Family Responsibilities Board
Part 12 of the Act provides for the establishment of the Family Responsibilities Board (FR Board). Under section 117 of the Act, the FR Board has a mandate to give advice and make recommendations to the Minister about the operation of the Commission and to similarly give advice and make recommendations to the Commissioner about the performance of the Commission’s functions and to consider the reports submitted by the Commission. Section 118 of the Act sets out the membership of the FR Board, which is endorsed by the Queensland Governor in Council. The FR Board consists of one person nominated by the Minister (chairperson of the FR Board), one person nominated by the Australian Government and one person nominated by the Institute. Board members are appointed by the Governor in Council for the term stated in the member’s instrument of appointment.
In accordance with section 123 of the Act the FR Board must meet every three months. The meeting may be held by using any technology available which will allow for efficient and effective communication, however, the Board members must meet in person at least once a year. A quorum for the Board is comprised of two members.
Composition of the Board
The current FR Board Members are:
Ms Debbie Best	Director-General, Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural Affairs
Mr Finn Pratt 	Secretary, Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
Mr Noel Pearson 	Executive Chairman, Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership.

Executive Management Team
The Commission’s Executive Management Team (EMT) is comprised of the Commissioner, the Registrar, the Executive Officer (Management) and the Executive Officer (Case Management). The EMT plays a critical role in the corporate governance and service delivery of the Commission by:
•	providing value-based leadership
•	demonstrating and incorporating high standards of integrity and ethical behaviour
•	ensuring transparency and accountability through effective decision-making and communication with management, employees (including Local Commissioners) and service providers
•	providing a clear future direction for the Commission and
•	providing leadership and direction on:
•	issues relating to the ongoing financial and non-financial operations of the Commission and the performance of its governance structure and
•	the operation, performance and reporting of the Commission with regard to its obligations under the Act and other relevant legislation.
Due to the small size of the Commission, the role of the EMT also encompasses the corporate stewardship functions associated with the Commission’s operational performance. In addition the EMT oversees the operations of finance, information management, human resources and planning, audit, risk management, systems review and workload and performance management. The EMT met on a regular basis throughout the 2012-13 year.
Participation in external governance groups
In addition to the internal governance arrangement of the Commission, the Commissioner and other delegated employees participated in several external governance groups:
•	Regional Leadership Group
•	Non-Attendance at School in Welfare Reform Communities (NASA) Committee
•	Regional Managers Coordination Network
•	Indigenous Service Delivery Committee
•	Wujal Wujal Government Champion visits
•	Aurukun, Coen, Hope Vale and Mossman Gorge Service Delivery Working Groups
•	Cape York Welfare Reform Education Stream Working Committee
•	CYWRT Disengaged Youth Working Group.
Planning
The Commission has adopted a strategic plan which has enabled the Commission to develop goals and strategies to fulfil the mandate of the Commission. These goals are consistent with current whole-of-government priorities, including targets set by COAG under NIRA and other key financial, socio-economic and demographic challenges identified through research and consultation. The strategic plan is reviewed on an annual basis to ensure currency of performance measures and that objectives adequately reflect the Commission’s vision and purpose.
Corporate structure
The Commission’s organisational structure includes a central registry office based in Cairns and a remote office in each of the CYWR trial communities of Aurukun, Coen, Hope Vale and Mossman Gorge. Each of the Commission’s remote community based offices has a Local Coordinator appointed to provide strategic, operational and administrative support to the Local Commissioners.

Remuneration statement
As disclosed in the Commission’s 2012-13 financial statements, executive remuneration of $397,000 was received by the Commission’s Chief Executive Officer (the Commissioner). Remuneration is also reported for the Registrar, Executive Officer (Management) and the Executive Officer (Case Management). The amount calculated as executive remuneration in the financial statements incorporates the direct and indirect remuneration including salary and allowances, movements in leave accruals, travel expenditure and the grossed up value of fringe benefits associated with accommodation and motor vehicles.
Human resource management
At 30 June 2013 the Commission had an employee establishment of 18 full-time equivalent positions, including three positions servicing the remote communities. Sixteen positions are based in the Cairns Registry office (including one Local Coordinator servicing Coen and Mossman Gorge), one position (Local Coordinator) based in Aurukun servicing Aurukun and one position (Local Coordinator) based in Cooktown servicing Hope Vale. The Deputy Commissioner and Local Commissioners are employed on a fee for service basis.
Since the establishment of the Commission employee and job classification levels have altered as a result of ongoing operational reviews. During this financial year the Commission has experienced a permanent retention rate of 94 percent, and a permanent separation rate of 6 percent.
The Commission promotes policies and activities to support a healthy work-life balance. Flexible work arrangements are actively accessed and employees are provided the opportunity to work from home where appropriate, part-time work opportunities and hours of work arrangements including the opportunity for purchased leave. These flexible arrangements are also offered in order to assist in balancing work and carer roles where required.
Recruitment, selection and retention of employees
The Commission conducts all recruitment and selection processes in accordance with the requirements of the Public Service Act 1996 and relevant Public Service Commission policies and directives.
During the period 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013 no employees of the Commission took early retirement packages or were made redundant or retrenched.
Professional development
A key priority of the Commission is to maintain an environment of continual professional development and learning for all employees and Local Commissioners.
The Commission is committed to providing professional development to the Local Commissioners on a continual basis for the life of the Commission to ensure it actively works to restore local authority. Part of this professional development involves enhancing and expanding their relationships with other Indigenous organisations, government departments and agencies. The Local Commissioners attended a development week in Cairns commencing on 6 May 2013 during which the they workshopped substance abuse issues with the Queensland Police Service, Dr Ernest Hunter, psychiatrist and public health physician and JCU Associate Professor Alan Clough of the Community-based Health Promotion and Prevention Studies. Strategies to reduce the associated harm of substance abuse were also discussed. Local Commissioners were hosted at  the Gindaja Treatment and Healing Indigenous Corporation, JCU Indigenous Support Services, Cape York AFL Boarding House, the Cairns Botanical Gardens - Indigenous plant use garden section, Mossman Gorge and the Mossman Gorge Centre.
The broader focus of the Commission’s professional development program for employees is on skill development, career enhancement, and supporting a culture of ongoing learning through participation in internal workshops, on the job training and courses conducted by specialist external training providers. To facilitate employees’ development, each employee together with their manager signs a Performance Assessment and Professional Development Plan. The plan sets out identified learning activities, supports the development of competencies, professional skills and personal attributes, and is designed to identify and record knowledge and skill gaps together with learning objectives. The plans link in to the Commission’s strategic and operational objectives and are reviewed on a six monthly basis. During 2012-13 employee professional development, training, and workshops cost $50,742 excluding travel costs. This investment provides a platform for the Commission to foster the development of new skills and to improve business processes within the Commission.
During 2012-13 the Commission organised a number of internal and externally sourced training programs and workshops to monitor, evaluate and continuously improve operations, internal administration and service delivery of the Commission. Training programs covered the key areas of:
•	management and leadership
•	first-aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation
•	substance abuse
•	mental health understanding and practice
•	domestic violence prevention
•	fire warden and trial evacuation
•	tools and skills for policy practitioners
•	employment legislation and modern awards
•	Queensland Public Service Code of Conduct and ethics
•	Ending Family Violence
•	suicide first-aid and intervention
•	positive behaviour support
•	advanced workplace communication skills
•	Indigenous health
•	policy and applied social research 
•	business innovation, strategic planning and implementation
•	managing statutory offices
•	4WD Cape York defensive driving.
The Commission is also committed to providing support to employees who undertake further education and to providing flexible work practices to enable employees to study whilst continuing to meet operational and client needs.

Under the Study and Research Assistance Scheme (SARAS) assistance is administered subject to Directive 12/99 Study and Examination Leave in an equitable manner, ensuring effective usage of learning and organisational development funds and taking into consideration available resources. As at June 2013 there are 10 employees enrolled with various academic institutions for the current 2013 calendar year to study the following: 
•	Certificate IV Business Administration 
•	Cert IV Community Services Work
•	Diploma of Community Services (Case Management)
•	Bachelor of Arts Anthropology and Indigenous Studies
•	Certified Practising Accountant membership studies
•	Graduate Certificate of Criminology and Criminal Justice
•	Postgraduate Diploma Policy and Applied Social Research
•	Master of Criminology and Criminal Justice with Honours
Through the provision of high quality and targeted professional development the Commission seeks to not only enhance the skills and competencies of its employees and Local Commissioners, but to also provide effective and efficient client service.
Information and communication technology
Coinciding with the establishment of the Commission in July 2008, a service level agreement was entered into with Corporate Administration Agency (CAA) for information and communication technology services. This ensured the Commission complied with the Information Privacy Act 2009. The service level agreement also provides high level security and support.
The Commission, in conjunction with CAA, has policies and network protocols in place to ensure all Commission employees have a clear understanding of their responsibilities regarding ethical information access, transference, usage and management. The Commission’s information and communication technology systems capture and retain information, preserve the integrity of information and also provide a high level of security and confidentiality. The Commission can report that no breaches of information security have occurred to date.
The Commission complies with recordkeeping practices in accordance with the Public Records Act 2002, Information Standard 40, Recordkeeping and Information Standard 31: Retention and Disposal of Public Records, through the service level agreement with CAA. Approximately 90 percent of Commission records are held in digital format.
Public Sector Ethics Act 1994 and Code of Conduct
All employees of the Commission, with the exception of the Family Responsibilities Commissioners, the Deputy Commissioner and the Local Commissioners are employed under the Public Service Act (Qld) 2008.
To ensure ongoing training in regard to the Code of Conduct for the Queensland Public Service and ethical decision-making, on 10 May 2013 the Australian Institute of Management facilitated an interactive workshop for all employees including Commissioner Glasgow and Deputy Commissioner Curtin, which incorporated the four ethics principles together with their associated values of integrity and impartiality, promoting the public good, commitment to the system of government and accountability and transparency. The Local Coordinators for the communities of Aurukun, Coen, Hope Vale and Mossman Gorge will be facilitating training for each Local Commissioner. New employees are provided with Code of Conduct and ethics training upon induction, and refresher training is conducted annually for all Commission employees.
To further assist Commission employees with ethical decision-making and in understanding the Code of Conduct, the Commission has created a supplementary policy document titled ‘Workplace Policy’. This policy presents a broad framework for ethical behaviour, supports the Code and is consistent with the requirements of the Public Service Act (Qld) 2008, the Public Sector Ethics Act 1994, the Family Responsibilities Commission Act 2008 (the Act) and relevant Public Service policies and directives. The Code of Conduct and Workplace Policy are both available in hard copy at all Commission premises and are located on our webpage for access to both the public and employees.
Alignment with the ethics principles is further achieved through the Commission’s Strategic Plan which incorporates three objectives based on enhancing and strengthening socially responsible standards of behaviour both within the Commission and in the four CYWR trial communities. Each of these objectives then forms the basis for employee Performance Assessment and Professional Development Plans to link ethics priorities with service delivery.
Risk management
The Commission’s risk management framework establishes a mechanism to identify, assess and manage real or potential risks. The framework supports a positive risk minimisation and management culture within the Commission which focuses on strategic risks (risks which present as challenges to the Commission’s strategic direction and vision), and operational risks (risks which present as challenges to the daily activities of the Commission in delivering its services). In applying the risk management principles the Commission has developed a draft Business Continuity Plan (BCP). The framework of this plan incorporates five key elements – prevention, preparedness, response, recovery and review, and consists of a risk management and contingency plan, business impact analysis, incident response table and recovery plan. The plan states a shared legal responsibility and accountability between, and a commitment by, all employees to implement the BCP. Employees are individually responsible for contributing to the BCP and to the health and safety of others by reporting workplace injury, incidents, illness and hazards. Employees are also responsible for seeking to reduce the vulnerability of the Commission to internal and external events and influences that may impede achieving the goals of the Commission.
The Commission’s BCP progresses from an integrated approach to managing all risks that impact on the achievement of the Commission’s strategic and business objectives to reviewing and re-evaluating identified risks and reporting to the EMT regarding processes and recommendations.
The Commission recognises the importance of making informed decisions on protecting its employees and assets and has improved security access to premises and network security to protect confidential information.
Professional conduct
All employees of the Commission are required to adhere to the values of the Commission and undertake their duties with professionalism, respect for diversity and courtesy whilst utilising ethics in all decision-making. Employees are made aware of their ongoing responsibilities, duty of care and requirements under the core legislation governing the Commission as published through Commission policies, protocols and guidelines which are readily available to employees on the intranet. During the year the Commission has continued refining its strategies and processes to ensure its operations are effective and the strategic direction is maintained. The following policies and guidelines were revised to ensure efficiencies of process: Hours of Work Arrangements, Right to Information Guidelines, Privacy Policy, Intranet Internet and Email Usage Policy, Employee Assistance Policy, SARAS Policy, Discipline in the Workplace Policy and Financial Delegation Guidelines.
Commission policies are required to be read and understood as part of the Commission induction process and in most cases a register must be signed acknowledging an understanding of the policies. The Commission complies with the following legislative requirements in performing its functions:
•	Family Responsibilities Commission Act 2008 (the Act)	•	Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 	
•	Public Service Act (Qld) 2008	•	Information Privacy Act 2009	
•	Public Sector Ethics Act 1994	•	Right to Information Act 2009	
•	Financial Accountability Act 2009	•	Work Health and Safety Act 2011	
•	Victims of Crime Assistance Act 2009	•	Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011	
•	Public Interest Disclosure Act 2010	•	Public Records Act 2002.	

Supporting the Carers Charter
The Carers (Recognition) Act 2008 requires the Commission to recognise the value of carers and the support which must be afforded them in the workplace. The Commission has made all employees aware of the Carers (Recognition) Act 2008 through induction processes and the importance of supporting their fellow workers in caring for persons who have special needs. These special needs may manifest themselves as persons who have a disability, chronic illness, mental illness, frailty, parenting care roles or occasional/short-term care after illnesses/accidents. Commission employees have been informed on how carers are to be treated and how they are to be included in decision-making which may affect their obligations as carers.
In order to support the above legislation, the Commission (through policies and directives) provides flexible work arrangements to assist carers in meeting their obligations, provides opportunities to work from home where appropriate, part-time work opportunities and hours of work arrangements including the opportunity for purchased leave. These flexible arrangements are offered in order to assist in balancing their work and carer roles.
Publication of information on line
For information regarding consultancies, international travel, corporate social responsibility including waste management and recycling policies, carbon emissions, the Queensland Government Reconciliation Action Plan 2009-2012, right to information and information privacy, complaints management, corporate services and work health and safety refer to the Additional published information under Right to Information on the Commission’s website at http://www.frcq.org.au and the Queensland Government Open Data website at qld.gov.au/data.
Publications by the Commission during 2012-13
1.	Annual Report 2011-12
2.	Quarterly Performance Report 16
3.	Quarterly Performance Report 17
4.	Quarterly Performance Report 18
5.	Quarterly Performance Report 19
All publications are available on the Family Responsibilities Commission’s website: 
http://www.frcq.org.au.