commission during quarter 37 with comparisons shown to the previous quarter.
Table 1: Activity from 1 April 2017 to 30 September 2017.
Activity	Qtr 36	Qtr 37	Movement	
Within jurisdiction agency notices received	1667	1109	Decreased	
Conferences held	642	600	Decreased	
Family Responsibility Agreements entered into	6	6	No Change	
Orders made to attend community support services	40	34	Decreased	
Conditional Income Management Orders made	58	57	Decreased	
Voluntary Income Management Agreements entered into	5	4	Decreased	
Clients case managed	181	155	Decreased	
Referrals made	45	41	Decreased	
Applications to Amend or End received	13	6	Decreased	
Show Cause conferences held	0	0	No Change	

The Commission is committed to providing the public with data from across all sections of its operations for the benefit of all Queenslanders and particularly the State and Australian Governments. In fulfilling this purpose, the Commission’s intention is to support and encourage innovation in the use of information. As part of this commitment the Commission has added the following information to this report for the benefit of its readers:
•	Domestic violence statistics including:
•	the location of courts issuing within jurisdiction domestic violence breach (DVB) and domestic violence order (DVO) notices and the numbers from each location for the quarter
•	numbers of conferences held for domestic violence (DV) related matters per community by quarter
•	referrals made to service providers for DV related matters for the quarter and
•	the number of Conditional Income Management (CIM) Orders issued for DV related matters for the quarter
•	Statistics informing on the number of times a client has been placed on a CIM Order inclusive of original orders and alterations by community from 1 July 2008 to the end of the quarter.

Work has been generally down across all aspects of operations this quarter, largely due to a drop in School Attendance notices received from the Department of Education and Training (DET).

To further inform on Commission operations two reports were commenced this quarter. I engaged an independent consulting company to travel to each community to observe firsthand the work of the Commission and interview the Local Commissioners to obtain their views on the effectiveness of the FRC in their communities, what they viewed as the successes and/or failures, and what they would like to see for the future.

A second study was undertaken seeking feedback from Doomadgee FRC clients who were subject to CIM orders to record their views on the impact income management and the BasicsCard had had on their lives. Feedback was received via a survey questionnaire conducted over the period 21 June to 16 August. Survey results and the subsequent report were intended as an unofficial tool to inform and guide internal decision-making. Participation in the survey was voluntary, and the majority of clients approached were enthusiastic about sharing their views and happy to have the opportunity to be heard. The survey results recorded an overall positive response, the details of which can be found on page 13 ‘Future Direction and Challenges’.

Table of contents

1.  Activities and Trends		4
2.  Future Direction and Challenges	11
3.  Financial Operations		13

Abbreviations
CIM		Conditional Income Management
DATSIP		Department of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander Partnerships
DET		Department of Education and Training
DJAG		Department of Justice and Attorney-General
DV		Domestic Violence
DVB		Domestic Violence Breach
DVO		Domestic Violence Order
FRA		Family Responsibilities Agreement
FRC		Family Responsibilities Commission
QPS		Queensland Police Service
VIM		Voluntary Income Management
Also:		
Family Responsibilities Commission (the Commission)
Family Responsibilities Commission Act 2008 (the Act)
Family Responsibilities Commission Registry (the Registry)
Family Responsibilities Board (the Board)

Family Responsibilities Commission
Welfare Reforms

Report to 30 September 2017.
1.  Activities and Trends

Notices
In quarter 37 the Commission received 1,902 agency notices. Some individuals may have been the subject of more than one agency notice. Of that figure 1,109 notices (58 percent) were within the Commission’s jurisdiction and 793 notices (42 percent) were outside the Commission’s jurisdiction.

Table 2: In jurisdiction notices by type and community 1 July 2017 to 30 September 2017.
Activity	AU	CO	DM	HV	MG	Total	
District Court notices	9	0	0	1	11	21	
Magistrates Court notices	204	11	0	139	10	364	
Domestic Violence Breach notices	14	2	0	6	8	30	
Domestic Violence Order notices	32	5	0	15	4	56	
School Attendance notices	238	11	253	71	20	593	
School Enrolment notice	1	0	0	1	1	3	
Child Safety and Welfare notices	14	2	6	14	3	39	
Housing Tenancy notices	0	0	0	2	1	3	
Total	512	31	259	249	58	1109	

Further details of notices within jurisdiction for each community are set out below:
•	Aurukun’s 512 notices constitute 46.17 percent of the total notices in jurisdiction across the welfare reform communities.
•	Coen’s 31 notices constitute 2.80 percent of the total notices in jurisdiction.
•	Doomadgee’s 259 notices constitute 23.35 percent of the total notices in jurisdiction.
•	Hope Vale’s 249 notices constitute 22.45 percent of the total notices in jurisdiction.
•	Mossman Gorge’s 58 notices constitute 5.23 percent of the total notices in jurisdiction.

Table 3: Not within jurisdiction notices by type and community 1 July 2017 to 30 September 2017.
Activity	AU	CO	DM	HV	MG	Total	
Supreme Court notices	1	0	0	0	0	1	
District Court notices	2	0	0	0	0	2	
Magistrates Court notices	168	34	0	150	124	476	
Domestic Violence Breach notices	11	0	0	7	4	22	
Domestic Violence Order notices	3	0	0	16	24	43	
School Attendance notices	22	0	219	4	0	245	
School Enrolment notice	0	0	0	0	0	0	
Child Safety and Welfare notices	1	0	1	1	1	4	
Housing Tenancy notices	0	0	0	0	0	0	
Total	208	34	220	178	153	793	

Table 4: Magistrate Court locations for in jurisdiction DVB and DVO notices 1 July 2017 to 30 September 2017.
Court Location	Number of DVB notices	Number of DVO notices	Total	
Atherton	0	2	2	
Aurukun	9	28	37	
Cairns	11	5	16	
Coen	2	4	6	
Cooktown	6	11	17	
Mareeba	0	1	1	
Mossman	0	4	4	
Weipa	2	1	3	
Total	30	56	86	

Since its commencement the Commission has received 34,352 agency notices within its jurisdiction. Total notices decreased from 2,841 in quarter 36 to 1,902 in quarter 37. Of those notices in jurisdiction School Attendance, Child Safety and Welfare and Housing Tenancy notices decreased, whilst District Court, Magistrates Court, Domestic Violence Breach, Domestic Violence Order and School Enrolment notices increased.

District Court notices increased this quarter to 21 from 3 received in the previous quarter. Aurukun, Hope Vale and Mossman Gorge increased by 7, 1 and 11 notices respectively, whilst Coen decreased by 1 notice for the quarter. The Commission does not receive District Court notices for Doomadgee.

Magistrates Court notices increased this quarter to 364 from 271 received in the previous quarter. Three out of the four communities which have the Magistrates Court trigger experienced an increase in notices this quarter. Aurukun, Coen and Hope Vale increased by 31, 1 and 70 notices respectively, whilst Mossman Gorge decreased by 9 notices. The Commission does not receive Magistrates Court notices for Doomadgee. The Commission sought clarification from the Queensland Police Service (QPS) in Hope Vale regarding the increased number of Magistrate Court notices received for the quarter. The Commission was advised by QPS they had an extra police officer in addition to their normal complement in community during the quarter. This allowed for additional rostered shifts and resulted in a third more arrests than the previous quarter.

Domestic Violence Breach notices increased from 16 in quarter 36 to 30 in quarter 37. Three out of the four communities which have the Domestic Violence Breach trigger, experienced an increase in notices this quarter. Aurukun and Hope Vale increased by 4 notices each and Mossman Gorge increased by 7 notices, whilst Coen decreased by 1 notice. The Commission does not receive Domestic Violence Breach notices for Doomadgee.

Domestic Violence Order notices increased from 36 in quarter 36 to 56 in quarter 37. Hope Vale decreased by 3 notices, Aurukun increased by 18 notices, Coen increased by 3 notices and Mossman Gorge increased by 2 notices. The Commission does not receive Domestic Violence Order notices for Doomadgee.

School Attendance notices decreased from 1,257 in quarter 36 to 593 in quarter 37. Four out of the five communities which have the School Attendance trigger experienced a decrease in notices this quarter. Aurukun, Coen, Doomadgee and Hope Vale decreased by 204, 21, 306 and 148 notices respectively, whilst Mossman Gorge increased by 15 notices. The significant reduction in the number of school attendance notices received in quarter 37 was due to a change in the way the Department of Education and Training (DET) provide school absence reports. Refer to the Future Direction and Challenges for further details.

School Enrolment notices increased from 1 in quarter 36 to 3 in quarter 37 with Aurukun, Hope Vale and Mossman Gorge increasing by 1 notice each, and Coen decreasing by 1 notice.

Child Safety and Welfare notices decreased from 74 in quarter 36 to 39 in quarter 37. All five communities experienced a decrease in notices this quarter. Aurukun decreased by 26, Coen decreased by 3, and Doomadgee, Hope Vale and Mossman Gorge decreased by 2 notices each.

Housing Tenancy notices decreased to 3 from 9 received in the previous quarter. Hope Vale decreased by 5 notices and Mossman Gorge decreased by 1 notice. Aurukun and Coen remained unchanged with zero notices received for the quarter. The Commission does not receive Housing Tenancy notices for Doomadgee.

The Commission receives school attendance data from DET. This data is published on the Commission’s web page at http://www.frcq.org.au when available.

Table 5: In jurisdiction notices by type and quarter 1 July 2016 to 30 September 2017.
Notices by Agency Processed	Qtr 33	Qtr 34	Qtr 35	Qtr 36	Qtr 37	
District Court	44	42	8	3	21	
Children’s Court	0	0	0	0	0	
Magistrates Court	300	224	269	271	364	
Domestic Violence Breach	22	7	9	16	30	
Domestic Violence Order	41	50	42	36	56	
School Attendance	800	720	3319	1257	593	
School Enrolment	4	1	0	1	3	
Child Safety	65	79	33	74	39	
Housing Tenancy	18	4	13	9	3	
TOTAL	1294	1127	3693	1667	1109	

Table 6: In jurisdiction notices by community and quarter 1 July 2016 to 30 September 2017.
Community	Qtr 33	Qtr 34	Qtr 35	Qtr 36	Qtr 37	
Aurukun	513	484	1420	681	512	
Coen	78	58	54	54	31	
Doomadgee	336	293	1685	567	259	
Hope Vale	325	255	479	331	249	
Mossman Gorge	42	37	55	34	58	
TOTAL	1294	1127	3693	1667	1109	

Since commencement in July 2008, 88.3 percent of clients have received more than one notice with 63.4 percent of clients receiving more than five notices. Frequently this illustrates multiple child school absences for the one family or multiple Magistrates Court notices relating to one incident. Conversely, 11.7 percent of clients have received only one notice.

Table 7: FRC clients by number of notices 1 July 2008 to 30 September 2017.
Number of Notices Received	Number of Clients	
1	255	
2	193	
3	154	
4	107	
5	87	
>5	1377	
TOTAL	2173	
(Note:  Counting rules stipulate that where multiple charges are received each charge is counted as an individual notice or each child’s absence is counted as one notice – i.e. if three children from the one family were absent, that was counted as three notices).

Conferences
A total of six hundred conferences pertaining to all matters were held across the five communities in quarter 37 resulting in 6 FRA’s being entered into, 34 orders made to attend community support services and 57 CIM orders issued. When compared to last quarter, this represents a decrease of 6 orders to attend community support services and a decrease of 1 CIM order. The number of FRA’s remained unchanged from last quarter. Other outcomes as a result of conferencing during the quarter were decisions for no further action, rescheduling and scheduling to return for review with compliance. Thirty new clients were added to the Commission’s database during the quarter. Conferences decreased from 642 in quarter 36 to 600 in quarter 37, largely due to the drop in notices received for the quarter.

Table 8: Conferences by community and quarter 1 July 2016 to 30 September 2017.
Community	Qtr 33	Qtr 34	Qtr 35	Qtr 36	Qtr 37	
Aurukun	242	228	260	186	225	
Coen	25	43	30	33	34	
Doomadgee	219	200	176	241	204	
Hope Vale	109	122	81	147	101	
Mossman Gorge	52	37	57	35	36	
TOTAL	647	630	604	642	600	

Conferences for Domestic Violence related matters
As a subset of the total number of conferences conducted for the quarter, 60 domestic violence conferences were conducted in Aurukun, Coen, Hope Vale and Mossman Gorge in quarter 37, representing an increase of 10 from the previous quarter. Domestic violence conferences in the communities during the quarter were as follows: Aurukun increased by 13, Coen decreased by 3 whilst Hope Vale and Mossman Gorge remained unchanged with 16 and 4 domestic violence conferences conducted respectively.

Table 9: Number of conferences held in relation to domestic violence notices (breaches and orders) per community 
1 July 2017 to 30 September 2017.
Number of Domestic Violence Conferences	AU	CO	HV	MG	Total	
Relating to both a DVB and a DVO notice	3	1	1	0	5	
Relating to a DVB notice	8	2	3	0	13	
Relating to a DVO notice	23	3	12	4	42	
Total	34	6	16	4	60	

Table 10: Number of conferences held in relation to domestic violence notices (breaches and orders) per quarter 
1 July 2017 to 30 September 2017.
Number of Domestic Violence Conferences	Qtr 33	Qtr 34	Qtr 35	Qtr 36	Qtr 37	
Relating to both a DVB and a DVO notice	6	0	1	2	5	
Relating to a DVB notice	12	12	7	11	13	
Relating to a DVO notice	35	44	51	37	42	
Total	53	56	59	50	60	

Table 11: DV conferences by community and quarter 1 July 2016 to 30 September 2017.
Community	Qtr 33	Qtr 34	Qtr 35	Qtr 36	Qtr 37	
Aurukun	26	33	25	21	34	
Coen	4	8	5	9	6	
Hope Vale	18	10	17	16	16	
Mossman Gorge	5	5	12	4	4	
TOTAL	53	56	59	50	60	

Referrals
The total number of referrals to service providers decreased from 45 in quarter 36 to 41 in quarter 37, relating to 38 clients. Since commencement the Commission has referred 989 clients to service providers resulting in approximately 45.1 percent of clients on 12 month service referral plans. Referrals in the communities during the quarter were as follows: Aurukun increased by 3; Coen remained unchanged with 4 referrals; Doomadgee decreased by 8; Hope Vale increased by 1 and Mossman Gorge remained unchanged with 7 referrals.

Table 12: Referral pathways by referral type and quarter 1 July 2016 to 30 September 2017.
Referral Type	Qtr 33	Qtr 34	Qtr 35	Qtr 36	Qtr 37	
MPower	6	14	3	2	3	
WBC - RDFS	38	30	21	26	32	
WBC – NWRH	2	5	5	9	0	
SCM	0	4	2	0	0	
Parenting Program	3	27	9	7	5	
QLD Health	4	0	4	1	0	
Home Pride	1	0	0	0	0	
Save the Children	10	2	0	0	1	
TOTAL	64	82	44	45	41	

Referrals for Domestic Violence related matters
As a subset of the total number of referrals in the quarter, 17 referrals were made in relation to domestic violence conferences in quarter 37, representing a decrease of 2 from the previous quarter.

Table 13: Number of referrals in relation to domestic violence notices (breaches and orders) per community 
1 July 2017 to 30 September 2017.
Notice Type	Community	Referral	Provider Total	
BOTH	Aurukun	Wellbeing Centre	1	
	Hope Vale	Wellbeing Centre	1	
	BOTH Total		2	
DVB	Aurukun	Wellbeing Centre	3	
	Hope Vale	Wellbeing Centre	1	
	DVB Total		4	
DVO	Aurukun	Wellbeing Centre	6	
	Coen	Wellbeing Centre	1	
	Hope Vale	Wellbeing Centre	3	
	Mossman Gorge	Wellbeing Centre	1	
	DVO Total		11	
GRAND TOTAL			17	

Conditional Income Management
A total of fifty-seven CIM orders were made in quarter 37, a decrease of 1 from quarter 36. Since the commencement of the Commission 2,179 CIM orders inclusive of original orders, extensions and amendments have been made relating to 828 clients. Further activity during the quarter is as follows: Aurukun, Hope Vale and Mossman Gorge increased by 5, 1 and 2 CIM orders respectively, whilst Coen and Doomadgee decreased by 2 and 7 CIM orders respectively.

As at 30 September 2017, 37.7 percent of the Commission’s clients have been subject to a CIM order over the past nine and a quarter years. As at 30 September 2017 there were 162 clients subject to a CIM order which equates to 7.4 percent of clients on a CIM order at a point in time. Commissioners continue to negotiate with clients to achieve desirable outcomes or to demonstrate motivation and commitment to make appropriate life choices. Demonstrated positive steps toward taking responsibility provide the Commissioners with sufficient reason to consider revoking CIM orders when requested by the client.

Table 14: Number of times a client has been placed on a conditional income management order per community 
1 July 2008 to 30 September 2017.
Number of CIMs	CIM’d only once	CIM’d 
2-5 times	CIM’d
6-12 times	Total	
Aurukun	149	211	54	414	
Coen	32	25	0	57	
Doomadgee	36	37	0	73	
Hope Vale	86	102	14	202	
Mossman Gorge	30	32	20	82	
Total	333	407	88	828	

Table 15: Conditional Income Management orders by community and quarter 1 July 2016 to 30 September 2017.
Community	Qtr 33	Qtr 34	Qtr 35	Qtr 36	Qtr 37	
Aurukun	27	21	40	23	28	
Coen	3	8	4	2	0	
Doomadgee	23	18	14	26	19	
Hope Vale	7	6	11	4	5	
Mossman Gorge	9	6	10	3	5	
TOTAL	69	59	79	58	57	

Conditional Income Management for Domestic Violence related matters
As a subset of the total number of CIM’s in the quarter, 9 CIM orders inclusive of alterations were made in relation to domestic violence conferences in quarter 37, representing an increase of 2 from the previous quarter.

Voluntary Income Management
The Commission processed 4 VIM agreements this quarter and since the commencement of the Commission in 2008, 126 clients have had an active VIM agreement. Those clients that request a VIM agreement use income management as a savings and budget tool, often for a specified period and to deter family members from accessing their income.

Case Management
As at 30 September 2017, 155 clients were being case-managed, a decrease from 181 in quarter 36. Aurukun, Coen, Doomadgee and Mossman Gorge decreased by 7, 9, 6 and 6 respectively, whilst Hope Vale increased by 2 respectively.

Show Cause Notices
During quarter 37, and similar to the past four quarters, no Show Cause hearings have been held.

Applications to Amend or End Agreements or Orders
Six Applications to Amend or End a Family Responsibilities Agreement or Order were received in quarter 37, a decrease of 7 from quarter 36. Outcomes of the 6 applications received are as follows:

	2 Applications granted and Income Management agreements and orders revoked
	1 Application granted with Income Management order and case plan revoked
	3 Applications rescheduled until the next quarter.

The Commission continues to encourage clients to participate in the Amend or End process. Commissioners report increasing client confidence to question decisions and the reasons behind decisions, both for decisions delivered by the Commission and decisions delivered by external agencies and bodies.

Table 16: Applications to Amend or End FRA or Order by community and quarter 1 July 2016 to 30 September 2017.
Community	Qtr 33	Qtr 34	Qtr 35	Qtr 36	Qtr 37	
Aurukun	9	4	7	1	3	
Coen	3	2	0	6	0	
Doomadgee	1	3	3	2	1	
Hope Vale	6	4	5	2	1	
Mossman Gorge	1	0	1	2	1	
TOTAL	20	13	16	13	6	
2.  Future Direction and Challenges

Memorandum of Understanding
A Memorandum of Understanding was entered into on 29 June 2017 between the Australian Government, the Queensland State Government and the Commission to set out an agreed basis for funding, administration and reporting arrangements for the operations of the Commission in Aurukun, Coen, Hope Vale and Mossman Gorge for the period 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018.

CIM survey
A survey was completed during the quarter which sought voluntary feedback from Doomadgee FRC clients who were subject to CIM orders to record their views on the impact income management and the BasicsCard had had on their lives. Feedback was received via a survey questionnaire conducted over the period 21 June to 16 August. Results of the survey revealed:

•	Of the 55 clients subject to a CIM Order, 48 (87%) completed the survey, three (5%) were not contacted as they were out of community, three (5%) were not approached as they were observing Sorry Business, and one (2%) client declined to take part.
•	77% of clients surveyed reported that having the BasicsCard made their life better (46% said “a lot better” and 31% said “a bit better”).
•	88% of respondents believed that the BasicsCard would be beneficial to people who were using their money for things other than food and rent, and who then could not afford to pay for food and rent.
•	69% of respondents believed that having the BasicsCard made it easier to manage money.
•	The least liked aspect of the BasicsCard was the restriction on what money could be spent on with respondents commenting on the inability to spend money on events such as the rodeo or at particular services and stores.
•	71% (30 of 42) of clients who commented mentioned having more food in the house as an outcome of the effect of the BasicsCard on their lives.
•	Overall - 75% of clients surveyed reported that their experience of the BasicsCard was ‘Good’.

The Commission acknowledges the overwhelmingly positive response to the qualitative research survey and attributes this to a number of factors. The FRC commenced conferencing in Doomadgee in November 2014 without the ability to impose an income management order. Authorisation to commence income management came in March 2016, giving the Local Commissioners more than a year during which time they were able to engage with clients to sell the idea of conditional income management, and to promote the possible benefits of the BasicsCard. Initial consultations held with the community prior to the introduction of the Commission in 2014 resolved that the Commission would conference on the two triggers of Child Safety and Welfare notices and School Attendance notices only. Given that in the great majority of cases, the mother is listed as the primary carer, and is the person most often recorded as responsible for children on the school roll, it is the case that more females than males are conferenced in Doomadgee, and as a result, more women than men become subject to income management orders. In many cases it is also the women who are responsible for the management of the household, and survey result comments point to increased control over money, the availability of food and the ability to save as some of the positive outcomes of income management.

The Commission acknowledges the potential for bias arising from the use of FRC personnel in the collection of data, and the risk of positive response bias associated with the possibility that participants could feel unable to express their true opinion to Commission representatives without fear of potential consequences. The Commission does not claim that the small number of income managed clients surveyed and their responses is representative of the much larger number of income managed clients across the welfare reform communities, and their views. The survey and this resultant report are intended for internal use, as an informal and unofficial means to obtain the opinions of a small number of clients in one community in an attempt to gain some insight into how the BasicsCard was received.

School attendance notices
As reported in quarters 35 and 36, the provision of school attendance reports since January 2017 has presented a major challenge for the Commission and the situation remained a challenge this quarter. During July meetings were held with DET to seek a resolution and in August a sample dataset was provided by DET. The FRC advised DET the new sample datasets were good, but inquired whether further information could be provided to allow for the inclusion of weekly and term to date attendance data to enable the creation of attendance charts (as had previously been produced). In the absence of this further data request the FRC was happy to work with what was produced at that meeting. Despite this meeting and numerous phone calls no datasets were received from 4 August until the end of the quarter. By September Information Officers were ‘scraping the bottom of the barrel’ to populate conference schedules due to the lack of notices. This was advised to DET on 18 September 2017. On 3 October 2017 a USB was delivered to the FRC office with school attendance data from 7 August to the end of term 3 (8 weeks of school).

The Commission has not been receiving weekly attendance data since the commencement of school in 2017 and the lack of regular and timely school attendance data has affected the Commission’s registry workload and has created difficulties in filling conference schedules. By not receiving weekly and term to date attendance Commissioners have no information on attendance outside of the official 3 day absence dates upon which to determine appropriate actions. It is important for the Commission that it has the attendance statistics for week 1 available to it at the beginning of week 2 in order to commence conferencing community members for early intervention.

School attendance is the Commission’s core business and accurate timely datasets are required to fulfil the Commission’s mandatory functions. Of the notices produced from the dataset received from DET on 3 October 2017 over 200 notices were received after the 10 school days timeframe stated by s40 of the FRC Act. The Commission will continue to work with DET in quarter 38 to produce timely data from which to conference clients and encourage better school attendance.

3.  Financial Operations

Governance

Part 12 of the Act provides for the establishment of the Family Responsibilities Board (the Board).

The Board has a mandate to give advice and make recommendations to the Minister about the operation of the Commission and similarly to give advice and make recommendations to the Commissioner about the performance of the Commission’s functions.

The Board must meet at least every six months. The meeting may be held by using any technology available which will allow for efficient and effective communication, however, the Board members must meet in person at least once a year. A quorum for the Board is comprised of two members. The Board’s membership consists of the following members:

•	Ms Clare O’Connor	Director-General, Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships
•	Mr Noel Pearson		Founder, Cape York Partnership as the Executive Chairman, representing Cape York Institute.
•	Mr Troy Sloan	First Assistant Secretary, Indigenous Affairs, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

Operational

In meeting obligations under Part 3 of the Act, the Family Responsibilities Commission Registry (the Registry) commenced operations on 1 July 2008 with a central Registry office established in Cairns and local Registry offices operating in each of the five welfare reform communities.

The Registry, managed by the Registrar, provides corporate and operational support to the Commissioner, the Local Commissioners and the Local Coordinators.

Financial

Income:
•	Income received by the Commission for the period 1 July 2017 to 30 September 2017 totalled $872,884. This income consisted of:
•	$421,750 Queensland Government funding
•	$156,500 Queensland Government funding – Doomadgee
•	-$165,000 Recoupment by Queensland Government of once-off funding for Local Commissioner Superannuation from 2014-15
•	$450,000 Australian Government funding
•	$6,799 interest received
•	$2,835 received in sundry income.
The balance of available funds in the bank as at 30 September 2017 is $2,492,766.

Expenditure:
•	Expenditure for the period 1 July 2017 to 30 September 2017 was $984,278. This total represents 23 percent of the projected annual expenditure of $4,238,964.

Table 17: Expenditure in quarter 37.
1 July 2017 to	Expenditure	1 July 2017 to	Expenditure	
30 September 2017	Qtr 37	30 September 2017	Qtr 37	
				
Employee salaries – FRC staff	$483,136	Internet & IT	$53,701	
Employee salaries – Local Commissioners	$84,025	Motor vehicle	$20,591	
Employee on costs – FRC staff	$100,958	Property	$55,919	
Employee on costs – Local Commissioners	$12,979	Travel	$41,747	
Other employment costs	$15,702	General operating	$87,518	
Communications	$4,808	Other expenses	$23,194	
		Total	$984,278	

Quarter 37 disbursement of expenditure by category and percentage of total expenditure.

Table 18: Total FRC Operating Costs 1 July 2017 to 30 September 2017.
Expenditure Category	Percentage of Total Expenditure	
Employee salaries – FRC staff	49.0%	
Employee salaries – Local Commissioners	8.5%	
Employee on costs – FRC staff	10.3%	
Employee on costs – Local Commissioners	1.3%	
Other employment costs	1.6%	
Communications	0.5%	
Internet & IT	5.5%	
Motor vehicle	2.1%	
Property	5.7%	
Travel	4.2%	
General operating	8.9%	
Other expenses	2.4%	
Total	100.0%	

Regional operational expenditure by location and quarter.

Table 19: Operating Costs by remote location 1 July 2016 to 30 September 2017.
Community	Qtr 33	Qtr 34	Qtr 35	Qtr 36	Qtr 37	
Aurukun	$124K	$117K	$119K	$118K	$167K	
Coen	$39K	$34K	$29K	$52K	$33K	
Doomadgee	$148K	$136K	$145K	$215K	$137K	
Hope Vale	$75K	$72K	$65K	$98K	$74K	
Mossman Gorge	$39K	$38K	$36K	$47K	$30K	
TOTAL	$425K	$397K	$394K	$530K	$441K	

Cairns Registry expenditure for quarter 37 compared to the previous four quarters.

Table 20: Quarterly Operating Costs Cairns 1 July 2016 to 30 September 2017.
Community	Qtr 33	Qtr 34	Qtr 35	Qtr 36	Qtr 37	
Corporate Services	$245K	$221K	$226K	$263K	$253K	
Operations	$246K	$213K	$257K	$263K	$234K	
Gov/Board Reporting	$36K	$36K	$36K	$36K	$56K	
Abnormal Expenditure	$0K	$2K	$6K	$7K	$0K	
TOTAL	$527K	$472K	$525K	$569K	$543K	

APPENDIX A			

	SITTING CALENDAR 2017
FAMILY RESPONSIBILITIES COMMISSION
1 January 2017 to 31 December 2017		
Week Beginning	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Other	
2 January	Public Holiday					2 New Year’s Day	
9 January						Cooktown Circuit	
16 January						Aurukun Cape B & Coen Cape A Circuit
Doomadgee – Gulf Circuit	
23 January		24	25	Public Holiday		26 Australia Day	
		24	25				
		24					
30 January		31					
		31	1	2			
6 February		7	8			Cooktown Circuit	
		7					
		7					
13 February		14	15	16		Aurukun Cape B Circuit
Doomadgee – Gulf Circuit	
20 February		21	22			21 ASC Meeting	
		21					
		21					
27 February		28	1	2			
6 March		7	8			Cooktown Circuit	
		7					
		7					
13 March		14				Aurukun Cape B & Coen Cape A Circuit
Doomadgee – Gulf Circuit	
		14	15	16			
20 March		21	22			21 ASC Meeting	
		21					
		21					
27 March		28	29	30			
3 April						Cooktown Circuit	
10 April					Public Holiday	14 Good Friday
Aurukun Cape B Circuit
Doomadgee – Gulf Circuit	
17 April	Public Holiday	18	19	20		17 Easter Monday 18 ASC Meeting	
			19	20			
24 April		Public Holiday	26	27		25 Anzac Day
28 FR & WRA Board Meetings	
				27			
1 May	Public Holiday					1 Labour Day
Commissioner Development Week
Cooktown Circuit	

	SITTING CALENDAR 2017
FAMILY RESPONSIBILITIES COMMISSION
1 January 2017 to 31 December 2017		
Week Beginning	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Other	
8 May		9	10			Doomadgee – Gulf Circuit	
		9					
		9					
15 May	15		17	18		16 ASC Meeting
Aurukun Cape B & Coen Cape A Circuit	
22 May		23	24				
		23	24 ½ day				
		23					
29 May		30				2 Mabo Day	
		30	31	1			
5 June		6	7			Cooktown Circuit
Doomadgee – Gulf Circuit	
		6					
		6					
12 June		13	14	15		Aurukun Cape B Circuit	
19 June		20	21			20 ASC Meeting	
		20					
		20 ½ day					
26 June							
3 July						Cooktown Circuit
Doomadgee – Gulf Circuit	
10 July		11				Aurukun Cape B & Coen Cape A Circuit	
		11	12	13			
17 July		18	19		Public Holiday	Estimates 18-21 July and 25-27 July
21 Cairns Show Day
18 & 19 ASC Meeting	
		18		20 ½ day			
		18					
24 July		25	26	27		24 Mossman Show
28 Cooktown Show and Coen Public Holiday
28 July FR & WRA Board Meeting	
31 July		1	2 ½ meeting day		Public Holiday	4 Aurukun Day
Cooktown Circuit	
		1		3 ½ day			
		1					
7 August		8	9	10		Doomadgee - Gulf Circuit	
14 August		15	16			15 ASC Meeting
Aurukun Cape B Circuit	
		15		17 ½ day			
		15					
21 August		22			Public Holiday	25 Doomadgee Day	
		22	23	24			
28 August		29	30				
		29		31 ½ day			
		29					

	SITTING CALENDAR 2017
FAMILY RESPONSIBILITIES COMMISSION
1 January 2017 to 31 December 2017		
Week Beginning	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Other	
4 September		5	6	7		Cooktown Circuit	
11 September		12	13			12 ASC Meeting
Aurukun Cape B & Coen Cape A Circuit
Doomadgee - Gulf Circuit	
		12		14 ½ day			
		12					
18 September							
25 September							
2 October	Public Holiday		4	5		2 Queens Birthday
Cooktown Circuit	
		3		5 ½ day			
		3					
9 October		10				Doomadgee - Gulf Circuit	
		10	11	12			
16 October		17	18			Aurukun Cape B Circuit	
		17		19 ½ day			
		17					
23 October	23		25	26		24 ASC Meeting
27 FR & WRA Board Meetings	
30 October		31	1				
		31		2 ½ day			
		31					
6 November		7	8	9		Cooktown Circuit	
13 November		14	15			Aurukun Cape B & Coen Cape A Circuit
Doomadgee - Gulf Circuit	
		14		16 ½ day			
		14					
20 November	20	21	22	23		21 ASC Meeting	
27 November		28	29			CYAAA schools finish 1/12/2017	
		28		30 ½ day			
		28					
4 December		5	6			Doomadgee and Mossman schools finish 8/12/2017
Cooktown Circuit
Doomadgee - Gulf Circuit	
11 December						12 ASC Meeting
Aurukun Cape B Circuit	
18 December							
25 December	Public Holiday	Public Holiday				25 Christmas Day, 26 Boxing Day
27, 28, 29 Office closed for Xmas	

LEGEND

	Office Days	
	Public Holidays	
	Aurukun Sitting	
	Coen Sitting	
	Doomadgee Sittings	
	Hope Vale Sitting	
	Hope Vale Half Day Meeting	
	Mossman Gorge Sitting	
	Mossman Gorge Half Day Meeting	
ASC	Aurukun Shire Council Meeting	
DSC	Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council Meeting	
0	Cancelled Conference	

OFFICE	CONTACT NAME	Phone	Mobile	Facsimile	
Cairns – Registrar	Ms Maxine McLeod	4057 3871	0409 461 624	4041 0974	
Cairns – A/Client Manager	Mrs Anne Crampton	4057 3874	0419 647 948	4041 0974	
Cairns – Finance Manager	Ms Tracey Patterson	4057 3875	0429 495 353	4041 0974	
Aurukun Local Coordinator	Mr Bryce Coxall	4060 6185	0428 985 106	4060 6094	
Coen Local Coordinator	Ms Sandi Rye		0417 798 392	4041 0974	
Doomadgee Local Coordinator	Mr Robbie Hazeldine	4745 8111	0418 666 204	4745 8366	
Hope Vale Local Coordinator	Mr Matt Thompson	4060 9153	0408 482 026	4060 9137	
Mossman Gorge Local Coordinator	Ms Sandi Rye		0417 798 392	4041 0974