General disclosures
General disclosures
- Contents
- Ministerial directions
- Good governance and compliance with public sector standards and ethical codes
- Complaints management process
- Freedom of information
- Recordkeeping plans
- Disability access and inclusion plan outcomes
- Substantive equality
- Expenditure on advertising and market research
- Unauthorised use of credit cards
- Act of grace payments
- Pricing policies of services provided
- Annual estimates
- Board and committee remuneration
Ministerial directions
We did not receive any ministerial directives in 2022–23 relevant to:
- the setting or achievement of desired outcomes or operational objectives
- investment activities
- financing activities.
Good governance and compliance with public sector standards and ethical codes
Our commitment to promoting the highest standards of corporate governance, professional conduct and ethical behaviour continued through ensuring our practices complied with relevant obligations, such as Public Sector Standards in Human Resource Management, the Public Sector Commissioner’s Instructions, the Public Sector Management Act 1994 (WA) and the Department’s Code of Conduct.
In 2022–23, we continued to lead initiatives to help foster a culture of integrity and provide assurance and governance services for the public school system. These included:
- promoting the Code of Conduct for the Department
- publishing the Department’s Integrity Framework, aligned to the Integrity Strategy for WA Public Authorities 2020–2023
- conducting discipline investigations in accordance with the Public Sector Management Act 1994 (WA) and the Public Sector Commissioner’s Instructions
- conducting formal reviews of incidents associated with schools as required by the Director General
- oversight of initiatives by the Corporate Executive, chaired by the Director General, which met 12 times
- re‑engaging external members (including the Chair, Mr Colin Murphy PSM) for our independent Audit and Risk Committee, which met 4 times
- reviewing the key enterprise risk assessments and treatment action plans
- progressing the risk‑based internal audit plan, with 4 strategic audits and reviews completed
- leading 8 major reviews of the Department’s policies to better guide practices and achieve outcomes, with an additional 37 minor reviews
- promoting the Fraud and Corruption Control Plan aimed to help staff identify and prevent fraud and corruption across the Department
- publishing and promoting the new Conflict of Interest policy and procedures
- updating our policy to require staff to undertake mandatory Accountable and Ethical Decision Making training every 3 years
- enhancing our Working with Children compliance controls in collaboration with the Department of Communities
- updating our Working with Children Checks in Department of Education Sites policy and procedures
- implementing a process to meet the reporting requirements of the Reportable Conduct Scheme under the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1971 (WA), which commenced on 1 January 2023.
In addition to our independent Audit and Risk Committee, there are 2 governance committees that support our Corporate Executive: the Finance and Investment Committee and the People and Services Committee. These 2 committees monitor the Department’s policy changes, major projects and programs. At 30 June 2023, 48 major projects and 13 programs were underway. During 2022–23, we closed 12 projects and 2 programs.
We monitored staff records in compliance with the Working with Children (Criminal Record Checking) Act 2004 (WA) and conducted regular compliance reviews of schools and other Department worksites.
In 2022–23, we received notification of 8 interim negative notices and 8 negative notices issued to current Department of Education employees by the Department of Communities. Employees issued with an interim negative notice or negative notice are usually dismissed for repudiation of their employment contract.
We issued $931,509 in reimbursements ($1,270,397 in 2021–22) to staff and volunteers required to renew Working with Children cards as part of their employment.
In 2022–23, our Screening Unit processed 22,575 criminal record checks (22,025 in 2021–22) of prospective employees, volunteers, contractors and tertiary students undertaking practicums in the education and training sectors. The Screening Committee considered 50 cases, with 27 refused clearance as the convictions of these individuals were assessed to be in breach of the Department’s Criminal Convictions Suitability Criteria.
We conducted selection panel training to ensure all our recruitment processes and employment decisions were conducted in accordance with the Public Sector Commissioner’s Instructions: Employment Standard and Filling a Public Sector Vacancy. In 2022–23, 305 staff members attended selection panel training. We incorporate our selection process review findings in the selection panel training content.
Disciplinary investigations for suspected breaches of discipline were conducted in accordance with the Public Sector Management Act 1994 (WA), the Public Sector Commissioner’s Instructions and the Department’s policies. In 2022–23, we investigated 402 alleged breaches of discipline. Of these, 380 allegations were substantiated. Of the 380 substantiated allegations, 218 were related to failure to comply with a lawful order related to the COVID‑19 vaccination mandates. We continued to strengthen our education and training programs aimed at prevention, detection and management of misconduct and to encourage ethical practice and appropriate standards of conduct and behaviour outlined in our Code of Conduct.
We managed breach of Standard claims as required by the Public Sector Management (Breaches of Public Sector Standards) Regulations 2005 (WA). We received 56 breach of Standard claims. No claims were upheld by the Public Sector Commission. We supported staff and improved compliance by reviewing processes and communicating opportunities for practice improvements to staff involved in the process.
Complaints management process
We are committed to the effective management and resolution of complaints and notifications, with a focus on prioritising student wellbeing. Complaints can be made in person, by telephone, in writing or online and may be received by the school, residential college, regional office, central services staff or the Standards and Integrity directorate.
The Parent Liaison Office provides information, support and advice to parents, carers and members of the school community on the complaint management process and complaint resolution, and brokers specialist advice in assisting with complex matters.
We provided a range of supports based on specific needs to help parents, carers and community members access and navigate the complaints management process.
Where complaints and notifications relate to staff conduct, we assess these in accordance with our Complaints and Notifications policy, Staff Conduct and Discipline policy and legislative requirements under the Public Sector Management Act 1994 (WA), Corruption, Crime and Misconduct Act 2003 (WA) and the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1971 (WA).
Freedom of information
The Freedom of Information Act 1992 (WA) creates a general right of access to documents held by all state and local government agencies. We are required to make available details about the types of documents we hold and assist the public to ensure personal information we hold about them is accurate, complete, up to date and not misleading.
Details about the freedom of information process are in our Information Statement, available on our website.
Recordkeeping plans
In 2022–23, 15,100 staff, including 14,275 school staff, completed the mandatory online recordkeeping awareness training. The online recordkeeping awareness training underwent a major revision and is now refined and appropriate for both school and corporate staff. The training is compulsory for all new employees of the Department, and outlines the:
- recordkeeping obligations of government employees
- requirements to adhere to our recordkeeping plan.
In addition, new online training courses for our electronic document records management system (TRIM) were published as part of the mandatory training suite. Online training in the use of TRIM, including advanced TRIM functions is now offered along with face‑to‑face training. Four hundred and four staff were trained, including 30 staff as advanced users.
In 2022–23, webinars and online consultancies continued to provide training, advice and support on recordkeeping practices.
The centralised coordination of school records disposal is ongoing and the use of this service by schools has grown significantly. To support compliant records disposal and improve outreach to schools, 4 new online training courses were published in 2022–23. Courses cover topics for sites that have TRIM and those that do not. Two hundred and twelve staff have completed this training.
Our recordkeeping plan was submitted to the State Records Office of Western Australia in October 2022. The plan was approved by the State Records Commission pending a review of our retention and disposal schedule, with a significant review required for child‑related records.
Disability access and inclusion plan outcomes
We continued to implement our Disability Access and Inclusion Plan 2018–2023, which identifies strategies to enhance equitable inclusion of people with disability in our schools, services and employment. It covers outcomes required under the Disability Services Regulations 2004 (WA) and the additional outcome of improving learning outcomes for students with disability.
In 2022, we:
- provided professional learning to over 9,400 school leaders, teachers and allied professionals to support students with disability and diverse learning needs
- provided specialised support for students with specific educational and engagement needs through our Schools of Special Educational Needs.
Substantive equality
We continued to apply our Substantive Equality guidelines and Equity and Inclusion Charter to consider the diverse needs of staff, students and their families in developing new and revised policies.
In November 2022, we launched the Diversity Alliance network. The network aims to contribute towards an inclusive workplace culture for employees who are of diverse sexualities and/or genders and provide feedback to inform our relevant strategies.
Expenditure on advertising and market research
In 2022–23, we incurred expenditure centrally of $3.12 million with media advertising organisations, advertising agencies and market research organisations (refer to Table 6). There was no expenditure with polling and direct mail organisations.
Table 6: Central expenditure on advertising and market research 2022–23
| Category and providers | Amount ($) |
|---|---|
| Media advertising organisations Carat Australia Initiative Media | 2,497,473 2,365,897 131,576 |
| Advertising agencies(a) Ad Capital Gatecrasher Rare Creativethinking | 526,477 41,992 355,960 128,525 |
| Market research organisations Advantage Communications and Marketing Kantar | 95,057 72,707 22,350 |
(a) Provided full range of creative services.
Source: Communications and Education Business Services
Unauthorised use of credit cards
During 2022–23, staff reported 661 instances of unauthorised use of corporate credit cards with no cases referred for investigation. Thirty‑five of these were reported by central and regional services staff and 626 by school staff. Generally, unauthorised transactions were a result of cards being used in error. If repayment was not received within 5 working days, strategies were employed to recover the amount owing, including reminder notices and cancellation of cards.
The number of instances reported in 2022–23 increased by approximately 15% (88 instances) in comparison to the 2021–22 results (573 instances). For further information, refer to Table 7.
Table 7: Unauthorised use of credit cards 2022–23
| Category | Amount ($) |
|---|---|
| Aggregate amount of personal use expenditure for 2022–23 | 41,092.13 |
| Aggregate amount of personal use expenditure settled by the due date (payment due within 5 working days) | 31,859.61 |
| Aggregate amount of personal use expenditure settled after the due date (after 5 working days) | 9,232.52 |
| Aggregate amount of personal use expenditure outstanding at 30 June 2023(a) | - |
(a) All personal credit card use reported in 2022–23 has been settled. The repayments for personal use included rounding of $0.27.
Source: Education Business Services
Act of grace payments
During 2022–23, no act of grace payments were made.
Pricing policies of services provided
We charge for goods and services rendered on a full or partial cost‑recovery basis. We determined these fees in accordance with the Department of Treasury’s Costing and pricing government services guidelines.
The School Education Act 1999 (WA) and School Education Regulations 2000 (WA) govern the setting of fees, charges and contributions for students in public schools.
The Education Service Providers (Full Fee Overseas Students) Registration Regulations 1992 (WA) prescribes fees for registration and re‑registration of international education service providers in Western Australia.
Fees and charges associated with teacher registration were governed by the Teacher Registration (General) Regulations 2012 (WA) and the Teacher Registration (Accreditation of Initial Teacher Education Programmes) Regulations 2012 (WA). For its Schedule of Fees refer to the Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia’s website.
The School Curriculum and Standards Authority charged for its regulatory functions relevant to certification, assessment and examinations as prescribed by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority Regulations 2005 (WA).
Fees for residential colleges were prescribed in regulation 14(7) of the School Education (Student Residential Colleges) Regulations 2017 (WA).
Annual estimates
In the 2023–24 Budget Statements, the estimates for the Department of Education and the School Curriculum and Standards Authority are consolidated within a single Division of the Consolidated Account Expenditure Estimates. The annual estimates representing the budget for the Department of Education excluding the School Curriculum and Standards Authority are in Appendix 5.
Board and committee remuneration
Members of boards and committees, as defined in Premier’s Circular 2022/02: State Government Boards and Committees, were remunerated as determined by the Minister, on the recommendation of the Public Sector Commissioner. Details of these remunerations are in tables 8 to 12.
Table 8: Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia remuneration 2022–23
| Position Member name | Term of appointment | Membership length (2022–23) | Remuneration | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Base salary/ sitting fee | Actual (2022–23) | |||
| Chair | |||||
| Margaret Collins | 5 years | 12 months | Annual | $23,433 | $23,433 |
| Deputy Chair | |||||
| Ron Dullard | 5 years | 9 months | Meeting | $505 | $4,040 |
| David Bean | 5 years | 3 months | Meeting | $505 | $1,010 |
| Member | |||||
| Casey Bakunowicz | 2 years | 5 months | Meeting | $505 | $1,515 |
| Andrea Lewis | 2 years | 7 months | Meeting | $505 | $2,020 |
| Emily Donders | 2 years | 12 months | – | – | – |
| Kate Offer | 2 years | 12 months | Meeting | $505 | $5,050 |
| Melanie Sutherland | 3 years | 12 months | – | – | – |
| Julie Woodhouse | 3 years | 12 months | – | – | – |
| Total | $37,068 | ||||
Source: Teacher Registration
Table 9: Non-Government Schools Planning Advisory Panel remuneration 2022–23
| Position Member name | Term of appointment | Membership length (2022–23) | Remuneration | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Base salary/ sitting fee | Actual (2022–23) | |||
| Chair | |||||
| Audrey Jackson | 2 years and 11 months | 12 months | Half/full day | $380/580 | $960 |
| Member | |||||
| Gavin Agacy | 2 years and 11 months | 12 months | – | – | – |
| Leith Brindle | 2 years and 11 months | 11 months | – | – | – |
| Anne Coffey | 2 years and 11 months | 12 months | – | – | – |
| Natalie Gulberti | 2 years and 11 months | 12 months | – | – | – |
| Lisa Powell | 2 years and 11 months | 12 months | – | – | – |
| Morena Stanley | 2 years and 11 months | 11 months | – | – | – |
| Total | $960 | ||||
Source: Strategy and Policy
Table 10: School Curriculum and Standards Authority Board remuneration 2022–23
| Position Member name | Term of appointment | Membership length (2022–23) | Remuneration | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Base salary/ sitting fee | Actual (2022–23) | |||
| Chair | |||||
| Mrs Pauline White | 5 years | 12 months | Annual | $37,380 | $37,380 |
| Member | |||||
| Emeritus Professor David Andrich | 4 years | 12 months | Annual | $23,475 | $23,475 |
| Ms Pauline Coghlan | 4 years | 12 months | Annual | $23,475 | $23,475 |
| Emeritus Professor Jill Downie | 3 years and 8 months | 12 months | Annual | $23,475 | $23,475 |
| Dr Lynette Henderson-Yates | 4 years | 12 months | Annual | $23,475 | $23,475 |
| Ms Lee Musumeci | 1 year and 10 months | 12 months | – | – | – |
| Ms Denise O’Meara | 3 years and 6 months | 12 months | Annual | $23,475 | $23,475 |
| Total | $154,755 | ||||
Source: School Curriculum and Standards
Table 11: School Curriculum and Standards Authority: Curriculum and Assessment Committee remuneration 2022–23
| Position Member name | Term of appointment | Membership length (2022–23) | Remuneration | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Base salary/ sitting fee | Actual (2022–23) | |||
| Chair | |||||
| Ms Denise O’Meara | 3 years and 6 months | 12 months | Meeting | $550 | $4,400 |
| Member | |||||
| Mr Jeffrey Allan | 4 years | 12 months | Meeting | $370 | $2,590 |
| Ms Elizabeth Blackwell | 4 years | 12 months | – | – | – |
| Mr Martin Clery | 4 years | 12 months | – | – | – |
| Ms Amanda Connor | 4 years | 12 months | Meeting | $370 | $2,220 |
| Ms Fiona Forbes | 2 years | 2 months | – | – | – |
| Mr Armando Giglia(a) | 4 years | 12 months | Meeting | $370 | $370 |
| Ms Kya-Louise Graves | 4 years | 12 months | – | – | – |
| Ms Jillian Jamieson | 4 years | 12 months | Meeting | $370 | $370 |
| Dr Steven Males | 4 years | 9 months | Meeting | $370 | $1,110 |
| Ms Rosemary Simpson | 4 years | 12 months | Meeting | $370 | $2,590 |
| Ms Kristine Stafford | 4 years | 12 months | Meeting | $370 | $2,960 |
| Ms Deborah Taylor | 4 years | 9 months | – | – | – |
| Ms Bronwyn Tester(a) | 4 years | 3 months | Meeting | $370 | $1,850 |
| Mr Roderick (Rod) Wood | 2 years | 4 months | Meeting | $370 | $1,480 |
| Total | $19,940 | ||||
(a) Became eligible for payment during 2022–23.
Source: School Curriculum and Standards
Table 12: School Curriculum and Standards Authority: Standards Committee remuneration 2022–23
| Position Member name | Term of appointment | Membership length (2022–23) | Remuneration | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Base salary/ sitting fee | Actual (2022–23) | |||
| Chair | |||||
| Ms Pauline Coghlan | 4 years | 12 months | Meeting | $550 | $3,850 |
| Member | |||||
| Ms Jocelyn Cook | 4 years | 12 months | Meeting | $370 | $2,590 |
| Ms Anne Ford | 3 years | 12 months | Meeting | $370 | $1,480 |
| Ms Melissa Gillett | 2 years | 12 months | – | – | – |
| Ms Valerie Gould | 4 years | 5 months | Meeting | $370 | $1,110 |
| Associate Professor Stephen Humphry | 3 years | 2 months | Meeting | $370 | – |
| Total | $9,030 | ||||
Source: School Curriculum and Standards