Conduct Guide for Boards and Committees: Supporting Information

The Conduct Guide for Boards and Committees
PSC developed the Conduct Guide for Boards and Committees to assist government boards
develop a code of conduct. This supporting information should be read in conjunction with the
conduct guide when developing a code of your own.
The conduct guide sets out six categories where a public sector board member, executive officer
or other officer of the board needs to display the appropriate behaviour and comply with the
accountability framework set out in the legislature and by government.
The supporting information is consistent with the conduct guide. The six areas that should be
reflected in your board or committee’s code of conduct are:
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Personal behaviour
Communication and official information
Fraudulent and corrupt behaviour
Use of public resources
Record keeping and use of information
Conflict of interest
The supporting information provides the detail of the accountability framework, broken down into
legislation and across-government requirements such as Premier’s Circulars and Treasurer’s
Instructions. These are common to all public sector agencies and most public sector boards, and
are mandatory.
The conduct guide is specifically aimed to help the executive officer of a board or committee
fulfil their duties. It will help them allocate appropriate responsibilities to themselves and other
members. It is the responsibility of each board to establish all of the legislation which governs the
activities of the board.
Referencing your board’s code of conduct to the Conduct Guide for Boards and Committees will
ensure that you include the appropriate legislative obligations without necessarily having to restate
specific requirements in the document. You should make sure that board members are aware
of the conduct guide and supporting information, and how to access the legislation and other
government requirements it encompasses.
4 Public Sector Commission