Goal 4: Be a highly effective organisation

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Annual Report 2014-15

Stakeholder engagement

Tourism  Tasmania regularly engages with Tasmania's tourism industry and relevant  stakeholders to inform them of the activities of Tourism Tasmania and the  business opportunities available to them.

Tourism Tasmania uses a range  of channels to communicate with    stakeholders and the public  including Tourism Talk – a  fortnightly newsletter with a  subscriber base of around 2360, industry advisories – email news notifications  distributed to all members of the TigerTOUR database, and through website  publishing, RSS broadcasts and Twitter feeds.

During this financial year, Tourism Tasmania  distributed nine industry advisories on topics including campaign launches,  announcements from the CEO and the publication and analysis of research  outcomes.

Tourism Tasmania continued to  use video messages to communicate to stakeholders and over the year produced six video messages  from the CEO providing general background information on the work of Tourism  Tasmania as well as encouraging contributions to a whole of government review  of T21 – The Tasmanian Visitor Economy Strategy 2015-2020.

Tourism Tasmania also engaged  widely with all Tasmanian tourism operators to support them in their transition  to a new MyTigerTOUR self-authoring interface to the TigerTOUR database.

Tourism  Tasmania continues to publish a corporate website to keep stakeholders informed  of the activities of the agency, the outcomes of research and to provide online  services to enable them to register for workshops and other corporate events.  In 2014-15 there were 97,554 visits to the corporate website compared to 90,887  the previous year, an increase of 7.3 per cent.

Tourism Tasmania also publishes a Trade  Resources website to assist in the delivery of information and tools to  distribution partners to help them sell Tasmania. The website provides online  training services to support Tourism Tasmania's Tassie Specialist Program.

Tourism Tasmania supports the  Minister for Tourism, Hospitality and Events in providing executive  communication services    including preparing speaking  points and media releases on funding announcements, tourism industry events,  new product openings, Tasmanian Visitor Survey results and other Tasmanian  tourism initiatives.

To keep  the public informed of the activities of the agency, Tourism Tasmania provides  regular briefings, fact sheets and research data to Tasmanian and interstate  media and responds to requests for comment or statistics on tourism issues in  the state.

In  addition, Tourism Tasmania communicates with significant stakeholders directly  through the work and engagement of the CEO and directors through their  attendance at industry forums such as the Tourism Conference and those  presented by the regional tourism organisations.

The CEO of Tourism Tasmania  also sits on boards and committees at the local and national level and  maintains a regular schedule of meetings with relevant counterparts in government  and the tourism industry.

With regard to  commercial partnerships, sector-specific industry groups, visiting media and  marketing initiatives, engagement is managed on an individual basis through  relevant teams within the organisation.

Business services

Tourism Tasmania's  Business Services manages the flow of government and ministerial information  into and out of Tourism Tasmania on behalf  of the Minister, undertakes contractual and procurement oversight and provides  board secretariat services for the Tourism Tasmania Board and the Audit Finance  and Risk Committee.

It also plays a vital role in providing timely  and accurate budget and financial information and advice, as well as  maintaining financial controls to ensure accountability for government  resources.

Internal audit

The Audit  Finance and Risk Committee (AFRC) selects audit topics for the calendar year  that are aligned to the agency's risk management framework.

The  committee commenced or completed audits during 2014-2015 addressing the  regional tourism organisation model. The audit assessed the controls and  maturity of the model in the context of established future goals.

The  committee also commenced a review of corporate services to assess the corporate  support functions required to meet the agency's current and future needs.

The AFRC monitors management's response to  recommendations made from internal audits, with the internal auditor also  providing periodic updates. Management has or is in the process of addressing  all previous recommendations.

Risk management

Reviewing  business risks is fundamental to Tourism Tasmania's strategic and business  processes. Tourism Tasmania takes a comprehensive approach to managing risk  using a risk register framework, a process that identifies the business risks  arising from its strategic direction and operating environment.

The Audit Finance and Risk Committee (AFRC)  undertakes an annual review of Tourism Tasmania's strategic risks and ensures  that the internal audit program reflects these risks. Management reports  quarterly to the AFRC on the risk treatment plans and on any new or escalated  risks and the appropriate processes to manage them.

Tourism Tasmania incorporates  risk management in its project plans. This included a risk assessment of our  contribution to Restaurant Australia, with the project used as the case study  for the annual risk  management training provided to staff and facilitated by internal auditors.

Tourism Tasmania is a member of the Tasmanian  Risk Management Fund (TRMF). The TRMF is a significant mitigation measure to  make sure there is adequate financial provision to insure the risks of the  agency. The insurance cover is for travel, property, accident, transit, motor  vehicles, general liability and workers compensation.

Workplace  health and safety

Tourism  Tasmania has a strong commitment to active management in workplace health and  safety in promptly identifying risks and addressing problems.

Activities  undertaken for 2014-15 included:

  • Continuation of annual influenza vaccination  program for staff
  • Supporting employees during extended absences  from work and providing a supportive return to work program
  • Warden training by the Tasmanian Fire Service  for two employees
  • Access to independent employee assistance  programs to help with work related or personal matters
  • Mandatory completion of online WHS training  modules as part of the induction program for new staff
  • Conducting ergonomic assessments for employees.

Tourism  Tasmania acts on all recommendations from the independent assessor within a  reasonable timeframe.

From 1 July 2014 to 30 June  2015 there were five incidents reported, one workers compensation claim, one  first aid officer and three fire wardens.

Performance  management

Tourism  Tasmania's integrated performance framework includes:

  • People and Performance Plans (PPPs) that align  individual performance deliverables directly to the key outcomes of business  units, agency goals and the agency's overall purpose
  • A performance assessment  matrix for salary progression, advanced assessment and accelerated progression  of high-performing people
  • Guidelines for managing poor and  under-performance.

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