Chapter 2—Agency overview

Governance framework

Minister

Senator the Hon Joe Ludwig was the responsible minister for the agency throughout 2009–10, following his appointment as Cabinet Secretary and Special Minister of State on 8 June 2009.

Advisory council

Photo of William McInnes shaking hands with Bruce Thomas
Advisory Council Chair Mr William McInnes and Mr Bruce Thomas, Chair of the Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre, at the launch of the Marnti Warajanga exhibition (Photo – Chalk Studio)

The Advisory Council provides expert advice to the minister and senior management on the role, functions and activities of the agency. Members are appointed by the minister and are drawn from a range of relevant backgrounds and areas of expertise.

The Advisory Council met three times in 2009–10 and provided advice, suggestions and input on a range of managerial and operational issues, both in the course of meetings and out of session. Members also participated in expert advisory groups on a number of current projects.

The Chair of the Advisory Council is author and actor Mr William McInnes, who commenced a three-year tenure in February 2009. The year 2009–10 saw the appointment of two new members; the resignation of a member, due to other commitments; and the death of a member. The council’s membership over the course of the year is described in Appendix B (page 137).

Executive Management Group

The Executive Management Group—comprising the Director, Ms Jenny Anderson, and the two Deputy Directors, Mr Andrew Harper and Ms Kate Cowie—provides strategic and operational leadership to the agency.

Ms Anderson was first appointed Director on 1 July 2008; in June 2010 she was reappointed for a further five-year term. She holds the responsibilities of the Head of an Executive Agency as set out in s. 66 of the Public Service Act 1999. These include:

  • managing the agency
  • ensuring that the agency’s operations and administration are accountable to the government, parliament and public
  • assisting the minister in fulfilling accountability obligations to provide factual information, as required by the parliament, in relation to the agency’s operation and administration.

As the Deputy Director, Corporate and Heritage, Mr Harper has responsibility for activities relevant to the delivery of Program 1.1 (Conserve and manage Old Parliament House as a site of national heritage significance). These responsibilities include:

  • corporate governance, including internal audit, risk management, fraud control and business continuity
  • human resources management
  • finance services and procurement
  • information and communications technology
  • occupational health and safety
  • heritage management, including meeting obligations under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
  • the conservation, security and upkeep of the building, including capital works
  • secretariat support for the Advisory Council
  • management of the heritage collection
  • tenant liaison and contracts.
Photo of members of the Executive Management Group
Advisory Council Chair Mr William McInnes and Mr Bruce Thomas, Chair of the Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre, at the launch of the Marnti Warajanga exhibition. (Photo – Chalk Studio)

As the Deputy Director, Interpretation and Programs, Ms Cowie is responsible for activities relevant to the delivery of Program 1.2 (Develop and present Old Parliament House as a major museum of political, parliamentary and social history). These include:

  • development and delivery of exhibitions, including travelling exhibits, public programs and events
  • interpretation of the heritage values of Old Parliament House
  • provision of visitor services, schools and community education programs, and online programs and content
  • operation of the Australian Prime Ministers Centre and associated scholarship programs
  • collection development
  • marketing and evaluation
  • the volunteers program.

Corporate services

Corporate services include:

  • corporate governance policies and operational procedures in areas such as occupational health and safety, audit, business continuity, fraud control and risk management
  • human resources services
  • a financial management and reporting system
  • payroll services, provided through the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s contracted supplier
  • information technology services, provided through a memorandum of understanding with the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

More detail on these arrangements can be found in the Management and Accountability chapter (page 51) of this report.

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