Five senior management, consultation and assurance committees operated in 2012–13. They were:

• Executive Leadership Team (ELT)
• Executive Management Group (EMG)
• National Program Manager/State Manager Forum
• Investment and Strategies Committee (ISC)
• Business Assurance Committee (BAC).

Executive Leadership Team

The governance review formalised the role of the ELT. The team comprises the Electoral Commissioner, the Deputy Commissioner, and the First Assistant Commissioners.

The ELT is responsible for ensuring the AEC pursues its strategic direction. In 2012–13, the ELT considered major long-term issues, opportunities and risks to the AEC’s strategic intent and alignment.

Executive Management Group

The EMG is responsible for leadership, management and sound governance and comprises:

• Electoral Commissioner (Chairperson)
• Deputy Electoral Commissioner (Deputy Chairperson)
• First Assistant Commissioners
• Assistant Commissioners
• State and Territory Managers
• Chief Legal Officer
• Chief Finance Officer

The EMG supports the Electoral Commissioner in determining organisational priorities in line with the AEC’s three strategic themes of modernisation, collaboration, and investing in our people. Figure 5 shows the AEC organisation as at 30 June 2013.

In 2012–13, EMG translated the AEC’s strategic direction into business plans, contributed to operational management, monitored the achievement of organisational objectives and ensured appropriate corporate governance practices.

National Program Manager/State Manager Forum

The forum comprises state managers and national program managers and was formalised in 2012–13. The forum ensures interaction between state managers and program managers and its focus is to review and monitor core program business-enrolment, elections, education and communication.

Figure 5: AEC organisation at 30 June 2013

Investment and Strategies Committee

The ISC assists the Electoral Commissioner to:

• articulate the AEC’s strategic objectives, research and planning activities, innovation priorities, challenges and timeframes
• ensure the overall integrity and coherence of the AEC portfolio to deliver the AEC’s strategic objectives contribute to the AEC’s bottom line and drive value in all programs and projects
• allocate funding from the AEC’s investment pool to proposals that fit the AEC’s agreed strategic objectives, business priorities, budget, workforce capability, IT architecture and risk management framework
• monitor project performance against indicators, including budget, expenditure and performance against milestones.

The ISC met five times in 2012–13. The members of the committee were:

• Deputy Electoral Commissioner (Chair)
• First Assistant Commissioners
• Assistant Commissioner Strategic Capability
• Assistant Commissioner Roll Management (from June 2013)
• State Manager New South Wales (until June 2013)
• State Manager Western Australia

The Chief Finance Officer and the Chief Information Officer attend meetings as advisers.

Business Assurance Committee

Outlined in its charter, the BAC objective is to provide independent assurance and assistance to the Electoral Commissioner and the EMG on the AEC’s risk, control and compliance framework, and its financial statement responsibilities.

In 2012, the BAC role changed to providing assurance and assistance to drive the Electoral Commissioner’s reform agenda to modernise governance frameworks, controls and service delivery.

Key areas of progress include:

• strengthened risk management practices to improve accountability and inform decision making
• improved fraud control and rationalised fraud policies and procedures
• established and tested credible business continuity and disaster recovery processes
• improved transparency in implementing audit recommendations and progress to embed whole of government reforms.

The BAC held five meetings in 2012–13. The BAC members appointed by the Electoral Commissioner were:

• External member Jenny Morison (Chair)
• Deputy Electoral Commissioner (Deputy Chair)
• First Assistant Commissioner (Programs)
• Assistant Commissioner Information Technology
• State Manager Victoria (to March 2013)
• State Manager South Australia
• Northern Territory Manager (from May 2013)

Fraud Control Committee

The Fraud Control Committee (FCC) is a sub-committee of the BAC and assists it to meet its fraud control responsibilities. This includes review of processes to develop and implement the AEC’s fraud control arrangements, including processes and systems to prevent, detect, capture and effectively respond to fraud allegations. The FCC held six meetings in 2012–13 and provided fraud control reports to the BAC. The FCC membership included:

• First Assistant Commissioner (Programs) (Chair from August 2012)
• Assistant Commissioner Information Technology (Chair to August 2012, Deputy Chair from August 2012)
• Assistant Director Portfolio Management Office (to August 2012)
• Chief Finance Officer (to May 2013, observer since May 13)
• Chief Legal Officer (to May 2013, observer since May 13)
• Northern Territory Manager (from August 2012)
• State Manager Tasmania (from May 2013)