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Governance Committees

Governance Committees

Ramlal, a farmer from Rajasthan, India, received training from Tearfund’s partner EFICOR in new and sustainable ways of farming. He learned about kitchen gardening and sustainable agriculture, and began rearing cattle and growing fruit, vegetables and grains, which he sells at the market. He now earns enough to be able to feed and support his family. Photo: Lambard Regulus, EFICOR/Tearfund.

The ACFID Board is supported by two permanent governance sub-committees, the Finance and Audit Committee and the Membership Admissions Committee, and one independent governance committee – the Code of Conduct Committee (CCC). These committees report to the Board at each of their quarterly meetings. 

Finance and Audit Committee

The purpose of the Finance and Audit Committee is to assist the Board of ACFID to fulfil their corporate governance and oversight responsibilities in relation to financial reporting, internal control structure, risk management systems and the external audit functions.

All members of the Committee are appointed by the Board.

The Committee has a minimum of three members including a minimum of two members drawn from the Board. The Committee has at least one external member, appointed by the Board to provide complementary skills and experience as required. The membership of the Committee should provide sufficient experience in financial reporting, accounting, audit and risk management.

The current membership of the Finance and Audit Committee is comprised of:

  • Three Members of the ACFID Board
  • Two External Members, appointed by the Board.

The roles and responsibilities of the Finance and Audit Committee are described in the Terms of Reference found here.

Membership Admissions Committee

The primary purpose of the Membership Admissions Committee (MAC) is to review applications from organisations that want to become members of ACFID and to make recommendations to the Code of Conduct Committee (CCC) and ACFID’s Board.

The Membership Admission Committee is made up of:

  • Two Members of ACFID Board.
  • Two Members of the ACFID Code of Conduct Committee.

The roles and responsibilities of the Membership Admissions Committee are described in the Terms of Reference of the ACFID MAC.

Code of Conduct Committee (CCC)

ACFID’s Code of Conduct is independently governed on behalf of the ACFID Board and ACFID Council by the ACFID Code of Conduct Committee. 

Alan Cameron Headshot

Alan Cameron

Independent Chair

Code of Conduct Committee

Alan has extensive experience in public and private sector governance, serving as the Chair of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) for seven years. Prior to that he was Commonwealth and Defence Force Ombudsman and a judicial member of the NSW Equal Opportunity Tribunal and Chair of the Business Law Section of the Law Council of
Australia. Since leaving ASIC in 2000, Alan has been both a company director and involved in regulatory projects, law reform and governance reviews of various kinds in Australia and overseas. He was Deputy Chancellor of the University of Sydney and a previous Chair of the Sydney Peace Foundation, the NSW Law Reform Commission and the Tristan Jepson
Memorial Foundation, which addresses well-being in the legal profession. Alan is currently Chair of the Legal Services Council and Chair of .au Domain Administration Limited. He was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia in 1997, and as an Officer in 2011.

Code of Conduct Committee

The ACFID Code of Conduct Committee (CCC) are custodians of the ACFID Code of Conduct.

The CCC operates independently of ACFID’s Board, with the responsibility of granting, suspending and revoking Code of Conduct signatory status; compliance assessments; and investigating and adjudicating complaints.

The CCC works with ACFID’s Board and Secretariat to develop and administer the Code of Conduct, promote the Code, and educate signatories about the Code.

The Committee is made up of:

  • An independent honorary chair
  • Six members elected by and from the Council of ACFID members;
  • one appointed representative of the Australian community
  • up to three specialist-based appointed positions, with skills and experience in accordance with current requirements of the Committee.

Committee members serve three-year terms and can serve up to two terms.

Key Documents

Terms of Reference for the ACFID Code of Conduct Committee

Biographies of the Code of Conduct Committee.

Position description for Code of Conduct Committee members

Committee meetings

The CCC meets four times each year. Communiques of each meeting are produced so that ACFID’s members can read and understand the work of the CCC. You can download these using the links below. If you have questions about the CCC, please email [email protected]

CCC Meeting November 2023

CCC Meeting February 2024

Suspension of Code Signatory Status

No suspensions at this time.

 The Board is also informed by a number of non-governance expert reference groups. These groups report to the Chief Executive Officer and as required to the Board, and play an important role in building the knowledge and capacity of the sector. Read more here.

ACFID is part of a separate joint NGO-DFAT committee, the Committee for Development Cooperation, which is composed of representatives from ACFID members and DFAT appointees.

ACFID also operates a range of thematic, geographic and functional member-led communities of practice called Communities of Practice.

About

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Annual Report 2022-23

Reporting on ACFID’s activities to ensure transparency and accountability

ACFID

ACFID is the peak body for Australian NGOs involved in international development and humanitarian action.

Our PARTNERSHIPS

ACFID works and engages with a range of strategic partners in addition to our members.

GOVERNANCE

ACFID is governed by its Board, ACFID Council, and various expert and governance committees.

Members

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Conference 2023

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT 2.0
disruptive dynamics, inspired ideas

18-19 October 2023

Meet our Members

The ACFID membership is comprised of Australian NGOs that actively work in the international aid and development sector.

Become a member

Joining ACFID means joining an experienced and powerful mix of like-minded organisations committed to good international development practice.

Membership types & fees

ACFID has two types of organisational membership: Full Membership and Affiliate Membership.

State of the Sector

The State of the Sector Report provides a comprehensive and robust analysis of the state of the Australian aid and development sector.

NGO Aid Map

ACFID’s NGO Aid Map allows the Australian public and stakeholders to explore the work of ACFID Members around the world.

Development Practice Committee

The DPC is an expert advisory group of development practitioners leading good practice within the sector.

Our Focus

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Federal Budget 23-24 Analysis

Facts and figures on how aid is presented in this year’s annual budget

Strategic Plan

ACFID prioritises a robust response to climate change and pressure on civil society in developing countries, as well as other key priorities.

Emergency Aid

ACFID Members provide vital life-saving assistance in the immediate aftermath of an emergency.

Climate Change

Action on climate change is one of ACFID’s highest priorities, as it is an existential threat to humanity and our development.

Civil Society

Civil societies are a cornerstone of regional stability and ensure that the voices of the marginalised are heard.

Supporting NGOS

Supporting NGOs as Valuable Partners.

Inclusive & locally led development

Walking the talk on inclusive development.

Humanitarian Action

Taking humanitarian action for those in greatest need.

Elevating Development

Elevating Development to the Heart of Australia’s International Engagement.

PSEAH

Improving standards, practice and culture to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

Code of Conduct

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2022-23 ACFID Code of Conduct Review

The ACFID Code of Conduct is periodically reviewed to ensure it continues to reflect good practice and the needs of ACFID and its members.

Code of Conduct

The Code is a voluntary, self-regulatory industry code of good practice.

About the Code

Find out more about the Code of Conduct and how it operates.

Good Practice Toolkit

Overview and practical resources, and examples to support the implementation of the Code.

Spotlight on the Code

Provides a thematic ‘deep dive’ into each of the nine Quality Principles in the Code

Compliance

This section outlines the responsibility to be taken by each Member to ensure compliance with the Code.

Complaints Handling

How to make a complaint and information on the Code’s independent mechanism to address concerns relating to an ACFID Members’ conduct.

Other Standards

Mapping the Code with other professional standards and principles in the humanitarian and aid sector in Australia and internationally

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