introduction - department of the prime minister and web viewaustender allows potential applicants to...

Call for Expressions of Interestfor the conduct of the

Remote Jobs and

Communities Program 2013–2018

Remote Employment and Participation ActivitiesRemote Youth Leadership and Development Corps

Jobs and stronger communities for people in remote Australia

© Commonwealth of Australia 2012This work is copyright. You may download, display, print and reproduce this material in unaltered form only (retaining this Notice) for your personal, non-commercial use or use within your organisation. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other rights are reserved. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to:The Copyright OfficerThe Department GPO Box 6500 Canberra ACT 2600or emailed to [email protected]

Remote Jobs and Communities Program 2013–2018

mailto:[email protected]

INDICATIVE TIMELINE2 October 2012 Release of the RJCP funding application process

documents to conduct the RJCP Activities 2013–2018

8 to 19 October 2012 Information sessions in each identified Remote Region, to outline the requirements of the RJCP funding application process (locations to be advertised on the http://employment.gov.au/employment-services-procurement-information website and in selected media). Web conference sessions will also be conducted for those Potential Applicants who are unable to attend a face to face information session

The information sessions will also provide subject matter expert advice in relation to facilitating and requirements in forming consortia, partnerships or other group alliances for Potential Applicants

7 November 2012, 5.00 pm (Canberra time)

Last day for requests to the Departmentfor further information on the RJCP funding application process. There will be no obligation for the Department to answer questions received after this date

14 November 2012, 5.30 pm (Canberra time)

Closing Date and Time for applications to be lodged through AusTender in response to this EOI

November 2012 Evaluation of applications. The evaluation phase will also include facilitating and strengthening potential Funding Recipient capacity within a Remote Region where this is identified as a need during the evaluation phase

November 2012 Financial Viability evaluations of select Applicants who have been contacted by the Department

November 2012 to January 2013 Negotiation with potential Funding Recipients and gap filling where it is identified that there is no successful Applicant to conduct RJCP Activities (if required)

December 2012 to February 2013 Outcomes of RJCP funding application process announced

January to June 2013 Strengthening Funding Recipients’ capacity for successful delivery of RJCP

January to March 2013 Despatch of Funding Agreements to successful Funding Recipients

February to April 2013 Debriefing sessions available to unsuccessful Applicants

1 July 2013 Start date of Activities by Successful Funding Recipients (following the execution of the Funding Agreement)


CONTENTSEXPRESSION OF INTERESTCHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 OVERVIEW 11.2 BACKGROUND 11.3 THE SCOPE AND PURPOSE 11.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE REMOTE JOBS AND COMMUNITIES PROGRAM 2

CHAPTER 2 ABOUT THE REMOTE JOBS AND COMMUNITIES PROGRAM 32.1 OVERVIEW 32.2 KEY FEATURES 32.3 ROLE OF THE RJCP FUNDING RECIPIENTS—REMOTE EMPLOYMENT AND PARTICIPATION ACTIVITIES 42.4 WHO CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE REMOTE EMPLOYMENT AND PARTICIPATION ACTIVITIES? 52.5 HOW AND WHEN DOES A JOB SEEKER OR CDEP WAGE RECIPIENT START PARTICIPATING IN THE RJCP? 62.6 ACTIVITIES TO BE PROVIDED UNDER THE REMOTE EMPLOYMENT AND PARTICIPATION ACTIVITIES 6

2.6.1 Assistance to be provided to individual job seekers 62.6.2 Employer engagement and economic development 112.6.3 Assistance to be provided to communities in the Remote Region 12

2.7 PAYMENTS 132.7.1 Activity Payments 132.7.2 Job Placement Payments 142.7.3 Outcome Payments 14

2.8 REMOTE YOUTH LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT CORPS 162.8.1 Objective of Remote Youth Leadership and Development Corps (Youth Corps) 162.8.2 Activities under the Youth Corps 162.8.3 Allocation of Youth Corps Places 192.8.4 Youth Corps Payments 19

2.9 PERFORMANCE FRAMEWORK 192.9.1 Key Performance Indicators 192.9.2 Assessing Performance 202.9.3 Overall Performance Rating 202.9.4 Community and Industry Consultation 202.9.5 Unsatisfactory Performance 20

2.10 PROGRAM EVALUATION 212.11 CONDITIONS OF FUNDING AND COMPLIANCE 22

2.11.1 Compliance with the Funding Agreement requirements 222.11.2 Provision of Financial Statements 222.11.3 Insurance 222.11.4 Privacy and Complaint Handling 22

2.12 FREEDOM OF INFORMATION 222.13 REMOTE REGION INFORMATION 23

2.13.1 Remote Regions 232.13.2 Excised non-Remote Areas and other non-Remote areas 23

2.14 TRANSITION ARRANGEMENTS 232.14.1 Transition overview and principles 23


2.14.2 Continuity of JSA, DES, CDEP and IEP services 242.14.3 Job seeker connection to RJCP Funding Recipients 242.14.4 Communications 25

CHAPTER 3 APPLYING FOR THE REMOTE JOBS AND COMMUNITIES PROGRAM 273.1 APPLYING TO CONDUCT THE RJCP 28

3.1.1 Conducting RJCP Activities 283.1.2 Coverage of Remote Regions 283.1.3 Arrangements for conducting Activities to communities within a Remote Region 29

3.2 RESPONDING TO SELECTION CRITERIA 293.2.1 Selection criteria 293.2.2 Supporting Documents 313.2.3 Referee Reports 313.2.4 Language and Measurement 32

3.3 EVALUATION OF APPLICATIONS 323.3.1 Evaluation overview 323.3.2 Evaluation process 323.3.3 Contacting Organisations 343.3.4 Capacity to enter into a Funding Agreement 343.3.5 Execution of Funding Agreement 353.3.6 Debriefing 35

CHAPTER 4 FUNDING APPLICATION PROCESS 364.1 PRINCIPLES SUPPORTING THE RJCP FUNDING APPLICATION PROCESS 364.2 FUNDING APPLICATION PROCESS 36

4.2.1 Professional advice and future matters 364.2.2 Probity 364.2.3 AusTender 36

4.3 ELIGIBILITY TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION 374.3.1 Australian Government Departments, Employees and Agents of Australian Government Departments 374.3.2 Types of Entities 37

4.4 APPLICATION LODGEMENT 384.4.1 Application lodgement conditions 384.4.2 Further information before the Closing Date and Time 384.4.3 The Department’s answers to requests for further information 384.4.4 Closing Date and Time 384.4.5 Incomplete applications 39

4.5 APPLICANT’S INFORMATION 394.6 ENTERING INTO A FUNDING AGREEMENT WITH THE DEPARTMENT 39

4.6.1 Draft Funding Agreement 394.6.2 Offers to remain open 39

APPENDIX A GLOSSARY 40


HANDBOOKPART H 1 CONDITIONS OF LODGEMENT 44

H 1.1 RESPONSIBILITY OF APPLICANTS 44H 1.2 CHANGING OR WITHDRAWING APPLICATIONS 44H 1.3 PROOF OF LODGEMENT OF APPLICATION 44H 1.4 FUTURE MATTERS 44

PART H 2 AUSTENDER 45PART H 3 ELIGIBILITY TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION 45

H 3.1 GROUP APPLICATIONS 45H 3.2 SUBCONTRACTING ARRANGEMENTS 46H 3.3 FOREIGN COMPANIES 46H 3.4 CONFLICT OF INTEREST 46H 3.5 IMPROPER INFLUENCE 47H 3.6 IMPROPER ASSISTANCE 47H 3.7 COMPETITIVE NEUTRALITY 47

PART H 4 EOI INFORMATION 47H 4.1 OWNERSHIP OF APPLICATIONS 47H 4.2 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION 47

PART H 5 COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS AND THE DEPARTMENT’S RIGHTS AND LIABILITIES 48H 5.1 COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAW AND POLICY 48H 5.2 THE DEPARTMENT’S RIGHTS AND LIABILITIES 48

PART H 6 ENTERING INTO A FUNDING AGREEMENT WITH THE DEPARTMENT 50H 6.1 DRAFT FUNDING AGREEMENT 50H 6.2 GUIDELINES WHICH SET OUT FURTHER DETAIL ON FUNDING AGREEMENT OBLIGATIONS 50

PART H 7 FINANCIAL VIABILITY AND OTHER CHECKS 50APPENDIX A PRO FORMA OF ELECTRONIC APPLICATION 51APPENDIX B SELECTION CRITERIA FOR THE RJCP ACTIVITIES 62APPENDIX C REFEREE REPORT FORM 65APPENDIX D INFORMATION GUIDE FOR APPLICATION 67APPENDIX E ACCESS TO THE DEPARTMENT’S IT SYSTEMS 76APPENDIX F COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL FOR THE REMOTE JOBS AND COMMUNITIES

PROGRAM 79APPENDIX G FINANCIAL AND CREDENTIALS INFORMATION FORM 82APPENDIX H SUBCONTRACTORS CREDENTIALS INFORMATION FORM 96


CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION1.1 OVERVIEWThe Remote Jobs and Communities Program (RJCP) aims to achieve personal, social and economic development through active participation, jobs and stronger communities in remote Australia.

The RJCP is a jobs-first approach—which supports individuals to participate to their capacity in employment and training and activities that contribute to the strength and sustainability of their community.

The RJCP is part of the Australian Government’s commitment to the Closing the Gap strategy agreed in 2008 by the Council of Australian Governments, and is consistent with the Indigenous Economic Development Strategy 2011-18 which provides a framework for Australian Government initiatives supporting Indigenous economic participation.

The RJCP is based on community ownership and involvement; it will encourage and promote collaborative, community-driven approach to conducting employment and participation activities.

The RJCP will be managed byThe Department .

1.2 BACKGROUNDIn 2011, the Government undertook wide consultations to review the way that employment and participation services are currently delivered in remote Australia. On 26 April 2012, in response to feedback from people and communities, it announced a new Remote Jobs and Communities Program.

The RJCP will commence on 1 July 2013 in remote Australia and will provide a more integrated, flexible and responsive program to help break down the barriers to employment and participation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous people in remote Australia. The new program of activities will replace the services currently provided in Remote Regions by Job Services Australia (JSA), Disability Employment Services (DES), the Indigenous Employment Program (IEP) and the Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) program. It will provide a single point of contact for job seekers and employers in every Remote Region, and will have a greater focus on adapting activities to local requirements and opportunities.

Funding for the RJCP is over five years and includes three components:

$1.1 billion for a demand-driven Remote Employment and Participation Activities to support and continue community development and help people build the foundational and life skills they need to take up available jobs. Included is a $500 million Participation Account to support the cost of purchasing goods and services for job seekers

$89 million for a new Remote Youth Leadership and Development Corps providing 12,000 places over five years for young people, and

$240 million for a Community Development Fund (CDF) to provide funding for larger community development activities and strengthening community capacity.

1.3 THE SCOPE AND PURPOSE The purpose of this document is to detail the arrangements for the administration and conduct of two components of the RJCP as a discretionary grants program:

Remote Employment and Participation Activities, and Remote Youth Leadership and Development Corps (Youth Corps).

These Guidelines for Remote Participation and Employment Activities and Youth Corps include the requirements which need to be satisfied for RJCP program funding to be granted to selected RJCP Funding Recipients to undertake activities under these two components. The Guidelines also provide information on

Remote Jobs and Communities Program 2013–2018 7

the process for submitting and evaluating applications in response to the EOI, timelines and conditions of funding.

The Government may amend these Guidelines at its discretion. Information concerning changes to the Guidelines are posted on the http://employment.gov.au/remote-jobs-and-communities-program website.

Note: Separate program guidelines will be issued for the CDF , and separate applications for funding will need to be made for funding under the CDF. This EOI document contains the RJCP Guidelines and the funding application for the purpose of the Commonwealth Grant Guidelines. You must read the whole document and ensure your application complies with the requirements.

1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE REMOTE JOBS AND COMMUNITIES PROGRAMThe RJCP will help people in Remote Regions to get and keep jobs and ensure that people who are not working are participating in activities that contribute to developing strong and sustainable communities. Job seekers will be assisted into employment or will participate in community development activities according to their participation requirements and the level of their assessed work capacity.

The program’s detailed objectives are:

promoting better functioning communities though community development and participation, economic development and strengthening community capacity

increasing active participation of all job seekers and volunteers in remote communities—the goal will be for all job seekers and volunteers to be participating to the level of their capacity

providing community participation activities and other support activities that build life and foundational skills essential for job readiness

improving access to education, training and other assistance to help people overcome vocational and non-vocational barriers to employment

helping more people into employment maximising local employment opportunities for communities through strategies to build employer

demand and foster economic development, and supporting people who want to move to new locations where there are greater opportunities to take

up employment.

The RJCP works towards Closing the Gap on Indigenous disadvantage and supports sustainable futures for all people living in Remote areas of Australia.


http://employment.gov.au/remote-jobs-and-communities-program

CHAPTER 2 ABOUT THE REMOTE JOBS AND COMMUNITIES PROGRAM

2.1 OVERVIEW The Remote Jobs and Communities Program (RJCP) will be conducted in identified Remote Regions. These Remote Regions are available at http://employment.gov.au/employment-services-procurement-information. It is intended that there will be one Funding Recipient for each Remote Region who will be required to maintain a permanent presence (at least one full-time office) in the Remote Region they are conducting the RJCP.

2.2 KEY FEATURESThe main elements of the RJCP are:

the Remote Employment and Participation Activities providing:o an integrated program with a single Funding Recipient conducting Activities in a Remote

Region, with a permanent presence in that Remote Region. This will replace the existing employment services, which have much larger servicing regions which rely mostly on outreach servicing

o personalised support for job seekers with more access to skills development and training linked to their needs and local job opportunities

o employer engagement to identify opportunities and establish career pathways for job seekers, and

o meaningful participation activities so job seekers and volunteers have the opportunity to contribute to their community

the Remote Youth Leadership and Development Corps (Youth Corps) to help young people transition successfully from school to work and build foundation and vocational skills, and

Funding Recipients and communities working together to identify the strategies and facilities needed to address barriers to employment and participation, and to develop a Community Action Plan (CAP) to ensure significant community ownership and involvement in the RJCP.

The Community Development Fund (CDF) is to help communities build the strong social and economic foundations that lead to opportunities in the wider economy. The CDF is not part of this document. Separate program guidelines in relation to the CDF will be issued .

Figure 1: Main elements of the new RJCP


http://employment.gov.au/employment-services-procurement-information


2.3 ROLE OF THE RJCP FUNDING RECIPIENTS—REMOTE EMPLOYMENT AND PARTICIPATION ACTIVITIES

RJCP Funding Recipients will provide Activities and support for job seekers, employers and their local communities.

Through the Remote Employment and Participation Activities, RJCP Funding Recipients will:

help all eligible job seekers and CDEP wage recipients (see Section 2.4 of the EOI for eligibility requirements) by providing individual integrated case management and support to build their ‘job readiness’ and make them more employable over the longer term to lead them into sustainable employment or small business development

management of CDEP wages for CDEP wage recipients provide community participation that actively engage people and are of value to the community actively assist job-ready job seekers to obtain employment in the local region, community or in other

locations (should they wish to move to take up opportunities elsewhere in Australia whether in Remote or non-Remote locations)

provide or connect people to appropriate accredited and non-accredited training including foundational and life skills, which relates to areas of potential work

ensure job seekers on income support and participants on CDEP wages are aware of their participation and compliance obligations, monitor their participation in activities and contact job seekers or participants who fail to meet their obligations

for job seekers on Activity Tested income support, report non-compliance to the Department of Human Services (DHS) if compliance action is considered the best means of securing job seeker’s re-engagement in active participation

for CDEP wage recipients, ensure that the ‘No Work, No Pay’ rule is enforced establish clear complaints management processes to ensure job seekers and community members

are able to raise concerns with the Funding Recipient. This should include a clear way to escalate these concerns back to the Department should the Funding Recipient’s internal review of the complaint not resolve the issue, and

create a governance structure to ensure that elders and community leaders are involved in planning aspects of the RJCP.

To contribute to employment and economic development, as part of the Remote Employment and Participation Activities, the RJCP Funding Recipient will:

build stronger linkages and work with employers to up-skill, match and place suitable job seekers into employment and identify future employment opportunities

understand the requirements of employers, ensuring job seekers are trained according to the needs of the labour market

assist people and communities to develop small businesses or social enterprises or strengthen community capacity for established enterprises to become unsubsidised and sustainable, and

develop a local Workforce Development Strategy for the Remote Region. The Strategy will focus on employment and the development of local people (including by the Funding Recipient’s own organisation and partners) and will be referenced in the CAP.

The RJCP Funding Recipient will also:

work in partnership with communities to develop, and keep up to date, a CAP, which sets out each community’s specific needs and goals, and how the community and Funding Recipient will work to achieve them. RJCP Funding Recipients will commence engagement with communities and develop


the CAPs from early 2013. The CAP will provide detail on the participation activities that could be undertaken in communities and will draw on existing community and local plans

work in partnership with community organisations in their Remote Region to develop and conduct activities that suit both the needs of individual job seekers and the unique circumstances of the Remote Region, and

work with communities to develop proposals to access funding under the CDF, and work with government agencies at all levels to identify additional sources of support for communities in maximising employment, participation and community development outcomes. Proposals should, where possible, be consistent with the directions identified in the CAPs.

The RJCP Funding Recipient will establish at least one full-time site in each Remote Region where they are providing Activities with sufficient additional sites (full-time, part-time or outreach) to provide Activities across each Remote Region.

2.4 WHO CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE REMOTE EMPLOYMENT AND PARTICIPATION ACTIVITIES?

All eligible job seekers on income support and CDEP wages, as well as community volunteers living in designated Remote Regions, can participate in the Remote Employment and Participation Activities.

RJCP Funding Recipients will be required to assist all eligible job seekers and eligible volunteers in the Remote Region in which they are conducting RJCP Activities.

Job seekers and volunteers eligible for Remote Employment and Participation Activities are:

recipients of Newstart Allowance, Youth Allowance (other) and Parenting Payment who are subject to the Activity Test requirements or participation requirements, including parents and people with a disability with part-time participation requirements

people on CDEP wages people in receipt of another qualifying Government income support payment such as Disability

Support Pension, Parenting Payment (Single or Partnered) or Carer Payment who are not subject to participation requirements but who volunteer for program participation

people not on income support who are identified via an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) as having disability (if they are identified as having disability and partial work capacity via an ESAt)

young people aged 15-21 years who are not employed for more than 15 hours a week or in full-time education and not in receipt of income support

vulnerable young people who are full-time students (aged 15-21 years who present to their Funding Recipient in crisis and have at least one serious non-vocational barrier), and

prisoners with approved day or partial release by their correctional institution to engage in paid work through a work-release program.

Other people residing in Remote Regions can also volunteer for the RJCP. The contribution of volunteers forms an integral part of strengthening community capacity under the new model. Volunteering activities will help to maximise social and economic participation in communities, which supports the aims of the new model to achieve stable and sustainable community development by offering every person the opportunity to participate in meaningful activities suited to their needs and capacity. Volunteering strengthens the capacity of the community as well as the individual. Volunteering may include activities such as assisting at schools, providing child care, painting, gardening or other community-support activities.

While volunteers may also fully participate in the RJCP at the discretion of the Funding Recipient, the Funding Recipient will not receive RJCP Activity and Outcome Payments or Participation Account credits and payments for these voluntary participants.


Funding Recipients must not accept overseas visitors on working holiday visas or people who are prohibited by law from working in Australia as volunteers.

Operational guidelines will be published on arrangements and eligibility where job seekers are moving between Remote and non-Remote locations.

2.5 HOW AND WHEN DOES A JOB SEEKER OR CDEP WAGE RECIPIENT START PARTICIPATING IN THE RJCP?

All job seekers on income support and CDEP wage recipients residing in remote areas will be transitioned to the RJCP Funding Recipient on 1 July 2013.

From July 2013, job seekers may register with the RJCP Funding Recipient directly or through DHS (Centrelink).

Job seekers who connect through DHS (Centrelink) will be referred to the RJCP Funding Recipient conducting Activities in the Remote Region in which they live. Job seekers who register directly with an RJCP Funding Recipient will, if appropriate, be also referred to DHS (Centrelink) to ensure they are receiving their full entitlement of income support.

A job seeker on income support or a CDEP wage recipient, starts in the RJCP after they have registered with DHS (Centrelink) or their Funding Recipient as ‘looking for work’ and have attended an initial appointment with their Funding Recipient.

A job seeker may be suspended from RJCP Activities where DHS (Centrelink) notifies the RJCP Funding Recipient that the job seeker has an exemption from participation.

No Show, No Pay

Job seekers in receipt of Activity Tested income support payments, such as Newstart and Youth Allowance, have strict participation requirements under the Social Security Act 1991. Like Australians in non-Remote locations, the Government’s ‘No Show, No Pay’ approach will apply to job seekers in Remote Regions if they have participation requirements. These job seekers will risk having their payments suspended if they fail to participate in the program without a reasonable excuse.

CDEP wage recipients will be paid for actual hours of participation. ‘No Work, No Pay’ arrangements will apply and they will not be eligible for payment if they stop participating in the RJCP Activities. Funding Recipients will directly manage the compliance arrangements for CDEP wage recipients.

2.6 ACTIVITIES TO BE PROVIDED UNDER THE REMOTE EMPLOYMENT AND PARTICIPATION ACTIVITIES

2.6.1 Assistance to be provided to individual job seekersRJCP Funding Recipients will conduct tailored Activities to job seekers in the Remote Region that are identified in their Funding Agreement. Each job seeker, including CDEP wage recipients, will be required to participate to the level of their capacity and according to their Activity Test or participation requirements detailed in their Participation Plan.

All Activities should be conducted within a framework that recognises and is sensitive to all factors relevant to the individual, for example, cultural and community context, type and nature of any disability, parental and caring responsibilities, age, cultural and linguistic diversity, skills and experience.

RJCP Funding Recipients will support job seekers and CDEP wage recipients through a range of Activities which will include:

an initial appointment regular assessments of their employment and participation barriers and needs


an individually tailored Participation Plan that sets out the assistance they will receive and the activities they will participate in to move into employment or towards job readiness. The Plan will be reviewed and updated regularly and will be consistent with the needs of the job seeker and in line with the CAP. The Plan will contain activities that will help job seekers meet their Activity Test or participation requirements under the Social Security Act 1991 or their obligations as CDEP wage recipients, where relevant

regular face-to-face meetings (at least monthly) to discuss progress and review activities job matching and referrals to jobs for the job ready job seekers through one-on-one help in applying

for jobs and preparing for interviews assistance with self-employment training and development (not including direct financial assistance

or seed funding for businesses) arranging work experience (including group-based work experience activities) appropriate for the

local labour market and job seekers skill level mentoring, post placement and on-the-job training and support to assist job seekers with keeping

jobs assistance if job seekers want to move to take up jobs, including arranging post-placement support

and in-job mentoring to help people stay in jobs while at the same time maintaining linkages with their community

arranging appropriate activities for CDEP wage recipients working in partnership with DHS (Centrelink) to ensure job seekers on income support or CDEP

wages are aware of their obligations monitoring job seekers’ participation in activities, contacting job seekers who fail to meet their

obligations and reporting to DHS (Centrelink) where job seekers receiving Activity Tested income support payments do not undertake their agreed activities

monitoring CDEP wage recipients’ activities and enforcing the ‘No Show, No Pay’ rule developing and managing participation activities that enable meaningful contribution to

communities in line with the CAP and improve a job seekers’ employability supporting and encouraging job seekers (in partnership with DHS (Centrelink)) including those with

multiple barriers impacting on their ability to participate providing tailored employment assistance to job seekers with disability that takes into account their

disability, its effect on their capacity to work and considers any multiple barriers assessing the impact of disability on job seekers’ capacity to find and maintain employment and

focusing on addressing their vocational and non-vocational barriers, building their capacity to work and providing relevant support in a workplace, and

referral to DHS (Centrelink) if necessary for specialist assessment, for example, to determine partial work capacity or eligibility for Disability Support Pension.

The RJCP Funding Recipient will monitor a job seeker’s activities and participation and will work in partnership with DHS (Centrelink) to identify and action a job seeker’s non-compliance in an appropriate timeframe where this is considered the best means of securing a job seeker’s re-engagement in active participation.

2.6.1.1 Support and Community Participation Activities RJCP Funding Recipients and communities will work together to identify and conduct community participation activities, training and skills and other support that build employability skills and contribute to the community. These activities which can be undertaken by eligible job seekers, will be in line with the CAP and could include but are not limited to:

building foundational and life skills, instilling basic work habits, and improving literacy and numeracy skills


assistance to overcome non-vocational barriers, for example alcohol and drug addiction rehabilitation

support for young people to make a successful transition from education to work through a new flagship Youth Corps

vocational training and skills acquisition community participation activities, for example:

o community history and cultural activitieso building IT capacityo restoring community infrastructure and amenity (such as community halls)o developing community information and education products/resourceso child care and aged careo volunteer work within the community or with not-for-profit organisationso paid or unpaid work experience placements with employerso social enterprises and not-for-profit organisationso environmental activities such as restoration and rehabilitationo community kitchens and nutrition programso men’s and women’s programs aimed at assisting and engaging people in the community and

labour forceo good parenting skills programs, and

activities that support economic development such as intermediate labour markets and social enterprises.

These community participation activities may also be undertaken by volunteers from the community.

2.6.1.2 Training and Foundational SkillsJob seekers, including CDEP wage recipients will have access to a range of vocational education and training programs and activities, which Funding Recipients will facilitate. This may include a mixture of training provided by public and private Registered Training Organisations (RTOs); this may include a Funding Recipient’s own organisation (if an RTO).

Funding Recipients will make use of a range of existing Government foundation skills, pre-vocational and work-skills training to assist job seekers, including:

Language Literacy and Numeracy Program (LLNP) Workplace English Language and Literacy Program (WELL) Australian Apprenticeship Centres (AAC) Australian Apprenticeship Access Program (Access Program) Youth Connections, and financial literacy programs and the Australian Security and Investments Commission (ASIC) which

assist individuals to make informed and effective decisions through their understanding of finances and to adopt good money practices for the buying, selling or exchanging of products and services.

2.6.1.3 Job search facilities for job-ready job seekers To help job seekers search for work, the Department will support Funding Recipients to allow reasonable access to job search facilities at each full-time site. A job search facility includes a personal computer or similar device with broadband internet connectivity, printer and other equipment, including consumables, and any maintenance to ensure the availability of the facility to job seekers. The Department will, after the Funding Agreement commencement date and after 1 July each year, pay up to $3000 for each job search facility.


Direct funding will give Funding Recipients the flexibility to source the most appropriate equipment for individual business needs. Funding of up to $3000 per job search facility per year will give Funding Recipients the opportunity to purchase required equipment or enter into lease arrangements with a supplier of their choosing to gain the best value for money.

The Funding Recipient will be expected to advise all job seekers assessed as job-ready of the use, availability and location of these job search facilities and allow reasonable access to these at the RJCP sites during business hours.

2.6.1.4 Participation AccountThe Participation Account will be a flexible pool of funds held by the Department for each Funding Recipient to access to help pay for activities and interventions.

Funding Recipients will be able to seek reimbursement from the Participation Account. When a job seeker, and CDEP wage recipient starts with an RJCP Funding Recipient, the Participation Account will be credited a set amount. There will be higher Participation Account credits for job seekers with partial work capacity.

Funding Recipients must not commit to expenditure from the Participation Account where credits are not available. Participation Account credits are outlined in Table 2.1.

Table 2.1: Participation Account Credits

Type of Credit Job seekers Amount (GST inclusive)

When credited

Initial credit All eligible job seekers, except partial work capacity job seekers

$2750 On commencement in the RJCP

Partial work capacity job seekers

$3300 On commencement in the RJCP

12 months of activity credit

All eligible job seekers including partial work capacity job seekers

$2200 Once the job seeker has participated in 12 months of RJCP Activities conducted by the RJCP Funding Recipient

Generally, initial or annual credits (i.e. after 12 months in RJCP Activities) will not be re-credited if a job seeker moves to another Remote or non-Remote Region or exits the RJCP and returns within 12 months since the previous Participation Account credit. Detailed operational guidelines will be published on arrangements and credits where job seekers are moving between Remote Regions or between Remote and non-Remote locations.

Funding Recipients will be given flexibility in making decisions on the goods and services purchased through the Participation Account. However, the basic principle that must guide the Funding Recipient’s decision in using the Participation Account is that the Participation Account can be used to purchase any reasonable interventions that seek to increase a job seeker’s and CDEP wage recipients employability, overcome vocational and non-vocational barriers to employment, or fund community participation activities that are of benefit to the community. Examples of activities and interventions that could be funded through the Participation Account include:

travel assistance relocation assistance mentoring and post-placement support work clothing, safety equipment and uniforms


wage subsidies labour hire arrangements work tools and tickets and licences medical (including medication), dental and optical services mental health services and support assistance to overcome non-vocational barriers, for example alcohol and drug addiction

rehabilitation, counselling and other rehabilitation services building foundational, life skills, instilling basic work habits, and improving literacy and numeracy

skills support for young people to make a successful transition from education to work personal development courses small business development assistance rent and crisis accommodation vocational training and skills acquisition community participation activities (as outlined above) cost of food and utilities for job seekers in specified circumstances, and meeting the cost of group activities such as training and work experience, including mentoring and

materials.

There will be strict guidelines for Funding Recipients restricting the use of the Participation Account in purchasing large assets such as vehicles, large plant and equipment and buildings and for any other large expenditure.

2.6.1.5 People with disabilityPeople with disability will receive tailored assistance, which takes into account their capacity for work, including additional support services which could be funded by their Funding Recipient through the Participation Account.

Funding Recipients will work with employers to seek new opportunities and create employment pathways for people with disability, negotiating the necessary flexibilities into individual job design, to successfully accommodate a person with disability in the workplace.

Funding Recipients will also be able, when conducting RJCP Activities to people with disability, to access the following nationally available services for people with disability and their employers:

the Employment Assistance Fund—financial assistance for work-related equipment, modifications and services

the JobAccess Service—a free information and advice service offering practical workplace solutions, including the full range of Australian Government services for the employment of people with disability, including mental illness, and

the Supported Wage System—a workplace relations instrument that allows eligible job seekers with disability to be paid a productivity-based wage.

Job seekers with partial work capacity will attract higher initial credits into the Participation Account to contribute to the higher cost of conducting activities for these job seekers.

2.6.2 Employer engagement and economic development


Effective employer engagement is a key element of the RJCP with employers ranging from private-sector businesses, large and small, to all levels of government. Developing good linkages with employers will help to ensure that Funding Recipients can develop strategies to meet employer needs and identify economic development opportunities.

Funding Recipients will need to work with employers to identify emerging job opportunities and the skills needed to do these jobs. Funding Recipients will support employers to provide on-the-job training including in foundational skills, basic work skills and literacy and numeracy training. There will need to be sufficient lead time so that the skills of remote job seekers can be developed to the levels required by employers. This means that training will be for real jobs, not ‘maybe’ jobs—and not ‘training for training’s sake’.

Using the Participation Account, Funding Recipients will have the capacity to provide wage subsidies or packages of support for employers to secure work opportunities and provide incentives for employers to take on local job seekers.

Detailed guidelines will be available on the levels of Indigenous wage subsidies and the rules applicable to the types and duration of subsidised employment.

Funding Recipients might also work with local employers to establish regional industry-specific labour hire arrangements, particularly in the resources and mining, construction and the pastoral industries or use other innovative approaches to tap into local and neighbouring labour markets.

Funding Recipients will also work with employers to support activities such as establishment, development or expansion of local businesses and economic development opportunities, including social enterprises which might be funded from the Participation Account or CDF and can help to create ongoing jobs or offer training and work experience as pathways to employment, which are often required for people who face complex barriers to finding or retaining paid work.

Funding Recipients will work with local communities, organisations and businesses to build on existing cultural infrastructure that incorporate cultural diversity, new ideas and the uniqueness of remote communities.

What is social enterprise?

Social enterprises are variously defined. The most recent study on social enterprise in Australia adopted a definition that they are organisations led by an economic, social, cultural, or environmental mission consistent with a public or community benefit, which:

trade to fulfil their mission derive a substantial portion of their income from trade, and reinvest the majority of their profit/surplus in the fulfilment of their mission.

Social enterprises may also engage the community in identifying ways of overcoming barriers to participation and employment as well as recognising and building on community strengths.

Funding Recipients will also be responsible for identifying work opportunities for participants in the Youth Corps.

2.6.2.1 Workforce Development Strategy The RJCP Workforce Development Strategy will be developed by the Funding Recipient in the first six months after the program’s start and agreed with the Department. It must explain how employers will be engaged and employment opportunities identified that provide opportunities to job seekers in Remote Regions, particularly to participants in the Youth Corps. The RJCP Workforce Development Strategy will contribute to the CAP.

The Workforce Development Strategy will identify local employment opportunities and will also drive Youth Corps participant selection and the activities conducted. The Workforce Development Strategy will also cover


Funding Recipients’ internal processes to employ and develop local people to work in the Funding Recipient’s own organisation and its related entities.

The Workforce Development Strategy should also identify linkages to opportunities outside the local area such as fly-in fly-out employment. The types of employment opportunities should include part-time and full-time work that link to longer term or sustainable employment pathways wherever possible. The Workforce Development Strategy should also identify other employment opportunities such as seasonal, project or volunteer work that would provide relevant work experience for Youth Corps participants and other local job seekers.

The Workforce Development Strategy will also identify any future skilled and semi-skilled jobs that are likely to be available in the community and Remote Region in the medium to long-term. In this regard, the program activities under the strategy could include, tailored literacy and numeracy training, industry-specific foundation skills, work experience and study skills required to prepare participants for formal training and future work in the relevant industry.

The Workforce Development Strategy will provide a framework for working with employers both within and outside the Remote Region to build employer confidence in the Youth Corps and to achieve employment outcomes for participants.

Innovation and flexibility is encouraged; however, at a minimum, the Workforce Development Strategy should demonstrate that the Funding Recipient has considered:

employers in the Remote Region including future projects or changes in the labour market the activities it plans to undertake to build employer confidence and engagement with the RJCP, and

particularly with Youth Corps (this may include site visits or work experience) a realistic number of Youth Corps places it could be assumed may result in employment, training

outcomes or re-engagement with school for early school leavers the skills, training and knowledge required by local job seekers and Youth Corps participants to take

up the employment opportunities identified mobility assistance required to enable job seekers and Youth Corps participants to access

employment or work experience opportunities outside the community, and how the Funding Recipient will link with other programs aimed at youth engagement such as Youth

Connections and School and Business Community Partnership Brokers.

2.6.3 Assistance to be provided to communities in the Remote Region2.6.3.1 Community Action PlansFunding Recipients will work with their communities to identify within their Remote Region unique issues, and the strategies and facilities they require to address these issues, in their CAP.

The design of the CAP will reflect the Remote Regions and communities for which it is associated. At the highest level the CAP will set out the demographics of the Remote Region and the communities within it and outline the employment, participation and community development opportunities that exist in these areas and the barriers to participation and employment. The CAP will assist communities, Funding Recipients and government to identify the opportunities for employment and participation, additional sources of funding for community initiatives and strategies to strengthen the capacity of communities and individuals over time. CAPs will form part of the basis on which funding decisions are made in relation to the CDF. Each of the Plans will need to be approved by the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Minister for Disability Reform.

RJCP Funding Recipients will work in partnership with communities in the Remote Region and Government representatives including Government Engagement Coordinators, Indigenous Engagement Officers and Indigenous Coordination Centres within their Remote Region in the ongoing development and


implementation of the CAP.

CAPs will build on existing community level plans as they relate to the scope of the RJCP. It is anticipated that Funding Recipients will work with communities to develop CAPs prior to program commencement on 1 July 2013 and will become a living document that would be updated at least annually or when needed.

Detailed guidance for developing CAPs, including key principles and expectations is currently under development and further information will be made available in early 2013.

2.6.3.2 Community Development FundA separate CDF of $240 million over five years, approved by the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Minister for Disability Reform, will provide funding for larger community development activities and community capacity strengthening projects that will help communities build the strong social foundations that lead to stronger participations outcomes and better economic opportunities.

The CDF will support transformational community development projects, consistent with the CAP, which will provide community development, employment, training and participation opportunities for local people. The criteria for assessing proposals will include the extent to which projects support worthwhile community participation activities and employment and education outcomes including the development of social enterprises. The detailed operation of the CDF is currently under development and further information on its operation will be made available in early 2013.

Separate program guidelines and a separate application for funding process will be issued by DSS in relation to the CDF funding.

Funding Recipients will be expected to assist communities in preparing proposals for projects that may be supported by the CDF. These projects should emphasise the contribution they will make to employment, participation and community development and their alignment to the CAP.

2.7 PAYMENTS 2.7.1 Activity PaymentsActivity Payments will be paid in advance to Funding Recipients for each 13 weeks of Activities commenced by job seekers and CDEP wage recipients. Table 2.2 outlines the annual Activity Payments to be paid to Funding Recipients. These Activity Payments cover the cost of conducting activities to job seekers as outlined in Section 2.6 above (except those expressly related to Job Placements and Outcomes).

In addition to the annual Activity Payment, RJCP Funding Recipients delivering Activities to CDEP wage recipients will also receive an additional annual service fee paid quarterly and in advance.

The Funding Agreement and supportive operational guidelines will be published on arrangements and Payments where job seekers are moving between Remote Regions or between Remote and non-Remote locations to avoid double funding to different Funding Recipients for the same job seeker.

Table 2.2: Annual Activity Payments

Activity Payment Type Quarterly payment(GST inclusive)

Amount per annum

(GST inclusive)

New commencements during first 12 months in the RJCP (including those transitioning from JSA, DES and CDEP)

$687.50 $2750.00

CDEP Wages management $112.50 $450.00

After each 12 months in the RJCP $550.00 $2200.00

2.7.2 Job Placement Payments


Funding Recipients will be paid a Job Placement Payment for job seekers and CDEP wage recipients they assist into jobs. A maximum of four Job Placement Payments per job seeker will be paid each financial year. These payments will not be available where job seekers find their own jobs.

Table 2.3: Job Placement Payments

Job Placement Hours Amount (GST inclusive)

Placement in a job of 15-49 hours over no more than 10 working days for a job seeker with partial capacity to work or with partial participation requirements

$385

Placement in a job of at least 50 hours over no more than 10 working days $550

2.7.3 Outcome PaymentsOutcome Payments will be paid to Funding Recipients when job seekers and CDEP wage recipients achieve employment and education/training outcomes and participation outcomes.

Outcome Payments will be available to Funding Recipients for job seekers and CDEP wage recipients who remain in employment for a minimum of seven weeks, commence an approved education/training course or complete a qualifying education/training course. Outcome Payments are set out in Table 2.4.

There will be three types of Outcomes:

Employment Outcomes Education Outcomes, and Participation Outcomes.

Employment Outcomes could be achieved at two levels—Full and Pathway Outcomes.

Full Employment Outcomes will be paid where a job seeker achieves sustainable employment that enables them to be totally off income support or for people with part-time requirements or partial work capacity enables them to fully meet their work capacity and participation requirements for 7, 13 and 26 week periods.

The Full Outcome requirements vary depending on the job seeker’s individual participation requirements and assessed work capacity, but are generally based on cessation, or substantial reduction of income support or achieving minimum hours of work per week.

Pathway Employment Outcomes will recognise progress towards the achievement of sustainable employment such as part-time work. Pathway Outcomes are payable for 13 and 26 week Outcomes.

The requirements for a Pathway Outcome are less than those for a Full Outcome and recognise progress made towards reduction in income support dependency or progress to full participation.

Education Outcomes will include:

Education Commencement Outcome will be paid to Funding Recipients for job seekers who commence an accredited education/training course at Certificate I or higher, or re-enrols in school, and

Education Completion Outcome will be paid for job seekers who complete an accredited education/training course at Certificate II or higher, or complete one semester of school if assisted by the Funding Recipient to re-enrol or one semester of an education program.

Note: An ‘education program’ means:


the Senior Secondary Certificate of Education as accredited under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) undertaken outside of the secondary school system and is generally delivered by a TAFE or other RTO, and

any other education and training courses advised by the Department from time to time.

Participation Outcome will be paid to Funding Recipients when job seekers and CDEP wage recipients complete an intervention to overcome a non-vocational barrier to employment—for example, drug and alcohol addiction program, counselling to overcome psychological barriers, mental illness interventions, counselling and other interventions which deal with domestic violence/anger management.

These interventions will need to be set out on the Participation Plan for the Outcome to be paid. Only one Participation Outcome will be payable per job seeker and CDEP wage recipient per 12 months of RJCP participation.

Table 2.4: Outcome Payments

Outcomes Duration of the Outcome period Outcome Payment

(GST inclusive)

Employment Outcomes

7 week

Full Any 7 weeks of employment over a maximum of 14 consecutive weeks

$1100 for job seekers with partial work capacity

$825 for all other job seekers

13 week




Pathway Any 13 weeks of employment over a maximum of 26 consecutive weeks

$550

26 week




Pathway Any 26 weeks of employment over a maximum of 52 consecutive weeks

$1100

Education Outcomes

Commencement Commencement of a Certificate I (or higher) qualifying course or school re-enrolment

$275

Completion One semester of secondary school or an education program or a completion of a Certificate II course (or higher)

$2750

Participation Outcome


Outcomes Duration of the Outcome period Outcome Payment

(GST inclusive)

Completion As required to complete a non-vocational intervention

$385

Note: Detailed requirements for Outcome Payments for different job seeker groups will be described in the Funding Agreement.

Note: 7, 13 or 26 weeks of employment do not have to be consecutive and could include breaks in employment or multiple jobs.

2.8 REMOTE YOUTH LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT CORPS 2.8.1 Objective of Remote Youth Leadership and Development Corps

(Youth Corps)The objective of the Youth Corps is to assist young people gain the skills needed to secure sustainable employment either locally or outside the community. Youth Corps is conducted by the RJCP Funding Recipient either directly or through a subcontracting arrangement.

The Youth Corps has 12,000 places over five years for young people aged 24 years and under and has been allocated funding of $89 million. The Youth Corps aims to provide young job seekers in remote communities a clear pathway into employment by helping them get skills and experience needed to secure available and upcoming employment in the Remote Region. Funding Recipients will develop Youth Corps activities in consultation with community leaders and elders.

Youth Corps participants will undertake intensive activities toward becoming job ready, including:

mentoring transition assistance from school and where required, assistance with raising literacy and numeracy

skills and basic employability skills other assistance to overcome vocational and non-vocational barriers to employment an activity or activities that are work focussed and work-like as possible such as unpaid work

experience with an employer, work experience activities that are related to jobs in the community or elsewhere (e.g. mine regeneration work, office work, farm/station work, building and maintaining community facilities/infrastructure, environmental land management/caring for country)

vocational training at the Certificate Level II or equivalent aimed at local jobs, and labour mobility assistance with appropriate post placement support.

Training and work experience opportunities undertaken as part of the Youth Corps placement should equip the participants with competencies of a standard equivalent to Certificate II.

Training may be a mix of classroom based and ‘on-the-job’ training as part of work experience placements. Participants in the Youth Corps will receive intensive support and training tailored to identified sustainable employment opportunities over a 12 month period.

2.8.2 Activities under the Youth Corps2.8.2.1 Participation requirements under the Youth Corps The Youth Corps is an approved program of work. The individual Participation Plans must be updated to include activities being undertaken by the participant in the Youth Corps. The Funding Recipient must facilitate up to 50 hours of activity a fortnight for each job seeker in a place.

Funding Recipients will be required to ensure that eligible Activity Tested job seekers participate in Youth Corps in accordance of their Activity Test requirement.


Funding Recipients will be able to take compliance action in relation to Activity Tested job seekers aged 18 or over where participation in Youth Corps is included as a compulsory item in their Participation Plan. However, they will not be able to do so in relation to job seekers under 18 years because participation in Youth Corps for these job seekers can only be included on a voluntary basis in their Participation Plan. Funding Recipients can exit these job seekers from Youth Corps should they not participate to the level expected.

2.8.2.2 Selection for Youth CorpsThe Funding Recipient will be responsible for making arrangements to find eligible young people to participate in the Youth Corps to fill all places allocated to their Remote Region. RJCP Funding Recipients must use an open and objective process in selecting participants who have the capacity to benefit from the program and are suitable for the employment opportunities identified. Preference should be given to young people under the age of 21, who have not previously been part of the program. The key focus will be on providing the best pathway from school to employment tailored to individual needs.

As well as drawing from young people already in the RJCP, Funding Recipients will be encouraged to engage with schools, other youth programs and local stakeholders such as army reserves or local sports clubs to identify youth not currently registered but who are eligible for the RJCP and who have the capacity to benefit from the Youth Corps.

The RJCP Funding Recipients’ selection process must be considerate of early school leavers and ensure that recruitment strategies in no way encourage young people to leave, disengage or not re-engage with school.

2.8.2.3 EligibilityParticipants must meet the eligibility requirements listed below in order to be considered in the Youth Corps recruitment and selection process.

must be eligible for Remote Employment and Participation Activities (refer to Section 2.4 of the EOI) must be aged 24 years and under at the time of commencement into Youth Corps all State/Territory legislation relating to school leaving age must be adhered to, and individuals must not have participated in the Youth Corps in the previous six months.

The RJCP Funding Recipient will be able to seek to waive eligibility requirements— the Department will consider waiver applications and approve them on a case-by-case basis.

In addition to ensuring that participants meet the eligibility requirements above, the Funding Recipient will be able to propose other requirements which are specific to the opportunities identified in the Workforce Development Strategy. This will ensure that participants have the capacity to benefit from the program and are suitable for and interested in the employment opportunities outlined. In addition, preference should be given to youth under the age of 21 years.

2.8.2.4 Young people who are not eligible Young people are not eligible for Youth Corps if they:

are in full-time employment at the time of assessment are undertaking an Apprenticeship, traineeship or full-time tertiary studies are receiving or undertaking activities under a program that provides similar assistance and activities

to those under the Youth Corps program which cannot be undertaken concurrently, or have been convicted of a violent crime and their conviction is not yet spent.

2.8.2.5 Suspension from the program


The Funding Recipient must immediately notify the Department if any individual, who is either a participant in the program or has contact with young people in the course of their involvement with Youth Corps, is the subject of a charge or allegation relating to:

violence against children any sexual offence any criminal offence involving pornography, or any criminal offence involving the trafficking or dealing of illegal drugs.

If a Youth Corps participant, potential participant or person with an involvement with Youth Corps is the subject of a charge or allegation relating to the above matters, the Funding Recipient must immediately suspend the involvement of that person in Youth Corps until judgement in the matter is handed down, or until the Departmentnotifies that the person can resume involvement in Youth Corps.

The Departmentwill make a decision as to whether an individual who is the subject of a notification in accordance with this guideline can continue to have contact with Youth Corps program. A Funding Recipient will ensure that the individual in question does not participate in, or have contact with, the Youth Corps program while a decision from the Department is pending.

2.8.2.6 Literacy and Numeracy TrainingIt is expected that as a minimum, the Youth Corps will support participants to achieve literacy and numeracy levels required for the employment and/or education opportunities identified in their Workforce Development Strategy.

The RJCP Funding Recipient may provide literacy and numeracy training directly as part of the Youth Corps; alternatively, it may refer job seekers to other literacy programs such as the Workplace English Language and Literacy Programs that focus on workplace needs.

2.8.2.7 MentoringFunding Recipients will be required to provide mentoring to participants under Youth Corps. Mentoring will be tailored to suit individual needs and may be provided one on one or in a group setting. The participant’s Participation Plan will be required to detail the level of contact with mentors and any identified or anticipated issues, including strategies to overcome these issues.

2.8.2.8 Other activitiesThe RJCP Funding Recipient will conduct or arrange activities to build the capacity of participants to access the job opportunities identified in the Workforce Development Strategy. The range of activities available to participants will be tailored to the individual circumstances of each participant and are responsive to employer requirements as identified in the Workforce Development Strategy.

Activities may be undertaken individually or in combination. Activities may include, but are not limited to:

full-time or part time accredited and non accredited study work familiarisation, work readiness, volunteer work or paid and unpaid work experience, and relocation to access employment, education or training opportunities.

2.8.2.9 Uniforms In consultation with the community, the RJCP Funding Recipient may provide a uniform to a Youth Corps participant. The cost of the uniform will be funded from the Youth Corps payments paid to RJCP Funding Recipients. The uniform design may be subject to Australian Government branding guidelines.

2.8.3 Allocation of Youth Corps Places


The Youth Corps will be phased in with a total of 12,000 places offered under the RJCP over the five years of the Funding Agreement. When fully implemented, 3000 places a year will be available.

Table 2.5: Youth Corps Places

Financial Year Number of places available

2013-14 1000

2014-15 2000

2015-16 3000

2016-17 3000

2017-18 3000

RJCP Funding Recipients will be expected to conduct the Youth Corps. In the first year (2013-14) Funding Recipients will be allocated places based on the proportion of eligible youth in the Remote Region registered as ‘looking for work’.

Allocation in future years will take into consideration labour market conditions and Funding Recipients’ performance and the proportion of job seekers aged 24 and under. In determining allocations, the Department may take into account requests made by Funding Recipients as well as the availability of employment opportunities as identified in the Workforce Development Strategy. The Department reserves the right to vary the allocations each year.

2.8.4 Youth Corps Payments In addition to any applicable RJCP Activity and Outcome Payments that the Funding Recipient meets the requirements for, each Youth Corps place will be funded at $7700 (inclusive of GST). Payments are to cover costs associated with conducting Youth Corps activities. Payments will be made in two instalments, over 12 months, linked to the number of places filled, retention in the program and the quality of activities provided.

Only one participant is able to occupy a place at any point in time; however a place is for 12 months and where a place becomes vacant the Funding Recipient is to refill the place in accordance with the eligibility requirements in Section 2.8.2.3 of the EOI.

2.9 PERFORMANCE FRAMEWORKA driving influence behind the reforms to Remote Employment and Participation Activities is to improve participation, engagement, employment and education outcomes achieved for remote job seekers. The Government is committed to continuous improvement in the provision of quality Remote Employment and Participation Activities to achieve these objectives. This will be measured through the Performance Management Framework.

2.9.1 Key Performance IndicatorsThe Performance Management Framework will feature a set of three Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Table 2.6 lists the examples of performance measures falling under each KPI. The final list of detailed performance measures will be determined following community and industry consultation.

Table 2.6: KPIs for the Performance Management Framework


Key Performance Indicator Possible points of measurement

KPI 1: Community engagement and participation

Sign-on to community activities, referrals and commencements, in participation activities, participation and engagement outcomes identified in community plans

Timely preparation and high quality of Workforce Development Strategy and CAP

Level of engagement with employers and other activities in the Remote Region

Active and appropriate use of the CDF and other funding sources for community development

Youth Corps commencements, completions and job placement

KPI 2: Employment and education Number of employment and education outcomes, including outcomes for different clients groups, for example, people with disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander job seekers or young people 24 years and younger

KPI 3: Activity Quality Funding Recipient capability to provide activities over the entire Remote Region, activity provision outcomes, stakeholder and job seeker engagement and governance

Community/job seeker/employer satisfaction with activities

2.9.2 Assessing PerformanceUnder the individual performance measures for KPI 1 and KPI 2, RJCP Funding Recipient performance will be assessed against pre-determined targets. Targets will be agreed between the Department and the Funding Recipient and reported and monitored on a six-monthly basis. Expected levels of performance will be based on past performance data specific to individual Remote Regions (including JSA, DES, IEP and CDEP data). Performance targets will reflect the objective of continuous improvement over the course of the Funding Agreement.

KPI 3 will rely on the collection of qualitative data and information derived from the monitoring of the specific activity provision requirements of the Funding Recipient under the Funding Agreement. It is also expected that regular fieldwork or site visits will be conducted by State Office and Contract Management Staff.

2.9.3 Overall Performance RatingUnlike the JSA and the DES employment services models there will not be a relative, final overall assessment score for RJCP Activities. The Commonwealth, however, reserves the right to combine performance across the KPI 1 and 2 performance measures into a final result and to publish those results.

2.9.4 Community and Industry ConsultationThe specific details of the measures that will be used to assess performance against KPIs 1 and 2 will be finalised following consultation with communities and Funding Recipients.

2.9.5 Unsatisfactory PerformanceIf the Department assesses performance to be unsatisfactory, the Funding Recipient will be contacted and advised in writing as to why the Department deems performance to be unsatisfactory and what action the Department requires the Funding Recipient to undertake.

Some of the reasons for performance being deemed unsatisfactory include, but are not limited to:


not making satisfactory progress towards achieving program objectives across all elements of the RJCP Activity provision

not conducting activities in accordance with the requirements of the Funding Agreement not satisfactorily meeting employment and participation outcomes targets registering and providing Activities to ineligible participants failing to maintain good relationships with communities and/or failing to establish or maintain

effective working relationships with partners, employers or other stakeholders making invalid claims for payment, and incorrect, or incomplete, data entry (including where entries are inconsistent with hard-copy

records) in the Department’s IT Systems.

The Department will use specific strategies for managing unsatisfactory performance, including, but not limited to:

working with the Funding Recipient to identify why they are not meeting their agreed outcomes, and, where appropriate and in agreement with the Department, adjust these outcomes, or determine a plan whereby the Funding Recipient will be able to meet the original agreed outcomes over the next quarter

working with the Funding Recipient to change the strategies they are using to provide Activities in their Remote Region

increased monitoring by the Department, and as a last resort, termination of the Funding Agreement

Any payment due may be deferred and/or reduced pending resolution of the areas of performance deemed unsatisfactory.

2.10 PROGRAM EVALUATIONThe overarching objective of RJCP evaluation is to assess the impact on access to employment services, participation in employment and other activities, and community and economic development in remote Australia. The evaluation will provide early feedback on program implementation across servicing regions. A final report will include an assessment of its appropriateness, effectiveness and efficiency. Key evaluation questions will centre on individual participation and engagement, community development and wellbeing, and youth transitions to employment.

Elements of the evaluation will adopt an action research approach that will engage communities in the design and implementation of local evaluations. Local evaluation requirements will be developed when CAPs are in place.

The evaluation will produce three reports:

a Post Implementation Review report in September 2014. This report evaluates the three tranches of the Implementation

an Interim Evaluation report of the RJCP in September 2015, and a Final Evaluation Report of the RJCP in October 2016 which will inform the policy development

process for the 2017-18 Budget. Community-level evaluation reports and evaluations of specific projects funded under the Community Development Fund are out of scope of the RJCP Program Evaluation.


2.11 CONDITIONS OF FUNDING AND COMPLIANCEIf a delegate decides to approve funding for a successful Applicant to conduct the RJCP Activities, the Department and the Applicant will agree to the terms and conditions for the RJCP Activities in a specific Remote Region by entering into a Funding Agreement. The Funding Agreement is a legally enforceable document which defines the obligations of both parties. The Funding Agreement will generally be five years with up to a further five years based on the financial viability assessments of RJCP Funding Recipients and their performance and subject to sufficient appropriation being available.

2.11.1 Compliance with the Funding Agreement requirementsThe Department will monitor compliance matters such as legislative requirements, fraud, malfeasance, discrimination or other potential breaches of the RJCP Funding Agreement and will raise any concerns in a timely manner.

2.11.2 Provision of Financial StatementsWhere the Department identifies performance or financial viability issues, the Applicant may be requested to provide to the Department a full set of financial statements. If an Applicant is involved in a consortium/subcontracting arrangement this request may include a full set of financial statements from all consortium partners/subcontractors.

2.11.3 InsuranceSuccessful Applicants will be required to obtain and maintain the insurance specified in the Funding Agreement.

2.11.4 Privacy and Complaint HandlingPrivacy

The Department is bound in administering the RJCP by the provisions of the Privacy Act 1988. Section 14 of the Privacy Act contains the Information Privacy Principles (IPPs) which prescribe the rules for handling personal information.

For the period of Commonwealth funding, persons, bodies and organisations involved in the RJCP must abide by the IPPs and the Privacy Act when handling personal information collected for the purposes of the RJCP.

Privacy Complaints and Advice

Complaints about breaches of privacy and requests for advice about privacy should be referred to the Privacy Contact Officer, in the Department’s National Office. Privacy complaints can be made directly to the Federal Privacy Commissioner; however the Federal Privacy Commissioner prefers that the Department be given an opportunity to deal with the complaint in the first instance.

Inquiries about breaches of privacy should be referred by post to:

Privacy Contact OfficerThe DepartmentGPO Box 6500CANBERRA ACT 2600

or by email to [email protected].

2.12 FREEDOM OF INFORMATIONAll documents created or held by the Department with regard to the RJCP are subject to the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act). Unless a document falls under an exemption provision, it will be made available to the general public if requested under the FOI Act.



All FOI requests are to be referred by post to:

Freedom of Information (FOI)The DepartmentGPO Box 6500CANBERRA ACT 2600

or by email to [email protected].

Decisions regarding requests for access will be made by the authorised FOI decision-maker in accordance with the requirements of the FOI Act.

2.13 REMOTE REGION INFORMATION2.13.1 Remote RegionsFor the purposes of applying to conduct RJCP Activities, Australia is divided into Remote Regions. Maps and descriptions of the Remote Regions are provided on the Department of Employment website at http://employment.gov.au/remote-jobs-and-communities-program.

The Department’s preference is for Applicants to apply for business on a whole-of-Remote Region basis but will consider applications to conduct RJCP Activities in part of a Remote Region. Where an Applicant is seeking to only undertake RJCP Activities in part of a Remote Region, they must explain the reason why they are only applying on a part-Remote Region basis. The Department will consider part-Remote Region applications in the context of other applications received and may negotiate with the relevant parties with the aim of achieving the best outcome for job seekers which may include facilitating partnerships or consortia-type arrangements between two or more organisations to conduct the Activities under one legal entity.

For further information, refer to Section 3.3.2 of the EOI.

Where part of a Remote Region is set out in a separate funding agreement with a different Funding Recipient from the balance of the Remote Region, the Department may adjust the Remote Region boundaries to reflect the outcome of the application process.

For further information, refer to Section 3.1.2 of the EOI.

2.13.2 Excised non-Remote Areas and other non-Remote areasIf a job seeker who resides in a Remote Region chooses, rather than participating in RJCP Activities, to access the employment services that are provided in a non-Remote area, the job seeker will be serviced under mainstream JSA or DES under the same arrangements that apply to non-Remote job seekers in the area. That is that job seeker would be serviced by a mainstream JSA or DES Provider on the same basis as other job seekers living in the non-Remote area.

2.14 TRANSITION ARRANGEMENTS2.14.1 Transition overview and principlesThe aim of the RJCP transition is for the smooth transfer of job seekers from the existing employment and participation services in Remote areas to the new RJCP Activities with minimal disruption for job seekers, CDEP wage recipients and communities, employers, mainstream JSA and DES providers and new RJCP Funding Recipients.

The specific RJCP transition objectives are to ensure:

job seekers are moved into the RJCP in a sensitive and timely way job seekers placed in employment and employers providing placements to disadvantaged job

seekers receive continued support




the continuity of job seekers’ participation is not disrupted the four employment services programs that are being replaced by the RJCP continue to provide

employment and participation related services until 30 June 2013 services and assistance to employers is maintained with minimal disruption to job placement and

post placement support activities the appropriate movement of Commonwealth Assets purchased through the existing JSA, DES, CDEP

and IEP services in Remote areas, and the RJCP is ready for commencement on 1 July 2013.

The Department and DSS will manage the transition in accordance with the following guiding principles:

all job seekers will be transferred to the RJCP Funding Recipient who has been engaged under a Funding Agreement to conduct Activities in the Remote Region in which each job seeker resides taking into account their individual needs and circumstances and location

Transition activities must support continuity of JSA, DES and CDEP services up until 30 June 2013 and for work experience activities to flow into the RJCP without interruption, wherever possible

Transition arrangements will contribute to the building of relationships between programs’ participants and communities, Funding Recipients and employers, for example, where employment or economic development opportunities were being progressed or where wage subsidies and mentoring of newly placed job seekers was occurring, and

Transition activities will support future RJCP Activity arrangements, while honouring existing contractual obligations.

2.14.2 Continuity of JSA, DES, CDEP and IEP servicesThere is a clear expectation that JSA, DES and CDEP providers currently operating in Remote Regions who either do not apply or are not successful under this Call for Expressions of Interest to conduct RJCP Activities in those Remote Regions, will continue to deliver services up until 30 June 2013 in accordance with their existing deeds and funding agreements.

However, the Department or DSS, as relevant, may consider requests from JSA, DES and CDEP providers who wish to exit from 1 May 2013.

Requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis with alternative options for participants being the key consideration.

Existing IEP services in Remote Regions must continue to be provided in accordance with the terms of, and for the duration of, the individual IEP Deeds. This may result in some existing IEP services continuing in Remote Regions post 1 July 2013.

2.14.3 Job seeker connection to RJCP Funding RecipientsJob seeker referrals leading up to the RJCP

In the weeks leading up to the start of the RJCP, referral arrangements for job seekers entering employment services may take into account whether the RJCP Activities in that Remote Region will be conducted by an existing JSA or DES provider. For example, where it is clear that an existing JSA, CDEP or DES provider will be the successful RJCP Funding Recipient in a particular location, a job seeker would be referred to that Funding Recipient. This approach is consistent with the transition aim of minimal disruption for job seekers.

Connection of job seekers to RJCP Funding Recipients at transition

The Department does not guarantee and makes no representation that a particular number of job seekers will be connected to a Funding Recipient.

Indicative job seekers numbers will be available to Funding Recipients on the Department transition website in the months leading up to the RJCP to help Funding Recipients plan for RJCP Activities commencing from


1 July 2013. It will be made clear to Funding Recipients that indicative job seeker numbers will depend on a number of factors including, the number of eligible job seekers in the Remote Region, the accuracy of address information provided by job seekers to DHS (Centrelink), seasonal issues impacting on the movement of job seekers in Remote areas, the willingness of people who do not have participation requirements to participate in the RJCP.

The Department’s IT system will connect existing JSA and DES job seekers to the RJCP Funding Recipient who will conduct RJCP Activities in their Remote Region on the transition weekend of 29-30 June 2013. Arrangements will also be made in the lead up to the transition weekend to identify CDEP participants who may not be registered with JSA or DES providers to ensure they are ready to be connected to the relevant RJCP Funding Recipient.

Transition of CDEP participants, including recipients of CDEP wages

All current CDEP participants who are registered with either JSA or DES providers will be connected to an RJCP Funding Recipient in accordance with the process outlined above. CDEP participants who are not registered with employment services prior to the transition weekend of 29-30 June 2013 will be connected with the appropriate RJCP Funding Recipient under separate arrangements.RJCP Funding Recipients will need to ensure the continuity of appropriate participation activities for CDEP wage recipients. This will require early action to contact and commence CDEP wage recipients, as well as refer them to appropriate community-based activities. In the first instance, it is preferable for CDEP participants to continue undertaking existing activities until and unless their RJCP Funding Recipient, in consultation with a participant, determines that a more suitable activity is available.Funding Recipient assistance for job seekers and CDEP wage recipients post-connection with the RJCP

When a job seeker or a CDEP wage recipient is transferred from their current provider to their new RJCP Funding Recipient, the RJCP Funding Recipient is required to immediately provide all necessary activities to enable continuity of service based on the individual circumstances.Funding Recipients are expected to commence job seekers and CDEP wage recipients as soon as possible with all transferred participants expected to be commenced and have individual Participation Plans in place by the end of August 2013.Continuation of activities

Transition principles require that work experience activities flow into the RJCP without interruption, wherever possible. RJCP Funding Recipients will need to ensure early contact and commencement of job seekers with existing activities. It is preferable that participants continue undertaking existing activities unless the RJCP Funding Recipient, in consultation with the participants, determines that more suitable activities are available.Support for employed job seekers, Job in Jeopardy job seekers and Ongoing Support job seekers

Job seekers who have been placed into employment prior to the commencement of the RJCP will continue to be supported by their existing Employment Services Provider under the terms of the relevant Deed until 30 June 2013. Where transition arrangements under existing Deeds do not provide for continued support by their existing Provider post 30 June 2013, RJCP Funding Recipients will be expected to provide continued support to these job seekers and employers from 1 July 2013, including taking action to continue wage subsidy arrangements.

2.14.4 CommunicationsTransition communications will ensure stakeholders, including employers, are aware of key transition messages, activities and any actions required on the part of job seekers and communities, employers and Funding Recipients. Communications will focus on the benefits of the RJCP to stakeholders and provide a point of contact to resolve any issues that arise during the Transition Period.


In the lead-up to transition, regular updates will be published on the Department’s RJCP Transition website and on www.indigenous.gov.au (a website maintained by the Department) to inform Funding Recipients of the transition arrangements. Department of Employment’s Customer Service Line will be the initial point of reference to resolve issues and answer any questions.The six-month period immediately following the commencement of the RJCP will be treated as a consolidation opportunity during which job seekers will continue to be supported by Department of Employment’s Customer Service Line and transition information will continue to be available on the Department and DSS RJCP transition websites.Existing JSA, DES, CDEP and IEP providers will also be able to raise transition-related issues with their Account and Agreement managers within the Departmentand DSS, including any issues relating to transfer of Commonwealth Assets.


CHAPTER 3 APPLYING FOR THE REMOTE JOBS AND COMMUNITIES PROGRAM

This chapter outlines the arrangements for the Remote Jobs and Communities Program (RJCP) funding application process. For further information, on the requirements for applying to conduct RJCP Activities, refer to the Handbook section of the EOI.

GENERAL INFORMATIONThe Department is seeking applications for the conduct of the RJCP Activities during the proposed period of 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2018.

The Department and the Department of Social Services (DSS) staff will conduct information sessions in the identified Remote Regions from 8 to 19 October 2012 to explain the RJCP funding application process. For those unable to attend a face-to-face information session, there will be two web conference information sessions held within the same timeframe. Details in relation to the face-to-face and web conference information sessions are available at http://employment.gov.au/employment-services-procurement-information or through the Employment Services Purchasing Hotline (the Hotline). Questions and answers from the sessions will also be made available on the Employment Services Purchasing website at http://employment.gov.au/employment-services-procurement-information following the completion of all the information sessions.

Any questions can also be directed to the Hotline. A Communications Protocol is available at Appendix F of the Handbook and can also be downloaded from http://employment.gov.au/employment-services-procurement-information and this protocol outlines how communication should be conducted between Potential Applicants and the Commonwealth.

The EOI and the Handbook contain requirements that Potential Applicants, who wish to conduct RJCP Activities, need to comply with when submitting their application.

Potential Applicants should also consider additional information about the RJCP at http://employment.gov.au/remote-jobs-and-communities-program and additional information available on the Employment Services Purchasing website at http://employment.gov.au/employment-services-procurement-information. The additional information is provided for background purposes only and Potential Applicants must complete their application response to the EOI based on the requirements outlined in the EOI and the Handbook.

Potential Applicants wishing to respond to the RJCP must register with AusTender to access all RJCP funding application process documentation. Registration is available free of charge through the AusTender website at www.tenders.gov.au. It is a requirement of this RJCP funding application process that applications be lodged electronically through AusTender at www.tenders.gov.au.

Applicants must lodge their completed application in response to this RJCP funding application process to the correct Approach to Market (ATM) through AusTender before the Closing Date and Time. The Closing Date and Time for this RJCP funding application process is 5.30 pm Canberra time on Wednesday 14 November 2012. Applications received after the Closing Date and Time will not be accepted unless the delay is due solely to the mishandling by the Department or as a result of other extenuating circumstances outside of the control of the Applicant. Whether or not extenuating circumstances exist in a particular case will be determined by the Department at its absolute discretion.

Applicants must also ensure that their applications in response to the RJCP funding application process are in English. Applicants must have a current and valid Australian Business Number (ABN) and ensure they have completed all the information required by the Department in responding to this RJCP funding application




http://employment.gov.au/remote-jobs-and-communities-program%20






process (where an application is being submitted by a Group Applicant, each member of the Group must have a current and valid ABN).

In this document, unless a contrary intention occurs, all capitalised terms have the meaning given to them in the list of definitions in Appendix A of the EOI–Glossary or in the draft Funding Agreement.

Below are some important contact details that will be useful during the RJCP funding application process:Employment Services Purchasing Hotline

The Hotline can be contacted by:

Telephone: 1300 733 514 Facsimile: 02 6275 3935Email: [email protected]

The Hotline is available 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, Canberra time, Monday to Friday (except for ACT and national public holidays).

AusTender Help Desk

All questions and requests for technical or operational support must be directed to:

AusTender Help Desk Telephone: 1300 651 698Email: [email protected]

The AusTender Help Desk is available between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm, Canberra time, Monday to Friday (except for ACT and national public holidays).

3.1 APPLYING TO CONDUCT THE RJCP3.1.1 Conducting RJCP ActivitiesThe Department expects that there will be one Funding Recipient for each Remote Region who will be required to maintain a permanent presence (at least one full-time office) in the Remote Region in which they are conducting RJCP Activities. Applicants should be aware that it is the objective of the RJCP to appoint one Funding Recipient per Remote Region to conduct all the Activities in that Remote Region and this will be taken into account when considering whether each application represents value for money.

Applicants applying to conduct only part of the RJCP Activities will need to advise in their application that they are willing to participate in negotiations with other organisations in a Remote Region to facilitate the conduct of RJCP Activities jointly under one Funding Agreement.

For example, if an Applicant only applies to conduct the Remote Employment and Participation Activities, they will need to be aware that they may need to partner with other organisations to conduct Remote Youth Leadership and Development Corps. The Department suggests that organisations form these partnerships/alliances prior to submitting their application and provide details of them in the application.

See H 3.1 of the Handbook for information on how to submit applications as a Group Applicant.

Applicant provisionsAn Applicant may indicate that it is only interested in conducting RJCP Activities in part of a Remote Region only or part of the Activities in a Remote Region.

3.1.2 Coverage of Remote Regions


Subject to the situation outlined in Section 3.1.1 above, the Department and DSS expect that each of the identified Remote Regions will have one single Funding Recipient which will conduct RJCP Activities and which will be required to maintain a permanent presence in the Remote Region in which they are conducting the RJCP with at least one full-time site. Where there are a number of suitable Applicants in a Remote Region, the Department may appoint one Funding Recipient for the whole Remote Region or may work with Applicants with the view to facilitating partnerships and/or subcontracting arrangements to conduct RJCP Activities and/or work with Applicants to strengthen their capacity to conduct the Activities required within a Remote Region.

Where part of a Remote Region will have RJCP Activities conducted by a RJCP Funding Recipient that is different to the balance of the Remote Region, the Department reserves the right to adjust the Remote Region boundaries to reflect the outcome of the application process.

See Section 3.3.2 of the EOI for further information.

3.1.3 Arrangements for conducting Activities to communities within a Remote Region

Applicants need to outline how they will conduct the RJCP Activities in each community within an identified Remote Region in which they are applying to conduct the Activities.

For the avoidance of doubt, a Funding Recipient must at a minimum maintain one full-time site in every Remote Region in which it proposes to conduct RJCP Activities.

Applicants must demonstrate that the arrangements for conducting RJCP Activities in each Remote Region covers the needs of job seekers and the local labour market needs of each community within the Remote Region.

3.2 RESPONDING TO SELECTION CRITERIAIn applying to conduct RJCP Activities, Applicants must address all of the selection criteria set out below for each Remote Region applied for using the application form which must be downloaded from AusTender.

Applicants must include all Remote Regions in which they are applying to conduct RJCP Activities in one application form.

3.2.1 Selection criteriaValue for money will form an overarching assessment consideration in the RJCP funding application process based on the Applicant’s responses to all selection criteria.

Criterion 1

Demonstrated connections to, or acceptance by (all) communities within a Remote Region

Weighting: 30%

Character Limit: 25,000

Under this criterion you should:

Demonstrate the connections that your organisation has to the communities in the Remote Region and how long these have been maintained.

Describe how your organisation is accepted by the communities in the Remote Region. Describe the networks your organisation has within communities. Describe the physical presence, including office space and infrastructure, you have in each

community in the Remote Region in which you wish to conduct RJCP Activities. Where you do not have a physical presence, describe your connections with that/those communities and how you would provide Activities to these communities.


Describe how you will build trust and connections in communities that you have not worked with before.

Demonstrate your ability to deliver activities to Indigenous people living in remote communities.

Criterion 2

Strategies to conduct employment and meaningful participation activities across the Remote Region

Weighting: 30%



Describe how your organisation will help people to get jobs in their local communities. Describe what your organisation will do to make sure that people are able to take part in training,

work experience or participate in volunteer work. Describe how you would work with the community/communities in the Remote Region to ensure

that there are appropriate community participation activities for job seekers and volunteers, including how you would develop and manage group based activities.

Describe how you will make sure that people are doing the things they agreed to do in their individual Participation Plan.

Describe how your organisation works with industries and employers in the Remote Region to encourage them to hire and train local people and how you will prepare local people to meet the needs of industry and employers in the Remote Region.

Describe your organisation’s structure and governance arrangements and how they will support conduct of the Remote Employment and Participation Activities.

Criterion 3

Strategies to conduct Activities for clients with different individual needs

Weighting: 20%



Describe how your organisation will develop plans to help your clients to become ready for work. Describe what your organisation has done, in the past under similar programs, to support people

with different needs, including people with disability, young people, single parents or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Different groups of people might have different needs when they are trying to find work, or keep a job. You should describe how your organisation will determine what these needs are and what you will do to help your clients overcome barriers to their employment and/or participation.

Criterion 4

Demonstrated capacity to develop strategies to meet the needs of local employers and industry and to identify economic development opportunities

Weighting: 20%



Describe how your organisation will work with other organisations in the Remote Region to help communities to identify possible community development, training and employment projects.


Describe the networks your organisation has with community groups and organisations and how your organisation would work with these groups to identify and plan ways to overcome any problems with developing projects.

Describe what your organisation will do to ensure community and economic development projects are properly managed, including considering any risks and developing plans to manage these.

Describe how your organisation will work with employers and local industries to make sure they can find workers who have the right skills for their jobs.

3.2.2 Supporting DocumentsTo support their application, Applicants may provide a maximum of 10 A4 pages of supporting documents in total with their application (even if more than one Remote Region is being applied for, only a maximum of 10 A4 pages can be provided in total). These supporting documents must be submitted through AusTender together with the application form. Supporting documents can include images, diagrams, tables and graphs. Audio or video files will not be considered.

The content of a supporting document should clearly show its connection to the selection criteria, however supporting documents cannot be used to continue a selection criterion response. Examples of supporting documents include Memorandums of Understanding, organisation newsletters, newspaper articles of organisation achievement or organisational structures. These supporting documents are optional and in addition to any referee reports Applicants may supply.

Where the supporting document(s) exceed 10 A4 pages, the Department will only consider the first 10 A4 pages. Where the supporting document(s) continue or are an extension of the selection criteria response, or are not in the specified file format, the Department may not, at its discretion, consider the material.

Applicants should note the list of accepted file formats when submitting supporting documents (see Appendix D of the Handbook—Information Guide for Application).

3.2.3 Referee ReportsThrough the evaluation process, the Department and DSS staff will seek to confirm the claims made by Applicants in their responses to the selection criteria. This will include seeking to ensure that Applicants have strong local connections and a presence in the Remote Region where they are applying to conduct Activities.

Applicants may supply referee reports to verify their claims against the selection criteria. A Referee Report Pro Forma is supplied in the RJCP funding application process documentation which Applicants download from AusTender and as set out at Appendix C of the Handbook. Where possible, nominated referees should use this pro forma, or base their referee report on the pro forma.

The Department may contact nominated referees to confirm information supplied:

in the relevant Applicant’s application regarding claims against the selection criteria, or concerning the Applicant, including its past performance in the delivery of similar services or

activities.

The Department may contact any party even if that party has not been nominated by an Applicant to confirm claims made in an application. For example, if an Applicant has provided related services or related activities to another organisation but does not nominate them as a referee, the Department reserves the right to contact that organisation.

The Department also reserves the right not to consider information provided in a referee report that is not relevant to the selection criteria.


Current Australian Public Servants cannot provide a referee report for an organisation and any such report will not be considered. ‘Australian Public Servants’ means, in this context, any officers, delegates, employees, contracted staff and agents of a Commonwealth agency.

3.2.4 Language and MeasurementApplications must be legible and in English. All references to currency must be expressed in Australian dollars. All references to measurements must be in Australian legal units of measure.

3.3 EVALUATION OF APPLICATIONS3.3.1 Evaluation overviewEach application will be initially assessed to ensure that the application is complete and meets the requirements set out in Chapter 4. If the application is incomplete or does not meet the eligibility requirements the application may, at the Department’s discretion, be excluded from further consideration. The evaluation process will involve:

The Department and DSS staff, based in State and Territory offices, with appropriate expertise, training and regional knowledge who will evaluate the Applicant’s responses to selection criteria, any risk exposure to the Commonwealth, and make recommendations based on the organisations response and any other information available to the Department or any other Commonwealth Department/agency.

If, after the initial evaluation of the applications, there are a number of suitable Applicants in a Remote Region, or no Applicants can supply all Activities across an entire Remote Region, the Department may seek to facilitate, with Applicants’ agreement, partnerships or subcontracting arrangements with other Applicants or suitable organisations to conduct the Activities.

The Department may ask Applicants to supply financial viability and credential information prior to entering into a Funding Agreement.

A committee of senior the Department and DSS managers will oversee the process and review the recommendations.

The Minister for Indigenous Employment and Economic Development or her delegate will consider the recommendations and make final decisions.

The Probity Adviser will observe and monitor, but will play no role in, the evaluation process.

Following the announcement of the outcomes of the RJCP funding application process, unsuccessful Applicants are entitled to a debriefing upon request.

3.3.2 Evaluation processThe Department reserves the right to conduct some or all of the following stages at the same time or in a different order to that stated. The Department may take into account information gathered at one stage during its conduct of another stage. Nothing stated in relation to the stages set out below limits any other right the Department has as set out elsewhere in this document.

Stage 1—Receipt of applications

Each application will be downloaded from AusTender after the Closing Date and Time.

Each application will be initially evaluated to ensure that:

the application has been submitted before the Closing Date and Time the application includes all information required by the EOI and Handbook, and the Applicant has submitted the correct application form containing completed application

information, including responses against the selection criteria.


Stage 2—Eligibility

Applications will be evaluated against the ‘Eligibility to submit an application’ conditions (see Section 4.3 of the EOI and Part H 3 of the Handbook). Failure to meet these requirements may result in exclusion from further consideration in the evaluation process.

Stage 3—Selection criteria

All eligible applications will be evaluated against the relevant selection criteria for each identified Remote Region.

The Department may, in evaluating the applications, consider all information contained in an application, and any other relevant information available to it.

Where an organisation has provided or is currently conducting Activities to the Commonwealth or where an organisation has conducted, or is currently conducting Activities under a funding agreement with the Commonwealth, the organisation’s past performance may be taken into consideration during the evaluation phase.

Applicants should not rely on the Department using other sources of information, and should provide comprehensive performance information, including referee reports (where appropriate).

Stage 4—Consideration of value for money and undertaking a comparative evaluation

The Department and DSS staff will, for each Remote Region, undertake a comparative evaluation of the applications taking into account the characteristics of the Remote Region, the Applicants’ scores against the selection criteria, and any risk exposure for the Commonwealth.

Stage 5—Facilitating and Brokering Partnerships

Where there are a number of Applicants who are evaluated as being suitable to conduct the Activities in a Remote Region, or where no Applicant is evaluated as being able to provide all Activities across an entire Remote Region, the Department and DSS may work with potentially successful Applicants, with their agreement, to facilitate and broker partnerships and/or subcontracting arrangements to conduct RJCP Activities.

After considering the responses to the selection criteria and assessing the relative value for money of each Application, the Department and DSS may conduct negotiations with Applicants and any other potential Funding Recipient which may involve facilitating and brokering partnerships and strengthening Funding Recipient capacity to ensure a successful Funding Recipient with strong local connections within each Remote Region is recommended to conduct RJCP Activities.

Stage 6—Recommendations

A committee of senior managers from the Department and DSS managers will oversee the evaluation process and review the recommendations for Funding Recipients in the Remote Regions.

Stage 7—Final Decisions

The Minister for Indigenous Employment and Economic Development or her delegate will consider the recommendations and make the final decisions. Successful Applicants may be announced through a series of rolling announcements at the Department and DSS’s discretion. Unsuccessful Applicants will be advised at the end of the RJCP funding application process.

Facilitating and Brokering Partnerships and Strengthening Funding Recipient Capacity

If, after the initial evaluation is completed, there are a number of suitable Applicants for a Remote Region, or where there are no suitable Applicants to cover all the Activities across an entire Remote Region, the


Department may work with Applicants or suitable organisations to facilitate and broker partnerships and/or subcontracting arrangements to conduct RJCP Activities.

It may also be desirable, as Funding Recipients are announced, to bring new Funding Recipients together to help build across Remote Region relationships that may also assist Funding Recipients to establish themselves and discuss the development of Community Action Plans for their Remote Regions, but would also provide a forum at which workshops for new Funding Recipients with expert assistance could be undertaken as part of strengthening the capacity to conduct RJCP Activities.

Gap filling and Brokering

Should the RJCP funding application process fail to find a suitable Funding Recipient in a particular Remote Region, having regard to value for money, the public interest and the best interests of job seekers, the Department and DSS may consider, at its sole discretion, a number of options to obtain activity coverage, including:

negotiating with Applicants or other suitable organisations to broker partnerships (as set out above) a further application process, or offering business to other Applicants, or other entities, including through direct sourcing.

Strengthening capacity for successful Funding Recipients

To support the transition and implementation processes, following the announcement of successful Funding Recipients, from January 2013, the Department and DSS will manage the provision of capacity strengthening support to ensure Funding Recipients are ready to commence on 1 July 2013. The support required by successful Funding Recipients will be identified through the evaluation process and the Funding Agreement negotiation phase. Support may be provided through existing IEP panel arrangements or through contracting other external parties, as appropriate, to provide targeted and appropriate levels of assistance.

3.3.3 Contacting OrganisationsThe Department or DSS may, at any stage of the evaluation process, contact on a confidential and without prejudice basis, Applicants (including, members of a Group Applicant who are not the lead member) or nominated subcontractors about any question that the Department or DSS may have, including in relation to the facilitation and brokerage of partnerships, subcontracting arrangements, or strengthening the capacity of Applicants to conduct RJCP Activities.

The Department and DSS may also, at any stage of the evaluation process, contact community representatives within a Remote Region to determine the level of support for an Applicant proposing to conduct RJCP Activities within the Remote Region and/or community.

Any such contact with Applicants or particular communities does not mean the Department will be awarding Funding Agreements to the particular organisations/individuals.

3.3.4 Capacity to enter into a Funding AgreementThe Department will only enter into a Funding Agreement with entities that have legal personality and have full legal capacity to enter into a Funding Agreement with the Commonwealth to conduct the RJCP Activities. Individuals operating as sole traders are considered to have legal personality.

The onus is on organisations to satisfy the Department that the proposed entity has full legal capacity to enter into a Funding Agreement with the Commonwealth and conduct the RJCP Activities. Applicants should make their own enquiries and obtain their own professional advice in this regard if necessary. The Department reserves the right to make its own enquiries and assessment of whether the proposed entity has full legal capacity to conduct the Activities. The Department’s assessment of whether a proposed entity has the full legal capacity to enter into a Funding Agreement to conduct the Activities will be final.


Where the Department is of the view that a proposed entity does not have full legal capacity to enter into a Funding Agreement to conduct the Activities, the Department may, exclude the application in response to this RJCP funding application process.

An unincorporated organisation is not a legal person and will not be able to enter into a Funding Agreement with the Department.

For more information on ‘Entering into a Funding Agreement’, refer to Part H 6 of the Handbook.

3.3.5 Execution of Funding AgreementThe Funding Agreement will come into effect once the successful Funding Recipient has signed it and it has subsequently been executed by the Delegate on behalf of the Commonwealth.

When an offer made by the Department does not proceed to an executed Funding Agreement, the Department may make additional offers to other suitable entities.

3.3.6 DebriefingAll Applicants that are not successful in the RJCP funding application process will be offered a verbal debriefing upon request, following the announcement of the RJCP funding application process outcomes. In accordance with Government policy, Applicants will not be provided with information concerning other Applicants, except for publicly available information.

Debriefs may be conducted via telephone. All costs incurred by the Applicant in relation to a debriefing will be at the Applicant’s expense. The request for a debriefing must be made within one month of the final announcement of the RJCP funding application process.


CHAPTER 4 FUNDING APPLICATION PROCESSThis chapter sets out the application requirements and information that Applicants need to respond to the Remote Jobs and Communities Program (RJCP) 2013–2018 funding application process for the RJCP. It also sets out some other important information regarding the RJCP funding application process.

4.1 PRINCIPLES SUPPORTING THE RJCP FUNDING APPLICATION PROCESSThe RJCP is a discretionary grants program. The Commonwealth Grant Guidelines (CGGs) are issued by the Minister for Finance and Deregulation (Finance Minister) under Regulation 7A of the Financial Management and Accountability Regulations 1997 (FMA Regulations).

The Department’s arrangements for the RJCP are consistent with the established key principles under the CGGs. These are:

robust planning and design an outcomes orientation proportionality collaboration and partnership governance and accountability probity and transparency, and achieving value for public money.

Value for money will form an overarching assessment consideration in the RJCP funding application process.

4.2 FUNDING APPLICATION PROCESS4.2.1 Professional advice and future matters In responding to this RJCP funding application process, Applicants should obtain their own legal, business and other professional advice on, and in relation to the RJCP funding application process and its requirements. Applicants that submit an application are not guaranteed any business.

4.2.2 ProbityThe Department and DSS are committed to ensuring that this RJCP funding application process is fair and transparent. To do this, it is important that the process is subject to appropriate scrutiny and that all requirements published by the Department are followed.

The Department has appointed Maddocks Lawyers as the external Probity Adviser. The role of the Probity Adviser is to advise on the probity and integrity of the RJCP funding application processes. The role includes developing an overarching Probity Plan that can be applied to the process and providing advice on probity issues, conducting appropriate probity training and advising on relevant security arrangements.

The Department has a complaints handling process in place for this RJCP funding application process. Persons with any concern about the probity or integrity of the RJCP funding application process can raise their concerns with the Branch Head of Procurement at the Department of Employment, Jenny Harrison, at [email protected]. Where appropriate, complaints will be referred to the external Probity Adviser.

4.2.3 AusTenderAusTender provides centralised publication of Australian Government business opportunities. Applicants may register their area of business interest on AusTender and will receive free automatic notifications via email of the latest opportunities as they are published.

AusTender allows Potential Applicants to download the relevant documentation relating to the RJCP funding application process and upload their application. Potential Applicants must first register with AusTender at www.tenders.gov.au.



If the Department amends this document, including its terms, requirements or the process referred to in the EOI or handbook prior to the Closing Date and Time, the Department will issue advice to those Potential Applicants via AusTender. All alterations, corrections and notices will only be available on the AusTender website, so only Potential Applicants that have registered with AusTender for this EOI will be provided with details of any alteration, correction or notice in relation to the EOI.

Potential Applicants registered for this RJCP funding application process on AusTender will receive these notifications automatically. Potential Applicants are encouraged to register with AusTender to obtain further information.

Responses to general questions received through the Employment Services Purchasing Hotline (the Hotline) and clarifications by the Department about the EOI will be published at http://employment.gov.au/employment-services-procurement-information.

For more information on ‘AusTender’ refer to Part H 2 of the Handbook.

4.3 ELIGIBILITY TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION4.3.1 Australian Government Departments, Employees and Agents of Australian

Government Departments Australian Government departments, agencies, employees or agents are not eligible to respond to this RJCP funding application process. Further, Australian Government departments, agencies, employees or agents cannot assist Potential Applicants in responding. For the avoidance of doubt, CRS Australia is not eligible to respond to this RJCP funding application process.

This does not include persons who are, or may be, regarded as authorised agents of Australian Government departments including those from the Department, the Department of Human Services (DHS) or the Department of Social Services (DSS) under existing employment service arrangements or arrangements for the administration of the Social Security Law, for example, Employment Service Providers currently contracted with the Department or entities currently contracted with DHS to perform Centrelink functions.

A Potential Applicant that has received assistance from an Australian Government Department, agency, or a departmental employee or agent, may be excluded from consideration at the Department’s discretion.

Potential Applicants may request information through the Hotline in accordance with the procedures set out in this document.

4.3.2 Types of EntitiesApplicants may respond to this RJCP funding application process as sole traders provided all the requirements to submit an application and enter into a Funding Agreement with the Department are met.

A group of legal entities can respond as a consortium, joint venture, partnership or some other form of alliance in order to conduct Activities (a ‘Group Applicant’).

Some Applicants may want to conduct Activities through subcontractors. Funding Recipients can only subcontract Activities with the agreement of the Department. Proposed subcontracting arrangements should be identified in the application.

For more information on ‘Group Applications’ and ‘Subcontracting Arrangements’ refer to Parts 3.1 and 3.2 of the Handbook.



4.4 APPLICATION LODGEMENT4.4.1 Application lodgement conditionsApplications must be lodged electronically.

Applications submitted by any other means, (including by hand, courier, post, facsimile or email) may not be accepted and may be returned to the Applicant unopened.

Application preparation and process

Potential Applicants must:

ensure their technology platform meets the minimum requirements outlined on AusTender refer to AusTender's Help guidance, if required, on uploading applications in response to this RJCP

funding application process take all steps to ensure that their application is free from anything that might reasonably affect

useability, the security or the operations of AusTender or the Department's computing environment ensure that their application complies with all file type, format, naming conventions, size limitations

or other requirements specified Appendix D of the Handbook, and ensure that their application is lodged through the correct Approach to Market (ATM) on AusTender.

Applicants must allow sufficient time to complete the lodgement of their application prior to the Closing Date and Time.

For more information on ‘Conditions of Lodgement’ refer to Part H1 of the Handbook. Applicants should also refer to the Appendix D of the Handbook.

4.4.2 Further information before the Closing Date and TimeAll requests for further information regarding this EOI should be directed to the Employment Services Purchasing Hotline. The Department and DSS state office staff can also assist by directing questions on the RJCP funding application process to the Hotline on your behalf, but cannot themselves answer questions about the RJCP.

Potential Applicants’ requests for further information, including where they have been asked to put their question in writing, must be submitted to the Hotline prior to 5.00 pm (Canberra time), no later than 7 November 2012. There will be no obligation on the Department to answer questions received after this time but the Department may, at its sole discretion, provide answers to late questions.

4.4.3 The Department’s answers to requests for further informationAnswers to requests by Potential Applicants for further information about the RJCP funding application process may be given verbally or through written notice from the Department.

Where, in the opinion of the Department, further information provided to one Potential Applicant should be provided to all Potential Applicants, this information will be published on the Employment Services Purchasing website at http://employment.gov.au/employment-services-procurement-information.

4.4.4 Closing Date and TimeApplications must be submitted via AusTender before the Closing Date and Time of 5.30 pm (Canberra time) on 14 November 2012. Any attempt to lodge an application after the Closing Date and Time will not be permitted by AusTender.

Where electronic lodgement of an application commences before the Closing Date and Time, but lodgement finishes after the Closing Date and Time, the application will be accepted. Applicants will receive a receipt from AusTender indicating the successful lodgement of their application.



The Department may extend the Closing Date and Time by issuing an addendum on AusTender at www.tenders.gov.au. Where the Department extends the Closing Date and Time, the new Closing Date and Time will apply to all Potential Applicants registered with AusTender.

If an Applicant is unable to lodge their application by the Closing Date and Time through AusTender due to extenuating circumstances outside of their control, the Applicant must notify the Department (through the Employment Services Purchasing Hotline) of these circumstances as soon as reasonably practicable on or prior to the Closing Date and Time.

If the Department accepts that an Applicant was unable to lodge an application on time due to extenuating circumstances, the Department may, after considering what is appropriate in fairness to other Applicants, in its absolute discretion, provide the Applicant with a new Closing Date and Time and choose to accept the application through a nominated mailbox.

4.4.5 Incomplete applicationsApplications that are incomplete or clearly non-competitive may be excluded from consideration at any time during the evaluation process at the Department’s discretion. Alternatively, the Department may still consider such applications and seek clarification from the Applicant or any third party.

For more information on the ‘Eligibility to submit an Application’ refer to Part H 3 of the Handbook.

4.5 APPLICANT’S INFORMATIONFor information on ‘Ownership of Applications’ and ‘Confidential Information’ refer to Part H 4 of the Handbook.

4.6 ENTERING INTO A FUNDING AGREEMENT WITH THE DEPARTMENTFor further information on ‘Entering into a Funding Agreement with the Department’, refer to Part H 6 of the Handbook.

4.6.1 Draft Funding AgreementSuccessful organisations will be required to enter into a Funding Agreement substantially in the form set out in the draft Funding Agreement. The draft Funding Agreement will be available from http://employment.gov.au/remote-jobs-and-communities-program. Generally speaking, it is proposed that the Funding Agreement will commence on 1 July 2013 and cease on 30 June 2018, or on such date(s) as subsequently notified by the Department.

4.6.2 Offers to remain openAny Applicant’s offer in response to the EOI remains open for a period of 12 months after the Closing Date and Time, or until receipt by the Applicant of notification from the Department that its offer was unsuccessful, whichever is the later.



APPENDIX A GLOSSARYPlease refer also to the interpretation clauses in the draft Funding Agreement. Interpretation clauses in the draft Funding Agreement take precedence over terms defined in this glossary.

Activities In this EOI and the Handbook, means the funded Activities as described in the Funding Agreement or relevant Guidelines. ‘RJCP Activities’ has the same meaning.

Applicant Any organisation that may submit an application to conduct the Activities under this EOI and the Handbook. This term also captures, where the context admits, ‘Group Applicants’.

Apprenticeship An apprenticeship (see also Australian Apprenticeships) combines practical work with structured training leading to a nationally recognised qualification.

AusTender The online procurement information system for Australian Government agencies.

Centrelink The program or programs of that name administered by the Australian Government Department of Human Services.

Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP)

A program administered by the Australian Government Department of Social Services.

Contract Management Staff The Department Personnel who are responsible for managing and monitoring the Funding Agreement.

Customer Service Line (CSL) A free-call telephone service that puts job seekers and employers in contact with a Department of Employment Customer Service Officer in the state or territory where the phone call is made, and is 1800 805 260, or such other number as notified by Department of Employment from time to time.

The Department The Department or other agency that may administer the Funding Agreement on behalf of the Commonwealth.

Disability Employment Services Means the Disability Management Service, Disability Employment Services – Employment Support Service, JobAccess Services and NDRC Services delivered in accordance with the Disability Employment Services Deed 2013-2018; and the Assessor Services delivered in accordance with the Disability Employment National Panel of Assessors Deed of Standing Offer 2012-2015.


Employment Services Provider An organisation contracted to deliver employment services.

Employment Services Purchasing Hotline (the Hotline)

The Hotline is the primary means of contact during the RJCP Funding Application process and can be contacted on 1300 733 514 (Monday to Friday, 9.00 am to 5.00 pm Canberra time, excluding ACT and national public holidays) or via [email protected].

Expression of Interest (EOI) This document labelled ‘Call for Expressions of Interest for the conduct of the Remote Jobs and Communities Program’ (incorporating the Guidelines and Handbook section) and any addenda to this document issued through AusTender.

Freedom of Information (FOI) The right of Australians to information in the possession of the Australian Government, as provided under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth), limited only by exemption provisions as set out in the legislation.

Funding Agreement The Remote Jobs and Communities Program Funding Agreement 2013–2018.

Funding Recipient An organisation that has entered into a Funding Agreement to conduct the activities under the Remote Jobs and Communities Program Funding Agreement 2013–2018.

Group Applicant A group of legal entities in a Consortium, joint venture, partnership or some other form of alliance applying to conduct the Activities.

Guidelines The guidelines titled ‘Program Guidelines for the conduct of Remote Jobs and Communities Program Activities’, published on the Department website and incorporated into this document as Chapters 1 and 2 and amendments issued by the Department.

Handbook A section of the EOI that has further information on Chapters 3, 4 and the Appendices.

Job seeker The term used in the EOI to refer to people looking for work or volunteering for RJCP Activities.

Job Services Australia The current Australian Government program that provides training, work experience and other interventions to job seekers, particularly the disadvantaged, to help them obtain suitable employment.

Language Literacy and Numeracy Program (LLNP)

An Australian Government program administered by the Department that provides language, literacy and numeracy training for eligible


clients whose skills in these areas are below the level considered necessary to secure sustainable employment or pursue further education and training.

Participant A person who is identified as eligible for the RJCP in any Guidelines.

Probity Refers to procedural integrity of the RJCP funding application process, underpinned by the quality of, and adherence to, published RJCP funding application process documentation, the evaluation processes used to ensure that there is objective and consistent evaluation at each phase, by appropriately qualified and trained evaluators, and decision-making in accordance with all legal requirements.

Registered Training Organisation (RTO)

An organisation or Group Applicant that is registered with the relevant state or territory training body and complies with the Australian Qualifications Framework.

Site Visit A visit by an officer from the Department to a Funding Recipient’s site(s) to examine performance against Key Performance Indicators, the compliance with the Funding Agreement, any program guidelines, Code of Practice and relevant Activity Guarantees.

Traineeship Practical work combined with structured training leading to a nationally recognised qualification (see also Australian Apprenticeships).

Transition Period The period notified by the Department to the Provider in accordance with the Funding Agreement.


Handbook for the conduct of the

Remote Jobs and

Communities Program 2013–2018

Remote Employment and Participation ActivitiesRemote Youth Leadership and Development Corps

Jobs and stronger communities for people in remote Australia

Purpose of this HandbookThis Handbook and the Expression of Interest (EOI) constitute the Remote Jobs and Communities Program (RJCP) application guidelines for the purpose of the Commonwealth Grant Guidelines.


Applicants must read the entire document and ensure their application complies with the requirements contained in them. This Handbook contains important information for Applicants on the RJCP funding application process.

PART H 1 CONDITIONS OF LODGEMENTH 1.1 Responsibility of ApplicantsApplicants are responsible for ensuring they have:

fully examined the EOI and Handbook fully examined any additional information the Department may provide on its websites and any

addenda issued on AusTender examined any further information by making reasonable enquiries relevant to the risks,

contingencies, and other circumstances having an effect on their application made their own independent assessment and investigations, and, if necessary, obtained their own

legal, business or other professional advice on the RJCP funding application process taken note of the Closing Date and Time and the requirement for the application to be received by

Closing Date and Time satisfied themselves of the completeness, accuracy, and sufficiency of the application, and kept a copy of their application and any attachments for their own records.

Applicants must not make false or misleading statements in their application, and must answer all questions honestly and completely. Giving false or misleading information is a serious offence.

H 1.2 Changing or withdrawing applicationsOnce an Applicant has lodged their application on AusTender, the application cannot be changed or withdrawn. If an Applicant wishes to change any information in their application prior to the Closing Date and Time, the Applicant will need to submit a new application through AusTender.

When a new application is lodged, the Applicant must notify the Department, via the Employment Services Purchasing Hotline (the Hotline), of the legal name and the Australian Business Number (ABN) of the Applicant, the time and date on the AusTender application receipt of the new and any previous applications, as well as the reason for submitting a new application.

H 1.3 Proof of lodgement of applicationWhen applications have been lodged on AusTender, an official receipt is provided on screen. Applicants should save and print this receipt as proof of lodgement. A separate email confirming receipt of the application will also be automatically sent to the email address of the registered AusTender user. Failure to receive a receipt means that lodgement of the application on AusTender has not completed successfully.

H 1.4 Future matters The Department does not, and will not, guarantee to any party, any business, or a specified or minimum level of business.

All market information provided to Potential Applicants, whether incorporated into this document or otherwise, is based on historical information. The information provided should not be relied upon by Potential Applicants as the basis for any decision to take action or not to take action.

Potential Applicants should make their own independent assessments of actual workload requirements under any Funding Agreement and professional advice, as required.


PART H 2 AUSTENDERThere are Terms of Use that Potential Applicants must comply with when using AusTender, available at www.tenders.gov.au/?event=public.termsOfUse.

Applicants can also contact the AusTender Help Desk on 1300 651 698 or via email to [email protected].

If a Potential Applicant has obtained RJCP documentation from a source other than AusTender, the Potential Applicant should register at AusTender and download the documentation for the RJCP funding application process. The Department will not guarantee the accuracy or currency of RJCP documentation obtained from sources other than AusTender.

PART H 3 ELIGIBILITY TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATIONApplicants may respond to this EOI as a sole trader or as a group of legal entities (for example, as a consortium, joint venture, partnership or some other form of alliance) in order to conduct the Activities.

H 3.1 Group ApplicationsA Group Applicant must specify in their application the business structure and arrangement under which it proposes to conduct RJCP Activities (for example, consortium, joint venture) it proposes.

If lodging an application as a Group Applicant, each member of the group must be a legal entity and the Group Applicant lodges the application collectively.

Unless the Department agrees in writing to any changes to the members of a group, the membership must remain as specified in the application:

throughout the period from receipt of the application through evaluation and entering into Funding Agreements, and throughout the Funding Agreement period.

Any proposed changes to the membership of a Group Applicant must be requested of the Department in a letter signed by the authorised representative(s) of the Group Applicant.

If the Department decides to deal with a Group Applicant of changed composition, the Department may, at its sole discretion, impose any conditions it considers necessary or appropriate in the circumstances.

Where a Group Applicant is successful in the RJCP funding application process, each of the entities that form the Group Applicant will be jointly and severally liable for:

the performance of all of the obligations under the Funding Agreement, and all losses caused by any subcontractor engaged for the purpose of the Funding Agreement.

Possible types of Group Applicants

The following information is provided as guidance only. Applicants should seek independent professional advice if they have any questions about types of Group Applicants.

Consortium

A consortium is a group of individual legal entities that lodge an application collectively. A partnership does not constitute a consortium. If a group of entities incorporates, it would respond as the incorporated entity, not as a consortium.

Note: where the Group Applicant proposed to respond as a consortium, the consortium must appoint a lead member entity to act as agent for the other member entities. The lead member entity must be authorised to


negotiate, act on behalf of and contractually bind each member of the consortium. Each member of the consortium must confirm the authority of the lead member entity.

Joint Venture

A joint venture is a business enterprise in which two or more legal entities enter into a temporary partnership through the use of a joint venture agreement for the purpose of conducting the Activities.

Partnership

A partnership is an agreement entered into by two or more legal entities in which each agrees to provide a part of the capital and/or labour for a business enterprise, and by which each shares a defined proportion of profits and losses.

Other alliances

If there are other alliance arrangements between corporate entities or individuals that have not been contemplated by the Department, provided the arrangements meet the above Group Applicant requirements, the Department will be open to conduct RJCP Activities through those arrangements.

An alliance of individual legal entities will need to provide details and evidence of the alliance’s actual or proposed legal arrangements, as an attachment to the Financial and Credentials Information Form if requested by the Department.

The alliance must appoint a lead member entity to act as agent for the other member entities. The lead member must be authorised to negotiate, act on behalf of and contractually bind each member of the alliance. Each member of the alliance must confirm the authority of the lead member entity.

H 3.2 Subcontracting arrangementsApplicants may indicate that they intend to subcontract all or part of the RJCP Activities.

Applicants will remain responsible for the provision and quality of RJCP Activities they subcontract as set out in the Funding Agreement with the Department and Applicants must impose relevant obligations of the Funding Agreement on subcontractors in the subcontract. Applicants must also ensure that any subcontractor complies with the requirements set out in any Funding Agreement it enters into with the Government.

If an Applicant wishes to engage a subcontractor to conduct part of the Activities, details of the proposed subcontracting arrangements must be provided in their application.

Unless the Department agrees in writing to any changes to nominated subcontractor(s), they must remain as specified in the application:

throughout the period from receipt of the application through evaluation and entering into a Funding Agreement, and throughout the Funding Agreement period.

H 3.3 Foreign companiesThe Department will only accept an application from a foreign company if it is registered under Part 5B.2 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth).

H 3.4 Conflict of interestWhere an Applicant considers that a conflict of interest exists or might arise in relation to the Applicant conducting Activities under the Funding Agreement, the Applicant must identify the actual or potential conflict of interest. A conflict of interest may exist, for example, if the Applicant, or any of its personnel, has a


relationship (whether professional, commercial or personal), with a person who is able to influence the application process such as a staff member from the Department.

Each Applicant will be required to declare in the ‘Applicant Declaration’ section of the application form, that to the best of its knowledge, there is no conflict of interest that would prevent the Applicant from proceeding with the application or any Funding Agreement it may enter into with the Government.

If at any time during the RJCP funding application process or prior to entering into a Funding Agreement with the Government an Applicant considers that an actual or potential conflict of interest arises or may arise for them, that Applicant must immediately notify the Department in writing.

If a conflict of interest, whether actual, potential, or perceived, is identified, either by an Applicant or by any other means, the Department may at its discretion take any action it considers appropriate to manage the conflict of interest, which may include excluding the relevant application from further consideration.

H 3.5 Improper influenceApplicants and their officers, employees, agents or advisers:

must not, and must not attempt to, improperly influence any employee of the Government in connection with the evaluation of applications under this RJCP funding application process, and

must not have violated, and must not violate, any applicable laws or Government state or territory policies regarding the offering of inducements, so far as those laws or policies may be relevant to the preparation of the application.

H 3.6 Improper assistanceIn preparing their response to the RJCP funding application process, Applicants must not use information or assistance obtained from a current or former officer or employee of the Commonwealth:

in circumstances that are contrary to the ‘Communication Protocol for the Remote Jobs and Communities Program funding application process’(see Appendix F of the Handbook or http://employment.gov.au/employment-services-procurement-information)

in circumstances that constitute a breach of the Crimes Act 1914 (Cth), the Public Service Act 1999 (Cth), the Public Service Regulations 1999 (Cth), or

in breach of an obligation of confidentiality or fidelity.

H 3.7 Competitive neutralityCompetitive neutrality requires that competition between in-house and external Applicants is fair, and therefore evaluation of relative performance against the selection criteria for applications are made on the same basis.

If an Applicant is in the public sector, it will be required to declare that its application has been prepared in accordance with the Commonwealth’s competitive neutrality principles.

PART H 4 EOI INFORMATIONH 4.1 Ownership of applicationsAll applications become the property of the Department once lodged. Subject to the provisions below regarding confidential information, the Department may deal with those applications as it sees fit.

H 4.2 Confidential informationEach Applicant must identify what information it is providing in their application and any attachments that it considers is confidential. Where an Applicant has identified information as confidential, the Department will,



subject to that information being of an inherently confidential nature, and subject to the following, treat that information confidentially.

The Department will not be taken to have breached any obligation to keep information provided by Applicants confidential to the extent that the information:

is disclosed by the Department to the Commonwealth’s advisers, officers, employees, contractors or subcontractors in order to conduct the RJCP funding application process or to prepare and manage any resultant Funding Agreement

is disclosed to the Department’s internal management personnel, solely to enable effective management or auditing of the RJCP funding agreement process

is disclosed by the Commonwealth to the responsible Minister or his/her staff is disclosed by the Commonwealth in response to a request by a House or a Committee of the

Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia is shared by the Department within the Department’s organisation, or with another Australian

Government department or agency, where this serves the Australian Government’s legitimate interests

is authorised or required by law to be disclosed is disclosed for annual reporting purposes, or is in the public domain otherwise than due to a breach of the relevant obligations of confidentiality.

The Department will only keep information contained in, or obtained or generated in performing, any Funding Agreement entered into with the successful Applicant confidential in accordance with the terms of the Funding Agreement.

If a Funding Agreement is entered into, the Department is also subject to legislative and policy requirements that oblige it to disclose certain information in, or in relation to, the Funding Agreement, including:

meeting the Government’s reporting requirements for Funding Agreements, and publishing on the Department website a list of all grants awarded within seven days of the Funding

Agreement taking effect. This includes publishing details such as the grant recipient's name, the funding location and the value of the grant.

PART H 5 COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS AND THE DEPARTMENT’S RIGHTS AND LIABILITIES

H 5.1 Compliance with applicable law and policyEach Applicant should ensure that it has complied with all relevant laws and with Government policy in preparing and lodging its application and taking part in the RJCP funding application process.

H 5.2 The Department’s rights and liabilitiesThe Department will not be responsible in any circumstance for any costs or expenses incurred by any Potential Applicant or any other party arising from a Potential Applicant’s participation in the RJCP funding application process. Neither the Department nor its officers, employees or advisers will be liable, in relation to the Department’s conduct under or in relation to the RJCP funding application process, to any Potential Applicant or anyone else on the basis of any legal or equitable rights, however based, as a consequence of any matter or thing relating, or incidental, to the participation of a Potential Applicant or anyone else in the RJCP funding application process.


No contractual or other legal relationship will arise between the Commonwealth and any Potential Applicants, nominated subcontractor or anyone else until a Funding Agreement is executed by the Commonwealth and the funding recipient.

The Department may, at its sole discretion and at any stage of the RJCP funding application process, including during or after the evaluation process:

vary the RJCP funding application process, including the timing and processes referred to in the EOI (including the Handbook)

vary the content of the EOI, the Handbook, or any documents relating to the RJCP funding application process or the draft Funding Agreement

forward any additional information or clarification of the meaning of the content of the EOI (including the Handbook) on a non-attributable basis

shortlist Applicants, including Applicants that have nominated subcontractors obtain clarification or additional information from Applicants, nominated subcontractors or anyone

else and use any such information for the evaluation of the application negotiate with one or more Applicants, including with or without short listing, or discontinue

negotiations facilitate partnerships between Applicants, and between Applicants and other suitable organisations,

including with local communities, and assist with strengthening the organisations capacity contact nominated subcontractors directly and seek further information from them in relation to any

matters, including their capacity to conduct the Activities on behalf of Potential Applicants who have nominated them

impose conditions on Applicants that have nominated subcontractors that the Department considers necessary or appropriate

reassess any application in whole, or in part, at any stage where the Department considers that an Applicant or nominated subcontractor may not be able to conduct the specified Activities

vary the evaluation process to conduct a further evaluation phase require an Applicant to provide details of a substitute subcontractor for any nominated

subcontractor remove any application from consideration where, in the opinion of the Department, the RJCP

funding application process allows for the exclusion of an application, and terminate, suspend or abandon the RJCP funding application process if it considers that no

applications offers value for money in accordance with the terms and conditions of this RJCP funding application process, or the Department otherwise determines that it is in the public interest to terminate or abandon the RJCP funding application process.

If an Applicant is placed under external administration, becomes insolvent, or otherwise loses the capacity to enter into a Funding Agreement with the Commonwealth, the Department may, at its discretion, exclude the application from further consideration.


PART H 6 ENTERING INTO A FUNDING AGREEMENT WITH THE DEPARTMENT

H 6.1 Draft Funding AgreementGenerally, the proposed term for the Funding Agreement is five years. The Department may, at its sole discretion, offer Funding Agreements with a term that is longer or shorter than five years. The Funding Agreement may, at the Department’s sole discretion, be extended for up to a further five years. At the end of the Funding Agreement period, including any extension, there may be a Transition Period.

The content of the application will form part of the contractual obligations. The Department reserves the right to make changes to the draft Funding Agreement in the period between the release of the ‘Call for Expressions of Interest’ and the execution of final Funding Agreements.

H 6.2 Guidelines which set out further detail on Funding Agreement obligations

Successful Applicants must comply with guidelines issued by the Department.

Among other guidelines, successful Applicants will be required to adhere to promotion and style guides issued by the Department to govern promotional activity, including obligations to ensure that all advertisements, publicity and promotional materials relating to the Activities carry the approved badging and signage, and acknowledge the financial and other support provided by the Government.

PART H 7 FINANCIAL VIABILITY AND OTHER CHECKSThe Department may perform security, probity and financial investigations and procedures as it determines necessary in relation to any Applicant, its employees, officers, partners, associates, subcontractors or related entities. During the evaluation phase the Department may request that Applicants provide financial and credential information in relation to their organisation. The information that may be requested is set out in Appendices G and H of the Handbook. Applicants who are requested to provide this information will be required to provide it within seven working days of the request.

APPENDIX A


APPENDIX A PRO FORMA OF ELECTRONIC APPLICATION

Electronic ApplicationThis Appendix is only a representation of the electronic application form for the Remote Jobs and Communities Program (RJCP) funding application process. Where there are any inconsistencies between the representation in this appendix and the electronic application form released on AusTender, the electronic application form will prevail.

Disclosure ObligationsApplicants must ensure that they fully and completely disclose all relevant information in completing their electronic application. Obtaining the assistance of an accountant or consultant does not relieve the Applicant of responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the information given.

Information provided will be collected and used by the Department for the purposes of evaluation and other purposes described in the EOI (including the Handbook). Information provided may also inform and form part of the contractual arrangements.

Instructions for electronic lodgementIt is important that Applicants note the following instructions for electronic lodgement:

it is your responsibility to complete the electronic application correctly and fully it is very important that you read and answer the questions carefully, and provide all information and

attachments as requested. Failure to do so may affect the evaluation of your organisation’s application

Applicants should refer to the EOI (including the Handbook) Appendix D of the Handbook provides information about completing and submitting your

application. It is a requirement of the EOI that all applications are lodged electronically with AusTender, and

if your organisation is applying as part of a group as a Group Applicant, the lead member of the Group Applicant should complete and submit the application on behalf of the whole group.


Remote Jobs and Communities Program– Remote Employment and Participation Activities

– Remote Youth Leadership and Development Corps

Part A: Applicant Declaration

This section requires the person submitting the application on behalf of the Applicant for the Remote Jobs and Communities Program (RJCP) funding application in accordance with the Expression of Interest (EOI) document to read, understand and agree to the statements in this declaration. If you do not fill out and sign this declaration, the application may not be evaluated.

‘Applicant Declaration’ (must be made by the person authorised by the organisation or Group Applicant to make the Applicant Declaration on its behalf):

I,[Insert full name of person signing the declaration]

of[Insert address]


am currently a[Insert position /title of Applicant (for example, Proprietor, Director, Partner, Chief Executive Officer)]

of[Insert full name of organisation]

and I am authorised to make this declaration on behalf of the Applicant.

1. I declare and warrant that I:

(a) have been authorised by the Applicant to make the statements in this Applicant Declaration personally and on behalf of the Applicant

(b) am a person authorised to provide information on behalf of the Applicant, and

(c) am authorised by the Applicant to submit this application on behalf of the Applicant.

2. I declare and warrant that the Applicant:

(a) confirms that the information provided in the application (including any attachments) is true and correct

(b) has read and understood the EOI, the Handbook and all other information regarding the RJCP funding application process, and agrees to comply with its requirements and acknowledges and agrees to the Department exercising its rights as detailed in the EOI and Handbook

(c) confirms its eligibility to submit an application and to enter into a Funding Agreement substantially in the form of the draft Funding Agreement and that there is no restriction under any relevant law to prevent it from so applying or entering into a Funding Agreement

(d) has not prepared the application with the improper assistance of Australian Government employees or contractors, or former employees or contractors or with improperly obtained information

(e) confirms that at the time of submitting the application, other than conflicts notified to the Department, no conflict of interest exists, or is likely to arise, that would prevent the Applicant from proceeding with the application or that would affect the performance of its obligations if the Applicant were to enter into a Funding Agreement

(f) undertakes to advise the Department in writing, if the Applicant becomes aware of any actual or potential conflicts of interest in respect of the EOI, its application or the draft Funding Agreement

(g) confirms that no express or implied contract has arisen between the Applicant and the Department in relation to the RJCP funding application process

(h) consents to the Department undertaking referee and /or other checks in accordance with the EOI

(i) is not insolvent, bankrupt, in liquidation, or under external administration or receivership

(j) authorises the Department to undertake the necessary steps to assess the credentials of its organisation by checking the information provided by the Applicant and information from any other source at the Department’s discretion

(k) has taken reasonable steps to ensure that the application is free of viruses or other disabling features that may affect the Commonwealth’s computing environment and acknowledges that


applications found to contain viruses or other disabling features will be excluded from the evaluation process

(l) has prepared this application in accordance with the Government’s competitive neutrality principles (if the Applicant is in the public sector), and

(m) has made all relevant persons providing information aware that giving false or misleading information is a serious offence under Section 137.1 of the Schedule to the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).

3. I acknowledge:

(a) that the application remains open for acceptance for 12 months from the Closing Date and Time, in accordance with the relevant terms and conditions of the EOI and the Handbook, and

(b) the receipt of all addenda.

4. I understand that a person, who intentionally makes a false statement, as determined by the Department, may be excluded from the grant funding process, and I believe that the statements in this Applicant Declaration are true. I also understand that giving false or misleading information is a serious offence under Section 137.1 of the Schedule to the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).

5. If this application is submitted on behalf of a Group Applicant, I warrant that all members of the group have agreed to the lodgement of this application on their behalf.

I agree to the Applicant Declaration6. In lodging this application, I acknowledge that the Applicant is bound by this Applicant Declaration.


Part B: Applicant Information

All Applicants must complete this section

1.1 Provide the full legal name of your organisation. If responding as a Group Applicant, please provide the lead member’s full legal name.

Note: the organisation’s legal name is the name that appears on all official documents and legal papers. (This is not the organisation’s trading name).

1.2 Provide the above organisation’s Australian Business Number (ABN). If a Group Applicant, provide the lead member’s ABN.

1.3 If your organisation does not have an ABN, please state the date the ABN registration has been or will be submitted.

1.4 Provide the registered business or trading name (if any) under which the RJCP Activities are proposed to be conducted.

Note: the organisation’s trading name is the name that it trades under, or is known as, by its suppliers or customers.

1.5 Does your organisation currently or have previously provided employment services to the Department? If yes, please list them or provide your four alpha organisation code. If not, leave blank.

1.6 Does your organisation currently or have previously provided any programs/services to the Department and DSS? If yes, list them. If not, leave blank.

1.7 If you are applying as a Group Applicant, indicate what type of Group you are eg partnership. If not, leave blank.

1.8 If you are applying as a Group Applicant, list all members’ legal names and ABN’s.

Member’s Legal Name Member’s ABN

1.9 Is your organisation incorporated under Commonwealth, state or territory law? If yes, please select the jurisdiction(s) under which the organisation is incorporated. (If a Group Applicant, this question pertains to the lead member).

Yes No

NSW ACT

VIC NT

SA TAS

WA Commonwealth

QLD


1.10 I agree to the Department and DSS disclosing that I have lodged an application, or any information contained in my application, for the purpose of brokering partnerships to conduct RJCP Activities.

Note: the Department will not without the Applicant’s prior written approval disclose any information at Q 1.17.

Yes No

Applicant Contact Details

1.11 Provide your organisation’s contact details for general business enquiries.

Telephone

Mobile Phone

Facsimile

Email Address

Website

Overseas Telephone, if applicable

1.12 Provide the details for two contacts for this application who would be available, and have the authority, to answer any queries the Department may have about this application.

Note: any correspondence regarding the application will be sent to the Application Contact (Primary Contact). If your organisation is successful, the Funding Agreement offer will be sent to the Primary Contact.

Primary Contact

Title

First Name

Last Name

Position

Telephone

Mobile Phone

Email Address



Secondary Contact

Title

First Name

Last Name

Position

Telephone

Mobile Phone

Email Address


1.13 Provide your organisation’s registered business address (not a PO BOX).

Suburb

State/Territory

Postcode

1.14 Provide your organisation’s postal address.

Suburb

State/Territory

Postcode


Applicant’s Bank Details

1.15 Provide your organisation’s primary banking details. Note: these banking details will be used for payments if your organisation is awarded business.Bank Name

Branch

BSB

Account Number

Account Name

Referee reports

1.16 Applicants may submit referee reports. The contact details of referees should be shown on this form.

Referee 1

Title

First Name

Last Name

Position

Telephone

Mobile Phone

Email Address


Referee 2

Title

First Name


Last Name

Position

Telephone

Mobile Phone

Email Address


Confidential Information

1.17 State any information provided as part of your application that your organisation requests to be treated as confidential information by the Department and DSS.

1.18 I am supplying referee report(s) in AusTender with my application.

Yes No

1.19 I am supplying in total, up to 10 A4 pages of supporting documentation in AusTender with my application.

Yes No


Part C: Applying to conduct RJCP Activities

2. To apply to conduct RJCP Activities in a particular Remote Region, please:

a) select that Remote Region from the drop down menu, and then

b) click the hyperlink for that Remote Region.

Select Remote Region (example only)

Eg. Cook Region QLD

Hyperlink Cook Region QLD

Note: You are applying to conduct RJCP Activities in x Remote Region(s). Please ensure that a completed selection criteria PDF has been attached in AusTender for each of the Remote Region(s).

Region Applying Region Applying

Alice Springs District NT Maningrida Region NT

APY Lands SA Mid West - East Region WA

Carpentaria Region QLD Mid West - West Region WA

Central Arnhem Region NT Milingimbi/Ramingining Region NT

Central Cape Region QLD Ngaanyatjarra Lands WA

Central West Region QLD Ngukurr/Numbulwar Region NT

Christmas-Cocos Islands North Barkly Region NT

Cloncurry Region QLD North East Alice Region NT

Cook Region QLD Yes North West Alice Region NT

Darwin Daly Region NT Northern Peninsula Area QLD

Derby/Malarabah Region WA Palm Island QLD

Doomadgee Region QLD Port Hedland Region WA

East Kimberley Region WA South East Alice Region NT

Eyre Region SA South East Barkly Region NT

Far West Alice Region NT South West Alice Region NT

Far West Region NSW South West Region QLD

Far West Region SA Tiwi Region NT

Fitzroy Valley Region WA Torres Strait Islands QLD

Flinders and Far North Region SA Upper Darling Region NSW

Galiwin'ku Region NT Victoria River Region NT

Gapuwiyak-Yirrkala Region NT Wadeye Region NT

Gascoyne Region WA Wellesley Islands QLD

Groote Region NT West Alice Region NT


Gulf Region NT West Arnhem Region NT

Halls Creek/Tjurabalan Region WA West Isa/Alpurrurulam Region QLD

Kambalda/Norseman Region WA Western Cape Region QLD

Karratha Region WA Western Desert Region WA

Katherine Region NT Western Tablelands Region QLD

Kowanyama / Pormpuraaw Region Yaaliku Region WA

Kullarri Region WA

You are applying to conduct RJCP Activities in Cook Region QLD (example only)

2.1 Coverage

Full Coverage Partial Coverage

Partial Coverage Description (use descriptions such as Community Names or Centrelink Community Codes)

2.2 Site Information

Site 1 Details Full time Part time Outreach

Site 1 Location Details

Suburb/Community

Suburb/Territory

Postcode

2.3 I am willing to participate in any negotiations, meetings or any other processes regarding the possible brokering of partnerships to conduct RJCP Activities in this Remote Region.

Yes No

2.4 If your organisation proposes to use subcontractors, agents or other parties to conduct any of the Activities in this Remote Region for which you are applying, please provide the subcontractors full legal name and ABN.

Subcontractor’s Legal Name Subcontractor’s ABN


Note: If you are a member of a Group, do not include other members of the Group in this table. Please ensure your organisation authorises subcontractors listed above to provide the Department with their details for the purpose of undertaking credential checks. Without the subcontractor’s authorisation, the Department may not be able to evaluate the proposed subcontractor’s credentials for the purpose of this application.

2.5 Have you completed the selection criteria for Cook Region QLD? (example only)

Note: To respond to the selection criteria, you will need to complete the questions in the PDF selection criteria document which you will have downloaded from AusTender, then Save the PDF as this Region’s name.

Yes

Return to RJCP Application response


APPENDIX B SELECTION CRITERIA FOR THE RJCP ACTIVITIES

Remote Jobs and Communities Program– Remote Employment and Participation Activities

– Remote Youth Leadership and Development Corps

Value for money will form an overarching assessment consideration in the RJCP funding application process based on the Applicant’s responses to all selection criteria.

Complete a copy of the Selection Criteria for each Remote Region for which you are applying to conduct RJCP Activities.

Please note that this form can be downloaded from AusTender.

Provide the full legal name of your organisation. If responding as a group, please provide the lead member’s full legal name.

Select Region (from drop down menu)

Criterion 1

Demonstrated connections to, or acceptance by (all) communities within a Remote Region

Weighting: 30%




Demonstrate the connections that your organisation has to the communities in the Remote Region and how long these have been maintained.

Describe how your organisation is accepted by the communities in the Remote Region. Describe the networks your organisation has within communities. Describe the physical presence, including office space and infrastructure, you have in each

community in the Remote Region in which you wish to conduct RJCP Activities. Where you do not have a physical presence, describe your connections with that/those communities and how you would provide Activities to these communities.

Describe how you will build trust and connections in communities that you have not worked with before.

Demonstrate your ability to deliver activities to Indigenous people living in remote communities.


Criterion 2

Strategies to conduct employment and meaningful participation activities across the Remote Region

Weighting: 30%



Describe how your organisation will help people to get jobs in their local communities. Describe what your organisation will do to make sure that people are able to take part in

training, work experience or participate in volunteer work. Describe how you would work with the community/communities in the Remote Region to

ensure that there are appropriate community participation activities for job seekers and volunteers, including how you would develop and manage group based activities.

Describe how you will make sure that people are doing the things they agreed to do in their individual Participation Plan.

Describe how your organisation works with industries and employers in the Remote Region to encourage them to hire and train local people and how you will prepare local people to meet the needs of industry and employers in the Remote Region.

Describe your organisation’s structure and governance arrangements and how they will support conduct of the Remote Employment and Participation Activities.


Criterion 3

Strategies to conduct Activities for clients with different individual needs

Weighting: 20%



Describe how your organisation will develop plans to help your clients to become ready for work.

Describe what your organisation has done, in the past under similar programs, to support people with different needs, including people with disability, young people, single parents or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Different groups of people might have different needs when they are trying to find work, or keep a job. You should describe how your organisation will determine what these needs are and what you will do to help your clients overcome barriers to their employment and/or participation.


Criterion 4

Demonstrated capacity to develop strategies to meet the needs of local employers and industry and to identify economic development opportunities

Weighting: 20%



Describe how your organisation will work with other organisations in the Remote Region to help communities to identify possible community development, training and employment projects.

Describe the networks your organisation has with community groups and organisations and how your organisation would work with these groups to identify and plan ways to overcome any problems with developing projects.

Describe what your organisation will do to ensure community and economic development projects are properly managed, including considering any risks and developing plans to manage these.

Describe how your organisation will work with employers and local industries to make sure they can find workers who have the right skills for their jobs.


APPENDIX C REFEREE REPORT FORMPlease note that this form can be downloaded from AusTender.

To be read in conjunction with Section 3.2.3 of the EOI.

The referee report should take the form primarily as set out on the following page. The referee can type information into the document and then sign and date the report. The Applicant must upload the signed and dated report(s) with their application, preferably in PDF format.

Current Australian Public Servants cannot provide a referee report and any such report will not be considered. ‘Australian Public Servants’ means, in this context, any officers, delegates, employees, contracted staff and agents of a Commonwealth agency. The Department will not consider information provided in a referee report that is not relevant to the selection criteria.

In exceptional circumstances where an Applicant is unable to obtain a written report from a referee it considers to be important to its application, the Applicant may provide a referee’s contact details in this pro forma and a compelling explanation why a report has not been submitted. The Department may contact this nominated referee to clarify or seek additional information on the Applicants claims against the selection criteria.

REFEREE REPORT



Name of Applicant: ___________________________________________________________________________

(This is the legal name of the organisation).

REFEREE DETAILS

Name __________________________________________________

Position in organisation _________________________________________

Organisation ________________________________________________

Telephone __________________________________________________

Facsimile __________________________________________________

Email __________________________________________________

What is your relationship with the Applicant? e.g. do you have a financial business relationship; does the Applicant deliver business or conduct activities on your behalf?


Please provide comments against each of the selection criteria on the basis of your experience in dealing with the Applicant.

1. Demonstrated connections to, or acceptance by (all) communities within a Remote Region

Please comment on how the Applicant has demonstrated their connections to, or acceptance by community within a Remote Region.

2. Strategies to conduct employment and meaningful participation activities across the Remote Region

Please comment on how the Applicant has conducted employment and meaningful participation activities across the Remote Region.

3. Strategies to conduct activities for clients with different individual needs

Please comment on how the Applicant has conducted activities for clients with different individual needs.

4. Demonstrated capacity to develop strategies to meet the needs of local employers and industry and to identify economic development opportunities

Please comment on how the Applicant has demonstrated their capacity to meet the needs of local employers and industry, as well as identify economic development opportunities.

REFEREE DECLARATION

Name __________________________________________________

Signature __________________________________________________

Date __________________________________________________

Note that the Department will contact the referee directly if it considers it necessary to clarify or seek additional information on an Applicant’s claims against the selection criteria.


APPENDIX D INFORMATION GUIDE FOR APPLICATION

The information guide contains:

IT information including:o supported operating systemso virus checkingo file types and naming conventions

information on lodgement details including:o how to compress fileso using the EOI Application Form

contact details and useful resources, and an Application Checklist.

IT Information

Supported operating systems

The application form can be run successfully on any of the following operating systems:

Windows 2007 Windows 2000 Professional with Service Pack 4 Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2, also covers Windows XP Business Edition, Windows

XP Professional Edition Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1, also covers Windows Vista Professional Edition,

Windows Vista Ultimate Edition Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition, or Apple Macintosh (if using a ‘Windows Emulator’ or computers with dual booting capacity).

If you do not have one of these operating systems or do not have access to a supported operating system, contact your organisation’s IT support staff.

Virus checking

In submitting a response electronically, the Applicant warrants that it has taken reasonable steps to ensure that the application files are free from computer viruses or other disabling features that may affect computing environments. Applications found to contain viruses or other disabling features may be excluded from the evaluation process.

File naming conventions

Referee reports

If Applicants are submitting referee reports, the documents should reflect the name of the referee, for example: Joe Bloggs.docx or ABC company.docx

Supporting documents up to 10 A4 pages of supporting documentation

If possible, the supporting document(s) should reflect the name of the subject it relates to in the selection criteria, if applicable, for example: ABC company, criterion 1 graph.doc


AusTender—when submitting your application

When uploading an application into AusTender, the file name must not exceed 20 characters or contain special characters such as \ /:*?"<>

Permitted file typesThe following are the only file formats permitted to be attached to the response file uploaded to AusTender. No hyperlinked or other material may be incorporated by reference:

Adobe Acrobat files (.pdf) Text files (.txt) Common Language (.gif, .jpg) MS Word compatible files (.doc, .rtf, .docx) MS Excel compatible Spreadsheets (.xls, .xlsx)

AusTender Below are some frequently asked questions about AusTender.

What is AusTender? Why do I need to register with AusTender?

AusTender is the website used by the Australian Government to advertise and administer government related tenders. You can access the RJCP funding application process documentation from AusTender and once you have completed your application, you will need to submit your application through AusTender.

You must register with AusTender to be able to download the RJCP funding application process documentation. Once registered, you will automatically receive notifications through your nominated email advising of any addenda (changes to the documentation).

What is an ATM?

An ATM (or Approach to Market) is any notice inviting organisations to participate in applying for funding. For the RJCP funding application process documents, the ATM will be called ‘Remote Jobs and Communities Program 2013–2018’.

I am having a problem downloading the RJCP funding application process documentation from AusTender, what do I do?

If you have any questions or problems in AusTender relating to downloading the documentation or lodging your application, contact the AusTender Help Desk on 1300 651 698 or via email to [email protected].

How would I be notified if there is an addendum (change to the RJCP funding application process documentation)?

If you are registered with AusTender, you will automatically receive an email advising of any addenda, updates or changes.

I have lodged my application on AusTender but it is incorrect and I want to change it?

Once you have lodged a response on AusTender the response cannot be changed or withdrawn. If you wish to change any information in a lodged response prior to the Closing Date and Time, you will need to submit a new response to AusTender then notify the Department via the Employment Services Purchasing Hotline on 1300 733 514, of:

the legal name and the ABN of your organisation the AusTender receipt number contained in your successful lodgement email date and time on the AusTender response receipt of the latest upload, and the reason for submitting a new application.


What will it cost to access AusTender?

There is no cost to access the AusTender website. Registering with AusTender, downloading the RJCP funding application process documentation and uploading your application are all free of charge.

Using AusTenderNew User Registration

To access and download the RJCP funding application process documentation, you will need to log into AusTender. If you have never logged into AusTender before, you will need to register.

Go to www.tenders.gov.au. This will take you to the AusTender home page.

Click on the ‘New user registration’ link from the green login box above the left hand navigation panel.

The ‘New User Registration’ form will display and you will have to complete all mandatory fields, indicated with an astericks (*).

At the bottom of the form you will find the question ‘Would you like to receive email notification of new open business opportunities and/or Planned Procurements?’

o By selecting ‘Yes’ you can create your business profile against which ATMs and/or Planned Procurements that match will be notified to you via email as they are published on AusTender.

o If you select ‘No’ you will need to check AusTender regularly for any new ATMs and Planned Procurements that may be of interest to you.

For more information and tips on registering with AusTender, see the AusTender Public User Guide at: www.tenders.gov.au/public_data/userguides_1.15/AusTender%20Public%20User%20Guide%20-%20November%202011.pdf

Existing User Login

If you have previously registered with AusTender, you can log in by entering your Username (email address) and Password into the green Login box above the left hand navigation panel. If you have forgotten your password select the ‘Forgotten password’ link to reset your password (see the ‘Forgotten Password’ section of the AusTender Public User Guide).

Once you have entered your Username (email address) and Password, click the ‘Login’ button.

AusTender will verify your login details and display your name in the top panel on the left of the screen. The Login button will be replaced with a ‘Logout’ button.


Search for an Approach to Market

AusTender uses the acronym ATM (Approach to Market) to refer to any business opportunity advertised by Australian Government agencies.

For the RJCP funding application process, the ATM is ‘Remote Jobs and Communities Program 2013–2018’ and its category is ‘Community and Social Services’.

To locate Current ATMs, select ‘Current ATMs’ from the left hand navigation panel. This will display the ‘Current ATM List’.

To search for the RJCP funding application process documentation, you can type in keywords such as ‘the Department’ or ‘Remote’. Then click <Search>.

The ‘Current ATM View’ page will display and will list out all ATMs matching your search items. Identify the correct ATM and select either the hyperlinked ‘ATM ID’ or ‘Full Details’ in the Description

section. The details of the RJCP funding application process documentation will display. Click on ‘Go to ATM

Documents’ hyperlink and this will take you to the documentation.

Below is an example of an ‘ATM Documents’ page. You will need to save the documentation onto your computer.


Practice uploading files into AusTender

The AusTender website has the functionality to practice uploading files, using a demonstration application.

In the Search field on the top, right hand corner, type in ‘DemoATM2012’ and press <Search>.

The search will return a similar screen to when you searched for the RJCP funding application process ATM.

Open the ATM Documents page as you would have when searching for the RJCP funding application process ATM. Then click on the ‘Go to Lodgement Page’.

Once the ‘Lodge a Response’ page has opened, on the ‘Response File 1’ row, select ‘Browse…’ and navigate to the files you wish to upload. The Department recommends that you ‘zip’ the files together and then upload the zipped file.

When you have uploaded all of your files, click ‘Lodge Response’.


While your response is being processed, the message to the right will appear.

When the response has been successfully lodged, a Response Receipt will appear on screen.

This receipt will include the names of the files lodged and will be time and date stamped. A confirmation email will also be sent to the email address used to register with AusTender.

The Department recommends saving this email for your records.

Remember, this is a demonstration ATM only for you to practice lodging an application. Make sure you lodge your final RJCP application under the correct ATM (see the process below).

Submitting your application

Once you have completed your application, you will need to lodge it through AusTender. After lodging the practice files on the AusTender website, the following process will be familiar.


Navigate to the Current ATM List page and in the Keyword Search field enter the word ‘the Department’ or ‘Remote’ which will bring back the RJCP funding application process documentation.

By following the steps you practiced in the demonstration ATM, you will be able to successfully upload your application to AusTender.

It is the responsibility of the Applicant to ensure that all files are successfully transmitted prior to the Closing Date and Time. Applicants should ensure they leave sufficient time for the upload to account for the file size and online traffic.

Please note:

When you are in the RJCP funding application process documentation ATM, this is the official lodgement area in AusTender. Any files that are uploaded in this official lodgement area prior to the Closing Date and Time will be received by the Department. If you submit multiple responses, you must inform the Employment Services Purchasing Hotline and advise which one is your final and completed application prior to the Closing Date and Time.

Any files that are uploaded into the ‘DemoATM2012’ (the practice lodgement) will not be received by the Department.

Note: Some screen shots used in this information guide may vary to the actual screen.

EOI Application Using the application form

The application form needs to be completed by Applicants wishing to conduct RJCP Activities. Applicants should read the entire application form carefully and complete all of the questions.

It is recommended when filling in the EOI Application form to have any other instances of Microsoft Excel documents closed.

Part A – Applicant Declaration, requires the person submitting the application on behalf of the organisation or Group Applicant, to read, understand and agree to the statements in the Declaration. This section requires Applicants to enter text to answer questions and select from a drop down menu a response for an electronic signature.

Part B – Applicant Information and Applicant Contact Details, asks for details of the organisation applying to conduct RJCP Activities. Part B also collects information such as organisation members’ contact details, bank details, details of any referees and any confidential information. This section requires Applicants to enter text to answer questions, select from drop down menus and select check boxes.

Part C – Applying to conduct RJCP Activities, requires Applicants to select the Remote Regions for which they are applying to provide the RJCP Activities indicating Remote Region coverage (full or partial), a description of any partial coverage, subcontracting arrangements and indicate the Applicant’s willingness to


participate in negotiations to broker partnerships to conduct RJCP Activities. This section requires Applicants to enter text to answer questions and to select drop down menu options. Applicants must complete the relevant details for each Remote Region in which they wish to apply to conduct RJCP Activities.

Application Lodgement and ‘zipping’ files

Applicants are required to electronically lodge their application through AusTender. Before lodging their application, Applicants should refer to the ‘Application Checklist’ to ensure they have completed the necessary documents and are ready to lodge their application.

When Applicants have completed their application and are ready to lodge it through AusTender, they will need to ‘zip’ the files.

Compressed files contain one or more files which make it easier for files to be kept together and more efficient to email, download and store.

WinZip is one type of compression software that organisations can use to zip their application. This is not a free software; however organisations can download a free trial of WinZip from www.winzip.com/index.htm. Once the software is installed, Applicants can begin creating their zip file.

When zipping files, ready for lodgement, Applicants should ensure they have included:

the application form (the excel form) responses to the selection criteria for each Remote Region being applied for (PDF forms) referee reports (if applicable) (word/PDF documents), and a maximum of 10 A4 pages of supporting documents (if applicable) (in any of the permitted file

types).

If Applicants expect the zip file to exceed 20 megabytes, Applicants should call the Employment Services Purchasing Hotline to seek advice on a suitable time to lodge the response to AusTender.

Contact Details and Useful ResourcesContact Details

Employment Services Purchasing Hotline

Requests to the Department for further information regarding the RJCP funding application process should be directed to the Hotline:

Telephone: 1300 733 514

Facsimile: 02 6275 3935

Email: [email protected]

The Hotline operates 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday, Canberra time, (except for ACT and national public holidays).

AusTender Help Desk

All queries and requests for technical or operational support must be directed to:



Telephone: 1300 651 698

Email: [email protected]

The AusTender Help Desk is available 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday, Canberra time, (except for ACT and national public holidays).

Useful Resources

Website Information available

Employment Services Purchasing


Questions and Answers Information Session presentation Communication protocol Link to Remote Region maps Guidelines Complaints Handling process

The Remote Jobs and Communities Program


Fact Sheets Community Information Session presentations Questions and Answers

AusTender

www.tenders.gov.au

Access to RJCP funding application process documentation

AusTender Help including the AusTender Public User Guide and Frequently Asked Questions

Australian Bureau of Statistics

www.abs.gov.au

Statistical information






Application Checklist

Before you submit your application, make sure you have:

Registered with AusTender and downloaded the RJCP funding application process documentation

Read the EOI (including the Handbook)

Accessed all useful information available to you

Practiced lodging a response into AusTender through the ‘DemoATM2012’

Answered all questions in the application form including:o completed the Applicant Declaration, Applicant Information and Applicant

Contact Details sections, ando indicated the Remote Regions you are applying for, coverage type, any

subcontracting arrangements and willingness to participate in negotiations to broker partnerships

Combined in a zip file:o your completed application formo your selection criteria responses for each Remote Regiono any supporting documents (10 A4 pages maximum), and o any referee reports

Lodged your application on AusTender allowing sufficient time

Saved the response receipt email (once your application is lodged) that is sent to your registered email address

Contacted the Employment Services Purchasing Hotline if you have lodged multiple applications into AusTender

Contacted the Employment Services Purchasing Hotline if you cannot lodge your application before the Closing Date and Time due to extenuating circumstances outside of your control


APPENDIX E ACCESS TO THE DEPARTMENT’S IT SYSTEMS

Funding Recipients of activities covered under the Remote Jobs and Communities Program (RJCP) 2013–2018 Funding Agreement are required to have access to, and use, the Department’s IT Systems, which include a number of internet-based websites and web-browser based transactional systems.

Security and ConfidentialityFunding Recipients must ensure and secure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the Department’s IT Systems and the information within them.

The Information Privacy Principles described in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) that apply to the Department will also apply to Funding Recipients under the terms of the Funding Agreement. Funding Recipients must, therefore, ensure that they safeguard the confidentiality of job seeker details that are accessible through the Department’s IT Systems. The Department requires Funding Recipients to install a secure operating system on all personal computers that have access to the Department’s IT Systems. The security controls in the operating system must safeguard the data that is stored on the personal computer’s disk drive from being read by unauthorised personnel. The operating system must also prevent unauthorised Personnel from accessing software on the personal computer that would facilitate access to confidential data.

Web-Browser and Operating SystemIn order to use the Department systems Funding Recipients must have an internet connection and computer running Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9 as the web-browser application. While other web-browser applications will most likely work effectively with the Department’s applications, the Department will be focussed on ensuring full compatibility of systems with Internet Explorer 9.

The Department does not require any particular operating system or hardware, but advises that higher speed internet connections will better support the upload and download speed of data, and that hardware should be appropriate to supporting the use of web-browser applications in an office environment.

IT ContactThe Funding Recipient must:

nominate personnel to receive technical advice from the Department on the Department’s IT Systems, and to provide advice to the Department of technical issues arising from the deployment of the Department’s IT Systems (the IT Contact)

where that IT Contact changes, advise the Department accordingly, and ensure that the IT Contact:

o disseminates technical advice to personnel and subcontractors as appropriate, in order to minimise disruption to the activities, and provides advice, as requested by the Department, and

o assist in resolution of the Department’s IT Systems technical issues in relation to the Funding Recipient’s readiness to deploy system upgrades to the Department’s IT Systems.

PrintingThe Department’s IT Systems have been designed to minimise the information that Funding Recipients will need to print. Funding Recipients will need to have access to a printer that is locally connected to their personal computer or accessible via their office local area network.


It is the responsibility of the Funding Recipients to supply equipment capable of printing from the Department’s IT Systems. The choice of equipment is up to each Funding Recipient.

Access to the InternetAccess Arrangements

To obtain full access to the internet, Funding Recipients will need an internet service provider (ISP) (internet access is separate from access to the Department’s IT Systems).

Email

To enhance communication, the Department will establish a mailing list to disseminate information. It is mandatory that Funding Recipients have email accounts accessible via the internet for appropriate staff. ISPs can provide information about obtaining email services.

The Department may communicate with Funding Recipients on a day-to-day basis via email.

Information Technology SupportHelp Desk

The following information technology support services are available:

initial security and connection, registration and subsequent changes, resets and troubleshooting, and help desk facilities.

Access to these services is available by calling the Employment Systems Help Desk on 1300 305 520, Monday to Friday, 8.30 am to 7.00 pm (Canberra time) excluding national public holidays.

Information Technology TrainingThe Department may supply Funding Recipients with training in the Department operational policy and IT systems, and will include self-paced learning modules and the use of a training database. The material will be made available through the internet support site database. This is provided online and accessed through the Learning Centre.

Online training modules are produced in a range of multimedia file formats including:

Windows Media Video (.wmv)—viewed through a media player, and Shockwave Flash (.swf)—requiring the Adobe Flash Player.

In addition, the Department will provide information and training using web conferencing. Web Conferencing audio will be delivered through teleconferencing or Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP). Replays of recorded sessions may be downloaded at no cost from the Learning Centre.

Training may also be provided through other mechanisms.

Employment Services Network Internet Support SiteThe Funding Recipient component of the Department’s Employment Community Services Network (ECSN) internet support site is an important source of systems-related information, including:

training materials information bulletins hours of availability system changes required forms, and frequently asked questions and answers.


The internet support site will allow access, in the same manner as that provided for access to the Department’s IT Systems, to a number of services restricted to authorised Funding Recipients, notably:

the Department system-related reports, and materials of a sensitive or privileged nature, such as bulletins, departmental instructions and

payment schedules.

These services will only be accessible to Funding Recipients that have been granted access through a UserID and password. All access to the Department’s IT Systems is logged, and Funding Recipients will be required to enter a valid UserID and password in a secure login process before the pages will display.

The site is presently available from 8.00 am to 10.30 pm (Canberra time), Monday to Friday except for ACT and national public holidays, and 9.00 am to 1.00 pm (Canberra time), on Saturdays. The exception is when the site is offline for maintenance purposes. The hours of access are under constant review and all changes will be communicated in advance to Funding Recipients.

Information Technology CostsFunding Recipients will be required to meet the cost of:

all ISP charges, and acquiring and installing any equipment (hardware and software) described in this Section.

Internet charges are a matter for negotiation between each Funding Recipients and their ISP. Funding Recipients are responsible for supplying the IT equipment they will use, as the Department will not provide any IT equipment.

Security policy for external users of the Department’s IT SystemsThe Department’s ‘ External Security Policy for Contracted Service Funding Recipients and Users’ and companion documents are available from the ‘Procurement and Contacts’ page of the Department website http://employment.gov.au/employment-services-procurement-information.

The policy has been recently amended to reflect contemporary Australian Government security policies. The policy may be updated from time to time to incorporate changes to Government security policies.



APPENDIX F COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL FOR THE REMOTE JOBS AND COMMUNITIES PROGRAM

This communication protocol has been established to support the Remote Jobs and Communities Program (RJCP) funding application process.

The purpose of this protocol is to establish procedures to minimise the risk of any improper practice occurring that could influence the fair operation of the market or the probity of the RJCP funding application process. These procedures also make provision for addressing any allegation of such impropriety.

Those who may be in positions that the public could perceive as having the power to influence the operation of the RJCP funding application process have been identified as including:

Employees of the The Department (the Department) Employees of the Department of Social Services (DSS) Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries and their staff Parliamentarians, whether Commonwealth, state or territory, and anyone else directly or indirectly involved in the RJCP funding application process, including

members of committees, or other persons acting for the Department, DSS or with access to information about the Department and DSS activities that is not generally known (that is, those with ‘inside’ information).

The following procedures have been adopted to minimise the risk of any inappropriate influence on the RJCP funding application process and must be adhered to.

Contact with Portfolio MinistersDuring the RJCP funding application process, Portfolio Ministers will continue to interact with relevant stakeholders for business-as-usual, meetings, conferences and social activities.

However, during these interactions, the only information, if any, that can be provided about the RJCP funding application process will be limited to information that is already available in the public arena. Applicants and Potential Applicants must not seek to obtain from Portfolio Ministers, or their staff, any information concerning the RJCP funding application process that is not already available in the public arena.

Applicants and Potential Applicants should note that the RJCP funding application process will be conducted by the Department with all decisions made by the Department in accordance with the approved delegation.

Contact with the Department and DSSDuring the RJCP funding application process, the Department and DSS will continue to interact with relevant stakeholders as a part of their ongoing business (on a business-as-usual basis), including continuing any regular discussions with a range of interest groups and industry representative bodies.

At these business-as-usual interactions, any discussions relating to the RJCP funding application process, however, will not be permitted. The following principles will apply:

all Applicants will only use the process set out in the Expression of Interest (EOI) (that is, contacting the Employment Services Purchasing Hotline)to contact the Department for the purpose of querying or clarifying any aspect of the RJCP funding application process

The Department and DSS will not consider unsolicited references or submissions on behalf of Funding Recipients or Applicants outside those provided for in the RJCP funding application process


Applicants or other persons with an interest in the RJCP funding application process must not enter into discussions with or otherwise engage in any activity with the Department or DSS, persons directly or indirectly involved in the RJCP funding application process acting for the Department or DSS, and other persons who have been identified as being in positions of potential influence over the operation of the RJCP funding application process. Further, the Department and DSS will not enter into discussions or otherwise engage in any activity with Applicants, or such other persons with an interest in the RJCP funding application process, where this could be perceived as influencing the operation of the RJCP funding application process

views on an individual Applicant or Applicants must not be expressed to the Department or DSS in a way that could be perceived as an attempt to influence the Department or DSS to favour, or disfavour, any Applicant

details of any approaches by or on behalf of an individual Applicant or Applicants will be fully documented, and

communications or conduct suspected of involving a breach of this communication protocol or of the RJCP funding application process, including any suspected illegality, will be investigated and may be taken into account during the application evaluation process.

AssistanceApplicants will apply to conduct RJCP Activities through a fair and transparent process.

Applicants must not seek help from any person in a position that the public could perceive as having power to influence the operation of the RJCP funding application process to develop their application. Applicants must not seek any assistance from any other person in the position in interpreting or otherwise using any information that has been made available about, or as part of, the RJCP funding application process except as provided for in the EOI.

The Department DSS state office staff can only assist Applicants by directing questions on the RJCP funding application process to the Department’s Employment Services Purchasing Hotline on an Applicant’s behalf.

Capacity StrengtheningInformation and assistance in relation to capacity strengthening will be provided by the Department in line with the assistance outlined in the EOI. Further information about the capacity strengthening arrangements will be published on the Employment Services Purchasing website at http://employment.gov.au/employment-services-procurement-information.

InformationExcept as provided in the EOI or in the documentation or information that is made publicly available by the Commonwealth:

no Applicant will be provided with information about the RJCP funding application process (including any policy matters relevant to or affecting the RJCP funding application process), and

no Applicant will receive information about the decision-making processes. Further, the following principles will guide the Department and DSS in communicating with

Applicants: no Applicant will receive any information in advance of it being made available generally to

Applicants no Applicant will receive more information than is publicly available data relating to an individual Applicant will only be made available to the Applicant to which the data

relates, except when the data is used for the purposes of the EOI or funding agreement management and associated activities such as auditing, and



where in the opinion of the Department, information provided to one Applicant should be made available to all Applicants, that information will be distributed on the Department website on a non-attributable basis.

Further information on RJCP funding application process arrangementsThe Employment Services Purchasing Hotline (the Hotline) is the primary means of contact during the RJCP funding application process, and can be contacted on 1300 733 514 (Monday to Friday, 9.00 am to 5.00 pm Canberra time, excluding ACT and national public holidays) or via email at [email protected].

In order to ensure the probity of the RJCP funding application process, the Hotline cannot provide interpretation or advice on how to respond to the EOI, or provide information that is not contained in the EOI, unless that information is otherwise publicly available. Applicants should note that, during a call to the Hotline, they may be asked to put their question in writing and send it to the above email address.

The Hotline, website and email address are the primary mechanisms for communications relating to the RJCP funding application process. All persons are required to refer or direct any RJCP funding application process related enquiries to the Hotline, website or email address.

Complaints HandlingThe complaints handling process is a two-step approach with complaints about the process being made firstly to the Branch Head, Procurement within the Department and more complex complaints, or complaints which put the Commonwealth at risk, forwarded to the external Probity Adviser for advice and resolution. The Branch Head, Procurement will determine whether or not the complaint can be resolved internally or whether it requires escalation to the external Probity Adviser. The Branch Head, Procurement is Jenny Harrison who can be contacted at [email protected].

Probity AdviserThe Department is committed to ensuring that the grant funding process for the supply of RJCP Activities is fair and transparent. To do this, it is important that the RJCP funding application processes are transparent and subject to appropriate scrutiny and that all procedures published by the Department are followed.

The Department has appointed the legal firm Maddocks as the external Probity Adviser. The role of the Probity Adviser is to advise the Delegate on the probity and integrity of the RJCP funding application process. The role includes developing an overarching Probity Plan that can be applied to the RJCP funding application process and providing advice on probity issues, conducting appropriate probity training and advising on relevant security arrangements.

Any questions about the process or activities covered by the RJCP funding application process should, in the first instance, be lodged through the Hotline. The Hotline can be contacted on 1300 733 514, (Monday to Friday, 9.00 am to 5.00 pm Canberra time, excluding ACT and national public holidays) or via email at [email protected].



APPENDIX G FINANCIAL AND CREDENTIALS INFORMATION FORM

This document is a sample only. Applicants are not required to complete this form when submitting an application in response to the Remote Jobs and Communities Program (RJCP) funding application process. The Department will advise and send a copy of this form if we require an Applicant to provide this information. Information and any forms that may be sent later to Applicants may vary in form and layout.

Financial and Credentials Information FormPurpose of this form

The purpose of this form is to obtain information to determine whether the Applicant has any financial or credential issues that may impact on the RJCP Activity requirements and whether there are any issues that may affect the Applicant’s ability to provide Activities under the Funding Agreement(s). This process is used to minimise risk to the Commonwealth. It is not used to measure the profitability of an organisation or its potential for success in the conduct of Activities.

Privacy

The Department, its contractors and agents are bound by the provisions of the Privacy Act 1988 which prevents personal information about individuals from being used or disclosed without their knowledge or consent. Personal information collected in this form will be used to assess your organisation’s credentials and financial viability. In other instances the information collected can be disclosed without your consent where authorised or required by law.

By submitting this form you authorise the Department to undertake certain checks which involve the disclosing of Personal Information about individuals to other agencies and organisations. You also warrant that your organisation's contact person detailed at section 2, trust beneficiaries detailed at section 4 and the relevant persons detailed at section 14, have given you permission to disclose their Personal Information to the Department for the purposes of assessing your organisation’s credentials and financial viability, and authorise the Department to obtain additional information for these purposes from the following sources:

the Department databases Law enforcement agencies State or Territory agencies Credit reference agencies Courts or Tribunals Other Commonwealth agencies such as the Australian Taxation Office and the Australian Securities and

Investments Commission Any other appropriate organisation or person.

Instructions for completing this form

Complete each section of this form as it is applicable to your organisation. You need to provide as much information as you can to assist the Department assess the financial viability and credential standing of your organisation. Please read this form carefully and check that all required and relevant information is supplied. The financial statements must be the most recent and relate to the entity detailed in this form.

Returning your completed Financial and Credentials Information Form Upon completion of this form the saved Microsoft Excel (.xls) file should forwarded with any additional documents needed to the Department. Please do not change the file type of this form.


Remote Jobs and Communities Program Activities

2013-2018

Further InformationIf you have any questions about this form please call or email to the Employment Services Purchasing HotlineTelephone: 1300 733 514Email: [email protected]

The Hotline can be contacted Monday to Friday from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm Canberra time, excluding ACT and national public holidays.

1. Entity Details

Legal Name of Applicant(or group member if applicable)

Pro forma only – do not fill out

Registered Trading Name (if applicable) Pro forma only – do not fill out

Registered Address (not a PO Box) Pro forma only – do not fill out

Trading Address Pro forma only – do not fill out

Postal Address Pro forma only – do not fill out

Australian Business Number (ABN) and/or Pro forma only – do not fill out

Australian Company Number (ACN) and/or Pro forma only – do not fill out

Australian Registered Body Number (ARBN) or Pro forma only – do not fill out

Indigenous Corporation Number (ICN) Pro forma only – do not fill out

IF YOUR ORGANISATION DOES NOT CURRENTLY HAVE A REGISTRATION NUMBER PLEASE SHOW THE DATE AN APPLICATION TO REGISTER HAS BEEN OR WILL BE SUBMITTED.


If available please attach a copy of the Certificate of Incorporation for your organisation and certificates for change of name. Please also attach, if possible, copies of certificates of registration for any registered business name to be used by your organisation when conducting RJCP Activities.

2. Contact details for a person that can answer any questions about your Entity

Contact Name Pro forma only – do not fill out

Position Pro forma only – do not fill out

Email Pro forma only – do not fill out

Phone Pro forma only – do not fill out

Fax Pro forma only – do not fill out

3. Type of Entity



Tick the type of entity your organisation is (tick more than one if applicable):

Sole Trader Partnership Association Company Foreign owned company Indigenous Corporation Group Member Government Agency (Commonwealth/State/Territory/Local) Commonwealth/State owned company Trust/Unit Trust Registered Charity Union Other legal entity (please specify i.e.

established under legislation):Pro forma only – do not fill out

4. Trust details

If your organisation is associated with a trust, and is applying to conduct RJCP Activities as trustee for that trust, please confirm details of the trust below:

If your organisation is not applying as trustee, proceed to section 5.

4.1 Name of Trust Pro forma only – do not fill out

A copy of the trust deed, along with all amendments to the deed, must be attached.

4.2 Type of Trust:

Discretionary Trust Unit Trust Public Benevolent Institution or Public Charitable Trust Other, please describe Pro forma only – do not fill out

4.3 Names of indi v idual s who are the adult beneficiaries, or Unit Holders, that share in greater than 15% of the trust:

Surname Given names Date of birth(dd/mm/yyyy)

Residential address(PO Box address is not acceptable)

Individuals disclosed at section 19?

4.4 Names of organisations which are beneficiaries, or unit holders, which share in greater than 15% of the trust:

Name ABN

Note: It is up to you to satisfy the Department of the financial viability of your organisation. If the trust's net tangible asset position is nominal, the financial viability of the trust could be linked to financial support provided by a related third party. This may be one or more of the beneficiaries, the trustees, or other related parties. Details of the financial support available should be provided at section 9.

As a result of the financial viability assessment the Department may request that a Financial Undertaking and Performance Guarantee be provided by the supporter(s) prior to executing a Funding Agreement.

5. Ultimate Holding Entity

If your organisation has an ultimate holding entity, provide details of the ultimate holding entity below:


If your organisation does not have an ultimate holding entity, proceed to section 6.

Legal Name Pro forma only – do not fill out

Australian Business Number (ABN). ABN is required. Pro forma only – do not fill out

Australian Company Number (ACN) Pro forma only – do not fill out

Australian Registered Body Number (ARBN) Pro forma only – do not fill out


6. Previous or ongoing events

Select any of the boxes below that show to any events that your organisation has been involved in the last five years.

You must tick at least one of the boxes below.

6.1. Government investigation of your organisation or related entities 6.2. Litigation or liquidation proceedings 6.3. A contract with your organisation terminated by the other party 6.4. Contingent liabilities of a material amount. If not detailed in the financial statements, please advise

current status 6.5. Overdue tax liabilities 6.6. Factors which might impact on your organisation. For example, pending significant litigation, business

commitments, collections by debt collection agencies on behalf of creditors, or potential liquidation proceedings

6.7. Any significant change in your organisation’s financial position not reflected in the financial statements provided

6.8. Any other particulars which are likely to affect your capacity to conduct RJCP Activities, or 6.9. None of the above events apply and there is no adverse information on my organisation.

If you selected any of the boxes please attach a separate document detailing the current position with respect to that event. Include copies of correspondence from relevant authorities if applicable.

For ongoing events, include current position, anticipated outcome and expected date of finalisation.

7. New or restructured organisations

If your organisation is new or has been financially restructured please provide information about any external funding sources, assets, guarantees or any other form of financial support. If other entities have joined your organisation, please provide financial reports or details for these entities. External funding sources may include shareholders’ and owners’ funds to be contributed. Expected money to be received from providing RJCP Activities should not be included.

Provide details and supporting documents about assets owned or to be given to your organisation. This evidence may include bank statements, letters of approval, rates notices showing property valuations, etc.

If the assets are owned by someone other than your organisation or there are loans, debts or court orders against the asset, attach details of ownership and the dollar amount of these debts, loans court orders.

You need to provide as much information as required to satisfy the Department of your organisation's financial viability.

Assets owned or to be given to the organisation Estimated value $


8. Assets not on your records used to help you borrow

If your organisation has or will have borrowings which are secured by assets or guarantees not listed on your organisation’s latest balance sheet, provide details of the assets used to assist the borrowings.

Valuation documents, if available, or rates notices showing valuation for rates purposes should be provided as evidence of ownership.

Asset / property owner (name) Asset description (e.g. house / commercial property and address)

Estimated value $

9. Additional and contingency funding

In the following table please provide details of the resources or contingency funding not disclosed in your financial statements which will be available if your organisation or the Applicant were to have an unexpected shortfall in funds. This could be a letter or agreement from a bank, another organisation or persons saying that they will lend or give you money if required.

Attach documentary evidence of the funding source. (i.e. letters of approval of finance from a bank, copy of deposit records, etc.)

If the contingency funding is from another organisation (i.e. a partner, shareholder, beneficiary or owner), that organisation's financial viability must be proven and information should be attached that shows this.

If the personal assets of individuals are to be considered then the details of the individual's financial position must be provided on 'Attachment 1', or on a similar form that has the same information included.

Description of resource Estimated value $

Note: A person who knows they are giving false or misleading information or documents to the Commonwealth, or does not provide information causing the information provided to be misleading, or acts dishonestly with the intention of obtaining a gain for themselves or causing a loss to the Commonwealth is guilty of an offence which is punishable by imprisonment under the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).

10. Financial Statements

A copy of your financial statements must be attached.These should be your most recent statements, with the preceding two years if available.

10.1 Month and year of most recent financial year for which financial statements are being provided.


10.2 Are financial statements audited? 2012 2011 2010

Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No

If your organisation uses a qualified accountant to prepare its financial records please provide the details here.

Accountants Name Pro forma only – do not fill out

Address Pro forma only – do not fill out

Email Pro forma only – do not fill out


Phone Pro forma only – do not fill out

Fax Pro forma only – do not fill out

11. Financial Statements - Ultimate Holding Entity

If your organisation has an Ultimate Holding Entity, please complete the following.

A copy of the ultimate holding entity's financial statements must be attached.

11.1 Month and year of most recent financial year for which financial statements are being provided.


11.2 Are financial statements audited? 2012 2011 2010

Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No

12. Commonwealth overdue debts or acquittals

If your organisation has any overdue debts or acquittals for funding received from any Commonwealth agencies, including any agencies under the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997, provide details below:

Name of organisation that provided funding

Name of program or scheme under which funding was provided

Funding received ($)

Unacquitted funds/overdue debts ($)

Date acquittal was due(dd/mm/yyyy)

Your organisation's details at time of funding

Legal Trading Business


13. Relevant persons

Please provide details of all relevant persons in your organisation in the table below. Relevant persons are persons who have a direct or indirect interest in the organisation or business with the potential to have some control over the management or operation of the organisation. This includes all directors, partners, office bearers and trustees of your organisation and decision makers (managers) involved in the conduct of Activities. If in doubt about whether an individual is a relevant person, they should be included.

Please provide details of all relevant persons in your organisation in the table below. All fields must be completed. Insert NA if not applicable. If a person is known by more than one name, please indicate this and include all names for that person.

The contact person detailed at section 2 must be included below.

Position Surname Given Names

Date of birthdd/mm/yyyy

Place of birth(Town & Country)

Residential address(PO Box address not acceptable)

Drivers licence number

No. years in position of influence

You must tick at least one of the following boxes in relation to the persons listed above.

If any of the events at numbers 13.1 to 13.5 below have happened within the last five years to any 'relevant persons' please tick the appropriate box(es) and attach a separate document detailing the event and outcome. For ongoing events include current position, anticipated outcome, and expected date of finalisation.

13.1. Government investigation of relevant person(s). 13.2. Any business failure of relevant person(s) including business failure of organisations in which they hold, or

held at the time of the event, a management or board position. Examples of a business failure include a Court Ordered or a Creditors Voluntary Administration, Liquidation, External Administration, or Receivership.

13.3. Bankruptcies of relevant person(s). 13.4. Bankruptcy proceedings, including part IX Debt Agreements of Part X Insolvency Agreements, against

relevant person(s). 13.5. Litigation against relevant person(s) including judgement debts. 13.6. None of the above events applies and there is no adverse information on any relevant person associated

with this organisation. No attachment is required.

By submitting this form you are confirming that the above details with respect to the relevant persons are correct, and that your statements with respect to any, and all, of the above events has been checked by you and with the relevant persons.

Misleading or deceptive statements in this form may affect the consideration of the application for funding to conduct RJCP Activities.

14. Group details

If your organisation is applying as part of a Group Applicant please confirm details of the group below:

If your organisation is not applying as part of a Group Applicant proceed to section 15.

Name of Group Applicant Pro forma only – do not fill out

Nominated Lead Member Pro forma only – do not fill out

If applying as a Group Applicant each member must complete a separate Financial and Credentials Information Form.


The Financial and Credentials Information Form completed by each member of the Group, along with required documents relevant to each member, must be included as an attachment to this form.

If your organisation is applying as the Lead Member of the Group Applicant provide the following details for the Group.

If your organisation is not applying as the Lead Member of the Group Applicant proceed to section 15.

Registered business name (if applicable) Pro forma only – do not fill out

Trading address Pro forma only – do not fill out

Postal address Pro forma only – do not fill out

Table 1: Group Applicant Members - Incorporated Organisations

Name of organisation % financial share in the Group Separate form completed/attached

Table 2: Group Applicant Members – individuals

Surname Given names % financial share in the Group

Separate form completed/attached

Total 0

If more space is required attach an additional sheet and record details of Group Applicant members under the same headings above.

15. Supporting documents

15.1. The Department requires the following information to complete the checking of your Financial Viability and Credentials.

Regardless of whether financial statements have previously been provided to the Department attach your latest annual financial statements as well as statements for the previous two years, if available.

Name the attachment file to indicate the name of the report. For example - "Financials2011.pdf".

Statements must include:

Balance sheet Notes to the accounts Income statement Directors report Cash flow statement Auditors report (If applicable)

If any of the above documents cannot be provided please attach a note stating which documents are unavailable and the reason.

15.2. The following is a list of documents and additional information you should provide, if applicable, depending on your organisation’s response to questions asked in this form and your organisations circumstances.

Tick the applicable box(es) below to indicate attachments that have been supplied with this form.

Name the attachment file to indicate which section of the Financial and Credentials Information Form it relates to. For example - "Section3-1.pdf" , "Section3-2.pdf" etc.

Relates to: Attachment Description

Section 1 Copy of Certificate of Incorporation or Registration.

Section 1 Copy of Certificate of Registration of Business name.

Section 4 Copy of original executed Trust deed along with any amendments to the Funding


Agreement. Certify the Funding Agreement with a statement that: “All changes to this Trust deed, subsequent to its commencement, have been provided to the Department with this copy of the Trust deed”.

Section 6 Details with respect to any of the events listed at Section 6.1-6.8 applicable to your organisation.

Section 7 Evidence of any external funding sources, assets, guarantees or any other form of financial support.

Section 8 Evidence of Off Balance Sheet Assets and/ or external support (Rates notice/valuation or other documentation).

Section 9 Evidence of availability of additional and contingent funding. (i.e. bank statements / evidence of ownership, availability and value of saleable third party asset, etc.).

Section 12 Additional information - Commonwealth overdue debts or acquittals.

Section 13 List of additional relevant persons.

Section 13 Details with respect to any of the events listed at Section 13.1-13.5 applicable to relevant persons.

Section 14 Additional Financial and Credentials Information Forms from Group members.

Please consider if further information could be provided to support your organisations financial viability and attach it with this form.

The items listed below are typical examples of the types of information that could be supplied.

If you are a sole trader, or a group of individuals in a partnership, details of individual financial position(s). Refer 'Attachment 1' for a suggested Personal Balance Sheet format.

Details of ownership structure including identification of parent entities. (Corporate family tree) Copy of letters from a financial institution (e.g. bank or credit union) certifying an existing or an approved line

of credit and/or bank guarantees. Copy of a guarantee or cross Funding Agreement of indemnity from your organisation’s ultimate holding entity. Copy of Minutes of last Annual General Meeting. Other attachments – please specify. Pro forma only – do not fill out

Please ensure you include at the top of the first page of each attachment the name of your organisation and the section number of this form to which the attachment relates.

The person named below will also have to complete the Statutory Declaration attached at the end of this form.

Name of person who completed this form Pro forma only – do not fill out

Date Pro forma only – do not fill out


1. Additional Information

2. The Person Who Completed This Form

Attachment 1 - additional information per Section 16

Personal Balance Sheet

If the personal assets of individuals provide the necessary financial resources to support the financial viability of your organisation please provide details below or in a similarly formatted form.

This form should be submitted with the Financial and Credentials Information part of your application and identified as attached at Section 15 'Supporting documents'.

Name Pro forma only – do not fill out

Address Pro forma only – do not fill out

Work Telephone Number Pro forma only – do not fill out

Home Telephone Number Pro forma only – do not fill out

Liabilities Item details

Amount $ Assets Item details

Amount $

Housing loan House property at:

Investment loan


Combined total of personal loans Other property at:

Combined total of credit cards

Total limit(s) $ Debit balance

Overdraft / revolving lines of credit Motor vehicles (make/model/year)

Total limit(s) $ Debit balance

Taxation owed Furniture & personnel effects

Shares/investments/savings accounts

Other liabilities Bank account

Total limit(s) $ Credit balance

Personal equity in any business/partnership(net)

Livestock

Life insurance - surrender value


Other assets

Total Liabilities 0.00 Total Assets 0.00

Details of any personal guarantees and/or contingent liabilities




Commonwealth of Australia

STATUTORY DECLARATION

Statutory Declarations Act 1959

1 Insert the name, address and occupation of person making the declaration

I,1

make the following declaration under the Statutory Declarations Act 1959:

2 Set out matter declared to in numbered paragraphs

1. I have been authorised by (“the Applicant”) to provide information make the statements in this Financials and Credentials Information Form personally and on behalf of the Applicant, and I am a person authorised to provide information on behalf of the Applicant, including financial information.

2. I warrant that the information provided in the Financial and Credentials Information Form, and any supporting documentation attached, is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and that, if applicable, any copy of a trust deed provided includes all subsequent amendments to that deed.

4. I warrant that all adverse contract or funding issues, and/or all debt recovery matters (including debt repayment plans), regarding contract or funding with the Department or any other Commonwealth agency relating to both the applicant and relevant persons as declared in Section 13 have been fully disclosed in the Financials and Credentials Information Form.

5. I warrant that the Applicant has made all relevant persons providing information aware that giving false or misleading information is a serious offence under section 137.1 of the Schedule to the Criminal Code Act 1995.

6. I warrant that the relevant persons detailed in response to the requirement at section 13 of the Financials and Credentials Information Form have given permission for disclosure of their personal information to the Department for the purposes of the assessment of the organisation’s credentials and financial viability, and to enable the Department to obtain additional information for these purposes from the following sources:

the Department databases law enforcement agencies state or territory agencies credit reference agencies courts or tribunals


other Commonwealth agencies such as the Australian Taxation Officeand the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, and

any other appropriate organisation or person.

7. I understand that a person who intentionally makes a false statement may be excluded from the procurement process, and I believe that the statements in this Declaration are true in every particular.

I understand that a person who intentionally makes a false statement in a statutory declaration is guilty of an offence under section 11 of the Statutory Declarations Act 1959, and I believe that the statements in this declaration are true in every particular.

3 Signature of person making the declaration

3

4 Place5 Day6 Month and year

Declared at 4

on 5 of 6

7 Signature of person before whom the declaration is made (see over)

7 Before me,


8 Full name, qualification and address of person before whom the declaration is made (in printed letters)

Note 1 A person who intentionally makes a false statement in a statutory declaration is guilty of an offence, the punishment for which is imprisonment for a term of 4 years — see section 11 of the Statutory Declarations Act 1959.

Note 2 Chapter 2 of the Criminal Code applies to all offences against the Statutory Declarations Act 1959 — see section 5A of the Statutory Declarations Act 1959.


A statutory declaration under the Statutory Declarations Act 1959 may be made before–

(1) a person who is currently licensed or registered under a law to practise in one of the following occupations:Chiropractor Dentist Legal practitioner Medical practitionerNurse Optometrist Patent attorney PharmacistPhysiotherapist Psychologist Trade marks attorney Veterinary surgeon

(2) a person who is enrolled on the roll of the Supreme Court of a State or Territory, or the High Court of Australia, as a legal practitioner (however described); or

(3) a person who is in the following list:Agent of the Australian Postal Corporation who is in charge of an office supplying postal services to the publicAustralian Consular Officer or Australian Diplomatic Officer (within the meaning of the Consular Fees Act 1955)BailiffBank officer with 5 or more continuous years of serviceBuilding society officer with 5 or more years of continuous serviceChief executive officer of a Commonwealth courtClerk of a courtCommissioner for AffidavitsCommissioner for DeclarationsCredit union officer with 5 or more years of continuous serviceEmployee of the Australian Trade Commission who is:

(a) in a country or place outside Australia; and(b) authorised under paragraph 3 (d) of the Consular Fees Act 1955; and(c) exercising his or her function in that place

Employee of the Commonwealth who is:(a) in a country or place outside Australia; and(b) authorised under paragraph 3 (c) of the Consular Fees Act 1955; and(c) exercising his or her function in that place

Fellow of the National Tax Accountants’ AssociationFinance company officer with 5 or more years of continuous serviceHolder of a statutory office not specified in another item in this listJudge of a courtJustice of the PeaceMagistrateMarriage celebrant registered under Subdivision C of Division 1 of Part IV of the Marriage Act 1961Master of a courtMember of Chartered Secretaries AustraliaMember of Engineers Australia, other than at the grade of studentMember of the Association of Taxation and Management AccountantsMember of the Australasian Institute of Mining and MetallurgyMember of the Australian Defence Force who is:

(a) an officer; or(b) a non-commissioned officer within the meaning of the Defence Force Discipline Act 1982 with 5 or more years

of continuous service; or(c) a warrant officer within the meaning of that Act

Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, the Australian Society of Certified Practising Accountants or the National Institute of Accountants


Member of:(a) the Parliament of the Commonwealth; or(b) the Parliament of a State; or(c) a Territory legislature; or(d) a local government authority of a State or Territory

Minister of religion registered under Subdivision A of Division 1 of Part IV of the Marriage Act 1961Notary publicPermanent employee of the Australian Postal Corporation with 5 or more years of continuous service who is employed in an office supplying postal services to the publicPermanent employee of:

(a) the Commonwealth or a Commonwealth authority; or(b) a State or Territory or a State or Territory authority; or(c) a local government authority;

with 5 or more years of continuous service who is not specified in another item in this listPerson before whom a statutory declaration may be made under the law of the State or Territory in which the declaration is madePolice officerRegistrar, or Deputy Registrar, of a courtSenior Executive Service employee of:

(a) the Commonwealth or a Commonwealth authority; or(b) a State or Territory or a State or Territory authority

SheriffSheriff’s officerTeacher employed on a full-time basis at a school or tertiary education institution


APPENDIX H SUBCONTRACTORS CREDENTIALS INFORMATION FORM

This document is a sample only. Applicants are not required to complete this form when submitting an application in response to the Remote Jobs and Communities Program (RJCP) funding application process. The Department will advise and send a copy of this form if we require an Applicant to provide this information. Information and any forms that may be sent later to Applicants may vary in form and layout.

Purpose of this form

The purpose of this form is to obtain information to determine whether the Applicant has any financial or credential issues when entering into a Subcontracting arrangement that may impact on the RJCP Activity requirements and conduct of the Activities. This process is used to minimise risk to the Commonwealth. It is not used to measure the profitability of an organisation or its potential for success in the conduct of Activities.

PrivacyThe Department, its contractors and agents are bound by the provisions of the Privacy Act 1988, which prevents Personal Information about individuals from being used or disclosed without their knowledge or consent. Personal Information collected in this form will be used to assess your organisation’s credentials and financial viability. In other instances the information collected can be disclosed without your consent where authorised or required by law.

By submitting this form, you authorise the Department to undertake certain checks that involve the disclosing of Personal Information about individuals to other agencies and organisations. You also warrant that the relevant persons detailed at section 5, have given you permission to disclose their Personal Information to the Department for the purposes of the assessment of your organisation’s credentials, and authorise the Department to obtain additional information for these purposes from the following sources:

the Department databases Law enforcement agencies State or Territory agencies Credit reference agencies Courts or Tribunals Other Commonwealth agencies such as the Australian Taxation Office and the Australian Securities and

Investments Commission Any other appropriate organisation or person.

Instructions for completing this formComplete each section of this form as it is applicable to your organisation. You need to provide as much information as you can to assist the Department assess the financial viability and credential standing of your organisation. Please read this form carefully and check that all required and relevant information is supplied. The financial statements must be the most recent and relate to the entity detailed in this form.

Returning your completed Subcontractor Credentials Information FormUpon completion of this form the saved Microsoft Excel (xls) file should forwarded with any additional documents needed to the Department. Please do not change the file type of this form.Further InformationIf you have any questions about this form please call or email to the Employment Services Purchasing HotlineTelephone: 1300 733 514Email: [email protected]

The Hotline can be contacted Monday to Friday from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm Canberra time, excluding ACT and national public holidays.


Remote Jobs and Communities Program Activities2013-2018


1. Subcontractor’s Details

Legal Name of Subcontractor Pro forma only – do not fill out

Registered Trading Name (if applicable) Pro forma only – do not fill out

Registered Address (not a PO Box) Pro forma only – do not fill out

Trading Address Pro forma only – do not fill out

Postal Address Pro forma only – do not fill out

2. Type of Entity

Tick which type of entity your organisation is (tick more than one if applicable):

Sole Trader Partnership Association Company Foreign owned company Indigenous Corporation Government Agency (Commonwealth/State/Territory/Local) Commonwealth/State owned company Trust/Unit Trust (see section 4 below) Registered Charity Union Other legal entity, please specify

Australian Business Number (ABN) (ABN is required) Pro forma only – do not fill out




If applicable attach a copy of the Certificate of Incorporation for your organisation and certificates for change of name. Please also attach copies of certificates of registration for any registered business name to be used by your organisation when conducting Activities on behalf of the Department.

If you are an incorporated organisation and are not able to supply a copy of your Certificate of Incorporation, please insert details below regarding the legislation under which your organisation is registered. If the organisation is yet to be registered please include details of intended registration and record the words 'to be' in response to the question 'How long has your organisation been in operation?’ below.

Legislation name Pro forma only – do not fill out

State/Territory of enactment of legislation Pro forma only – do not fill out

How long has your organisation been in operation?(Years/Months)


3. Non-profit organisation

Is your organisation regarded by the Australian Taxation Office as a non-profit organisation? (yes/no)

4. Trust details



If your organisation is associated with a trust, and is proposing to Subcontract as trustee for that trust, confirm details of the trust below:

If your organisation is not proposing to Subcontract as trustee, proceed to section 5.

4.1 Name of Trust Pro forma only – do not fill out

A copy of the trust deed, along with all amendments to the deed, must be attached.

4.2 Type of Trust:

Discretionary Trust Unit Trust Public Benevolent Institution or Public Charitable Trust

Other – please describe Pro forma only – do not fill out

Names of individuals who are the adult beneficiaries, or Unit Holders, that share in greater than 15% of the trust should be included as relevant persons at section 5.

5. Relevant persons

Please provide details of all relevant persons in your organisation in the table below. Relevant persons are persons who have a direct or indirect interest in the organisation or business with the potential to exert influence over the management or operation of the organisation. This includes all directors, partners, office bearers and trustees of your organisation and decision makers (managers) involved in the conduct of Activities. If in doubt about whether an individual is a relevant person, they should be included. All fields must be completed. Insert NA if not applicable.

If more space is required attach an additional sheet and record the details of relevant persons under the same headings as below.

Position Surname Given names

Date of birth(dd/mm/yyyy)

Place of birth(Town & Country)

Residential Address

(PO Box addressnot acceptable)

Drivers licencenumber

Years inposition ofinfluence

You must tick at least one of the following boxes in relation to the persons listed above.

If any of the events at numbers 5.1 to 5.5 below have occurred within the last five years with respect to any 'relevant persons' please tick the appropriate box(es) and attach a separate document detailing the event and outcome. For ongoing events include current position, anticipated outcome, and expected date of finalisation.

5.1. Government investigation of relevant person(s). 5.2. Any business failure of relevant person(s) including business failure of organisations in which they hold, or

held at the time of the event, a management or board position. Examples of a business failure include a Court Ordered or a Creditors Voluntary Administration, Liquidation, External Administration, or Receivership.

5.3. Bankruptcies of relevant person(s). 5.4. Bankruptcy proceedings, including part IX Debt Agreements or Part X Insolvency

Agreements, against relevant person(s). 5.5. Significant litigation against relevant person(s) including judgement debts. 5.6. None of the above events apply and there is no adverse information on any relevant person associated

with this organisation. No attachments is requiredBy submitting this form you are confirming that the above details with respect to the relevant persons are correct, and that your statements with respect to any, and all, of the above events has been checked by you and with the relevant persons.Misleading or deceptive statements in this form may adversely affect the consideration of the application. Failure to notify the Department of information may result in the application being excluded from consideration.

6. Ultimate Holding Entity

If your organisation has an ultimate holding entity, provide details of the ultimate holding entity below:


Legal Name Pro forma only – do not fill out

Australian Business Number (ABN) (ABN is required)





7. Previous or ongoing events

Select the appropriate box(es) below that relate to any events to which your organisation may have been subjected in the last five years.

You must tick at least one of the boxes below.

7.1. Government investigation of your organisation or related entities 7.2. Litigation or liquidation proceedings 7.3. A contract with your organisation, terminated by the other party 7.4. Overdue tax liabilities 7.5. Factors which might impact on your organisation. For example, pending significant litigation, business

commitments, collections by debt collection agencies on behalf of creditors, or potential liquidation proceedings

7.6. Any other particulars which are likely to adversely affect your capacity to undertake this project, or 7.7. None of the above events apply and there is no adverse information on my organisation.

If you selected any of the boxes numbered 7.1–7.6 above attach a separate document detailing the current position with respect to that event. Include copies of correspondence from relevant authorities if applicable.

For ongoing events include current position, anticipated outcome and expected date of finalisation.

8. Supporting documents

8.1 The following is a list of documents and additional information you should provide, if applicable, depending on your organisation’s response to questions asked in this form and your organisations circumstances.

Tick the applicable box(es) below to indicate attachments that have been supplied with this form.

Name the attachment file to indicate which section of this form it relates to. For example - 'Section2-1.pdf', 'Section2-2.pdf' etc.

Relates to: Attachment DescriptionSection 2 Copy of Certificate of Incorporation or Registration

Section 2 Copy of Certificate of Registration of Business name

Section 2 and 4 Copy of original executed Trust Deed along with any amendments to the deed. Certify the deed with a statement that:'All changes to this Trust Deed, subsequent to its commencement, have been provided to the Department with this copy of the Trust Deed'

Section 5 List of additional relevant persons

Section 5 Details with respect to any of the events listed at Section 5.1-5.5 applicable to relevant persons

Section 7 Details with respect to any of the events listed at Section 7.1-7.6 applicable to your organisation

8.2 Please consider if further information could be provided to support your organisations credentials and attach it with this form.

The items listed below are typical examples of the types of information that could be supplied.

Details of ownership structure including identification of parent entities. (Corporate family tree)

Copy of Minutes of last Annual General Meeting.


Other attachments – please specify Pro forma only – do not fill out

Please ensure you include at the top of the first page of each attachment the name of your organisation and the section number from this form to which the attachment relates.

The person named below will also have to complete the Statutory Declaration attached at the end of this form.




1. The Person Who Completed This Form

Commonwealth of Australia

STATUTORY DECLARATION

Statutory Declarations Act 1959

1 Insert the name, address and occupation of person making the declaration

I,1

make the following declaration under the Statutory Declarations Act 1959:

2 Set out matter declared to in numbered paragraphs

1. I have been authorised by (“the Applicant”) to provide information make the statements in this Financials and Credentials Information Form personally and on behalf of the Applicant, and I am a person authorised to provide information on behalf of the Applicant, including financial information.

2. I warrant that the information provided in the Financial and Credentials Information Form, and any supporting documentation attached, is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and that, if applicable, any copy of a trust deed provided includes all subsequent amendments to that deed.

4. I warrant that all adverse contract or funding issues, and/or all debt recovery matters (including debt repayment plans), regarding contract or funding with the Department or any other Commonwealth agency relating to both the applicant and relevant persons as declared in Section 13 have been fully disclosed in the Financials and Credentials Information Form.

5. I warrant that the Applicant has made all relevant persons providing information aware that giving false or misleading information is a serious offence under section 137.1 of the Schedule to the Criminal Code Act 1995.

6. I warrant that the relevant persons detailed in response to the requirement at section 13 of the Financials and Credentials Information Form have given permission for disclosure of their personal information to the Department for the purposes of the assessment of the organisation’s credentials and financial viability, and to enable the Department to obtain additional information for these purposes from the following sources:

the Department databases law enforcement agencies state or territory agencies credit reference agencies courts or tribunals other Commonwealth agencies such as the Australian Taxation Office

and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, and any other appropriate organisation or person.

7. I understand that a person who intentionally makes a false statement may be excluded from the procurement process, and I believe that the statements in this Declaration are true in every particular.

I understand that a person who intentionally makes a false statement in a statutory declaration is guilty of an offence under section 11 of the Statutory Declarations Act 1959, and I believe that the statements in this declaration are true in every particular.


3 Signature of person making the declaration

3

4 Place5 Day6 Month and year

Declared at 4

on 5 of 6

7 Signature of person before whom the declaration is made (see over)

7 Before me,

8 Full name, qualification and address of person before whom the declaration is made (in printed letters)


Note 1 A person who intentionally makes a false statement in a statutory declaration is guilty of an offence, the punishment for which is imprisonment for a term of 4 years — see section 11 of the Statutory Declarations Act 1959.

Note 2 Chapter 2 of the Criminal Code applies to all offences against the Statutory Declarations Act 1959 — see section 5A of the Statutory Declarations Act 1959.


A statutory declaration under the Statutory Declarations Act 1959 may be made before–

(1) a person who is currently licensed or registered under a law to practise in one of the following occupations:Chiropractor Dentist Legal practitioner Medical practitionerNurse Optometrist Patent attorney PharmacistPhysiotherapist Psychologist Trade marks attorney Veterinary surgeon

(2) a person who is enrolled on the roll of the Supreme Court of a State or Territory, or the High Court of Australia, as a legal practitioner (however described); or

(3) a person who is in the following list:Agent of the Australian Postal Corporation who is in charge of an office supplying postal services to the publicAustralian Consular Officer or Australian Diplomatic Officer (within the meaning of the Consular Fees Act 1955)BailiffBank officer with 5 or more continuous years of serviceBuilding society officer with 5 or more years of continuous serviceChief executive officer of a Commonwealth courtClerk of a courtCommissioner for AffidavitsCommissioner for DeclarationsCredit union officer with 5 or more years of continuous serviceEmployee of the Australian Trade Commission who is:

(a) in a country or place outside Australia; and(b) authorised under paragraph 3 (d) of the Consular Fees Act 1955; and(c) exercising his or her function in that place

Employee of the Commonwealth who is:(a) in a country or place outside Australia; and(b) authorised under paragraph 3 (c) of the Consular Fees Act 1955; and(c) exercising his or her function in that place

Fellow of the National Tax Accountants’ AssociationFinance company officer with 5 or more years of continuous serviceHolder of a statutory office not specified in another item in this listJudge of a courtJustice of the PeaceMagistrateMarriage celebrant registered under Subdivision C of Division 1 of Part IV of the Marriage Act 1961Master of a courtMember of Chartered Secretaries AustraliaMember of Engineers Australia, other than at the grade of studentMember of the Association of Taxation and Management AccountantsMember of the Australasian Institute of Mining and MetallurgyMember of the Australian Defence Force who is:

(a) an officer; or(b) a non-commissioned officer within the meaning of the Defence Force Discipline Act 1982 with 5 or more years

of continuous service; or(c) a warrant officer within the meaning of that Act

Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, the Australian Society of Certified Practising Accountants or the National Institute of Accountants


Member of:(a) the Parliament of the Commonwealth; or(b) the Parliament of a State; or(c) a Territory legislature; or(d) a local government authority of a State or Territory

Minister of religion registered under Subdivision A of Division 1 of Part IV of the Marriage Act 1961Notary publicPermanent employee of the Australian Postal Corporation with 5 or more years of continuous service who is employed in an office supplying postal services to the publicPermanent employee of:

(a) the Commonwealth or a Commonwealth authority; or(b) a State or Territory or a State or Territory authority; or(c) a local government authority;

with 5 or more years of continuous service who is not specified in another item in this listPerson before whom a statutory declaration may be made under the law of the State or Territory in which the declaration is madePolice officerRegistrar, or Deputy Registrar, of a courtSenior Executive Service employee of:

(a) the Commonwealth or a Commonwealth authority; or(b) a State or Territory or a State or Territory authority

SheriffSheriff’s officerTeacher employed on a full-time basis at a school or tertiary education institution
