Corporate governance

Corporate governance directs and controls local government and allows for better decision-making.

Sound decision-making supports a culture of confidence in Council and protects it from unfair criticism. Corporate governance also includes the relationships that Council has with stakeholders. Council’s adopted policies and procedures provide a basis for us to practice good governance while providing services and facilities, by proper and democratic governance, to the diverse group of stakeholders with an interest in Council. Through the adopted policies and procedures, we provide clear guidelines for the roles of the Council, Council members, and employees, ensuring that all responsibilities are properly allocated and discharged by those accountable. Fraud and misconduct

Council has a zero-tolerance approach to fraud, corruption, and misconduct and has adopted a Fraud and Corruption Prevention Policy to prevent, detect and respond to misconduct and fraudulent or corrupt behaviour.

Conflict of interest and Gifts and Benefits

Chief Executive Officers and other local government employees occasionally receive gifts. The community expects public officers to perform their duties efficiently and to use public resources free from influence. Council has adopted a Code of Conduct and other policies and procedures pertaining to employees that forbids an employee from accepting a prohibited gift including gifts from a person who may be able to influence decision-making. Our policies and procedures establish a common understanding of appropriate conduct expected of all employees concerning gifts, benefits, hospitality, and the resultant potential for a conflict of interest to arise. Privacy Council considers that responsible handling of personal Information is a key aspect of democratic governance and is committed to protecting an individual’s right to privacy. We collect, store and use a broad range of information about community members, employees and prospective employees. A significant part of that information is personal information. We have adopted a Privacy Policy to ensure that all reasonable steps are taken so collection, use, disclosure and handling of all personal information aligns with relevant Australian Privacy Principles of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). Council policies Local governments are generally responsible for determining their policies. There are some requirements in the Local Government Act 2009 and the Local Government Regulation 2012, for Councils to have certain policies and the timeframe for reviewing these.

To ensure good governance, all policies are regularly reviewed to ensure they are relevant and remain consistent with best practice and relevant legislation.