Senator Chris Evans asked the Minister representing the Minister for Community Services, upon notice, on 16 March 1999:

(1) What grants have been provided to the Equal Vocational Employment Network for the purposes of assisting people with a disability to find employment.

(2) What accountability mechanisms and performance criteria were set as part of those grants.

(3) What checks have been made to ensure that the network is meeting those performance criteria.

(4) Has the network met the performance criteria set down in relation to the grants.

(5) Does the network operate a business called Zenith Employment and Training.

(6) What is the commercial relationship between Zenith and the network.

(7) Has Zenith spent some of the money granted to the network on a proposal to lease the Eden Country Club with the intention of building 62 assisted living apartments on the site.

(8) Is the building of assisted living apartments consistent with the objectives of the grant to the network.

(9) Can a complete breakdown be provided of how the network and Zenith have spent the money granted to it by the Commonwealth for the purpose of assisting people with disabilities to find employment.

(10) Included in the above expenditure breakdown can details be provided of any salaries paid to employees of the network and of Zenith and any administration costs incurred by these bodies.

Senator Newman (Family and Community Services; Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women) —The Minister for Community Services has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

(1) $452,156 in 1996-97; $497,600 in 1997-98; and $526,999 in 1998-99.

(2) Grant contract conditions require the provision of annual financial statements, prepared and signed by an external auditor. In addition the funds received from the Commonwealth must be acquitted and reports on progress against agreed targets be submitted to the Department on a biannual basis.

In accordance with the Disability Services Act (1986) the agency is also required to undertake an annual self-assessment audit. The audit includes a client survey to gauge satisfaction with agency service provision.

(3) The Department has analysed the organisation's financial reports to determine ongoing viability and the effective expenditure of grant monies. Analysis of performance reports to identify services which are not meeting national benchmarks has also been completed.

(4) Yes.

(5) Yes.

(6) EVEN Inc. is the auspicing body and Zenith Employment and Training is the service delivery outlet.

(7) No. Supplementary advice provided by EVEN Inc. evidences alternative sources of funding for their Eden Country Club proposal.

(8) No.

(9) The annual audited financial statements submitted by EVEN Inc. cover both Commonwealth grant monies and funds from other sources. They do not provide a separate breakdown of how EVEN Inc. has spent the Commonwealth grants.

(10) Audited financial statements (income and expenditure statement and balance sheet) reflect the total of salary and administration for the organisation. They do not provide details of individual salaries or administration costs.

These financial statements indicate that in 1996/97, $297,900 was spent on salaries and $210,460 on administration and in 1997/98, $303,534 on salaries and $214,159 on administration.