What information does a potential Board member need?

Someone considering a Board appointment should be well informed about the Board, its functions and the expected workload.

As a minimum, they should be given information about:

• the history of the entity
• the 'vision' and strategic directions currently in place for the public entity
• the profile of Board members and staff
• the operations and achievements of the public entity
• the Board member's legal obligations under common law and under other relevant legislation such as the Public Administration Act 2004 (PAA), the Corporations Act 2001 (Commonwealth) (if applicable), the establishing legislation of the entity, and other relevant legislation
• accountabilities attaching to the Board member's role, eg. for decisions made by the Board
• the Board member's duties and responsibilities
• indemnities and insurance available to protect the Board member from legal action that could result from their work on the Board
• attendance requirements and time commitment. This may include additional committee work
• remuneration and reimbursement of expenses
• likely pre-appointment checks, including probity checks and declarations of private interests.

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Composition of the Board

Public entities should largely reflect the composition of the Victorian community. The Government seeks to increase the representation of women, indigenous Victorians and ensure that services provided by the operations of the public entity respond to and reflect Victoria's culturally diverse community. The Government policy also seeks to give young Victorians a real voice in government.

A Diversity Register of persons interested in participating on public entities has been established by the Office of Women's Policy.

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