Government Boards and Committees, 21 September 2012
Government Boards and Committees, 21 September 2012
Government Boards and Committees, 21 September 2012
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1.4 Role<br />
<strong>Government</strong> boards <strong>and</strong> committees can play an important role in good governance within<br />
government by providing independent <strong>and</strong> expert governance or advice. They can also<br />
provide an effective link between government <strong>and</strong> the community.<br />
<strong>Government</strong>s generally have one or more of the following four reasons for establishing a<br />
governance or advisory board or committee in preference to using a departmental structure<br />
to undertake a specific public role. These are to:<br />
enable participation by government in commercial or semi-commercial operations;<br />
provide capacity for decisions <strong>and</strong> advice that are independent from government;<br />
provide an avenue for the input of specialist knowledge <strong>and</strong> expertise not normally<br />
available in government; <strong>and</strong>/or<br />
facilitate high level engagement <strong>and</strong> 'ownership' by specific groups.<br />
1.5 Criteria<br />
The two main policy instruments governing the administration of information <strong>and</strong> approvals<br />
related to <strong>Government</strong> boards <strong>and</strong> committees are the:<br />
1. Cabinet H<strong>and</strong>book Department of Premier <strong>and</strong> Cabinet 2009<br />
2. Premier's Circular State <strong>Government</strong> <strong>Boards</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Committees</strong>: 2010/02<br />
Having clear <strong>and</strong> unambiguous criteria for:<br />
a. determining if a body is a <strong>Government</strong> board or committee <strong>and</strong> should appear in the<br />
Database of <strong>Government</strong> boards or committees; <strong>and</strong><br />
b. determining if <strong>Government</strong> board or committee in the Database should appear on<br />
the Register of <strong>Government</strong> boards <strong>and</strong> committees (published list);<br />
is essential for the effective administration <strong>and</strong> public reporting of these bodies.<br />
The Cabinet H<strong>and</strong>book reads as follows in relation to the making of appointments to<br />
<strong>Government</strong> boards <strong>and</strong> <strong>Committees</strong>:<br />
7.4 Appointments to boards<br />
Appointments to boards which are established by statutes which specify that<br />
appointments are to be made by the Minister or the Governor in Executive<br />
Council must he brought to Cabinet.<br />
While appointments to committees set up by the Minister or the CEO of<br />
an agency are not usually subject to the Cabinet process, where the<br />
purpose or function of the board may have a major impact on<br />
government policy or cross over Ministerial responsibilities, or when<br />
members are paid a fee, the matter should be brought to Cabinet.<br />
9
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