INTRODUCTION
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 Tablelands’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:
- 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.
- 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.
- Meet regularly to monitor the performance of management and the organisation as a whole. To do this the Board will ensure that appropriate monitoring and reporting systems are in place and that these are maintained and utilised to provide accurate and timely information to the Board.
- 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.
- Ensure that the independent views of Board members are given due consideration and weight.
- Ensure that stakeholders are provided with an accurate and balanced view of the organisation’s performance, including both financial and service provision.
- 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.
- Carry out its meetings in such a manner as to ensure fair and full participation of all Board members.
- Ensure that the organisation’s assets are protected via a suitable risk management strategy.
- Ensure that personal and financial interests do not conflict with the duty to the organisation.
Staff, Contractors & Volunteers shall:
- Publicly and privately support the organisation and each other, acknowledging the strengths and weaknesses of others and acting with courtesy and respect.
- Act honestly and in good faith at all times in the interests of the organisation and objects, ensuring that all stakeholders, particularly those who are recipients of services, are treated fairly according to their rights.
- Perform their duties as best they can, taking into account their skills, experience, qualifications and position. They shall act in a safe, responsible and effective manner.
- Be punctual and reliable in their attendance and adhere to their prescribed and authorised hours of duty.
- Comply with the prescribed terms and conditions of their employment/engagement.
- Record their attendance for duty in the manner prescribed.
- Notify the organisation of any inability to attend duty as early as possible so as not to inconvenience others or delay the work of the organisation.
- Carry out their duties in a lawful manner and ensure the organisation carries out its business in accordance with the law, and recognise both legal and moral duties of their role.
- Respect and safeguard the property of the organisation, the public and colleagues; and observe safe work practices so as not to endanger themselves or others.
- Maintain confidentiality regarding any information gained through their work and not divulge personal information or the address or phone numbers of Staff, Board or service users.
- Ensure that all transactions, agreements and records that flow from relationships with Tourism Atherton Tablelands’s stakeholders will be accurately and openly recorded in the organisation’s books and records, and no entries will be made which obscure the true nature of a transaction.
- Ensure that Tourism Atherton Tablelands will market its services with integrity and accuracy.
- Ensure that personal and financial interests do not conflict with the duty to the organisation.
- Undertake no personal or business activities for personal gain while at the organisation or while conducting business of the organisation: procedures associated with such activities will not be carried out on the organisation’s computers without open and express permission of a higher authority.
- Work within the organisation’s policies and principles.
- Discuss issues where appropriate with other staff and Board members to determine whether or not a contemplated action is ethical.
RESPONSIBILITY
The Executive Officer is responsible for the implementation and review of this policy.
All Committee of Management/Board members, casual, permanent and contract staff and volunteers are responsible for adhering to all applicable clauses.
REFERENCE
F01-1 Directors Responsibilities
F01-2 Directors nomination
Source: Atherton Tablelands Promotion Bureau Ltd Policies & Procedures
