4. This Chapter examines strategic planning and the alignment of its products, services GA’s and activities with the priorities for geoscience information and data Government’s capability. Strategic planning is important for providing a frame for unifying management to a single understanding of key priorities and how they are to be achieved. If well done, strategic plans should: serve as a valuable reference when making decisions between competing options/investments; empower managers to tend to important challenges rather than react to transient pressures; and make it easier to decide longer term investments, commitments and capability development and ensure such decisions are consistent. Strategic planning also serves to provide visibility to external stakeholders as to how the priorities of the Government/shareholders drive what the organisation is doing and how it deploys resources. A problem in the past for governments in deciding resources of GA is in the visibility of and how well GA resources are being applied to delivering geoscientific and spatial data to meet needs. Australia’s Strategic planning Policy mandate While primary role is to provide technical advice to government to support policy GA’s decisions, GA does not have a specific legislated mandate. GA derives its role and responsibilities from relevant components of responsibilities set out for the Resources, Energy and Tourism portfolio under the current AAO. From time to time, GA is also provided with direction to take on additional responsibilities through specific Budget measures. The current AAO as it relates to GA in the Resources, Energy and Tourism portfolio includes: research and information services including geodesy, “Geoscience mapping, remote sensing, groundwater and spatial data have been coordination”. AAOs generally the same since GA was formed in 2001. The only material change since then was made on 14 October 2010 to specifically and change acknowledge ‘groundwater’ ‘land information to the broader concept of data co-ordination’. coordination’ ‘spatial Appropriation outcome main source of funding is through direct Budget appropriation which is provided GA’s for a single outcome. This outcome is: government, industry and community “informed decisions on the economic, social and environmental management of the nation's natural resources through enabling access to geoscientific and spatial This has been information”. outcome since the 2009-10 Budget. In the previous decade, outcome focused on GA’s GA’s enhancing benefits through the application of geoscientific research and information, and did not mention role in spatial information. GA’s
4. This Chapter examines GA’s strategic planning and the alignment of its products, services and activities with the Government’s priorities for geoscience information and data capability. Strategic planning is important for providing a frame for unifying management to a single understanding of key priorities and how they are to be achieved. If well done, strategic plans should: serve as a valuable reference when making decisions between competing options/investments; empower managers to tend to important challenges rather than react to transient pressures; and make it easier to decide longer term investments, commitments and capability development and ensure such decisions are consistent. Strategic planning also serves to provide visibility to external stakeholders as to how the priorities of the Government/shareholders drive what the organisation is doing and how it deploys resources. A problem in the past for governments in deciding resources of GA is in the visibility of and how well GA resources are being applied to delivering geoscientific and spatial data to meet Australia’s needs. Strategic planning Policy mandate While GA’s primary role is to provide technical advice to government to support policy decisions, GA does not have a specific legislated mandate. GA derives its role and responsibilities from relevant components of responsibilities set out for the Resources, Energy and Tourism portfolio under the current AAO. From time to time, GA is also provided with direction to take on additional responsibilities through specific Budget measures. The current AAO as it relates to GA in the Resources, Energy and Tourism portfolio includes: “Geoscience research and information services including geodesy, mapping, remote sensing, groundwater and spatial data coordination”. AAOs have been generally the same since GA was formed in 2001. The only material change since then was made on 14 October 2010 to specifically acknowledge ‘groundwater’ and change ‘land information coordination’ to the broader concept of ‘spatial data co-ordination’. Appropriation outcome GA’s main source of funding is through direct Budget appropriation which is provided for a single outcome. This outcome is: “informed government, industry and community decisions on the economic, social and environmental management of the nation's natural resources through enabling access to geoscientific and spatial information”. This has been GA’s outcome since the 2009-10 Budget. In the previous decade, GA’s outcome focused on enhancing benefits through the application of geoscientific research and information, and did not mention GA’s role in spatial information.
strategic_review_ga.docx