• About
  • Toolkit topics
  • Resources
  • Case studies
  • Governance watch
  • Contact
  • Home
  • 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

5.5 Communicating

 05 Governing the organisation
IMG_0932---Copy

Western Desert Dialysis Board members and IGA judges in front of the ‘Purple Truck’ mobile dialysis unit, Alice Springs. Image, Wayne Quilliam.

Honest, regular and useful communication between a governing body, and its managers, members and stakeholders is essential for achieving an organisation’s goals. It is also important for staying legitimate and accountable.

Your members and stakeholders need a clear view of how the organisation is going and what the plans are for its future.

They also need to know that the governing body is working in the best interest of the organisation, and meeting its cultural, legal and ethical obligations.
An organisation’s rules and funding agreements usually set out how the governing body should communicate and with whom.

You will find more information on governing policies and rules in Topic 6.

5.5.1 Managing information coming in

When there is poor internal communication within an organisation, it will begin to head in directions that are contrary to the governing body’s policies and overall vision, and contrary to good accountability to its members and external stakeholders.

A critical role of management is to collect relevant information, analyse it and communicate it effectively to the governing body, members, staff and other stakeholders.

Sound decisions depend on receiving enough reliable information to be able to assess risks and make an informed choice. That means you need processes that work for you to convert varied information into sensible advice and options.

Two useful approaches include having:

  • well-researched, simply laid out, plain English reports (verbal, visual and written) presented by managers to the governing body, giving accurate information, options and suggestions
  • effective consultation methods for seeking wide-ranging views, focusing in particular on getting information and ideas from the people most affected by the decision: your members.

5.5.2 Communicating out

As trustees and stewards of resources and finances, the governing body and organisation must communicate regularly with members, listen to their concerns, and report decisions, progress and outcomes to them.

This includes reaching out and consulting widely with your members on important issues before setting strategic direction and making decisions.

When rumours take the place of fact, staff morale suffers and misinformation is spread out to members.

And when confidential board information is freely circulated outside the organisation, it can encourage division and conflict among members.

Transparency, accountability and legitimacy are all improved by communicating well. This means the governing body and senior managers should:

  • give time for people to ask questions at community meetings and the annual general meeting
  • create communication strategies to enable regular contact with members and others
  • allow time at governing body meetings for members to ask questions
  • hold meetings across the region
  • publish reports in accessible formats and display decisions on community notice boards
  • make board minutes available to members.

Because their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members are spread over a very large geographic area, many organisations are designing innovative solutions to communicate with them such as posters, visual diagrams, photographs, newsletters, email updates, websites and videos.

How VACCA reports back to community

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSjep_O5QUM&feature=player_embedded

The Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) was a Finalist in Category A of the 2014 Indigenous Governance Awards. Here CEO Muriel Bamblett describes VACCA’s strategies to communicate with the community.

< Previous Next >

You can view this online or download the whole Topic + Resources as a PDF

Download Toolkit

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 …

Read more...

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 …

Read more...

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 …

Read more...

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 …

Read more...

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 …

Read more...

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.

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Copyright