Organisation: Department of Immigration and Border Protection
Job Title: EL1 Assistant Director – Community Protection Division
Word Limit: 3,000 characters per response
Location: Brisbane
Achieves Results
As Senior Case Manager and Queensland Case Coordinator within the Queensland Illegal Maritime
Arrival (IMA) Case Management Team, I successfully managed the Bridging Visa E (BVE) team
through the changes resulting from the January 2014 introduction of the new Code of Behaviour
for BVE holders. This change required me to demonstrate flexibility and responsiveness to changes
in requirements, and lead others in displaying these same qualities. My role was to lead the BVE
team in the process of ensuring that clients in the community on BVEs signed the required Code of
Conduct document. An important part of this was ensuring that my staff were fully briefed on the
Code of Conduct, its implications for clients, and the nature of the form that required signature.
This was to ensure that they were well-placed to address any queries or concerns that clients
raised with them. I instructed my team to utilise any point of client contact as an opportunity to
address the need for the form to be signed.
A key part of this process was my communication with stakeholders, including the Multicultural
Development Association, the Australian Red Cross, and Access Community Services, which
tended to have direct contact with the relevant BVE holders. It was important in managing these
relationships and securing assistance that the Department needed, to ensure these stakeholders
were fully informed about the nature of the changes and the impacts, if any, that these would
have on their clients. With the primary priority of these stakeholders being the provision of service
to their clients, it was important for me to demonstrate that the Department of Immigration and
Border Protection (DIBP) would be contributing to this process rather than requesting the
stakeholder organisations to take the lead. To this end, I led my team in a series of travelling
Information Sessions, convened by the stakeholder agencies and held at their venues, where an
Immigration staff member would talk to BVE holders about the Code of Conduct and secure their
signatures as required.
Whist my key priority was securing the signatures of the relevant BVE holders in the community,
other priorities that I successfully managed throughout this time included the balancing of this
exercise with the other workload requirements of my team, the necessity of maintaining strong
and productive relationships with the stakeholder agencies, and the need to manage the anxieties
of some of the clients with regard to being required to sign new paperwork. The direct outcome of
my management of this new Code of Conduct requirement was the delivery of a smooth process
for providing information to, and securing the signatures of, several thousand BVE holders. Other
outcomes that I achieved included the sharing of information with my team and others in a way
that allowed them to adapt and respond to this change in requirements, and the maintenance of
strong and positive stakeholder relationships.
Communicates with Influence
Throughout my career with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, I have
maintained an awareness of the need to keep others informed of progress of significant matters,
particularly those with the potential to generate media enquiries. In a recent example of this,
during 2015 I was managing a highly complex and sensitive client matter in my capacity as Senior
Case Manager and Queensland Case Coordinator. This matter involved an Afghan national who
was in the community on a BVE, had been found not to be owed protection, but who still had an
ongoing assessment before the Department related to international law obligations.
The client in this matter was suffering from what appeared to be severe mental health issues, and,
due to an apparent inability to understand the immigration pathway in relation to his case, was of
the belief that he was in imminent danger of being removed from Australia. I made intensive
efforts to explain to this client that while he had ongoing matters before the Department, he
would not be removed. In these communications I used clear and concise language and adapted
my tone appropriately for the needs of this client. In addition, I liaised extensively with the client’s
Migration Agent via telephone and email, to apprise her of the true situation so that she could act
as a medium for conveying this information to the client. Through harnessing this resource of a
trusted migration agent as a fellow communicator, I was able to ensure that the client eventually
understood that his fears of imminent removal were unfounded.
Prior to my resolution of the matter; however, this client had approached a media outlet claiming
that he was going to be removed from Australia, in an apparent effort to generate community
support for his case. Due to the media interest in this sensitive matter, it was essential that I kept
all relevant Departmental stakeholders informed of the facts of this case. I did this through
providing ongoing written and oral briefings to my EL1 and Director, and by providing written
status updates to the National Communications Branch. Using clear and concise communication
skills to convey the relevant information, I ensured that all interested parties had a full and
accurate understanding of the status of this matter at all points in time. This meant that the
National Communications Branch was able to produce appropriate media talking points and
answer any media enquiries with accurate and timely responses. My close management of this
matter and effective communication with all stakeholders meant that not only was the client
eventually able to properly understand his immigration pathway, but that the Department was
able to manage any reputational risks arising out of media involvement. This allowed the
Departmental processes to continue without interference, eventually resulting in the client’s BVE
being extended.
Exemplifies Personal Drive and Integrity
As Acting Assistant Director, Queensland Illegal Maritime Arrival Case Management, I was leading
a team on Christmas Island at the time of introduction of the August 2012 legislation which
mandated transfer of IMAs to regional processing countries. My responsibility was to manage the
Pre-Transfer Assessment Team of 15 Case Managers in their role of conducting assessments of
clients. The role of this team was to interview each client and determine whether any
vulnerabilities were detected which would appear to preclude transfer. It was essential that I
briefed this team thoroughly on their new role to ensure that they understood the purpose of
these assessments and that they were equipped to immediately escalate any cases where
concerns about vulnerabilities arose.
In managing this process, I was also liaising with International Health and Medical Services (IHMS)
regarding progression of clients to health and welfare checks and escalation of individual cases of
concern. In addition, I maintained ongoing communication with Serco to advise them of any
identified vulnerabilities and progress of individual cases. Throughout this process of pre-transfer
assessment, I acted to respond to any identified vulnerabilities in order to manage the risks of
transferring a client for regional processing where this could be detrimental to their health or
welfare.
Once a decision had been made in relation to a group of clients that they would be transferred to
a regional processing country, I led the group messaging to these clients to inform them of this
outcome and facilitate delivery of information relating to their departure. To achieve this, I
assembled a forum consisting of stakeholders including Customs, the Australian Federal Police,
IHMS and Serco representatives, who all played a role in the pre-departure process and were able
to provide information to clients and respond to their questions. Through managing these
sensitive situations in a controlled and structured manner, I reduced the risk of a client or group of
clients responding to the news of their transfer with inappropriate or dangerous behaviour.
My oversight of this pre-transfer process on Christmas Island was undertaken in an environment
of intense public and media scrutiny of the transfer of IMAs to regional processing countries as a
result of the recent legislative changes. It was therefore important that I manage potential future
risks arising from the process to minimise the likelihood of criticism of the Department’s handling
of this process or the impacts on IMA clients who were transferred to regional processing
countries.
Demonstrates Professional and/or Technical Proficiency
In the role of Acting Assistant Director (Unauthorised Maritime Arrival – Community Detention
Case Management), I was required to liaise with service providers regarding a change to the way
that they reported and recorded information relating to clients in the community. Whereas these
service providers had previously reported information and requested Departmental action in
relation to a client via email, the rollout of changes to the Community Detention Service Provider
(CSDP) Portal meant that service providers would be required to report and record specific client
information in that client’s Departmental portal record. This change represented a complex
challenge that I needed to lead these stakeholders through, particularly as ongoing technical
problems emerged in the year following implementation. As well as managing the stakeholders
through the operational use of the new system, I also needed to manage the expectations and
occasional frustrations of the users.
Prior to the rollout of this change, I undertook training in the new portal operation, allowing me to
become something of a subject matter expert on the use of the system by service providers. The
training package developed by the National Office included a formal training package for service
provides in the use of the system and access to ongoing technical support where required. On a
day-to-day basis however, most service providers directed their queries and issues to me for
advice and resolution.
Immediately following the rollout, I worked with my Case Managers to follow up individually with
service providers to ensure that they had access to all of the required materials and information,
and that they had commenced using the new portal system. As part of this process, I also provided
guidance and direction directly to Case Managers to assist them in responding to complex or
technical queries. As service providers began using the new portal, a range of system issues
emerged, such as not being able to access required client information or records, or not being able
to transfer a client’s information from one service provider to another. Where these matters were
escalated to me or brought directly to my attention, I worked with the service provider and with
the technical support team in the National Office to share information and develop solutions.
Similarly, in 2015 when the Department of Human Services took over payment of certain benefits
to DIBP clients, I acted as a source of information for service providers and acted to resolve issues
that they were experiencing with the complexity of the new system. In these situations, where I
am responsible for the provision of information, advice and leadership on complex or technical
issues, I have ensured that I acquire full knowledge of the subject matter at hand, and use
appropriate communication strategies to share relevant information with affected stakeholders.
Shapes Strategic Thinking
My work with DIBP has frequently required me to adjust my work priorities to respond to
emerging situations or align my activities with a shift in the strategic direction and priorities of the
organisation. For example, in my current role I was present on Christmas Island when detainee
riots broke out on the island in November of 2015. I initially received a telephone call from my EL1
on the Sunday to advise me of the situation and direct that staff were not to attend work at the
immigration detention centre on the Monday. I was tasked with setting up an emergency contact
centre and providing briefings to both Immigration and Border Protection staff about the
situation. As this critical situation continued, I maintained an ongoing liaison with my EL1 and
facilitated communications in the emergency contact centre, where staff commenced the process
of compiling records of all of the detainees involved and a summary of their immigration pathway.
In the immediate aftermath of these riots, the priorities of my work were significantly shifted.
While I would normally lead the Case Managers in their handling of client cases, due to ongoing
unrest amongst the detainees and infrastructure damage to the detention facility, the centre was
not deemed safe for detainee contact. This meant that detainees’ usual access to their Case
Managers could not be facilitated. I provided advice to my EL1 and Director and Border Force
representatives on the importance of communicating with the detainees at this time, and
suggested an approach of group messaging to provide them with information about what would
be occurring from this point and explain the reason that they were temporarily unable to meet
with their case managers. Over the next two weeks, group messaging was conducted in
accordance with my recommendations. During this time, it was necessary for me to shift my
priority away from the ongoing management of cases and respond instead to the immediate need
for an appropriate DIBP communication strategy with the detainees.
My role in facilitating the Pre-Transfer Assessment process and preparations for transfer of
detainees to regional processing countries following the August 2012 change in legislation
provides another example of my capacity to adjust work priorities in line with broader business
direction. In this circumstance, it was important that I not only understood the organisation’s
objectives and aligned my operational activities accordingly, but also that I led others in
understanding the relationship between their work and the broader organisational strategy. In the
case of the move to regional processing, I achieved this through ensuring that my staff were fully
briefed of their role in the pre-transfer assessment process and understood when a matter would
require escalation, as well as by facilitating collaborative communication with the affected clients
by all of the relevant stakeholder organisations.
Cultivates Productive Working Relationships
As Queensland Case Coordinator, one of my responsibilities is to review incident reports to assess
whether the criminal behaviour of a client in the community is a breach of the Code of Conduct
such that they are eligible for removal from the community and return to detention. In a recent
matter, I was made aware of a client who had previously committed repeated crimes which had
resulted in the revocation of his BVE and his subsequent return to detention. Following 12 months
in detention, he had again been released in to the community on a BVE, and had since been
arrested for reoffending. With his trial date approaching, I had highlighted the need to be advised
of the outcome of his trial so that a decision could be made regarding his detention status. A week
prior to the trial date however, I was notified by the Queensland Police Liaison Unit that the client
had again been arrested and charged with similar offences, and that he was currently remanded in
custody for a period of 24 hours. Within this time, it would be necessary for DIBP to reach a
decision about whether the client could be released back in to the community, or whether he
should be detained in immigration detention.
Having assessed the facts of this client’s case, I made a recommendation that this client be
detained, which was upheld. Once this decision had been taken, I needed to coordinate actions by
a range of stakeholders to facilitate his return to immigration detention. Stakeholders in this
matter included the Australian Border Force arm of the DIBP, who were awaiting a response as to
whether a transfer to immigration detention would need to be arranged, and the Queensland
Police who faced a very firm deadline by which they would need to release the client if he were
not transferred to DIBP custody. In addition, I had to advise the client’s service provider that his
services needed to be ceased due to a change in his circumstances. Through consulting and
sharing information with all of these parties, I was able to coordinate with their diverse priorities
and deadlines to facilitate the return of this client to immigration detention directly from police
remand.
My work with stakeholders, including the Multicultural Development Association, the Australian
Red Cross and Access Community Services to facilitate the signing of the new Code of Conduct
document by BE holders is another example of my capacity to engage stakeholders in participation
in a DIBP business outcome. I achieved this through cultivating and maintaining positive,
collaborative and mutually beneficial relationships with these agencies and proactively responding
to their needs and concerns. With the cooperation of these stakeholders, I was able to lead a
smooth and structured introduction of the Code of Conduct to Queensland’s BVE holders.
