Public entities are organisations established and owned by the government to undertake a range of administrative, service delivery and regulatory functions outside government departments.

Public entities are the statutory authorities, state-owned corporations, school councils, Boards, trusts and advisory committees, established by government legislation to undertake a public purpose. Victoria's public entities include more than 1600 school councils as well as professional registration Boards, advisory organisations, service providers such as hospitals and industry regulators like the Essential Services Commissioner.

The State Services Authority is responsible for providing advice on, and promoting, appropriate structures and governance arrangements for these entities. The Authority works with Ministers and government departments and agencies to promote the highest standards of public sector governance. This helps ensure that all public entities serve the Victorian community in a manner that is responsive, accountable and highly professional..

reference materials

A priority for the Authority has been the production of reference material for potential, new and existing board members of public sector entities.

The Good practice guide on governance for Victorian public sector entities (the Guide) is a web-based resource developed by the Authority to provide information tailored specifically for Victorian public entity Board members.

The Guide is a comprehensive set of governance materials covering a number of key topics, including:

• what it means to be a member of a public sector Board in Victoria
• the roles and relationships Boards have with Ministers, Departments and other stakeholders
• good practice approaches in the operational aspects of Boards
• compliance and accountability issues for Boards.

The Guide is an essential resource for Board members seeking to understand better their role and the environment in which they operate. The Guide is designed in a modular structure for users to research topics as they require, search for areas of interest and answer questions as they arise.

The Guide also includes the Directors' Code of Conduct. This new code of conduct, issued by the Public Sector Standards Commissioner, is binding on all members of public entity Boards. The Directors' Code of Conduct & Guidance Notes (PDF 227KB) is available separately in printed form.

Welcome to the Board - your introduction to the good practice guide on governance for Victorian public sector entities (PDF 619KB) is a 24 page booklet introducing the Guide.

The Guide is also available on CD-ROM for Board members who have limited or no access to the Internet. For a copy of the Guide on CD-ROM contact the Authority.

A further resource, Good governance on public sector entities through E-Learning, is also available for Board members. This CD-ROM provides a self-paced learning tool with a range of information specifically tailored for Victorian public entity boards. For a copy of the E-Learning tool contact the Authority.

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