Director-General's Introduction
I, as the accountable authority, am pleased to present the 2020-21 Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) corporate plan, which covers the period 2020-21 to 2023-24, as required under section 35(1)(b) of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013.
Two years ago ASD became a statutory agency and this Corporate Plan includes, for the first time, our Enterprise Key Performance Indicators.
We continue to experience significant internal change. ASD continues to build its foundational capabilities, structures and enterprise governance that we need as a statutory agency within the Defence portfolio, tailored to the unique nature of our work. ASD will continue to improve its foundational capabilities over the period covered by this corporate plan.
Our external environment is also changing rapidly. The Defence Strategic Update 2020 states that “This security environment is markedly different from the relatively benign one of even four years ago, with greater potential for military miscalculation”. ASD’s highest priority will always be the protection of Australian lives whether that is supporting Australia’s warfighters or detecting, and in some cases disrupting, malicious threats against Australian interests.
ASD’s success will depend on developing an organisation that is built around our people and the work they do, now and in the future. ASD will continue to prioritise its analyst-centric business transformation, as well as reforming our learning and development, to help our staff gain the skills required to meet emerging threats and challenges. The coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic has driven ASD to reflect on optimising working arrangements – including through more flexible work.
My vision for ASD remains that we are a world-class intelligence and cyber security agency, enabled by talented and dedicated people, leading-edge capabilities, strong partnerships, and the trust of the Australian public. ASD can only be effective in its roles if it has the trust of the Australian Government, industry and the public – and we will continue strengthening accountability, transparency and governance of our activities to further build this trust.
This plan outlines the steps we will take to achieve this vision in 2020–21 and beyond.
Director-General
Australian Signals Directorate