Internal accountability

Business Planning

The department’s strategic plan underpins and guides day-to-day business. Divisional and branch business plans are aligned with the strategic plan to effectively and efficiently deliver the department’s five core strategic objectives. These business plans are ‘living documents’ that are periodically reviewed and adjusted to reflect emerging risks and opportunities in the operational environment.

The department ensures that whole-of-government specific purpose plans are incorporated into business planning activities. Specific purpose plans focus on addressing areas of high strategic importance. The department has reported achievements against these plans throughout the annual report:

• Transport and Main Roads Strategic Plan 2019–23  
• Queensland Cycling Strategy 2017–27  
• Queensland Walking Strategy 2019–29
• Queensland Road Safety Action Plan 2020–2021
• Queensland Climate Transition Strategy  
• Queensland Transport Strategy  
• Queensland Freight Action Plan  
• Queensland Road System Performance Plan 2019–2023  
• The State Infrastructure Plan  
• Regional Transport Plan  
• Queensland’s Personalised Transport Horizon - Five Year Strategic Plan for Personalised Transport Services 2016–2021
• Principal Cycle Network Plans  
• Disability Action Plan 2018–2022  
• Queensland Transport and Logistics Workforce Strategy and Action Plan 2018–2023  
• Reef 2050 Plan
• Queensland Level Crossing Safety Strategy 2012–2021  
• OneTMR Strategic Workforce Plan: Future workforce 2020–2024  
• Gender Equity Plan 2019–2021  
• Plans for Action 2019–2020
• The Mental Health Strategy 2019–2021 
• Financial Sustainability Plan
• Transport Coordination Plan
• Risk Management and systems

The Strategic Rail Project Team

The Strategic Rail Project Team oversees and coordinates the department’s response to the Strachan Inquiry recommendations by strengthening rail governance and the interfaces between capital projects and significant timetable changes. The team supports the Cross River Rail project, acting as the interface manager between the department and the Cross River Rail Delivery Authority. The team works on a range of initiatives to enable the department to play a stronger role in:

• setting the strategic direction of rail services in Queensland
• driving rail investment in priority areas
• monitoring and improving the performance of the rail portfolio.     

Performance management and monitoring

The department monitors both performance against service standards in the department’s service delivery statements (SDS) and progress of strategic initiatives through quarterly performance reports to the Executive Leadership Team.

These reports inform strategic decisions, drive improvements and allow course correction or re-evaluation of objectives, to ensure value is continually delivered to our customers, stakeholders, and the community. The report also demonstrates alignment with the Queensland Government’s Financial and Performance Management Standard 2019.

The department’s commitment to continuous improvement is affirmed through the Planning and Performance Network, which connects regularly to strengthen planning and performance capability and to champion a performance culture across the department.

Data and business analytics strategy

Underpinned by the Transport Data Exchange (strategic data analytics framework), the department implemented several analytics solutions and proofs of concept to help solve complex business challenges and continued to build organisational capability in cloud-enabled analytics. For example:

• pavement analytics to standardise and automate data processing and analysis, enabling faster and more informed decisions and calculations regarding pavement design, quality and evaluation
• data visualisations for employees to self-serve data insights, supporting evidence-based decisions related to initiatives including community road safety grants, ICT portfolio performance, soil testing, and corporate finance management
• use of real-time passenger transport data and digital twin technology to predict likely service delays given current and predicted traffic volumes and patterns. These solutions strengthened workforce capability in cloud data analytics tools and techniques to discover, organise, integrate, and maximise the use of the department’s vast data assets, while maintaining consistency, manageability, governance, and security.

Read more about our Data and Business Analytics Strategy 2017-2022.

Complaints management

Feedback from our customers is central to providing responsive government services and the department is committed to:

• learning from customer compliments
• managing complaints effectively
• innovate and enhance services
• improve decision making
• increase accountability in government.

The department’s complaints management system complies with the Public Service Act 2008 (Section 219A), is compatible with the Human Rights Act 2019 and meets the guiding principles of the Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 10002:2014 Guidelines for complaint management in organisations.

Table 13: Complaints received

Data source: TMR Complaints Management System

Internal Audit

The Internal Audit operates under a charter consistent with the Institute of Internal Auditors’ international standards and approved by the department’s Director-General.

The Chief Auditor is directly accountable to the Director-General for leading an effective and efficient internal audit function and for ensuring the internal audit activity meets its objectives and adds value. This includes the implementation of risk-based strategic and annual internal audit plans, and coordinating audit activities with the external auditors, Queensland Audit Office, to best achieve appropriate assurance objectives for the department.

The Chief Auditor reports regularly to the Audit and Risk Committee, which reviews the work of the internal audit function. The relationship with the committee is based on Queensland Treasury’s Audit Committee Guidelines. The Internal Audit team has a central role in improving operational processes and financial practices by:

• assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of departmental financial and operating systems, reporting processes, and activities
• identifying operational deficiencies and non-compliance with legislation or prescribed requirements
• assisting in risk management and identifying deficiencies in risk management
• bringing a broad range of issues to management’s attention, including performance, efficiency, and economy
• monitoring whether agreed remedial actions are undertaken.

During 2019–20, Internal Audit:

• developed and delivered an annual plan of internal audits approved by the Director-General and completed 32 internal audit reports, covering assurance and improving effectiveness of controls, systems, project management, operations, and risk management
• engaged with the Audit and Risk Committee about proposed internal audit plans and their alignment to the risks of the department
• provided advice and assistance on key projects and initiatives
• monitored and reported on the implementation of agreed audit recommendations
• maintained an effective working relationship with Queensland Audit Office.