2.5 Internal governance arrangements

The NBA General Manager is ultimately responsible and accountable for the NBA under the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997. The General Manager is a statutory officer, responsible to the Minister for Health and Ageing. The General Manager is responsible for the management of the NBA and the implementation of blood policy decisions and is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NBA and Agency Head under the Public Service Act 1999.

Under the National Blood Authority Act 2003 , the General Manager is required to keep the NBA Board advised of the NBA’s operations. This involves requesting advice from the NBA Board on strategic matters relating to the functions of the NBA and having regard to this advice. The General Manager also has regard to policy principles issued by the Minister for Health and Ageing under the Act; policy decisions of the AHMC and the JBC; and Australian Government policy and compliance requirements relating to Australian Government agencies.

At 30 June 2008, the executive management of the NBA comprised the following staff:

The NBA’s organisational structure is shown in Figure 2.3.

Figure 2.3 The NBA’s organisational structure

Figure 2.3 The NBA's organisational structure

Senior executive management biographies

Dr Alison Turner

Dr Alison TurnerDr Alison Turner was appointed General Manager and CEO in August 2003. From 1997–2003 she was CEO of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority. She has previously held a number of senior government executive positions in the health and primary industries’ sectors and has represented Australia internationally in many forums.

Dr Turner has postgraduate research qualifications in medical pharmacology from Sydney University and holds a Bachelor of Veterinary Science degree from Melbourne University.

 

Mr Michael Stone

Michael StoneMr Michael Stone is the NBA General Counsel. He has extensive experience in providing legal advice and services for a wide range of Australian Government agencies in the fields of commercial and public law; agency governance and accountability; and the development and implementation of legislation and administrative schemes.

Mr Stone practised for eight years with the Australian Government Solicitor, including as an outposted inhouse lawyer for a number of clients. He joined the Legal Services Branch of the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing to work on a range of significant ‘blood’ matters, including the development of the National Blood Agreement and the establishment of the NBA.

Mr Stone has worked with the NBA since its inception in 2003.

 

Ms Stephanie Gunn

Stephanie GunnMs Stephanie Gunn is the NBA Corporate and Blood Counts Manager and has also been responsible for the management of the NBA Blood Counts Program since May 2007. She has qualifications in economics and broad-ranging experience in policy, program and contract management in the analysis of regional, industry, local government and community development.

Ms Gunn joined the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing in 1996, working in the Minister’s office, and then moved to senior management roles in ageing and community care, and corporate management, focusing on corporate governance, procurement and planning.

Ms Gunn joined the NBA in November 2003.

 

Mr Leigh McJames

Mr Leigh McJamesMr Leigh McJames oversees the establishment and management of commercial contracts and supply planning. He is the Relationship Manager for the commercial suppliers Baxter Healthcare, CSL Ltd, Octapharma (Australia) Pty Ltd, Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd and Wyeth Australia Pty Ltd. He has a varied background in the Department of Defence, including senior roles in the management of government corporate support; acquisition and procurement; logistics; and the development and implementation of government strategic defence policy.

He has also filled representational and advisory appointments at the Australian Embassy in Washington and in Baghdad as part of the coalition rebuilding Iraq.

Mr McJames joined the NBA in November  2006.

 

Mr Gordon Lee Koo

Mr Gordon Lee Koo Mr Gordon Lee Koo was the NBA Relationship Manager for the ARCBS until May 2008. He has qualifications in public sector management and business administration. Prior to his appointment to the NBA, Mr Lee Koo was Deputy Chief Executive of Canberra Hospital. His background includes: health services policy; planning and purchasing; managing the delivery of hospital, community and public health services; and corporate management encompassing finance, human resources and information services.

He has held management and leadership positions in a range  of Australian Government, state and territory agencies at the executive level since 1983.

Mr Lee Koo commenced at the NBA in March 2005 to May 2008.

 

Audit Committee Chair - Ms Jennifer Morison FCA, FCPA and FAIM

Ms Jennifer MorisonMs Morison is a Chartered Accountant (FCA) with twenty seven years of broad experience in the profession and commerce. Her career has included audit, taxation, management consulting, corporate advisory work and consulting to government. In 1996, Ms Morison formed her own business, Morison Consulting Pty Limited which specialises in providing strategic financial management advice to senior executives within the government sector. She was awarded a Centenary medal in 2000 for her services to the accounting profession.

Ms Morison has been a board member of the Gungahlin Development Authority, the Kingston Foreshore Development Authority, Growth Centres Commission (NSW), ACTION and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia. She is currently on the Board of the Australian Institute of Management and is the Deputy Chair of the ACT Land Development Agency.

Ms Morison is a leading consultant in the area of public sector financial management reform in Australia and is an independent member and Chair of a number of Commonwealth and ACT Government department audit and risk committees, including Centrelink, Department of Human Services, Department of Education and Workplace Relations and Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

Ms Morison was appointed Chair of the NBA’s Audit Committee in 2007, having been a member since 2004.

 

Executive management framework

The senior executive team is supported in its overall internal governance obligations by the executive management group on a daily basis and through a monthly cycle of performance reporting, improvement and strategic planning as depicted in Figure 2.4.

NBA Audit Committee

The role of the Audit Committee is to provide expert advice to the General Manager on ways to enhance the NBA’s control framework, improve the objectivity and reliability of externally published financial information, and meets with all its compliance requirements and obligations.

The Audit Committee met six times in 2007–08 and assists the NBA in meeting its corporate governance responsibilities. The membership of the Committee included:

Representatives from the Australian National Audit Office and the NBA’s internal auditors may also attend the Audit Committee meetings as observers.

Figure 2.4 Executive management monthly program

Figure 2.4 Executive management monthly program

The NBA and the Audit Committee review the audit charter and audit program annually. In 2007–08 the Committee provided advice on the:

Relationship with external auditors

The NBA acknowledges the assistance provided by our external auditors during 2007–08, which has enabled the NBA to implement improvements in our internal governance and control frameworks.

External liaison and scrutiny

The NBA participated in only one cross agency external audit in 2007–08, focussing on agency management of their websites. The NBA understands that the report from this audit will be released in the first quarter of 2008–09.

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