Resources
The FSAF meets in Canberra, as a significant proportion of the membership is based there.
Meetings begin at 9.30am, and, depending on the agenda, finish between 12.30pm and 3.30pm.
Industry association members are responsible for their own travel costs.
Frequency and timing of meetings
The FSAF meets two to four times a year, depending on need.
Agenda and papers are distributed three weeks beforehand.
Records management
FSAF records are electronic. Minutes of meetings are published on the ATO website. Sensitive material may be paraphrased or omitted, but full versions of minutes, agendas, and accompanying papers are stored on an Excise shared drive.
Minutes of meetings held 2000-05 are archived on the shared drive.
Out-of-session decisions and feedback are communicated in correspondence and e-mails, and these are stored and available on the shared drive.
Risks and issues management
The FSAF's obligations are to ensure that records associated with corporate risks and issues are maintained and accessible to the Chief Knowledge Officer (risk) or First Assistant Commissioner Policy Management Division (issues), and that key decisions together with relevant background documentation and/or evidence are similarly recorded and accessible.
When a significant issue emerges, an External Stakeholder Issues Brief must be filled out and sent to the Stakeholder Relations Unit, Corporate Relations (CR). This will ensure corporate monitoring of issues, alert internal stakeholders, and provides assurance that issues are dealt with appropriately.
Communication procedures
The Chair is ultimately responsible for ensuring that agreed outcomes are appropriately communicated.
The members of the FSAF are all regarded as key stakeholders.
Agreed outcomes are tracked and recorded as action items in the minutes of FSAF meetings, which are published on the ATO website www.ato.gov.au
Out-of-session communications between the ATO and FSAF members almost always originate as a follow-up to FSAF meeting action items, which are documented in the minutes of the following meeting.
Confidentiality arrangements
From time to time, the FSAF may need to deal with information that is confidential. The chair will clearly identify such material when putting it to the forum.
A confidentiality agreement will not be used unless:
(a) There are exceptional circumstances, meaning that the confidentiality agreement:
Is required by government - that is, by an act or other legislative instrument or by a ministerial direction, or
Is required for material commercial-in-confidence considerations - that is, to enable the information to be legitimately put to, or held in confidence by, the forum, and
(b) That confidentiality agreement:
Identifies the reason it is required, the confidential information to which it relates, and applicable timeframes, and
Allows the recipient of the information to liaise with other members of the FSAF, and (where applicable) subject matter experts in their own organisations, on the basis that the information is confidential
Payment
The ATO does not pay for expenses incurred by industry representatives in attending FSAF meetings.
The ATO is responsible for all administrative and hospitality expenses associated with the FSAF. The area managed by the Assistant Commissioner, Excise Reform pays for such expenses.
Conflicts of interest and roles procedures
A 'conflict of interest' occurs when forum member's personal, financial or other interests compromise, influence or affect their performance as a forum member. A conflict of interest can be real or apparent. It can also be both financial and non-financial in nature.
Conflicts of roles occur when members represent two different roles, the performance of which may raise perceived or actual conflicts. It is the responsibility of all members to be aware of all potential conflicts of roles.
Each year, members should declare in writing potential, perceived or real conflicts of interest they may have about their role. Where necessary, this should be updated during the financial year.
At the beginning of each meeting, members should raise any conflict issues. At the discretion of the chair:
- the member may be excused from the meeting for the relevant agenda item
- the member remains in the meeting, but does not participate in discussion on the relevant agenda item
- members have opportunities to contribute to the discussion in other ways, such as offering advice or opinions before the forum discusses the issue as a whole
- the member contributes to the discussion as a full member, after verbally declaring a conflict.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 27 June 2012