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Accountability to clients

Customs provides services to clients relevant to all areas of its business. Its client service function contributes to the five outputs and the Customs outcome. Particularly significant areas of client service include:

• Customs Information Centres
• complaints and compliments
• the Client Service Charter
• access for people with special needs.

Any services provided to clients that relate to one output only have been reported under that output.

Customs Information Centres

Customs Information Centres are located in all states and territories and provide information on services and procedures of Customs. Contact details for the information centre offices are provided in Appendix B. General information is available on the Customs Internet site – www.customs.gov.au as well as through publications under FOI produced by Customs and other agencies (see further information on publications in Appendix A). Information centres can also be contacted by telephone on 1300 363 263 from anywhere in Australia or by emailing information@customs.gov.au.

The information centres dealt with a large number of inquiries during 2000-01 including:

• more than 240 000 telephone calls
• more than 17 000 email inquiries
• about 11 000 inquiries at information centre counters
• about 900 inquiries by letter.

During 2000-01 there were 19 complaints and 53 compliments registered about information centres.

Customs participated in an Australian Quality Council exercise to benchmark the performance of its information centres against 100 other organisations. The Customs Information Centres were placed in the top 20 per cent of benchmarked organisations. The benchmarking compared how organisations meet customer service needs, such as providing services to customers, managing service quality and developing technological support.

Customs also participated in the Government Business Education Network, a group of Commonwealth and State Government agencies aiming to raise awareness of government products and services to the business community. The network shares strategies and practices, identifies opportunities for business education and provides a communication link between business and government.

Complaints and compliments

Clients were able to provide comments to Customs through a variety of methods, such as a reply paid ‘Tell us what you think’ brochure, email, letters and a freecall phone number – 1800 228 227. The brochure was the most popular form of feedback during 2000-01, followed by email and letter.

In December 2000 a national online database was launched to manage complaints and compliments. This database allows electronic monitoring and reporting on all complaints and compliments received by Customs and ensures complaints are resolved within the timeframes set out in the service charter.

An online staff reporting facility was added to the complaints and compliments handling system in February 2001. This allows staff to report by email any complaints or compliments they receive.

Customs received 2196 complaints and 891 compliments. The largest area of complaints was from people who did not have goods in their possession when claiming a refund through the Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS). Other major areas of complaints included staff attitude and misinformation on the TRS provided by retailers. The most common compliment was about staff being helpful.

Significant achievements included:

• developing new information brochures to raise client awareness of Customs procedures
• re-designing counter areas resulting in greater client focus
• improving signage at public contact areas
• changing queuing systems and streaming Australian and non-Australian passport holders at some airports to improve passenger flow.

Client service charter

A review of the client service charters was conducted in 2000, including consulting stakeholders, clients and staff. As a result, Customs introduced a single client service charter, providing one location for all service standards.

A guide to the client service charter was developed for employees, setting out what is expected of staff, the purpose of the charter and how it will improve client service delivery. The complete list of service standards is available on the Internet at www.customs.gov.au/corp/charter/index/index.htm

The new client service charter provides:

• links to client service standards on the Internet
• advice on a range of Customs information services
• links to information on complaints and compliments
• advice on assistance for people who require language/interpreter assistance.

Performance against key standards stated in the client service charter

The client service charter has key speed and efficiency processing standards for cargo and passenger facilitation. The Portfolio Budget Statements include specific targets for these and other service standards.

Customs achieved or exceeded the service delivery targets for the client service charter standards in almost all instances. Highlights included:

• over 95 per cent of travellers arriving on international flights were processed within 30 minutes of arrival at the processing line
• electronic systems for cargo reporting had an availability of over 99 per cent
• 100 per cent of refund claims for GST under the Tourist Refund Scheme were processed within 15 minutes of arrival at the processing queue and 92 per cent of mailback claims were processed within 30 days.

Customs also achieved targets for providing industry support within statutory timeframes.

Further information on the performance of Customs is available under the performance effectiveness for the Customs outcome and the performance measures for the five outputs.

Providing access for people with special needs

Commonwealth Disability Strategy

Customs must report on its performance in implementing the Commonwealth Disability Strategy. This strategy aims to ensure that people with disabilities have the same access to Government policies, programs and services as others in the community.

The strategy identifies five key roles that agencies may perform in undertaking their core business. Of these, the roles that apply to Customs are regulator, provider and employer.

Key measures introduced by Customs to address these roles are outlined below.

Staff were trained in assisting clients with a disability. This resulted in excellent service levels during the 2000 Paralympic Games and many compliments were received.

Customs information is available in several different formats. Where necessary, assistance is also provided to help clients and potential employees understand information and complete forms.

Customs monitors, and actively seeks improvements to, the physical environment in which clients access services. This includes environments that are the responsibility of other organisations.

The Customs complaints and compliments handling system allows clients to raise disability-related issues.

Detailed information covering the performance of Customs against the strategy’s indicators and measures is contained in Appendix E.

Social justice and equity initiatives

Social justice and equity initiatives are similar to the Commonwealth Disability Strategy. They aim to give people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds the same access to policies, programs and services as others in the community.

Customs assesses its performance against the same roles used for the Commonwealth Disability Strategy – regulator, service provider and employer. Key measures introduced by Customs to address these roles are outlined below.

• All staff receive training in cultural awareness issues as part of their basic training. Before the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games, airport staff received additional training and awareness sessions, highlighting the importance of appropriate interaction with international visitors.
• Customs coordinated the Government’s visitor information campaign, which made information on Customs procedures available to people interested in travelling to Australia, regardless of their cultural or linguistic background. More information on this campaign is available.
• Customs worked with the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs to translate the incoming passenger card for arriving passengers into 12 languages. Translations into a further 39 community languages were made for limited use when necessary. Additionally, Customs-related directional signage at airports is provided in six languages other than English. The languages used are based on the major languages used by arriving passengers at that airport.
• To assist passengers selected for a baggage examination, Customs produced a brochure outlining the examination process. This brochure is available to passengers at the time of their examination, in ten languages other than English. When possible, Customs staff with relevant language skills can also explain the process verbally.
• A project on cultural awareness of the Chinese community was conducted at Brisbane airport, where 15 per cent of overseas passengers are from a Chinese background. The results will be incorporated into training and induction packages for Queensland staff.
• Tourist Refund Scheme brochures, outlining how to claim a refund under the scheme, were produced in ten languages other than English.

In addition to these measures, Customs has many existing processes in place to increase access for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, including:

• distributing information on Customs in different formats, style and languages
• using the language skills of Customs staff whenever possible
• providing translating and interpreting services when necessary. 

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