Corporate Governance

The Northern Rivers CMA is one of 57 regional organisations across Australia which are a conduit for Australian Government investment in NRM at a regional level, and facilitates State-funded NRM programs at a regional level that will achieve targeted State NRM outcomes. With this level of public responsibility, good corporate governance plays a major role in the day to day operations of the organisation.

How does the Northern Rivers manage good governance ? 

The Northern Rivers CMA approach to corporate governance is guided by the Corporate Governance and Financial Management Manual for Catchment Management Authorities, 2006. The organisation's corporate governance practices centre on the following principles:

• The appointment of a skilled, experienced and independent board to facilitate NRM investment that meets with community aspirations while addressing investor priorities
• The use of open and transparent processes to ensure organisational and accountability and performance
• Sound financial management and accountability to the Auditor General, investors and the community
• The maintenance of good relationships with investors, partners and the community to facilitate positive NRM outcomes in the region
• The use of policies and programs that reflect strategic NRM planning and include monitoring of performance to assess progress against targets
•  Engagement of the community in the delivery of NRM programs and outcomes
• Provision of leadership and coordination of effort between NRM partners to deliver NRM outcomes in an efficient and timely manner
• A management structure which supports the planned implementation of NRM programs and budget

The Northern Rivers CMA continues to demonstrate its commitment to good corporate governance through the ongoing implementation of a suite of good governance practices which include:

• Maintaining appropriate financial, operational, correspondence and project management records
• Maintaining good relationships with all levels of government and the community to facilitate the development and delivery of NRM programs, projects and activities
• Acting on sound advice received and the giving of same to NRM partners and the community
• Maintaining operational processes that enable business to be conducted efficiently and effectively
• Making and maintaining processes for and records of transparent and accountable decisions
• Undertaking financial and operational strategic planning and creating an environment of continuous improvement
• Undertaking a governance self-audit on a yearly basis by the Northern Rivers CMA Board to assess its practices and contributions to the organisation
• Ensuring compliance with legislative, policy and contractual requirements, including statutory reporting
• Monitoring, evaluating and reviewing performance at all levels of the organisation
• Engaging stakeholders and clients and maintaining clear channels of communication that facilitate a consultative approach to NRM

These practices, underpinned by a range of internal policies, procedures, systems and processes, provide for internal control, accountability, risk management and optimal performance of the Northern Rivers CMA.

The annual governance review undertaken by the Northern Rivers CMA Board showed there were no significant governance issues identified for the 2007/08 period that required change to the organisations corporate governance practices.