Family Responsibilities Commission

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

Quarterly Report
No. 42

October 2018 to December 2018

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 42 with comparisons shown to the previous quarter.
Table 1: Activity from 1 July 2018 to 31 December 2018.
Activity	Qtr 41	Qtr 42	Movement	
Within jurisdiction agency notices received	1532	1425	Decreased	
Conferences held	698	631	Decreased	
Family Responsibility Agreements entered into	5	4	Decreased	
Orders made to attend community support services	21	13	Decreased	
Conditional Income Management Orders made	60	44	Decreased	
Voluntary Income Management Agreements entered into	5	3	Decreased	
Clients case managed	84	74	Decreased	
Referrals made	24	16	Decreased	
Applications to Amend or End received	16	13	Decreased	
Show Cause conferences held	0	0	No Change	

As can be seen from the figures above, activity was down in Quarter 42 reflecting four weeks of school holidays during which there is traditionally no conferencing, and the wind-down for the Christmas/New Year holiday period.

Early October saw the finalisation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Australian Government, Queensland Government and the Commission in regard to the agreed basis for funding, administration and reporting arrangements for the operation of the Commission covering the period 1 July 2018 to 31 December 2018.

During this quarter the Director-General of the Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Dr Chris Sarra, commenced consulting with the Local Commissioners in each community regarding the future of Cape York Welfare Reform, the Commission and their future roles within community. He utilised the meetings to introduce the concept of the Thriving Communities reform agenda. On 27 November the Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships formally announced at ‘The Clock is Ticking’ Cape York Partnership forum held in Brisbane that the Commission, along with the welfare reform communities of Aurukun, Coen, Doomadgee, Hope Vale and Mossman Gorge, would be transitioning to the Queensland Government’s Thriving Communities approach. What that will mean for the operations of the Commission is yet to be determined.

There will be further work over the coming months to understand the opportunities for each community in respect of the FRC. Genuine co-design with Local Commissioners, residents of the welfare communities and their leaders, will be needed to ensure the FRC continues to develop to meet the needs of each of the communities.

The Commission’s annual School Awards ceremonies were conducted in December in each of the five communities. Prizes were awarded for attendance achievements and included certificates, medals and other incentives. Each year the Local Commissioners present the awards to provide positive recognition and support for those students (and their families) who regularly attend school, to provide an incentive for those students who wish to improve their school attendance and to reiterate the importance of education in achieving a dream, and better life for the future.

The FR Board held its thirty-seventh meeting on 4 December 2018 in Brisbane. Papers presented for Board consideration included: the Commissioner’s report to the Board on various issues including school attendance in each community; a report on the impact of the domestic violence trigger for the period 1 April 2018 to 30 September 2018; a report on the Commission’s financial budget for the 2018-19 year and estimated financial position as at 30 June 2019; a report on Conditional Income Management with detailed statistical analysis of CIM orders issued during the 2017-18 year and endorsement was provided by the FR Board for Quarterly Report No 41.

On 13 December 2018 the Governor in Council under the Family Responsibilities Commission Act 2008 approved the reappointment of David Glasgow as the FRC Commissioner on a part-time basis for the period 1 January 2019 to 30 June 2019. Deputy Commissioner Rod Curtin’s reappointment is awaiting confirmation in early 2019.

Further to Commissioner Glasgow’s appointment, on 13 December the following Local Commissioners were reappointed for the period 1 January 2019 to 31 October 2019:
•	Edgar Kerindun, Vera Koomeeta, Doris Poonkamelya, Dorothy Pootchemunka, Ada Woolla and Keri Tamwoy as Aurukun Local Commissioners
•	Elaine Liddy, Maureen Liddy, Alison Liddy, May Kepple and Garry Port as Coen Local Commissioners
•	Elaine Cairns, Guy Douglas, Karen Jupiter, Christopher Logan, Eleanor Logan and Kaylene O’Keefe as Doomadgee Local Commissioners
•	Erica Deeral, Victor Gibson, Doreen Hart, Cheryl Cannon and Selina Bowen as Hope Vale Local Commissioners and
•	Karen Gibson, Karen Shuan and Loretta Spratt as Mossman Gorge Local Commissioners.

	

Table of contents

1.  Activities and Trends		5
2.  Future Direction and Challenges	13
3.  Financial Operations		16

Abbreviations
CIM		Conditional Income Management
DATSIP		Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships
DoE		Department of Education
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 31 December 2018.
1.  Activities and Trends

Notices
In quarter 42 the Commission received 2,054 agency notices. Some individuals may have been the subject of more than one agency notice. Of that figure 1,425 notices (69 percent) were within the Commission’s jurisdiction and 629 notices (31 percent) were outside the Commission’s jurisdiction.

Table 2: In jurisdiction notices by type and community 1 October 2018 to 31 December 2018.
Type of Notice	AU	CO	DM	HV	MG	Total	
District Court notices	1	0	0	0	0	1	
Magistrates Court notices	304	20	0	52	28	404	
Domestic Violence Breach notices	11	3	0	3	4	21	
Domestic Violence Order notices	26	5	0	17	4	52	
School Attendance notices	273	37	391	175	25	901	
School Enrolment notice	2	1	2	0	0	5	
Child Safety and Welfare notices	11	3	2	21	0	37	
Housing Tenancy notices	0	0	0	0	4	4	
Total	628	69	395	268	65	1425	

Further details of notices within jurisdiction for each community are set out below:
•	Aurukun’s 628 notices constitute 44.1 percent of the total notices in jurisdiction across the welfare reform communities.
•	Coen’s 69 notices constitute 4.8 percent of the total notices in jurisdiction.
•	Doomadgee’s 395 notices constitute 27.7 percent of the total notices in jurisdiction.
•	Hope Vale’s 268 notices constitute 18.8 percent of the total notices in jurisdiction.
•	Mossman Gorge’s 65 notices constitute 4.6 percent of the total notices in jurisdiction.

Table 3: Not within jurisdiction notices by type and community 1 October 2018 to 31 December 2018.
Type of Notice	AU	CO	DM	HV	MG	Total	
Supreme Court notices	0	0	0	0	0	0	
District Court notices	0	0	0	14	0	14	
Magistrates Court notices	173	7	0	84	115	379	
Domestic Violence Breach notices	15	0	0	9	11	35	
Domestic Violence Order notices	3	2	0	9	20	34	
School Attendance notices	16	11	121	15	1	164	
School Enrolment notice	0	0	0	0	0	0	
Child Safety and Welfare notices	3	0	0	0	0	3	
Housing Tenancy notices	0	0	0	0	0	0	
Total	210	20	121	131	147	629	

Table 4: Court locations for in jurisdiction DVB and DVO notices 1 October 2018 to 31 December 2018.
Court Location	Number of DVB notices	Number of DVO notices	Total	
Aurukun	11	23	34	
Cairns	0	2	2	
Coen	3	4	7	
Cooktown	3	17	20	
Mossman	4	4	8	
Murgon	0	1	1	
Weipa	0	1	1	
Total	21	52	73	

Since its commencement the Commission has received 41,788 agency notices within its jurisdiction. Total notices decreased from 2,236 in quarter 41 to 2,054 in quarter 42. Of those notices in jurisdiction only Domestic Violence Order notices increased, whilst District Court, Magistrate Court, Domestic Violence Breach, School Attendance, School Enrolment and Child Safety and Welfare notices decreased. Housing Tenancy notices remained unchanged from the previous quarter.

District Court notices decreased this quarter to 1 from 4 received in the previous quarter. Aurukun decreased by 2 notices and Coen decreased by 1 notice. Hope Vale and Mossman Gorge remained unchanged with zero notices received for the quarter. The Commission does not receive District Court notices for Doomadgee.

Magistrates Court notices decreased this quarter to 404 from 417 received in the previous quarter. Aurukun and Coen both decreased by 2 notices each and Hope Vale decreased by 10 notices, whilst Mossman Gorge increased by 1 notice. The Commission does not receive Magistrates Court notices for Doomadgee.

Domestic Violence Breach notices decreased from 42 in quarter 41 to 21 in quarter 42. All four communities which receive Domestic Violence Breach notices recorded a reduction in notices for the quarter. Aurukun, Coen, Hope Vale and Mossman Gorge decreased by 13 notices, 2 notices, 5 notices and 1 notice respectively. The Commission does not receive Domestic Violence Breach notices for Doomadgee.

Domestic Violence Order notices increased from 48 in quarter 41 to 52 in quarter 42. Aurukun increased by 1 notice, Coen decreased by 4 notices, Hope Vale increased by 7 notices and Mossman Gorge remained unchanged with 4 notices for the quarter. The Commission does not receive Domestic Violence Order notices for Doomadgee.

School Attendance notices decreased from 961 in quarter 41 to 901 in quarter 42. Four out of the five communities experienced a decrease in notices this quarter. Aurukun, Coen, Doomadgee and Hope Vale decreased by 9, 2, 33 and 27 notices respectively, whilst Mossman Gorge increased by 11 notices.

School Enrolment notices decreased from 8 in quarter 41 to 5 in quarter 42. Aurukun decreased by 2 notices whilst Doomadgee and Hope Vale each decreased by 1 notice. Coen increased by 1 notice and Mossman Gorge remained unchanged with zero notices received for the quarter.

Child Safety and Welfare notices decreased from 48 in quarter 41 to 37 in quarter 42. Three out of the five communities experienced a decrease in notices this quarter. Aurukun, Doomadgee and Mossman Gorge decreased by 14, 3 and 3 notices respectively. Hope Vale increased by 9 notices whilst Coen remained unchanged with 3 notices received for the quarter.

Housing Tenancy notices remained unchanged with 4 notices received for the quarter. Hope Vale decreased by 2 notices and Mossman Gorge increased by 2 notices. Both 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 the Department of Education. 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 October 2017 to 31 December 2018.
Notices by Agency Processed	Qtr 38	Qtr 39	Qtr 40	Qtr 41	Qtr 42	
District Court	23	27	24	4	1	
Magistrates Court	345	312	323	417	404	
Domestic Violence Breach	19	14	37	42	21	
Domestic Violence Order	76	54	48	48	52	
School Attendance	1241	800	925	961	901	
School Enrolment	0	10	9	8	5	
Child Safety	51	34	86	48	37	
Housing Tenancy	6	5	10	4	4	
TOTAL	1761	1256	1462	1532	1425	

Table 6: In jurisdiction notices by community and quarter 1 October 2017 to 31 December 2018.
Community	Qtr 38	Qtr 39	Qtr 40	Qtr 41	Qtr 42	
Aurukun	605	600	668	669	628	
Coen	96	49	78	79	69	
Doomadgee	537	374	383	432	395	
Hope Vale	479	195	270	297	268	
Mossman Gorge	44	38	63	55	65	
TOTAL	1761	1256	1462	1532	1425	

Since commencement in July 2008, 87.9 percent of clients have received more than one notice with 65.1 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, 12.1 percent of clients have received only one notice.

Table 7: FRC clients by number of notices 1 July 2008 to 31 December 2018.
Number of Notices Received	Number of Clients	
1	284	
2	186	
3	147	
4	116	
5	89	
>5	1533	
TOTAL	2355	

(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 631 conferences pertaining to all matters were held across the five communities in quarter 42, resulting in 4 FRAs being entered into, 13 orders made to attend community support services and 44 CIM orders issued. When compared to last quarter, this represents a decrease of 1 FRA, 8 orders to attend community support services and 16 CIM orders. 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. Twenty-seven new clients were added to the Commission’s database during the quarter. Conferences decreased from 698 in quarter 41 to 631 in quarter 42.

Table 8: Conferences by community and quarter 1 October 2017 to 31 December 2018.
Community	Qtr 38	Qtr 39	Qtr 40	Qtr 41	Qtr 42	
Aurukun	248	302	294	312	256	
Coen	21	12	28	12	25	
Doomadgee	223	199	230	245	263	
Hope Vale	92	105	92	97	66	
Mossman Gorge	39	27	27	32	21	
TOTAL	623	645	671	698	631	

Conferences for Domestic Violence related matters
As a subset of the total number of conferences conducted for the quarter, 61 domestic violence conferences were conducted in Aurukun, Coen, Hope Vale and Mossman Gorge in quarter 42, representing a decrease of 32 from the previous quarter. Domestic violence conferences in the communities during the quarter were as follows: Aurukun decreased by 17, Coen increased by 8, Hope Vale decreased by 16 and Mossman Gorge decreased by 7 domestic violence conferences.

Table 9: Number of conferences held in relation to domestic violence notices (breaches and orders) per community 
1 October 2018 to 31 December 2018.
Number of Domestic Violence Conferences	AU	CO	HV	MG	Total	
Relating to both a DVB and a DVO notice	0	0	0	0	0	
Relating to a DVB notice	8	6	3	2	19	
Relating to a DVO notice	31	8	1	2	42	
Total	39	14	4	4	61	

Table 10: DV conferences by community and quarter 1 October 2017 to 31 December 2018.
Community	Qtr 38	Qtr 39	Qtr 40	Qtr 41	Qtr 42	
Aurukun	45	49	48	56	39	
Coen	8	3	10	6	14	
Hope Vale	10	19	9	20	4	
Mossman Gorge	8	5	4	11	4	
TOTAL	71	76	71	93	61	

Table 11: Number of conferences held in relation to domestic violence notices (breaches and orders) per quarter 
1 October 2017 to 31 December 2018.
Number of Domestic Violence Conferences	Qtr 38	Qtr 39	Qtr 40	Qtr 41	Qtr 42	
Relating to both a DVB and a DVO notice	3	9	6	10	0	
Relating to a DVB notice	11	10	7	19	19	
Relating to a DVO notice	57	57	58	64	42	
Total	71	76	71	93	61	

Referrals
The total number of referrals to service providers decreased from 24 in quarter 41 to 16 in quarter 42, relating to 16 clients. Since commencement the Commission has referred 1,035 clients to service providers resulting in approximately 43.6 percent of clients on 12 month service referral plans. Referrals in the communities during the quarter were as follows: Aurukun increased by 1; Coen increased by 5; Doomadgee decreased by 6; Hope Vale decreased by 1; and Mossman Gorge decreased by 7.

Table 12: Referral pathways by referral type and quarter 1 October 2017 to 31 December 2018.
Referral Type	Qtr 38	Qtr 39	Qtr 40	Qtr 41	Qtr 42	
MPower	2	0	3	3	3	
WBC	21	6	10	9	8	
WBC – NWRH	3	1	2	3	3	
SCM	3	4	3	0	0	
Strong Families - Parenting Program	2	4	2	1	0	
QLD Health	1	0	0	1	0	
Save the Children	1	2	11	7	2	
TOTAL	33	17	31	24	16	

Referrals for Domestic Violence related matters
As a subset of the total number of referrals in the quarter, 6 referrals were made in relation to domestic violence conferences in quarter 42, representing an increase of 1 from the previous quarter.

Table 13: Number of referrals in relation to domestic violence notices (breaches and orders) per community 
1 October 2018 to 31 December 2018.
Notice Type	Community	Referral	Provider Total	
DVB	Coen	Wellbeing Centre	3	
	DVB Total		3	
DVO	Coen	MPower	1	
	Coen	Wellbeing Centre	2	
	DVO Total		3	
GRAND TOTAL			6	

Table 14: Referral pathways in relation to domestic violence notices (breaches and orders) by referral type and quarter 1 October 2017 to 31 December 2018.
Referral Type	Qtr 38	Qtr 39	Qtr 40	Qtr 41	Qtr 42	
MPower	1	0	0	1	1	
WBC	15	5	3	4	5	
Strong Families - Parenting Program	1	0	0	0	0	
QLD Health	1	0	0	0	0	
TOTAL	18	5	3	5	6	

Conditional Income Management
A total of 44 CIM orders were made in quarter 42, a decrease of 16 from quarter 41. Since the commencement of the Commission 2,459 CIM orders inclusive of original orders, extensions and amendments have been made relating to 878 clients. Further activity during the quarter is as follows: Aurukun decreased by 7 orders; Coen decreased by 2 orders; both Hope Vale and Mossman Gorge decreased by 4 CIM orders each; and Doomadgee increased by 1 order for the quarter.

As at 31 December 2018, 37.0 percent of the Commission’s clients have been subject to a CIM over the past ten and a half years. As at 31 December 2018 there were 142 clients subject to a CIM which equates to 6.0 percent of clients on a CIM 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 when requested by the client.

Table 15: Number of times a client has been placed on conditional income management per community 
1 July 2008 to 31 December 2018.
Number of CIMs	CIM’d only once	CIM’d 
2-5 times	CIM’d
6-10 times	CIM’d
11+ times	Total	
Aurukun	144	210	60	10	424	
Coen	32	27	0	0	59	
Doomadgee	38	65	0	0	103	
Hope Vale	88	106	14	0	208	
Mossman Gorge	29	34	19	2	84	
Total	331	442	93	12	878	

Table 16: Conditional Income Management orders by community and quarter 1 October 2017 to 31 December 2018.
Community	Qtr 38	Qtr 39	Qtr 40	Qtr 41	Qtr 42	
Aurukun	48	33	23	22	15	
Coen	1	1	2	3	1	
Doomadgee	11	14	22	24	25	
Hope Vale	2	6	4	4	0	
Mossman Gorge	5	2	2	7	3	
TOTAL	67	56	53	60	44	

Conditional Income Management for Domestic Violence related matters
As a subset of the total number of CIM’s in the quarter, 2 CIM orders inclusive of alterations were made in relation to domestic violence conferences in quarter 42, representing a decrease of 5 from the previous quarter.

Table 17: Conditional Income Management orders in relation to domestic violence notices (breaches and orders) by community and quarter 1 October 2017 to 31 December 2018.
Community	Qtr 38	Qtr 39	Qtr 40	Qtr 41	Qtr 42	
Aurukun	10	4	1	2	1	
Coen	0	0	1	1	0	
Hope Vale	0	1	0	2	0	
Mossman Gorge	1	1	0	2	1	
TOTAL	11	6	2	7	2	

Voluntary Income Management
The Commission processed 3 VIM agreements this quarter and since the commencement of the Commission in 2008, 137 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 31 December 2018, 74 clients were being case-managed, a decrease from 84 in quarter 41. Aurukun decreased by 13; Coen increased by 7; Doomadgee increased by 1; Hope Vale decreased by 3; and Mossman Gorge decreased by 2.

Show Cause Notices
During quarter 42 no Show Cause hearings were held.

Table 18: Show Cause Notices by community and quarter 1 October 2017 to 31 December 2018.
Community	Qtr 38	Qtr 39	Qtr 40	Qtr 41	Qtr 42	
Aurukun	0	0	0	0	0	
Coen	0	0	0	0	0	
Doomadgee	0	0	0	0	0	
Hope Vale	0	1	1	0	0	
Mossman Gorge	0	0	0	0	0	
TOTAL	0	1	1	0	0	

Applications to Amend or End Agreements or Orders
Thirteen Applications to Amend or End an Agreement or Order were received in quarter 42, a decrease of 3 from quarter 41. Outcomes of the 13 applications received are as follows:

	10 Applications granted and income management agreements and orders revoked
	1 CIM order at 90 percent revoked and client placed on a new order at 75 percent for 12 months
	1 Application refused
	1 Application received at the end of the quarter, decision pending

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 19: Applications to Amend or End FRA or Order by community and quarter 1 October 2017 to 31 December 2018.
Community	Qtr 38	Qtr 39	Qtr 40	Qtr 41	Qtr 42	
Aurukun	10	10	8	7	5	
Coen	0	5	0	2	0	
Doomadgee	5	9	3	3	3	
Hope Vale	0	1	0	1	3	
Mossman Gorge	2	0	3	3	2	
TOTAL	17	25	14	16	13	

2.  Future Direction and Challenges

Local Commissioners
The mood and activity for quarter 42 was very much influenced by the announcement of the Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships at ‘The Clock is Ticking’ Cape York Partnership forum held in Brisbane that the Commission, along with the welfare reform communities of Aurukun, Coen, Doomadgee, Hope Vale and Mossman Gorge, would be transitioning to the Queensland Government’s ‘Thriving Communities’ approach.

Six of the FRC’s Local Commissioners attended ‘The Clock is Ticking’ forum and participated in panel discussions in regard to the future of CYWR and the Commission. Ten years down the CYWR journey, Local Commissioners Doreen Hart, Ada Woolla, Keri Tamwoy, Vera Koomeeta, Garry Port and Maureen Liddy (representing each of their brother and sister Commissioners) expressed their wish to seek renewed collaboration with Governments in the continuing need to deal with the complexities of lifting moral standards and changing the social fabric within their communities. Each Local Commissioner expressed their concern that they would lose the power granted to them under the Family Responsibilities Commission Act 2008 (FRC Act) to influence members of their community to live functional lives, to protect and nurture their children, and to make people aware that they have choices to make. They expressed their concern that should the FRC Act be repealed, not only will their communities lose the nexus between income support and the service support system (a means by which to intervene and encourage/improve social norms), but they will be reduced to a consultative group and future reform work will be jeopardised.

The Local Commissioners from each community have personally written to the Premier and Deputy Premier with their concerns and remain hopeful that they can continue to work in partnership as community leaders with the State Government to create solutions and drive future reform agendas. They have expressed their view that the multi-dimensional disadvantage affecting their communities, and many other communities in Australia, requires a multi-faceted approach which amongst other strategies, requires the powers they currently possess to empower and enable individuals to move forward. “We do not say we do not need reform. We need to build upon the FRC model, not destroy it.”

When asked for words of wisdom for the benefit of the young students attending the CYP forum, Local Commissioners expressed the following sentiments:

“Don’t throw away your education”   Local Commissioner Ada Woolla
“Education is the key to everyone’s life”   Local Commissioner Vera Koomeeta
“Never forget who you are”   Local Commissioner Keri Tamwoy

Strategic review of Cape York Income Management (CYIM)
The extension of CYIM (in June 2017) to 30 June 2019 included an agreement between the Honourable Alan Tudge MP and the opposition to undertake a review of CYIM. Subsequently the Australian Government commissioned independent researchers to complete this review, the aim of which was to assess the impact of CYIM as delivered by the FRC through its Commissioners. The review covered a 10-year period from July 2008 (the inception of the Commission) to July 2018. The Review was to provide an analysis of the data (qualitative and quantitative), assess the strengths and weaknesses of the model, and inform how it could be used in the future, subject to a review of Cape York Welfare Reform.

The Commission liaised with the Department of Social Services and the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) during the second half of the 2017-18 financial year to provide data to inform this review. QUT produced its final report in early December 2018. The Executive Summary of the review determined that the manner in which CYIM is delivered through the FRC Commissioners was the “key driving factor for any successes that can be attributed to it”, and that the model was not only delivered in a more culturally appropriate manner for Indigenous Australians, but could be tailored to an individual’s personal circumstances, unlike other income management models; “This delivery mechanism could provide useful lessons for future Cape York models, as well as other Australian models”. The qualitative data was indicative of a “largely positive view”, and although community level data showed mixed results, the leadership shown by the FRC Commissioners in delivering CYIM decisions, and their ability to be flexible in their approach “promotes the restoration and rebuilding of Indigenous authority”, the primary objective of the Family Responsibilities Commission Act 2008. Importantly, while some data indicated mixed results, the analysis of FRC clients in particular showed that whilst the use of CYIM did not necessarily eliminate further breaches, it did extend the time between breach notifications.

CYIM is only one of the tools available to the Commissioners in restoring social responsibility in their communities. CYIM is used in a targeted approach, mostly as a last resort, and thus only a small percentage of clients are subject to a CYIM order. Of primary importance to the Commissioners is their ability to link FRC clients with support services and CYIM does play a vital role in incentivising FRC clients to make the necessary changes in their lives for the benefit of their families and the community, whilst also ensuring that the basic needs of children are met.

Information Security Management System
The use of information and information systems is an integral part of the Family Responsibilities Commission activities. Information is critical to Commission operations and is a key element in delivering trustworthy services to remote communities. Threats to the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the Commission’s information and information assets must be managed appropriately according to the risk. The Commission has a duty to safeguard the information it holds on behalf of Queensland Government and is committed to effectively managing information security risks to the organisation. In order to ensure that this is done effectively the Commission will actively maintain an Information Security Management System (ISMS) as specified in the QGEA Information security policy (IS18:2018). On 10 October the Commission’s ISMS Business Case was signed off to pave the way to a structured, coherent and professional approach to the management of information security.

School report
School attendance for term 4 for the school years 2015 to 2018 is shown below along with a comparison between the 2017 and 2018 year.

	2015	2016	2017	2018		Difference
2017-2018	
School/Community	Term 4
(%)	Term 4
(%)	Term 4
(%)	Term 4
(%)		Term 4
(%)	
Aurukun Community	47.2	42.3	44.9	48.5		3.6	
Aurukun Community - Primary	47.2	43.8	49.7	55.3		5.6	
Aurukun Community - Secondary 	0.0	27.8	21.0	30.0		9.0	
Coen1	88.8	87.4	82.3	86.7		4.4	
Doomadgee	49.2	54.2	60.3	56.4		-3.9	
Doomadgee - Primary	56.0	57.1	62.5	58.0		-4.5	
Doomadgee - Secondary	26.0	43.6	52.4	49.9		-2.5	
Hope Vale Community	64.2	72.4	70.4	77.1		6.7	
Hopevale Campus of CYAAA	66.5	75.8	71.5	79.7		8.2	
Hope Vale Community Students at Cooktown SS	56.9	60.3	66.3	67.8		1.5	
Primary	70.1	70.2	70.8	70.2		-0.6	
Secondary	51.7	53.8	63.0	63.4		0.4	
Mossman Gorge Community1,2,3	78.7	65.3	65.1	73.1		8.0	
Primary	86.7	72.7	77.1	75.1		-2.0	
Secondary	68.8	52.0	26.1	64.6		38.5	

When comparing primary school attendance percentages between term 3 (as previously supplied by DET) and term 4 2018, Mossman Gorge was -2.70, Hope Vale was +2.00, Coen was marginally down at -0.30, Aurukun was +1.80 and Doomadgee had the greatest increase +7.80.

1.	Caution should be used when examining the percentage changes in attendance at both Coen and Mossman Gorge. Both of these have relatively small numbers of students and a small numerical change can result in a large percentage difference in the overall attendance figures.

2.	Mossman Gorge community attendance includes attendance for school-identified students from Mossman State School and Mossman State High School.

3.	The Department of Education (DET) only has the residential home address of a student available, as a means to determine whether the student is classified as being from Mossman Gorge. There are a number of students residing in the township of Mossman who are known to the Commission but for the purposes of the DET collection do not appear in the statistics above.

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:

•	Dr Chris Sarra	Director-General, Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships (Chair)
•	Mr Troy Sloan	First Assistant Secretary, Legal, Employment, Environment and Evaluation Division, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
•	Mr Noel Pearson		Founder, Cape York Partnership representing the Cape York Institute.

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 October 2018 to 31 December 2018 totalled $1,053,517. This income consisted of:
•	$436,000 Queensland Government funding
•	$156,500 Queensland Government funding – Doomadgee
•	$450,000 Australian Government funding
•	$9,536 interest received
•	$1,481 received in sundry income.
The balance of available funds in the bank as at 31 December 2018 is $2,118,674.

Expenditure:
•	Expenditure for the period 1 October 2018 to 31 December 2018 was $924,190. This total represents 26 percent of the projected annual expenditure of $3,557,800.

Table 20: Expenditure in quarter 42.
1 October 2018 to	Expenditure	1 October 2018 to	Expenditure	
31 December 2018	Qtr 42	31 December 2018	Qtr 42	
				
Employee salaries – FRC staff	$465,557	Internet & IT	$48,736	
Employee salaries – Local Commissioners	$102,475	Motor vehicle	$11,497	
Employee on costs – FRC staff	$75,297	Property	$59,438	
Employee on costs – Local Commissioners	$20,770	Travel	$58,409	
Other employment costs	$5,042	General operating	$61,402	
Communications	$3,117	Other expenses	$12,450	
		Total	$924,190	

Quarter 42 disbursement of expenditure by category and percentage of total expenditure.

Table 21: FRC operating costs 1 October 2018 to 31 December 2018.
Expenditure Category	Percentage of Total Expenditure	
Employee salaries – FRC staff	50.37%	
Employee salaries – Local Commissioners	11.09%	
Employee on costs – FRC staff	8.15%	
Employee on costs – Local Commissioners	2.25%	
Other employment costs	0.55%	
Communications	0.34%	
Internet & IT	5.27%	
Motor vehicle	1.24%	
Property	6.43%	
Travel	6.32%	
General operating	6.64%	
Other expenses	1.35%	
Total	100.0%	

Regional operational expenditure by location and quarter.

Table 22: Operating costs by remote location 1 October 2017 to 31 December 2018.
Community	Qtr 38	Qtr 39	Qtr 40	Qtr 41	Qtr 42	
Aurukun	$144K	$116K	$152K	$106K	$110K	
Coen	$34K	$32K	$60K	$24K	$34K	
Doomadgee	$149K	$124K	$154K	$142K	$148K	
Hope Vale	$72K	$69K	$91K	$60K	$71K	
Mossman Gorge	$37K	$35K	$40K	$28K	$29K	
TOTAL	$436K	$376K	$497K	$360K	$392K	

Cairns Registry expenditure for quarter 42 compared to the previous four quarters.

Table 23: Quarterly operating costs Cairns 1 October 2017 to 31 December 2018.
Community	Qtr 38	Qtr 39	Qtr 40	Qtr 41	Qtr 42	
Corporate Services	$248K	$219K	$228K	$236K	$232K	
Operations	$213K	$235K	$243K	$289K	$252K	
Gov/Board Reporting	$49K	$36K	$46K	$38K	$48K	
TOTAL	$510K	$490K	$517K	$563K	$532K	

APPENDIX A			

	SITTING CALENDAR 2018
FAMILY RESPONSIBILITIES COMMISSION
1 July 2018 to 31 December 2018		
Week Beginning	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Other	
2 July						Cooktown Circuit
Doomadgee – Gulf Circuit	
9 July							
16 July		17	18		Public Holiday	20 Cairns Show Day
17 ASC Meeting
Aurukun Cape B & Coen Cape A Circuit	
		17					
23 July *	Public Holiday	24	25	26		23 Mossman Show
27 Cooktown Show and Coen Public Holiday
27 ASC Meeting (Budget)
Estimates: Tuesday 24/7/2018 – Friday 27/7/2018	
30 July *		31	1	2		Cooktown Circuit
Estimates: Tuesday 31/7/2018 – Thursday 2/8/2018	
		31					
6 August *	Public Holiday	7	8	9		6 Aurukun Day
Doomadgee - Gulf Circuit	
13 August *		14	15	16		Aurukun Cape B Circuit	
		14					
20 August			22	23	Public Holiday	24 Doomadgee Day
21 ASC Meeting	
27 August *		28	29	30			
				30			
3 September *		4	5	6		Cooktown Circuit
Doomadgee - Gulf Circuit	
10 September *		11	12	13			
		11					
17 September *	17		19	20		18 ASC Meeting
Aurukun Cape B & Coen Cape A Circuit	
				20			
24 September							
1 October	Public Holiday					1 Queens Birthday
Cooktown Circuit
Doomadgee - Gulf Circuit	
8 October *		9	10	11			
15 October		16	17	18		Aurukun Cape B Circuit	
		16					
22 October *		23	24	25		23 ASC Meeting	
		23					
29 October *		30	31	1			
5 November *		6	7	8		Cooktown Circuit
Doomadgee - Gulf Circuit	
				8			

	SITTING CALENDAR 2018
FAMILY RESPONSIBILITIES COMMISSION
1 July 2018 to 31 December 2018		
Week Beginning	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Other	
12 November		13	14	15		Aurukun Cape B & Coen Cape A Circuit	
19 November *		20	21	22		20 ASC Meeting	
		20					
26 November *		27		29	30		
3 December		4	5			CYAAA schools finish 7/12/2018
Cooktown Circuit
Doomadgee - Gulf Circuit	
		4					
10 December						11 ASC Meeting
Aurukun, Doomadgee and Mossman schools finish 14/12/18
Aurukun Cape B Circuit	
17 December							
24 December		Public Holiday	Public Holiday			25 Christmas Day, 26 Boxing Day
27, 28 Office closed for Xmas	
31 December		Public Holiday				1 New Year’s Day 
31 Office closed for Xmas	

LEGEND
	Office Days		
	Public Holidays		
	Aurukun Sitting	* Aurukun sitting alone	
	Coen Sitting		
	Doomadgee Sitting	* Doomadgee sitting alone	
	Hope Vale Sitting	* Hope Vale sitting alone	
	Mossman Gorge Sitting		
ASC	Aurukun Shire Council Meeting		
0	Cancelled Conference		

OFFICE	CONTACT NAME	Phone	Mobile	Facsimile	
Cairns – Commissioner	Mr David Glasgow	4081 8413	0439 776 798	4041 0974	
Cairns – Registrar	Ms Maxine McLeod	4081 8412	0409 461 624	4041 0974	
Cairns – Client Manager (Tue, Wed)	Ms Camille Banks	4081 8410	0438 195 342	4041 0974	
Cairns – Acting Client Manager
	(Mon, Thurs, Fri)	Ms Anne Crampton	4081 8410	0419 647 948	4041 0974	
Cairns – Finance Manager	Ms Tracey Patterson	4081 8411	0429 495 353	4041 0974	
Aurukun Local Coordinator	Mr Bryce Coxall	4060 6185	0428 985 106	4041 0974	
Coen Local Coordinator	Ms Sandi Rye		0417 798 392	4041 0974	
Doomadgee Local Coordinator	Mr Robbie Hazeldine	4745 8111	0418 666 204	4041 0974	
Acting Hope Vale Local Coordinator
	(Wed/Thurs)	Mr Brenden Joinbee	4060 9153	0408 482 026	4041 0974	
Mossman Gorge Local Coordinator	Ms Sandi Rye		0417 798 392	4041 0974