The Authority
The Australian Capital Territory (Planning and Land Management) Act 1988 (the PALM Act) provides that the Authority consist of a Chair, a Chief Executive and up to three other members, all of whom are appointed by the Governor-General. The Chief Executive is a full-time officer, while other members of the Authority serve on a part-time basis. The Chief Executive has the responsibility of an Agency Head under the Public Service Act 1999 and manages the affairs of the NCA.
The Authority became the accountable authority for the purposes of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 from 1 July 2018. As part of the transition, the amending legislation (the Australian Capital Territory (Planning and Land Management) Amendment Act 2018) provided that the Authority would be responsible for the NCA’s reporting obligations for the preceding period, including this report.
For 2017-18, the Authority provided the strategic leadership and
direction of the NCA in the execution of its
statutory functions. The Authority held six scheduled meetings over the course of 2017-18.
The Authority
maintains minutes of its meetings and also produces a summary public record of each meeting, which is available on
the
NCA’s official website.
Authority Membership
In 2017–18, the Authority members were:
Chair
On 1 January 2015, Mr Terry Weber was appointed as Chair of the NCA, having accepted a five-year,
part-time Authority membership
on 12 June 2014.
Mr Weber is a Senior Partner and Federal Government Lead Partner in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Canberra consulting practice. He provides specialist guidance in the areas of property, infrastructure and facilities management; financial management; and service delivery models for Australian and international governments and major corporate organisations.
From 2000 to 2008 Mr Weber was the Chief Executive Officer for UGL (United) Services, a leading global corporate real estate and outsourcing business services organisation. Mr Weber is a long-term Canberran and is currently serving on several boards, including the Canberra Raiders, the Ricky Stuart Foundation and Australia21.
Chief Executive
Since 12 February 2018, Ms Sally Barnes has been the Chief Executive of the NCA as part of her five-year term. Previously, Ms Barnes was the Director, National Parks in the Commonwealth Department of Environment and Energy. Ms Barnes is an experienced executive, and was the Chief Executive of the Office of Environment and Heritage in the NSW Government from 2012 to 2014. Ms Barnes was awarded the ACT Excellence in Women’s Leadership award for 2017.
Members
On 18 September 2014, Ms Chris Faulks was appointed as a part-time member for five years.
Between 2007 and 2015 Ms Faulks was the Chief Executive Officer of the Canberra Business Council (now Canberra Business Chamber), an organisation that forms strategic alliances with industry and government to support Canberra’s economic development.
Prior to this role, she spent 13 years as an adviser and chief of staff to federal government ministers and was General Manager, Public Affairs and Government Relations, at Diabetes Australia. Ms Faulks has been involved in a wide range of community organisations in Canberra for 38 years. Ms Faulks also holds a number of other board positions, including with Obesity Australia, where she is Director, and with the University of Canberra Council.
On 11 December 2014, Mr Glenn Keys AO was appointed as a part-time member for five years.
Mr Keys is the co-founder and Managing Director of Canberra-based Aspen Medical, one of the world’s leading providers of outsourced healthcare solutions.
Prior to building and leading businesses in the private sector, Mr Keys had a distinguished career in the Australian Defence Force. His service saw him undertake a range of tasks from test flying and engineering to logistics support for Army aircraft.
Mr Keys is a passionate advocate of corporate social responsibility. He places social responsibility and community involvement at the heart of Aspen Medical’s culture.
As the Chairman of Special Olympics ACT, Mr Keys has worked tirelessly to provide opportunities for athletes with a disability. He is also on a number of boards, including the National Disability Insurance Agency and ACT Canberra Business Council.
On 18 September 2017, Mr Dennis Richardson AO was appointed as a part-time member for five years.
In May 2017, Mr Richardson retired as one of Australia’s most respected public servants and diplomats, being a trusted adviser to the Australian Government for almost fifty years. Mr Richardson is a former Secretary of the Department of Defence and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Australian Ambassador to the United States, and Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.
Mr Richardson is a long-time Canberran and is currently serving on the Board of the ACT RSPCA, the Canberra Raiders and Linfox Australia.
Committees
To support the Authority and Chief Executive in meeting their legislative functions and obligations, the NCA has the following committees in place. Details of the roles and responsibilities of key committees are set out below:
- Senior Executive
- Senior Leadership Team
- Audit Committee
- Work Health and Safety Committee
- Authority Consultative Committee
- Finance Committee
- Major Projects Committee.
Senior Executive
The Senior Executive comprises the Chief Executive, Chief Planner and Executive Director, National Capital Estate. The Senior Executive meets on a regular basis to assist in the strategic management of the NCA.
Senior Leadership Team
The Senior Leadership Team comprises the Chief Executive, Chief Planner, Executive Director - National Capital Estate and all NCA Directors. The Senior Leadership Team meets on a weekly basis to discuss current and emerging issues facing the NCA and individual teams.
Audit Committee
The Audit Committee provides independent advice and assurance to the accountable authority on the NCA’s risk, control and compliance framework and its external accountability responsibilities.
In 2017-18, the Audit Committee comprised three members: an external Chair; one external member; and one internal
member – the NCA’s Director, Compliance and Governance. The NCA’s Chief
Financial Officer and representatives
of the Australian National Audit Office attend the Committee’s meetings as observers.
During 2017-18, the Audit Committee met four times to consider the assurance and audit plan, the work program and audit reports on compliance and performance matters.
The Audit Committee also reviewed the NCA’s financial statements and continued to monitor work on the NCA’s control framework including the fraud control plan and risk management framework.
Work Health and Safety Committee
The Work Health and Safety Committee is constituted in accordance with the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (WHS Act). Membership includes management, health and safety representatives, and employee nominees from across the NCA. In 2017-18, the Committee was chaired by the Director, Compliance and Governance.
In accordance with the WHS Act, the Work Health and Safety Committee meets regularly to facilitate discussion and co-operation regarding health and safety issues in the workplace between management, employees and other relevant parties who work in NCA premises or other applicable work sites.
Authority Consultative Committee
In accordance with the NCA Enterprise Agreement 2018-21, the NCA maintains an Authority Consultative Committee. This Committee provides a forum for management and employees to discuss relevant matters affecting the workplace.
