RO pod: Talking about governance of registered organisations

The Model Rules are designed to make drafting rules easier for registered organi s ations . They include plain-language guidance, annotations, and practical examples to help organisations modernise their rule books and strengthen governance.

An important part of the Fair Work Commission's regulatory approach is to listen to and learn from stakeholders in our registered organisations community. In this episode, we invited Tom Lynch, the Federal President of the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) , to share his perspective on what good governance looks like in his organisatio n .

Members, officers and employees of registered organisations can report a concern about their registered organisation to the Fair Work Commission. However, registered organisations are encouraged to develop and implement a formal whistleblower policy to assist them to investigate and address concerns reported directly to them.

Registered organisations can use our 2024 compliance snapshot to understand their own achievements and priorities and monitor their own performance against other organisations.

Whistleblowers have the right to disclose a concern without reprisal under the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009 (the RO Act) . However, not all disclosures are protected. In this episode we talk about; matters that are common ly the subject of protected disclosures, w hat 'disclosable conduct' is and isn't, including specific examples and protections for whistleblowers and the relevant eligibility criteria.

Reporting units are required to meet financial reporting obligations each year under the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009 (the RO Act). After being lodged with us, f inancial reports are assessed by our Financial Analysis Team.

The General Manager has recently released the Compliance and Enforcement Policy which covers registered organisations . In this episode, we talk about the Commission's approach to regulation , and w hat enforcement tools and activities may be used where there are potential instances of non-compliance.

Education is one of our core function s and we are constantly working to improve the material we provide using feedback from registered organisations. In this episode we talk about accessing and using a variety of education resources available on the Fair Work Commission website.

The General Manager of the Fair Work Commission has been given expanded powers and functions to use compliance and enforcement instruments in the regulation of registered organisations. In this episode of RO pod, we look at the se new enforcement tools and how they may affect registered organisations , a s well as the types of conduct they apply to .

The Fair Work Commission has made changes to the right of entry permit application process in response to the recommendations of the Registered Organisations Governance and Compliance External Review . You will hear about how the application process ha s be en simplified , and how this will affect organisations and permit holders.

In this episode of RO pod we talk with the General Manager, Murray Furlong , about the transfer , the internal restructure to produce a unified Registered Organisations Services Branch , and his strategic approach to work with organisations and their peak bodies . The General Manager discusses his plans to encourage compliance and enhance transparency and accountability to members of registered organisations and expediting the r eporting and application processes for organisations.

In this episode of RO pod, we talk about how rule alteration procedures can vary across organisations. We also discuss what you might need to consider when it comes to differing notice requirements, how rule alterations can affect upcoming elections and the legislative requirements.

Officers of Registered Organisations with financial responsibilities must undertake approved financial training, or apply for an exemption from training, within six months of taking office. In our latest podcast episode, we discuss financial training and when and how to apply for an exemption from training.

Registered organisations and branches need to lodge prescribed information with the Fair Work Commission at least two months before your rules say nominations are open. The election is then conducted by the Australian Election Commission (AEC) unless the branch holds an exemption. There has been a disruption to election cycles over the past few years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the AEC being unable to conduct elections for a period of time. In this episode, we discuss what you must do if your rules say that an election is due to be held, whether or not you've had a missed or delayed election, and how you can resynchronise your election cycles. We also look at other current issues that we are seeing with industrial elections that organisations should be aware of.

In the latest episode of our podcast series, we talk to the Executive Director of the branch. He discusses the move to the Fair Work Commission, the current review, emerging issues and changes to the regulatory functions.

In the latest episode of our podcast series, we discuss the important information that new officers need to understand and what they must do to discharge their duties as an officer in a registered organisation.

In this month's episode of the podcast, we'll be talking about how to take effective minutes of your meetings. Minutes provide evidence for what is discussed and decided on at your meetings. Good minutes can protect an organisation and its officers, particularly if decisions are called into question later and evidence needs to be provided. A reminder to all our listeners that the Registered Organisation Commission (ROC) will be abolished from 6 March 2023 and that all of the ROC's functions will be transferred to the Fair Work Commission from this date.

The vast majority of organisations we work with want to comply with their legislative obligations and they take steps to do just that. However, mistakes and non-compliance do happen. In this episode we will be talking about the steps that registered organisations should take when they identify non-compliance and how organisations can work with the regulator to resolve these issues.

Many of the compliance requirements of registered organisations have specific timeframes that are prescribed by law. In this month's episode of ROCpod we'll identify what those compliance requirements are and share our strategies to help you beat the deadline.

In this month's podcast the Registered Organisations Commissioner and Executive Director discuss the components of contemporary good governance in registered organisations and the practical implications of the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Bill 2022 (the Bill) for registered organisations