Birrarung Council The Birrarung Council will be established as a Ministerial Advisory Committee. It will: advocate for the protection and preservation of the Yarra River; provide advice to the Minister on the: development of the Yarra Strategic Plan, including the adequacy of public participation; administration of the Yarra River Protection (Wilip-gin Birrarung murron) Act 2017, and on particular matters on which advice is sought from the Minister relating to the protection and improvement of Yarra River land, and report annually to the Minister on the implementation of the Yarra Strategic Plan. The Council will receive annual updates from Melbourne Water on the progress and key issues in the delivery of the Yarra Strategic Plan. Whilst it has no direct role in the governance of programs the Council has a scrutiny function to bring a higher level of transparency to the Yarra Strategic Plan. Composition of the Council The Minister appoints members to the Birrarung Council. A maximum of 12 members will sit on the Council. The council membership will include: a Chairperson; at two nominees from the Wurundjeri Land and Compensation Cultural Heritage Council Aboriginal Corporation; at one representative of an environment group; at least one representative of an agriculture industry group; at two members with skills in one of the following: waterway health aquatic ecology urban design landscape architecture urban parks and recreation statutory planning environment planning public participation process community health; at least one representative of a Yarra River land local community group. Key Selection Criteria Applicants are asked to nominate their preferred position on the Council when they complete their online application. While the Council will have representation from different groups, to help build a strong and effective team, there are four key selection criteria that applicants should be able to demonstrate:
means that if you are appointed to the Council as the ‘representative’ of an organisation or a group, or you have any other interest in another organisation or group, once appointed to the Council under DELWP: your first loyalty must always be to make decisions in the public interest of fulfilling the functions of the DELWP agency (not to benefit the organisation or group that you were appointed as a ‘representative’ of or have any other interest in) for certain decisions that the Council intends to discuss and make, your interest in the other organisation or group must be declared and managed as a conflict of interest. In performing their role, Council members must conduct themselves in a manner that is consistent with the public sector values in section 7 of the Public Administration Act 2004: responsiveness respect integrity leadership impartiality human rights accountability In performing their role, council members must be familiar and conduct themselves in a manner that is consistent with the duties of council director [council member] as set out in section 79 of the Public Administration Act 2004. Time commitment It is anticipated that the Council will initially meet once a month to help establish its role and processes. Once the Council is fully operational, meetings will be at least every quarter. Additional meetings, site visits and out-of-session discussions may be expected. The secretariat (DELWP) will submit plans, proposals or other documents to the Council for consideration. The Council will assess each agenda item to ensure the proposed options meet a range of social, environmental and government objectives. Appointees are generally expected to attend at least 75 per cent of Council meetings. If applicants are appointed to other boards, they are expected to manage their time appropriately. Applicants should consider any existing and anticipated demands on their time. Term of appointment In accordance with the Yarra River Protection (Wilip-gin Birrarung murron) Act 2017 members including the Chairperson may be appointed for terms of up to four years and are eligible for reappointment. Remuneration and expenses All Council members will be eligible for remuneration in line with the Victorian Government’s . The following rates, based on a daily sitting fee, are subject to Ministerial and Cabinet approval: Chair up to $418 Council members up to $326 Members are also eligible for reasonable out of pocket expenses. Reimbursement will be in accordance with DELWP policies.
Information about relevant Government policies Gender Equity It is Victorian Government policy that no less than 50 per cent of all appointments to paid government boards, which includes advisory councils, and Victorian courts be women. Encouraging Diversity Appointments to Victorian Government entities should, as far as practicable, reflect the diversity of the Victorian Community. Women, Indigenous Australians, people with a disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people are encouraged to apply. Multiple boards An individual should hold no more than three positions on government boards at any one time. Victorian residents It is preferred that appointees reside in Victoria, so that they act in the best interests in the State of Victoria. Further information Several resources are available that may assist applicants in understanding the requirements of the role of a council member and the public sector environment. DELWP’s is the central place for governance information about DELWP agencies that contains information about: governance requirements; governance guides and resources; and integrity framework (code of conduct) for Boards The provides further governance and policy information for candidates and public sector board members. The outline the standard processes and principles for appointing and remunerating board members of non-departmental entities in Victoria. The website lists the current members of most DELWP major agencies. and . .