(1) How many apprentices or trainees have been employed in each employment category by (a) his Department, (b) Airservices Australia, (c) the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and (d) the Australian Maritime Safety Authority for each of the past 6 years.

(2) Have any staff been appointed under any graduate entry programmes, if so how many.

(3) Have any targeted recruitment campaigns been conducted, if so, when and what was the aim of those campaigns.

(4) What sum has been spent on external recruitment agencies for recruitment to each employment category.

(1) (a) The Department of Transport and Regional Services (DoTRS) has not employed any apprentices or trainees in the past six years.

(b) Airservices Australia (AA) has employed a variety of trainees and apprentices in the past six years. The details are depicted in the table below:

(c) The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has not employed any apprentices or trainees in the past six years.

(d) The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has not employed any apprentices or trainees over the last six years.

(2) (a) The number of staff appointed under the DoTRS Graduate Administrative Programme for each of the past six years is as follows:

1996 19

1997 15

1998 19

1999 18

2000 24

2001 16

(b) AA has employed nine staff under graduate employment programmes over the past six years.

(c) CASA has not appointed any graduates under any graduate employment programme, however, the Authority has hosted a graduate as part of their placement with the Department of Transport and Regional Services.

(d) AMSA has not appointed staff under a graduate entry programme over the last six years.

(3) (a) DoTRS has advertised positions for its Graduate Administrative Programme in April/May each year for the last six years. The target of the Department's graduate recruitment programme has been tertiary graduates. The aim of the programme has been to attract high performing graduates, from a range of disciplines, to the Department. For the years 1996-2000, the Department's graduate recruitment programme was marketed nationally through Recruitment Services Australia. In 2000 and 2001, the Department independently advertised graduate positions in all major national and regional newspapers and indigenous publications.

(b) (i) Campaigns for recruiting Air Traffic Control Trainees within AA have been conducted continuously since 1995. The aim of the recruitment campaigns has been to attract individuals to train as Air Traffic Controllers under the new Australian Advanced Air Traffic System (TAAATS).

(ii) Two recruitment campaigns have also been conducted by AA, with the aim of supplying base level clerical support, and providing individuals with the opportunity to develop specific skills.

(c) Due to the points raised in questions 1 and 2, CASA has not undertaken any targeted recruitment campaigns.

(d) AMSA has not conducted any targeted recruitment campaigns.

(4) (a) In 2000, DoTRS engaged an external provider to undertake graduate recruitment for this year's programme at a cost of $84,536. Previously, graduates were recruited through Recruitment Services Australia.

(b) (i) AA conducted the two recruitment campaigns identified at (3) above through the Government's Skillshare Programme and the cost was nil.

(ii) AA manages internally its recruitment campaigns for Air Traffic Services staff. From time to time during those campaigns, and dependent upon requirements, Airservices may engage the services of external contractors to provide assistance with some of the selection and assessment phases, eg initial review of applications, conduct of assessment centres, assisting with interview of candidates, etc. To ascertain the costs of each of those instances would require the examination of all file records and individual invoice records related to each ATS recruitment campaign since 1995, the majority of which are archived. However, figures readily to hand for the past financial year, indicate that for the Air Traffic Controller Ab Initio Recruitment Campaign conducted during the year 2000, Airservices did contract the services of a recruitment agency to assist in the initial assessment phases, at a cost of $13,967.

(c) CASA has not engaged an external recruitment agency to employ apprentices, trainees or new graduates over the last six years.

(d) AMSA has not engaged an external recruitment agency to employ apprentices, trainees or new graduates over the last six years.