8. A Capable Organisation

To harness our complex structures and systems into a more coherent and transparent enterprise for both members and staff.

Implementing national and divisional priorities

• Reports from 2008 Committees of Council were presented to Council/Congress in November 2008, with follow-up proceeding – refer to the activities of Council and Congress in the ‘Our Governance’ section of this report.
• A comprehensive consultation process was implemented with our Divisions, College Boards and other groups to gather ideas for development of a new five-year Strategic Plan 2010-2015. The results of this work were consolidated for participants at a Strategic Planning Forum in Canberra in July 2009.
• Despite the global financial crisis, Divisions again exceeded their original budget forecasts for direct income by 10.5%, including particularly sponsorship support for major events such as Engineering Week and their Excellence Awards.

Reporting performance against plans

• Council receives monthly budget and membership reports, and quarterly progress reports for national office, Divisions, and learned society groups against each year’s endorsed Operational Plan.
• The 2007-2008 Annual Report presented to the AGM in November 2008 was recognized for its commitment to transparency and accountability through award of a Bronze Certificate at the 2009 Australasian Reporting Awards in June 2009. An online version was launched on our website for the first time.

Improving the value of our information systems

• During the year substantial work was done to upgrade our data security and recovery systems. A comprehensive Disaster Recovery Plan was developed and then audited by our auditors (Deloittes), to ensure that it aligns to the international standard ISO 24762 “Guidelines for information and communications technology disaster recovery services”. These processes are now subject to ongoing testing and review to ensure that they remain current and effective.
• In June 2009 work commenced on a comprehensive review of the organisations information and communication technology needs. This review was aligned with the broader organisation’s strategic planning process. Substantial input from over 80 staff was achieved through workshops held in Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne. Further work is proceeding towards an affordable strategy for implementation.

Sustainable office practices

• The internal operations of Engineers Australia are fairly typical of small-to-medium office-based organizations in Australia.
• Using the Greenhouse Challenge Plus tools, we estimate
  the carbon impact of our energy usage at 1,440t CO2-e.
  National Office paper usage is estimated at 1,400 reams.
• Engineers Australia abated fully carbon emissions from air travel during the year.
• Based on work undertaken during 2007-08, we have a set of 12 strategies to reduce our impact on the environment. More work is required if we are to establish these strategies fully in our ongoing office practices.

Developing our higher governance, volunteer and staff practices

• A special committee of National Congress with expert legal guidance prepared a report and recommendations concerning the Royal Charter and Bye-laws, for consideration by National Congress in 2009-10.
• Sydney and Victoria Divisions continued to continued to implement governance improvements in support of the effective operations of their Division Committees and member groups.
• A new risk management policy and framework were implemented for Engineers Australia, and operational and strategic risk registers developed.
• Standard event management and sponsorship contracts were developed, and internal approval procedures streamlined.

Providing sound support services

• 2008-09 marked the first full year of using the new payroll administration system “ConnX”. ConnX is a facility which supports all leave applications and approvals, payroll inquiries, payslips, performance reviews and most other payroll and personnel functions in an online and paper-free environment.
• In May of 2009 Engineers Australia completed a comprehensive review of its insurances and changed its provider to JLT (formerly known Jardine Llloyd Thompson). Substantially broader coverage for member events is now in place ensuring that the organization’s risk exposure is minimised.
• In February 2009 Engineers Australia, South Australia Division, sold its premises in Bagot St, North Adelaide - which had been its home for the last 48+ years. (By the time of reporting, the Division had secured new premises and hopes to be moved by early 2010.)
• Internal audits were completed and reports issued for the areas of accounts receivable and Technical Societies.

(* Full-time equivalents. Includes full time, part time, and casual staff.)

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