This annual report will be presented to Parliament to meet the statutory reporting requirements of Part 3 Section 12(6) of the Public Sector Act 2009 and the requirements of Premier and Cabinet Circular PC013 Annual Reporting.

This report is verified to be accurate for the purposes of annual reporting to the Parliament of South Australia.

Submitted on behalf of the Department of Primary Industries and Regions by:

Michelle Edge
Chief Executive
The Department of Primary Industries and Regions

From the Chief Executive

The past 12 months has been unprecedented for primary industries and regional communities with the triple impact of drought, catastrophic bushfire and the COVID19 pandemic. It has tested our farmers, winemakers, fishers and regional small businesses like never before.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regions supports our primary industries and regions to continue to grow and thrive as they deal with the myriad of challenges. Recovery initiatives have unsurprisingly played a major role for the Department over the past year. These include:

The Emergency Response in Primary Industries grant – enabling eligible fireaffected producers to apply for up to $75,000 in funding to assist with immediate bushfire recovery activities including clean-up, fencing and other vital rebuilding.
A $21 million Drought Support Package – supporting drought affected areas through rebates and grants, financial and farming advice, an expansion of the Family and Business (FaB) Support program and enhanced wild dog management.
Providing fee relief to the commercial seafood and charter boat sectors with annual fees waived or deferred for six months.
Grants and technical support to the wine industry impacted by bushfires to assist them to assess vine damage and smoke impacts and to make recovery plans.

Our day-to-day work is driven by our Corporate Plan and delivering on the State Government’s Growth State objectives; further assisting the State’s $15.9 billion primary industries and agribusiness industries and driving growth in our regions.

With food, wine and agribusiness, one of the nine targets sectors identified in Growth State, the Department has worked with peak industry bodies to develop the Food, Wine and Agribusiness Sector Plan for release in September 2020; stimulating an ambitious sector growth agenda of $23 billion in revenue to the South Australian economy by 2030.

The Department has a strong legislative reform agenda leading several initiatives in 2019–2020 including:

A major review of the Pastoral Land Management and Conservation Act 1989 and the development of the resulting draft Pastoral Lands Bill, aimed at supporting the continued economic growth of the state’s pastoral industry, while ensuring the sustainable conservation of the rangelands for future generations.
The consultation process that supported the passage of the Genetically Modified Crops Management (Designated Area) Amendment Bill 2019 through Parliament, providing the legislated mechanism for lifting the moratorium on growing genetically modified food crops in mainland South Australia.
Targeted stakeholder consultation on a new Biosecurity Act for the state, bringing together existing multiple biosecurity acts together into one piece of legislation to provide a new modern and effective legal framework for managing and responding to biosecurity risks.

Biosecurity remains a key priority for the Department. One of the major priorities has been maintaining South Australia’s key fruit fly free status and protecting our $1.3 billion fruit fly vulnerable horticulture industry. This is being done by implementing a zero tolerance policy, continued production and use of sterile insect technology, successfully eradicating outbreaks at Thevenard and Lindsay Point and responding to the current outbreak in metropolitan Adelaide.

Other activities completed over the 2019–20 year include:

Supporting innovation and AgTech across the various primary industry sectors through the commencement of a government-industry Digital Farm partnership at the Struan-Kybybolite Research Centre along with an AgTech demonstration farm at the Loxton Research Centre.
Supporting growth in our red meat and wool sectors through delivering the first year of the three year $7.5 million Red Meat and Wool Growth Plan; contributing to improved productivity, profitability and enhanced market access for the sector.
Kick-starting business confidence in our regional communities through the $15 million Regional Growth Fund.
Commencing the once-in-a-generation $25 million rebuild of the Dog Fence, fortifying this iconic piece of infrastructure and helping to protect South Australia’s $4.3 billion livestock industry.
Embarking on the historic $24.5 million reform of the State’s Marine Scalefish Fishery, to ensure the sustainability of the state’s fish stocks for future generations.
Implementing new measures to protect South Australia’s iconic Snapper fishery including a total snapper closure in West Coast, Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent waters and an annual seasonal Snapper closure in South East waters; with both closures in effect until 31 January 2023.
Establishing a new 11 member Seafood Advisory Forum to develop a 10-year plan to drive greater growth of South Australia’s seafood sector.

As we navigate our way through the pandemic and other challenges, the Department will keep supporting our primary industries and regions to ensure a strong and robust regional economy into the future.

Michelle Edge
Chief Executive
Department of Primary Industries and Regions

Overview: about the agency

Our strategic focus

Our Purpose

To grow primary industries and drive regional development.

Our agriculture, food, wine and forestry industries are a major employer and our largest export sector accounting for more than half of the state’s merchandise exports. Primary industries and agribusiness directly generated $15.2 billion in revenue in 2018–19, which includes final sales from all primary production and associated processing.

Our regions also make a substantial contribution to the state’s economy, not only through agribusiness but also through mining and minerals processing, manufacturing, tourism and energy production.

Regional South Australia contributes about $25 billion to the state’s economy (revenue from all industries in 2015–16) with just 29% of the state’s population.

Our Values

Our values guide our behaviours and practices and apply to all employees regardless of position, technical expertise or location.

Service, Trust, Collaboration, Engagement, Courage and Tenacity, Professionalism, Respect, Honesty and Integrity and Sustainability.

Our functions, objectives and deliverables

Our priorities are to:

increase productivity of our primary industries and agribusinesses
secure production through biosecurity, food safety standards and efficient and sustainable use of resources
enable market access by working with primary industries to respond to evolving requirements of domestic and global markets and consumers
grow regions by supporting key regional development drivers and growing opportunities available to our regional communities
manage adverse events effectively and help primary industries and communities improve preparedness, resilience and recover well
reform our legislative framework and programs to drive efficiency, effectiveness and unlock potential
build partnerships with industry, stakeholders, research organisations and regional communities
perform well as a modern flexible and responsive organisation that values and develops its people.

Our organisational structure

PIRSA comprises of the following divisions:

Agriculture Food & Wine
Biosecurity SA
Corporate Services
Fisheries and Aquaculture
Forestry
Regions SA
Rural Solutions SA
South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI).

More information can be viewed at: https://www.pir.sa.gov.au/top_menu/about_us

Changes to the agency

During 2019–20 there was the following change to the agency’s structure and objectives as a result of internal reviews or machinery of government changes.

Change of Chief Executive in April 2020.

Our Minister

The Hon David Basham MP is the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development.

The Minister oversees the Primary Industries and Regional Development portfolio and is responsible for a number of legislative acts.

He ensures primary industries and regional communities in South Australia continue to be more innovative, productive, competitive and market-driven – contributing significantly to the state’s economy.

Note: The Hon Tim Whetstone was the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development for 2019–20. Minister Basham was appointed on 28 July 2020.

Our Executive team

Michelle Edge – Chief Executive
Professor Mehdi Doroudi – Deputy Chief Executive
Nathan Rhodes – Executive Director, Biosecurity SA
Jo Collins – Executive Director, Agriculture, Food and Wine
Daniel Casement – Executive Director, Rural Solutions SA
Dr Peter Appleford – Executive Director, South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI)
Professor Gavin Begg – A/Executive Director, Fisheries and Aquaculture
Rob Robinson – Director, Forestry
Michelle Griffiths – Executive Director, Corporate Services
Ann Barclay – Director, Regions SA
Darren Humphrys – Chief Financial Officer

Legislation administered by the agency

Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (South Australia) Act 1994
Agricultural and Veterinary Products (Control of Use) Act 2002
Aquaculture Act 2001
Biological Control Act 1986
Dog Fence Act 1946
Fisheries Management Act 2007
Forestry Act 1950^[1]
Forest Property Act 2000
Genetically Modified Crops Management Act 2004
Impounding Act 1920
Industrial Hemp Act 2017
Livestock Act 1997
Local Government (Forestry Reserves) Act 1944
Pastoral Land Management and Conservation Act 1989
Phylloxera and Grape Industry Act 1995
Plant Health Act 2009
Primary Industry Funding Schemes Act 1998
Primary Produce (Food Safety Schemes) Act 2004
Primary Producers Emergency Assistance Act 1967
Rural Industry Adjustment and Development Act 1985
Veterinary Practice Act 2003^[2]
Wine Grapes Industry Act 1991

Further information can be found at: www.pir.sa.gov.au/top_menu/about_us/legislation

Other related agencies (within the Minister’s areas of responsibility)

PIRSA administers, but does not control, the following items on behalf of the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development and Minister for Environment and Water. These items are not recorded in the agency’s controlled operating statement or statement of financial position as the agency does not have any discretion to deploy the resources for achievement of its own objectives.

Adelaide Hills Wine Industry Fund
Apiary Industry Fund
Aquaculture Resource Management Fund
Barossa Wine Industry Fund
Cattle Industry Fund
Citrus Growers Fund
Clare Valley Wine Industry Fund
Dog Fence Board
Eyre Peninsula Grain Growers Rail Fund
Fisheries Research and Development Fund
ForestrySA Community Service Obligation
Grain Industry Fund
Grain Industry Research and Development Fund
Langhorne Creek Wine Industry Fund
McLaren Vale Wine Industry Fund
Pig Industry Fund
Riverland Wine Industry Fund
SA Grape Growers Industry Fund
Samcor Fund
Seed Levies Fund
Sheep Industry Fund.

The agency’s performance

Performance at a glance

PIRSA’s 49 key actions for 2019–20 were detailed in the PIRSA Corporate Plan 2019.

These actions were monitored and reported to PIRSA Executive on a quarterly basis. This allowed Executive to review the agency’s progress towards delivering the Corporate Plan Actions.

The final reported status of the 49 Corporate Plan actions was 36 completed, 7 on track, 5 commenced, but delayed and 1 deferred. Delays to timeframes on actions were due to COVID-19, and these actions are due to be completed within 2020–21.

Agency contribution to whole of Government objectives

Key objective	Agency’s contribution
More jobs	Increase productivity, Enable market access, Grow regions
Lower costs	Increase productivity, Manage adverse events, Reform
Better Services	Grow regions, Reform, Build Partnerships, Perform Well

Agency specific objectives and performance

Agency objectives	Indicators	Performance
Growth State Food Wine and Agribusiness Sector Plan	Action: Partner with industry in the development of the Growth State Food Wine and Agribusiness Sector Plan Outcome: Development Complete. To be launched in 2020–21	Extensive consultation has been undertaken throughout the 2019–20 financial year with industry. Engagement summaries have been published and used to inform development of a Sector Plan. The consultation and development of the Sector Plan was slightly delayed due to industry impacts from COVID19.
Primary Industry Funding Schemes (PIFS) Review	Action: Review the administration of the Primary Industry Funding Schemes and apply findings from wine fund analysis to other funds Outcome: Complete	Completed a review of the administration of Primary Industry Funding Schemes (PIFS) to improve efficiency and benefits to industry.
Farm Trespass legislative changes	Action: Support industry and relevant government agencies to educate farmers and producers on farm trespass and in the development of required legislative reform. Outcome: Complete	In conjunction with SAPOL, PIRSA worked on the development of a Guide for Livestock Producers to refer to in the event of a farm trespass or animal activists event occurring.
Genetically Modified Crops Management Act, 2004	Action: Implement the outcomes of the GM review including Executive Officer support to the Advisory Committee and implementation of legislative change as required. Outcome: Complete	Completed statutory consultation and supported passage of amendments to the Genetically Modified Crops Management Act, 2004 through Parliament which provides a legislated mechanism for lifting the moratorium on growing genetically modified food crops on mainland South Australia.
Red Meat and Wool Growth Program	Action: Deliver year one of a three year, $7.5 million Red Meat and Wool program. Outcome: Complete	Delivered year 1 of the Red Meat and Wool Growth Program to contribute to improved productivity, profitability and enhanced market access for the sector.
Northern Adelaide Irrigation Scheme	Action: Co-deliver the Northern Adelaide Irrigation Scheme with SA Water to make new water available for production. Outcome: Complete	In partnership with SA Water, completed the wastewater treatment plant for approximately 6 gigalitres and produced the first water for the Northern Adelaide Irrigation Scheme. PIRSA also successfully negotiated two funding grant deeds with proponents to receive federal and state government funding for water infrastructure projects in South Australia
Drought Support	Action: Continue to support drought effected areas through a range of programs Outcome: Complete	Through the $21M Drought Support Program, supported drought affected areas through the administration of rebates and grants, financial and farming advice, the Family and Business (FaB) Support Program, and enhanced wild dog management.
Marine Scalefish Fishery Reform	Action: Support the Commercial Marine Scalefish Fishery Reform Committee to develop recommendations on a reform package for South Australia’s Marine Scalefish Fishery. Outcome: Complete	Developed recommendations to inform the $24.5 million Marine Scalefish Fishery Reform to secure a long-term sustainable and viable fishery.
Fishing and Aquaculture Cost Recovery	Action: Implement recommendations of PIRSA’s cost recovery policy review as applied to the fishing and aquaculture sectors. Outcome: Complete	Updated the PIRSA Cost Recovery Policy and implemented recommendations relating to the review as it applies to the fishing and aquaculture sectors in order to increase accountability and transparency of services to industry.
Green Triangle Plantations Compliance	Action: Facilitate an Independent Audit of contractual arrangements of the forward sale of the government's Green Triangle plantation harvesting rights. Outcome: Complete	PIRSA completed an independent audit of the contractual requirements of the forward sale of the State Government’s Green Triangle plantation harvesting rights.
National Institute for Forest Products Innovation	Action: Support forestry research and development via the National Institute for Forest Products Innovation – Mount Gambier Centre. Outcome: Complete	Supported forestry research and development via the National Institute for Forest Products Innovation – Mount Gambier Centre. All grant funds have been allocated and 14 projects are underway
Regional Growth Fund	Action: Deliver $150 million over 10 years to support regional South Australia through the $15 million per annum Regional Growth Fund Outcome: Complete	A total of 15 initiatives were supported through the Competitive and Strategic Regional Growth Fund. PIRSA delivered the 2019–2020 round of funding and opened the new round of funding for 2020–21
Regional Development Strategy	Action: Support consultation on the Regional Development Strategy and assist advisory panel to draft the strategy Outcome: Complete	PIRSA supported an independent Community Advisory Panel, to consult on the development of a Regional Development Strategy.
Oat Variety	Action: Deliver a new high yield and grain quality oat variety Outcome: Complete	A new high yield and grain quality Bilby oat variety was launched at the Royal Adelaide Show in September 2019, to support the expanding oat industry sector.
Rapid DNA Damage Diagnostic	Action: Develop a rapid DNA damage diagnostic protocol to assess irradiation efficacy for pest management. Outcome: Complete	Developed a rapid DNA damage diagnostic protocol that verifies the efficacy of irradiation treatment of pests for fruit consignments. Protocols for identification of Fruit Fly species have been tested and completed.
SARDI Research Farms	Action: Investigate the utilisation of SARDI research farms as demonstration sites for best practice livestock farming and for AgTech Outcome: Complete	Launched the PIRSA-Elders partnership at the Struan Research Farm to demonstrate best practice livestock farming supported by an AgTech overlay.
Biosecurity Act	Action: Undertake stakeholder consultation through a Directions Paper on the development of a new, consolidated Biosecurity Act for South Australia. Outcome: Complete	Undertook targeted stakeholder consultation on a new Biosecurity Act for South Australia, which will provide a modern and effective legal framework for managing and responding to biosecurity risks.
Dog Fence	Action: Commence implementation of a replacement program of high priority sections of the Dog Fence. Outcome: Complete	To minimise losses to sheep producers from wild dogs, secured government and industry funding for a $25m rebuild of 1600 km of the Dog Fence, completed a tender process for fencing supplies and contractors, and commenced construction.
Fruit Fly	Action: Maintain state Fruit Fly freedom through continued production and utilisation of sterile insect technique. Outcome: Complete	Maintained the state’s Fruit Fly freedom to protect the $1.3 billion horticulture industry by implementing a zero tolerance policy, random roadblocks and continued production and utilisation of sterile insect technology, including eradication of outbreaks in Thevenard and Lindsay Point.
Digital and Technology Strategy	Action: Develop a PIRSA Digital and Technology Strategy. Outcome: Complete	Developed PIRSA’s Digital and Technology Strategy and roadmap to drive efficiencies and investment for future technological business needs.
People Strategy	Action: Deliver PIRSA’s People Strategy to create a highly engaged workforce and high-performing organisation. Outcome: Complete	Completed PIRSA’s People Strategy actions for 2019–20, including delivery of the Manager Development Program, Executive Leadership Program and delivery and monitoring of an action plan in response to the IWorkForSA survey.

Corporate performance summary

Key actions for the Corporate Services division were detailed in the PIRSA Corporate Plan 2019–2020. These actions were monitored and reported to PIRSA Executive on a quarterly basis to review progress towards completion.

In addition, selected Corporate Services programs are provided below.

Employment opportunity programs

Program name	Performance
Aboriginal Fisheries Career Pathway Program	The program provides an opportunity for Aboriginal people to be mentored, gain skills and qualifications necessary to be a Fisheries Officer, with two years’ on the job training before working in communities as Fisheries Officers.
Aboriginal Employment and Retention Strategy	This strategy identifies key initiatives to increase employment of Aboriginal people across the organisation. PIRSA actively searches the Aboriginal Register for suitable candidates.
Traineeships Program	The program targets eligible young people between the ages of 17 and 30 to participate in employment opportunities on a full-time basis in a number of public sector agencies across the state.
Disability Employment Strategy	The Disability Employment Strategy allows employees with disabilities the opportunity to apply for all advertised positions before the public and provides ongoing support. PIRSA actively engages with Disability Employment Services to engage suitable candidates.
Graduate Engagement	Graduates who have registered will have the opportunity to apply for roles advertised on the graduate register. PIRSA actively searches the Graduate Register for suitable candidates.

Agency performance management and development systems

Performance management and development system

Performance

This system is contained within PIRSA’s Learning Management System, “OurDevelopment”.

In the 2019–20 financial year, 97.82% of ongoing, contract and casual staff successfully used “OurDevelopment” system to record their Performance Management and Development (PM&D) Conversation. This is an increase of 0.52% from the previous financial year.

From 1 July 2019, the PM&D form was updated, directing employees to develop Work Objectives and a Development Plan that aligns with the Key Results and Capability sections contained in their role description.

OurDevelopment is also used to record all training completed by staff including mandatory work health safety and injury management training.

Work health, safety and return to work programs

Program name	Performance
Work Health and Safety and Injury Management (WHS & IM) Strategy 2017–20	Key Building Safety Excellence targets^[3] met 0 number work related deaths 0 serious injury claims Total new workplace injury claims – actual: 9, target: 21, variance: 12 Significant injuries claims – actual:1.25, target: 5.07, variance: 3.82 Significant musculoskeletal injury frequency rate – actual 0, target: 2.86, variance: 2.86 Significant psychological injury claims – actual: 0, target: 1.10, variance: 1.10
Recovery and Return to Work (RTW)	Early Assessment – actual: 86%, target: 80%, variance: 6% Claims determined within 10 days – actual: 100%, target: 80%, variance: 20%
WHS Internal Audit Program	PIRSA WHS Internal Audit program delivered 18 audits to test organisational performance and compliance to key WHS procedural requirements, high risks and identify opportunities for improvement.
Risk Management Programs: Significant Risk Registers Psychological Risk Registers Chemical Management Site Safety Management Plans	WHS risk registers were maintained and reviewed supporting the identification of opportunities for risk improvement. Significant risk registers were developed as part of this process which supported the risk improvement identification process. Site Safety Management Plans at PIRSA sites continue to be an important tool used to ensure consistent compliance with WHS site-based requirements. Chemeritus – the chemical management system has been implemented across PIRSA sites, with the review of procedures and tools to assist users in using this system. Actions arising from the SA Public Service WHS Audit and Verification Scheme (external audit) as they relate to 2018–19 were completed.
WHS Skills Development	20 online training modules were reviewed to ensure that information is up to date and that the modules have additional components to test employee competency.
WHS Committee Highlights	Implementation of the PIRSA WHS & IM Strategy.
Health and Wellbeing	Influenza vaccinations were offered to employees with 417 workers being vaccinated PIRSA increased number of visits to EAP from 3 visits to 5 visits to support workers through COVID-19 Audiometric testing completed for identified workers. The PIRSA Psychological Health @ PIRSA Working group drafted an action plan to raise awareness about the importance of psychological safety in the workplace. The Safety in October Campaign took place over a week in October at various PIRSA sites involving an interactive Health and Wellbeing Expo showcasing health and wellbeing initiatives, exposing staff to a range of information and resources to assist them in making appropriate lifestyle choices. Activities included: General information on mental health resources from our EAP Providers Retirement planning and income protection insurance Hazardous manual task and ergonomic information Back care myths and stretching exercise seminars Sun smart seminar Body composition and blood pressure testing Cholesterol and blood glucose testing Health, wellbeing and nutrition information Sun smart information and skin scanner Massage therapy.

Workplace injury claims

Workplace injury claims	2019–20	2018–19	% Change (+ / -)
Total new workplace injury claims	9	22	-59.09%
Fatalities	0	0	N/A
Seriously injured workers*	0	0	N/A
Significant injuries (where lost time exceeds a working week, expressed as frequency rate per 1000 FTE)	1	8	-87.5%

*number of claimants assessed during the reporting period as having a whole person impairment of 30% or more under the Return to Work Act 2014 (Part 2 Division 5).

Work health and safety regulations

Work health and safety regulations	2019–20	2018–19	% Change (+ / -)
Number of notifiable incidents (Work Health and Safety Act 2012, Part 3)	1	2	-50%
Number of provisional improvement, improvement and prohibition notices (Work Health and Safety Act 2012 Sections 90, 191 and 195)	5	5	Nil

Return to work costs

Return to work costs**	2019–20	2018–19	% Change (+ / -)
Total gross workers compensation expenditure ($)	$192,793	$299,207	-35.57%
Income support payments – gross ($)	$32,665	$81,901	+60.12%

**before third party recovery

Data for previous years is available at: https://data.sa.gov.au/data/dataset/work-health-and-safety and-return-to-work-performance-in-primary-industries-and-regions-sa/resource/c7c86163-7029-48ee-b3bd 34959e9f47fa

Executive employment in the agency

Executive classification	Number of executives
EXEC0F	1
SAES1	14
SAES2	2

Data for previous years is available at: https://data.sa.gov.au/data/dataset/executive employment-reporting-primary-industries-and-regions-sa/resource/f094bdd3-598c-41ab-b97c 1333225bd9f0

The Office of the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment has a workforce information page that provides further information on the breakdown of executive gender, salary and tenure by agency.

Financial performance

Financial performance at a glance

The table below summarises the statement of comprehensive income of the department for the year ending 30 June 2019. The results are compared with the 2018–19 budget and the results for the previous year.

Statement of Comprehensive Income	2019–20 Budget $000s ^(a)	2019–20 Actual $000s	Variation $000s	2018–19 Actual $000s ^(b)
Total Income	240 642	236 478	(4 146)	226 684
Total Expenses	249 009	226 967	22 042	208 637
Net result	(8 385)	9 511	17 896	18 047
Total Other Comprehensive Income	–	548	548	2 954
Total Comprehensive Result	(8 385)	10 059	18 444	21 001

The 2019–20 budget figures have been adjusted from the figures published in the 2019–20 Agency Statements as a result of post budget approvals.
The 2018–19 actual figures have been revised relative to those published in the 2018–19 Annual Report due to the recognition of prior period adjustments.

The table above shows that for the financial year ending 30 June 2020, PIRSA’s net result was an operating surplus of $9.5 million, which was $17.9 million favourable compared to budget. This is mainly the result of the timing of expenditure relating to major regional grant programs across financial years.

Major variations included:

Total expenses in 2019–20 were $22.0 million lower than budget primarily as a result of the timing of expenditure for a number of major programs including the Drought Support Package, Bushfire Response and Recovery, Marine Scalefish Fishery Reform, South Australian River Murray Sustainability (SARMS) program and the South East Forestry Partnership Program (SEFPP).

Total income was $4.1 million lower than budget mainly as a result of the delay in timing of revenue from the Commonwealth associated with the On-Farm Water Infrastructure Rebate Scheme and lower than expected revenue resulting from decreased demand for consulting services.

Total expenses in 2019–20 increased by $18.3 million from 2018–19 primarily as a result of grant expenditure relating to Bushfire Response and Recovery, OnFarm Water Infrastructure Rebate Scheme, National Water Infrastructure Development Fund, Drought Support Package programs, greater SEFPP expenditure and various regional development grants. There was also an increase in expenditure associated with biosecurity responses to fruit fly outbreaks. This was partially offset by a reduction in SARMS grants due to the program winding down.

Total income in 2019–20 increased by $9.8 million from 2018–19 largely due to higher appropriated funding from government for a number of regional support programs, partially offset by a reduction in funding under Commonwealth National Partnership Agreements, mainly reflecting the winding down of the SARMS program.

Consultants disclosure

The following is a summary of external consultants who have been engaged by the agency, the nature of work undertaken, and the actual payments made for the work undertaken during the financial year.

Consultancies with a contract value below $10,000

No consultants were engaged under the value of $10,000 (GST excl.).

Consultancies	Purpose	$ Actual payment
All contractors below $10,000 each – combined	Nil	Nil

Consultancies with a contract value above $10,000 each

Consultancies	Purpose	$ Actual payment
BDO Advisory (SA) Pty Ltd	Review of PIRSA’s protective security framework	$15,745.78
BDO Advisory (SA) Pty Ltd	Forestry compliance audit	$23,474.55
Creativation Pty Ltd	PIRSA cost recovery modelling	$34,700.00
	Total	$73,920.33

Data for previous years is available at: https://data.sa.gov.au/data/dataset/consultants reporting-primary-industries-and-regions-sa/resource/d1924aa4-03bb-424f-b7c1-8924efd9ad44

See also the Consolidated Financial Report of the Department of Treasury and Finance for total value of consultancy contracts across the South Australian Public Sector.

Contractors disclosure

The following is a summary of external contractors that have been engaged by the agency, the nature of work undertaken, and the actual payments made for work undertaken during the financial year.

A total of 1,864 contractors were engaged under the value of $10,000 (GST excl.) totalling $725,167.76.

Contractors with a contract value below $10,000

Contractors	Purpose	$ Actual payment
All contractors below $10,000 each – combined	Various	$725,167.76

Contractors with a contract value above $10,000 each

Contractors	Purpose	$ Actual payment
Ag Grow Agronomy & Research	Aussian Wheat Aphid research	10,680.00
Agrisearch Services Pty Ltd	Research – Aphid Trials	70,717.00
Agvet Services Pty Ltd	Veterinary Services	86,252.55
All Occasions Management	AdvanceAg conference & Loxton hailstorm response	66,795.45
Alpha Group Consulting	Field weather station supply, monitoring, inspections & audits	27,220.40
ASG Group Limited	Diagnostic services	65,988.13
Aus-Meat Limited	Food safety audits	40,320.00
Australian Fisheries	Vessels monitoring	50,197.11
Australian Fumigation Pty Ltd	Fumigation services	10,800.00
Australian Wine Research	Vineyards irrigation trial, fermentation analysis services	81,863.50
Barefoot Contracting	Wild dog trapping services	26,600.00
BDO Administration (SA) Pty Ltd	Aquaculture audit & analysis	47,805.55
BDO Advisory (SA) Pty Ltd	Marine scale fishery reform & independent panel support	85,890.41
Bioscout Pty Ltd	Surveillance system services	20,483.00
Biz Hub Australia Pty Ltd	IT services	10,000.00
Bureau Of Meteorology	Biosecurity alerts	15,000.00
Chamonix IT Management	ICT support, development & management services	346,317.00
Charles Sturt University	Research services	90,943.75
CKM Management Solutions Pty Ltd	Project modelling & support services	11,962.50
Cleanaway Operations Pty Ltd	Chemical disposal	12,547.09
CQR Consulting Australia Pty Ltd	Governance Framework services	14,400.00
Creativation Pty Ltd	Corporate benchmarking services	14,000.00
CSIRO Accounts Receivable	Grain & fish management research	45,661.00
Deloitte Financial Advisory Pty Ltd	Finance advisory services	58,460.00
Deloitte Risk Advisory Pty Ltd	Management & administration services	21,991.95
Dematec Automation Pty Ltd	Surveillance system services	73,573.00
Department for Environment & Water	Pastoral land condition assessment	20,000.00
Department of Agriculture & Fisheries	Research services	80,794.00
Department of Environment Land Water & Planning	Fisheries management services	34,000.00
Department of Industry	Fisheries management services	16,250.00
Department of Jobs, Precincts & Regions	Livestock Research	113,440.04
Department of Planning Transport & Infrastructure	Information searches	22,177.78
Department of Planning, Industry & Environment	Pest & disease surveillance	33,380.00
Department of Premier & Cabinet	Web services	30,000.00
Department of Primary Industries & Regional Development WA	Hay & Oats Genebank research	80,000.00
Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water & Environment	Crop research & oyster program management	98,305.05
EP Analysis	Soil analysis	79,237.00
EPAG Research Trust	Research services	108,858.00
Ernst & Young	Development of Riverland food & wine business case	92,207.90
Esri Australia Pty Ltd	ICT Support & maintenance for Aginsight website	15,000.00
Farmer Johns Nuriootpa	Equipment purchase	12,250.00
Finite Group Apac Pty Ltd	Recruitment services	33,332.00
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation	Fisheries management services	124,000.00
Fishwell Consulting Pty Ltd	Recreational fishing surveys & industry reform	16,250.00
Flinders University	Oyster surveillance project	60,000.00
Fragile To Agile (Asia Pac) Pty Ltd	ICT infrastructure services	129,600.00
Frontier Farming Systems Pty Ltd	Wheat trials	118,142.65
Fujitsu Australia Ltd	ICT system management & upgrade services	18,900.00
Galpins Accountants Auditors and Business Consultants	Business continuity management performance audit	44,958.19
Gibbs Fencing	Fencing services	15,105.00
Gum Creek Station Pty Ltd	Bait supply	25,154.00
Hart Field - Site Group Inc.	Wheat & Oat research	61,377.82
Heli-Farm Pty Ltd	Helicopter Hire	11,404.57
Hoppt Australia Pty Ltd	Invasive species freight costs	18,171.00
Hugh Millar And Associates Pty Ltd	Veterinary Services Board Desktop Review	10,610.76
In Fusion Consulting	Information Technology services	12,000.00
Inside Infrastructure Pty Ltd	Biosecurity Fruit fly Breeding program	267,807.50
Insync Solutions Pty Ltd	ICT support services	22,800.00
Intelligent Business Research	Risk consultation	22,500.00
Knispel Brothers Pty Ltd	Food trial	21,000.00
KPPM Strategy	Public engagement analysis	12,500.00
Lehmann & Whillas Pty Ltd	Business support	43,354.13
M & S Food Consultants Pty Ltd	Agricultural Trials & research	106,811.82
Mac Shearing Pty Ltd	Shearing Services	56,672.05
Macquarie University	Technical services	30,000.00
Mallee Sustainable Farming Inc.	Mixed farm sustainability review	276,000.00
Marel Australia Pty Ltd	Livestock processing & process	31,507.76
Micron Shearing Pty Ltd	Shearing Services	15,262.20
Moodie Agronomy	Crop field trials	30,000.00
Murray Darling Fisheries Pty Ltd	Native fingerling stocking of rivers	148,400.00
Newday Farming Pty Ltd	Wild dog trapping services	74,900.00
Northumberland Bay Pty Ltd	Boat hire	15,454.55
Objective Corporation Ltd	IT upgrade & services	26,843.79
Oracle Customer Management	Fishwatch & eWatch service fees	106,880.08
Out of The Blue	Video production services	14,000.00
P2R2 Consulting Pty Ltd	Training services	15,500.00
Paks National Pty Ltd	Pest management	29,900.00
Pengelly Consultancy Pty Ltd	Process & work plan development	10,820.00
Peracto Pty Ltd	Crop research	98,257.27
Private Contractor	Cartage services	19,893.02
Private Contractor	Research work	77,600.00
Private Contractor	Hay Baling	24,929.80
Private Contractor	Safety training	19,909.09
Private Contractor	Silage services	43,159.50
Private Contractor	Assessment advice	12,600.00
Private Contractor	Trapping services	10,500.00
Private Contractor	Mentor services	32,685.99
Promanage Australia Pty Ltd	Management services	52,112.26
RA Irlam Shearing Contractor	Shearing services	33,580.88
Randstad Pty Ltd	Contractor services for fruit fly response	1,055,998.52
Redman Trading Trust	Rock lobster survey services	14,800.00
Remcast Pty Ltd	Biosecurity digital strategy	20,500.00
RNTT Pty Ltd	Temporary labour hire - Fruit Fly	304,400.41
Robyn Cain Business Services	Professional mentor services drought management	17,244.60
Ronald Boland Contracting	Wild dog trapping services	10,500.00
S. Smith & Son Pty Ltd	Virus testing	18,172.00
SA Blue Crab Pot Fishers Assoc	Boat hire	34,000.00
SA Northern Zone Rock Lobster	Co-Management services - Rock Lobster	307,625.00
Scan Conversion Services Pty Ltd	Scanning Services	15,162.55
Southern Farming Systems Pty Ltd	Russian Wheat Aphid management	11,346.00
Southern Landscape & Construction	Landscaping services	27,000.00
Spencer Gulf & West Coast Prawn Fisherman's Association Inc.	Vessel Hire	168,000.00
Statistical Process	Process improvement & analysis	103,000.00
Stonewell Contracting Pty Ltd	Cartage service	14,651.15
Stratdigi	ICT review	22,950.00
Svelte Studios	Regulatory reform & information technology services	30,638.13
The University Of Adelaide	Fruit Fly Research	23,034.00
Three Friends Fishing Company	Survey services	45,000.00
Trengove Consulting Trust	Soil testing services	41,100.00
University of Adelaide	Research services	750,915.46
University of South Australia	Snail management research	95,625.00
University of Tasmania	Field work & validation, poultry industry	147,732.00
University of WA	Project work	29,564.00
University of Wollongong	Statistical analysis services	70,000.00
Velrada Capital Pty Ltd	Corporate reporting	19,200.00
Vinet Solutions (SA) Pty Ltd	Enterprise data storage infrastructure	177,261.23
Watrede Australia Pty Ltd	Regional Water Management Services	10,000.00
Wetland Research And Management	Monitoring & evaluation services	12,802.00
Wildpest Management Pty Ltd	Training services	13,900.00
Wrightsair Pty Ltd	Dog Fence inspection plane charter	43,409.09
Zane Thomson Fisheries	Fisheries management services	12,000.00
	Total	$8,413,047.98

Data for previous years is available at: https://data.sa.gov.au/data/dataset/https-data-sa-gov au-data-dataset-contractors-reporting-primary-industries-and-regions-sa/resource/2b581a02-3247 407e-b45c-6b034aad9f19

The details of South Australian Government-awarded contracts for goods, services, and works are displayed on the SA Tenders and Contracts website. View the agency list of contracts.

The website also provides details of across government contracts.

Risk management

Risk and audit at a glance

PIRSA uphold the values from the South Australian Public Sector Fraud and Corruption Control Policy. The South Australian Public Sector Fraud and Corruption Control Policy was developed in consultation with public sector agencies to assist them in the prevention, detection and response to activities labelled or defined as fraud or corruption, other criminal conduct, misconduct and maladministration within the sector.

Fraud detected in the agency during the 2019–20 financial year

Category/nature of fraud	Number of instances
There has been one case of actual fraud resulting whereby employment was terminated. This instance was investigated by the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption (ICAC). ICAC deemed that due to the immateriality of the amount, it was too small to prosecute.	1
There is an alleged case of fraud which is under current investigation. Employment with the alleged offender has been terminated.	1

NB: Fraud reported includes actual and reasonably suspected incidents of fraud.

Data for previous years is available at: https://data.sa.gov.au/data/dataset/fraud-detection reporting-primary-industries-and-regions-sa/resource_edit/3c545f3c-5cab-4a59-8236-22eb41ed8843

Strategies implemented to control and prevent fraud

The PIRSA Fraud and Corruption Policy and Plan was updated approved by the Executive Leadership Team. The update to policy and plan has also taken into account the recent changes to the South Australian Public Sector Fraud and Corruption Control Policy.

Incidents of fraud and changes to the Fraud and Corruption Plan is provided to the Auditor-Generals Department each year. PIRSA conducted a fraud risk assessment to better align the fraud and corruption policy and plan across the Agency. This has reinforced the Agency’s prevention, detection and response strategies for identifying and responding to the risk of fraud.

PIRSA reviews and assesses associated controls in relation to the risks of fraud, corruption and other criminal conduct, misconduct and maladministration as part of the annual risk management review process, in accordance with section 3.6.3 of the Australian Standard AS 8001: 2008 Fraud and Corruption Control.

Public interest disclosure

There has been one occasion on which public interest information has been disclosed to a responsible officer of the agency under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2018.

Note: Disclosure of public interest information was previously reported under the Whistleblowers Protection Act 1993 and repealed by the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2018 on 1/7/2019.

Reporting required under any other act or regulation

Act or Regulation	Requirement
Nil	Nil

Reporting required under the Carers’ Recognition Act 2005

PIRSA is not a required ‘reporting agency’, however, through its Carers’ Policy, PIRSA has a strong commitment and provides support to ensure all employees who provide ongoing care for a person who has a disability or a chronic illness (including mental illness) or who is frail have flexible working arrangements to meet their situation.

Employees are encouraged to speak with their manager to seek support with flexible working arrangements including special leave with pay, compressed weeks, parttime hours or working from home. Employees can also seek support and guidance through the Health and Wellbeing Program, which incorporates the Employee Assistance Program.

PIRSA is committed to recognising and supporting the role carers play in society, in particular our employees who have carer responsibilities.

Public complaints

Number of public complaints reported

Complaint categories	Sub-categories	Example	Number of Complaints 2019–20
Professional behaviour	Staff attitude	Failure to demonstrate values such as empathy, respect, fairness, courtesy, extra mile; cultural competency	7
Professional behaviour	Staff competency	Failure to action service request; poorly informed decisions; incorrect or incomplete service provided	8
Professional behaviour	Staff knowledge	Lack of service specific knowledge; incomplete or out-of-date knowledge	0
Communication	Communication quality	Inadequate, delayed or absent communication with customer	1
Communication	Confidentiality	Customer’s confidentiality or privacy not respected; information shared incorrectly	0
Service delivery	Systems/technology	System offline; inaccessible to customer; incorrect result/information provided; poor system design	12
Service delivery	Access to services	Service difficult to find; location poor; facilities/ environment poor standard; not accessible to customers with disabilities	4
Service delivery	Process	Processing error; incorrect process used; delay in processing application; process not customer responsive	14
Policy	Policy application	Incorrect policy interpretation; incorrect policy applied; conflicting policy advice given	3
Policy	Policy content	Policy content difficult to understand; policy unreasonable or disadvantages customer	77
Service quality	Information	Incorrect, incomplete, out dated or inadequate information; not fit for purpose	0
Service quality	Access to information	Information difficult to understand, hard to find or difficult to use; not plain English	1
Service quality	Timeliness	Lack of staff punctuality; excessive waiting times (outside of service standard); timelines not met	0
Service quality	Safety	Maintenance; personal or family safety; duty of care not shown; poor security service/ premises; poor cleanliness	1
Service quality	Service responsiveness	Service design doesn’t meet customer needs; poor service fit with customer expectations	1
No case to answer	No case to answer	Third party; customer misunderstanding; redirected to another agency; insufficient information to investigate	1
		Total	130

Note: the section below is mandated

Additional Metrics	Total
Number of positive feedback comments	87
Number of negative feedback comments	130
Total number of feedback comments	217
% complaints resolved within policy timeframes	100%

Data for previous years is available at: https://data.sa.gov.au/data/dataset/complaints-reporting-primary-industries-and regions-sa/resource/6956326b-8c2e-4a70-8179-561994c297f

Service improvements for period

Service Improvements resulting from complaints or consumer suggestions over 2019–20
Nil

Appendix: Audited financial statements 2019–20

Audited financial statements 2019–20 can be found in the 2019–20 PIRSA Annual Report.

Footnotes:

PIRSA contributes to administration.
Administered by Veterinary Surgeons Board, PIRSA contributes to administration.
As at June 2020 Quarter 2019–20 Financial Year as per OCPSE performance measures dashboard.

Page last reviewed: 14 Mar 2024

Department of Primary Industries and Regions Annual Report 2019–20

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