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  • 01 Understanding governance
    • 1.0 Understanding governance
    • 1.1 The important parts of governance
    • 1.2 Indigenous governance
    • 1.3 Governance in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations
    • 1.4 Case studies
  • 02 Culture and governance
    • 2.0 Culture and governance
    • 2.1 Indigenous governance and culture
    • 2.2 Two-way governance
    • 2.3 Case studies
  • 03 Getting started
    • 3.0 Getting started on building your governance
    • 3.1 Assessing your governance
    • 3.2 Mapping your community for governance
    • 3.3 Case studies
  • 04 Leadership
    • 4.0 Leadership for governance
    • 4.1 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership
    • 4.2 The challenges of leadership
    • 4.3 Evaluating your leadership
    • 4.4 Youth leadership and succession planning
    • 4.5 Building leadership capacity to govern
    • 4.6 Case studies
  • 05 Governing the organisation
    • 5.0 Governing the organisation
    • 5.1 Roles, responsibilities and rights of a governing body
    • 5.2 Accountability: what is it, to whom and how?
    • 5.3 Decision making by the governing body
    • 5.4 Governing finances and resources
    • 5.5 Communicating
    • 5.6 Future planning
    • 5.7 Building capacity and confidence for governing bodies
    • 5.8 Case studies
  • 06 Rules and policies
    • 6.0 Governance rules and policies
    • 6.1 What are governance rules?
    • 6.2 Governance rules and culture
    • 6.3 Running effective meetings
    • 6.4 Policies for organisations
    • 6.5 Case studies
  • 07 Management and staff
    • 7.0 Management and staff
    • 7.1 Managing the organisation
    • 7.2 The governing body and management
    • 7.3 Managing staff
    • 7.4 Staff development and training
    • 7.5 Case studies
  • 08 Disputes and complaints
    • 8.0 Dealing with disputes and complaints
    • 8.1 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous approaches
    • 8.2 Core principles and skills for dispute and complaint resolution
    • 8.3 Disputes and complaints about governance
    • 8.4 Your members: dealing with disputes and complaints
    • 8.5 Organisations: dealing with internal disputes and complaints
    • 8.6 Practical guidelines and approaches
    • 8.7 Case studies
  • 09 Nation building and development
    • 9.0 Governance for nation rebuilding and development
    • 9.1 What is nation rebuilding?
    • 9.2 Governance for nation rebuilding
    • 9.3 Governance for sustained development
    • 9.4 Networked governance
    • 9.5 Kick-starting the process of nation rebuilding
    • 9.6 Case studies
  • Glossary
  • Useful links
  • Acknowledgements

Tag Archives: 06 Rules and policies

The cultural foundations of Girringun’s governance

November 16, 2016
Girringun Aboriginal Corporation was awarded Highly Commended Category A in the 2014 Indigenous Governance Awards. Here CEO Phil Rist describes how Girringun’s cultural and spiritual foundations underpin the organisation’s success.
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Tagged 06 Rules and policies

NPY Women’s Council: Building your cultural guiding principles into your rulebook

March 22, 2013

The NPY Women’s Council became incorporated under new legislation in 2008. The council undertook a significant period of consultation with its members—spread across a large geographic region—in the lead-up to lodging its new rulebook (formally known as the constitution) with …

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Posted in Case Studies Tagged 06 Rules and policies

Thamarrurr Regional Council’s vision for its governance, Wadeye, NT.

March 22, 2013

This symbol shows how we are moving to have strong, representative government. The symbol is about Thamarrurr – the traditional government of our ancestors and the building blocks of the future. Our new Thamarrurr Council is built on these foundations: …

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Posted in Case Studies Tagged 06 Rules and policies

Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service

March 15, 2013

Making and carrying out policy Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service was established to provide culturally appropriate and holistic health care services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the ACT. Power is shared between the Winnunga Board which makes …

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Posted in Case Studies Tagged 06 Rules and policies

Issues that benefit from making culturally legitimate rules

March 4, 2013
  • Membership—rules for who can and cannot be a member of the organisation.
  • Representation—rules for who is eligible to sit on the governing body, and how people are elected to it.
  • Conduct—rules for how the governing body, managers and staff behave.
  • Decision making—rules for how accountable consensus-based decisions should be made.
  • Meetings—rules for how and when meetings are held and for addressing culturally sensitive issues.
  • Communication—rules for how members will be consulted and kept informed.
  • Mediation—rules for how disputes and complaints will be resolved.
  • Administration—rules to enable greater cultural flexibility in employment and human resources conditions.
  • Planning—rules that support future cultural vision and priorities.
  • Gender roles—rules for the different knowledge and leadership responsibilities of men and women.
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Tagged 06 Rules and policies

Making and reviewing policies

February 28, 2013

A policy usually contains:

  • A purpose statement. This outlines why the organisation is issuing the policy and what it should achieve.
  • An applicability and scope statement. This describes who the policy affects and what will be affected by the policy. This statement may include or exclude certain people, organisations, behaviours or activities from the policy requirements.
  • An effective date. This states when the policy begins.
  • A policy statement. This sets out the specific guideline, regulation, requirement, or modification to people’s and organisational behaviour that the policy is trying to encourage.
  • A review and evaluation statement. This explains when and how the policy will be assessed.
  • A complaints statement. This sets out the process for how complaints about the content of the policy will be handled, its implementation or impact.
  • A communications statement. This talks about how the policy will be communicated to staff, members, the wider community.
  • A roles and responsibilities section. This states which people or sections of the organisation are responsible for carrying out particular parts.
  • A definitions section. This provides clear meanings for terms and concepts.
  • A cultural issues statement. Many Indigenous governance policies contain extra sections setting out cultural issues, goals, values and traditions that the policy recognises and is supporting, protecting, regulating or limiting.

To increase the effectiveness and legitimacy of policies, many Indigenous organisations are also including a cultural enforcement statement in their policies. This sets out practical processes and mechanisms that the governing body has identified as something that might help the governing body, management and staff to implement the policy in the face of challenging cultural pressures.

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Tagged 06 Rules and policies

Running Annual General Meetings – What WYDAC do

February 28, 2013
Every incorporated organisation needs to hold an annual general meeting (AGM). In this video, WYDAC managers explain the various steps and rules that must be followed before and during the annual general meeting.
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Tagged 06 Rules and policies

NPY Women’s Council’s guiding principles

February 28, 2013
Listen to how the NYP Women's Council has built cultural values into their constitution and how these guiding principles are the spirit of the organisation and foundation of their governance.
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Tagged 06 Rules and policies

Template: List of contents for a governance reference manual

February 28, 2013
This list of contents will give you an idea of the kinds of information you could include in a governance reference or induction manual for your leaders. Your community and nation will also be better informed about how you do things if they have access to it.
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Tagged 05 Governing the organisation, 06 Rules and policies

Weak rules and strong rules – What happens to your governance?

February 2, 2013
What happens when rules are weak and poorly enforced? What happens when rules are strong and enforced
Governance is less effective and legitimate. Decision making is more transparent, winning support from members and staff.
Conflict increases and relationships are under stress. Cooperative relationships and collaboration are increased.
Members’ rights and interests are overridden or marginalised. Members’ rights and interests are protected and strengthened.
Leaders might be encouraged to be greedy and self-interested. Everyone wants to invest their time, effort and resources.
Private and public agencies won’t want to invest in economic growth. Economic growth is more sustainable and partnerships stronger.
Staff and members are confused and have low morale. There is high morale amongst staff and members.
Nations and communities are less able to exercise practical self-determination. Nations and communities are more able to exercise practical self-determination.
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Tagged 06 Rules and policies
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Case Studies

NPY Women’s Council – strong culture, strong women, strong communities

  NPY Women’s Council (NPYWC) was set up in 1980 and incorporated in 1994.  The organisation was founded in response to the concerns of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women throughout the APY lands.   The women were concerned about the …

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Murdi Paaki Regional Assembly

Self-determination and community control The Murdi Paaki Regional Assembly (MPRA) is comprised of the Chairs or representatives of 16 Aboriginal Community Working Parties (CWP’s) across the Murdi Paaki Region of NSW. MPRA see self-determination as the key success to their …

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NPY Women’s Council: Building your cultural guiding principles into your rulebook

The NPY Women’s Council became incorporated under new legislation in 2008. The council undertook a significant period of consultation with its members—spread across a large geographic region—in the lead-up to lodging its new rulebook (formally known as the constitution) with …

Read more...

News

ORIC Top 500 Report 2014-15

The Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC) released the 2014-2015 top 500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations report in December 2015. This is ORIC’s seventh report on the top 500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations. It collates and …

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Social Justice Commissioner launches 2014 Social Justice and Native Title Report

Mr Mick Gooda is the current Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner. The Commissioner has a unique role at the Australian Human Rights Commission, responsible for advocating for the recognition of the rights of Indigenous Australians. As part …

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Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators 2014 Report

The Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage report: Key Indicators 2014 (OID Report) was released by the Productivity Commission in November 2014. The OID Report measures the wellbeing of Australia’s Indigenous peoples. The report provides information about outcomes across a range of strategic …

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The Australian Indigenous Governance Institute

The Australian Indigenous Governance Institute is a unique Indigenous led national centre of governance knowledge and excellence. We know that practically effective and culturally legitimate governance is the staple building block for delivering real change.

We assist Indigenous Australians in their diverse efforts to determine and strengthen their own sustainable systems of self-governance by identifying world-class governance practice, informing effective policy, providing accessible research, disseminating stories that celebrate outstanding success and solutions, and delivering professional education and training opportunities.

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