AUDIT, RISK AND IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE – EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR THE POSITION OF INDEPENDENT EXTERNAL MEMBER
Applications are invited from suitably qualified individuals for the appointment to Port Stephens Council's Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee (ARIC).
Council is seeking to fill the position of the independent external member (the member) to the ARIC. The ARIC is to provide independent assurance and assistance on the organisation's governance, risk, control and compliance frameworks.
The appointment of independent external member will be undertaken in accordance with the Office of Local Government's: Guidelines for Risk Management and Internal Audit for Local Government in NSW (the Guidelines).
The appointment of the members will be required to satisfy the independence and eligibility criteria within the Guidelines. The member will be required to possess strong leadership qualities, be able to lead effective committee meetings and maintain effective working relationships within the ARIC and the Council, together with the General Manager.
The appointment panel will aim to ensure that the independent member has recent and relevant experience in the areas of: business, financial and legal compliance, risk management, internal audit and/or IT.
The current committee meeting cycle is on a quarterly basis. The term of the appointment will be for a period of up to 4 years, and subject to review, a further term may be offered. A typical meeting will run up to 2 hours and requires pre-reading of business papers.
The members will work with the chairperson in the development of the ARIC's 4 year Strategic Plan, its annual Operational Plan and annual reporting processes.
Member's remuneration will be $1,250 per meeting, with superannuation payable. Members may volunteer their time.
INDEPENDENCE CRITERIA
The all independent voting members of ARIC must be independent to ensure they have no real or perceived bias or conflicts of interest that may interfere with their ability to act independently and can provide the Council with robust, objective and unbiased advice about how the Council is functioning.
The independent voting committee members must not:
* currently be a councillor of any NSW council
* be a non-voting representative of the board of the joint organisation
* be a candidate at the last election of the council
* be a person who has held office in the council during its previous term
* be currently employed by the council or joint organisation, or been employed during the last 12 months
* conduct audits of the council on behalf of the Audit Office of NSW
* have a close personal or business relationship with a councillor or a person who has a senior role in the council that may lead to a real or perceived conflict of interest
* currently, or within the last three years, provided any material goods or services (including consultancy, legal, internal audit and advisory services) to the council which directly affect subjects or issues considered by the audit, risk and improvement committee
* be (or have a close family member who is) a substantial shareholder, owner, officer or employee of a company that has a material business, contractual relationship, direct financial interest or material indirect financial interest with the council or a related entity which could be considered a real or perceived conflict of interest, or
* currently or have previously acted as an advocate of a material interest on behalf of the Council or a related entity which could be considered a real or perceived conflict of interest.
Current staff of Council may serve as an independent member of another council's audit, risk and improvement committee but not as its chair.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
In addition to meeting the independence requirements specified above, independent members of an audit, risk and improvement committee must satisfy the following eligibility criteria to be appointed as an independent committee member. Ideally, they will also be able to demonstrate the desirable criteria.
Essential criteria
Independent members of audit, risk and improvement committee members must demonstrate the following:
* an ability to read and understand financial statements and a capacity to understand the ethical requirements of government (including potential conflicts of interest)
* functional knowledge in areas such as risk management, performance management, human resources management, internal and external auditing, financial reporting, accounting, management control frameworks, internal financial controls, governance (including planning, reporting and oversight), or business operations
* capacity to form independent judgements and willingness to constructively challenge/question management practices and information
* a professional, ethical approach to the exercise of their duties and the capacity to devote the necessary time and effort to the responsibilities of an independent member of an audit, risk and improvement committee, and
* preparedness to undertake any training on the operation of audit, risk and improvement committees recommended by the chair based on their assessment of the skills, knowledge and experience of the independent member.
Desirable criteria
* Extensive senior level experience in governance and management of complex organisations, and
* Possession of a relevant professional qualification or membership (e.g., Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), CPA Australia (CPA) and Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA)) is desirable.
* A criminal record and financial status (bankruptcy) check of all independent members will be undertaken before an appointment is made.
In addition to a cover letter and resume, applicants are required to submit comprehensive responses to the eligibility and desirable selection criteria above as part of their initial application, including an indication of any remuneration. Applicants who do not meet the independence and essential criteria will not be considered.
View the EOI Information Package here.
Submit your application before 5pm on 5 February 2026. Alternatively, for further information about the position, please contact Tony Wickham on .
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