The Constitution of Atherton Tablelands Promotion Bureau Ltd requires a Nomination to the Board to be validated by a current financial member of Atherton Tablelands Promotion Bureau Ltd, and the nomination to be formally accepted by the nominee.

A Nomination to a Special Interest Director position may be appointed by the Board.

In accepting the nomination to the Atherton Tablelands Promotion Bureau Ltd Board, the nominee has carefully considered the role of a Board member and their capacity to add a valuable contribution and agrees to the following specific commitments required.

• The nominee is strongly committed to regional tourism promotion and marketing practices. Regional tourism promotion includes the region of the Atherton Tablelands, which includes the area that sits within the boundaries of Mareeba Shire Council and Tablelands Regional Council.
• The Nominee must be a current financial member of Atherton Tablelands Promotion Bureau Ltd.
• The nominee is strongly committed to the Vision, Policies and objectives of Atherton Tablelands Promotion Bureau Ltd, and will assist where possible in membership and marketing initiatives.
• The nominee is committed to the Board Code of Ethics.
• The nominee is available to participate in at least 8 of the 11 monthly 3 hour meetings held in Atherton and Mareeba.
• The nominee is able to monitor, review and respond to email correspondence in a timely manner.
• The nominee is able to support and participate in one or more specialist Committee(s).
• The successful nominees are elected for a period of two years.
• Councillors appointed to the Board are nominated by their respective Council, appointed by the Board of Directors and are committed to regional tourism promotion and marketing practices.

Directors responsibilities are in accordance with the Constitution and Corporations Act 2001.  The Corporations Act 2001 specifies four main duties for directors:

• Care and diligence – This duty requires a director to act with the degree of care and diligence that a reasonable person might be expected to show in the role (s 180).
• Good faith – This duty requires a director to act in good faith in the best interests of the company and for a proper purpose (s 181), including to avoid conflicts of interest, and to reveal and manage conflicts if they arise.
• Not to improperly use position – This duty requires directors to not improperly use their position to gain an advantage for themselves or someone else, or to the detriment to the company (s 182).
• Not to improperly use information – This duty requires directors to not improperly use the information they gain in the course of their director duties to gain an advantage for themselves or someone else, or to the detriment to the company (s 183).

Code of Ethics Policy

The Board of Atherton Tablelands Promotion Bureau Ltd, trading as Tourism Atherton Tablelands is committed to ethical conduct in providing the best possible service to the Members and wider community. This policy has been developed to provide an ethical framework for all Tourism Atherton Tablelands Board Members, Staff, Contractors and Volunteers and applies to casual, permanent, contract staff and volunteers.

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to identify Tourism Atherton Tableland’s position on ethics and proper practice and to document the standards expected in providing a service to Members and the wider community.

Policy

The Board and staff of Tourism Atherton Tablelands have a legal and moral responsibility to manage the organisation in the best interests of the community it serves.  Board and staff will demonstrate professional ethical behaviour at all times – in their responsibilities to the organisation, in their professional relationships with each other, and in their professional service to the community – and will be required to adhere to this code of ethics.

 The Board shall:

• All decisions must be in the best interest of the organisation and in accordance with legislation as detailed the Corporations Act.
• Directors must act in good faith in what they honestly believe to be the best interests of the company, and not for any collateral purpose. This means that, particularly in the event of a conflict of interest between the company’s interests and their own, the directors must always favour the company.
• Directors must act with due skill and care.
• Directors must be strongly committed to regional tourism promotion and marketing practices;
• Directors must be a current financial member of Atherton Tablelands Promotion Bureau Ltd
• Directors must be strongly committed to the Vision, Policies and objectives of Atherton Tablelands Promotion Bureau Ltd.
• Directors must be committed to the Board Code of Conduct.
• Directors must be diligent, attend Board meetings and devote sufficient time to preparation for meetings to allow for full and appropriate participation in the Board’s decision-making. Directors need to be available to participate in at least 8 of the 11 monthly 3 hour meetings held in Mareeba and Atherton (alternate months)
• Directors need to to monitor, review and respond to email correspondence in a timely manner.
• Directors may be asked to support and participate in one or more specialist Committee(s).
• Directors must observe confidentiality relating to non-public information acquired by them in their role as Board Members and not disclose such information to any other person.
• Directors must ensure there is an appropriate separation of duties and responsibilities between itself and senior management and that no individual has unfettered powers of decision-making.
• Directors must ensure that the independent views of Board members are given due consideration and weight.
• Directors must ensure that stakeholders are provided with an accurate and balanced view of the organisation’s performance, including both financial and service provision.
• Directors are required to regularly review its own performance as the basis for its own development and quality assurance. Individual Board Members should also review their own performance with a view to ensuring a suitable contribution to Board deliberations and decision-making and, if found lacking, should either pursue training or assistance to improve their performance, or resign.
• Directors must ensure that the organisation’s assets are protected via a suitable risk management strategy.
• Directors must ensure that personal and financial interests do not conflict with the duty to the organisation.

Source: Tourism Atherton Tablelands Governance Policies & Procedures, Code of Ethics Policy