What is “good governance?”

As defined by Sports Australia, “Sport is a key element of a cohesive and thriving national community. It is a tool for achieving outcomes in areas such as education, health, leadership development and fair play, and is unrivalled in its ability to link heart, mind and body, to connect individuals and to inspire communities.” (Ref: https://www.sportaus.gov.au/governance)

Sport Australia also define good governance by 9 Principles:

Principle 1. The Spirit of the Game – An organisation’s culture and behaviours should be underpinned by values which are demonstrated by the board and embedded in its decisions and actions.
Principle 2. The Team – Across a sport, boards should work together to govern collaboratively and create alignment to maximise efficient use of resources and implement whole of sport plans.
Principle 3. The Game – Plan The board is responsible for overseeing the development of the organisation’s vision and strategy as well as determining what success looks like.
Principle 4. The Players – A board should be a diverse group of people who collectively provide different perspectives and experience to facilitate more considered decision-making.
Principle 5. The Rule Book – An organisation should clearly define and document its structure and the duties, responsibilities and powers of members, directors, committees and management.
Principle 6. The Playbook – Through effective processes and continual review of its performance, the board is able to demonstrate accountability and transparency to its members and stakeholders.
Principle 7. The Defence – To proactively protect the organisation from harm, the board ensures the organisation has and maintains robust and systematic processes for managing risk.
Principle 8. The Best and Fairest – An organisation should have measures and protocols to ensure integrity of the sport and safeguard its participants.
Principle 9. The Scorecard – The board must have an appropriate system of internal controls to enable it to monitor performance, track progress against strategy and address issues of concern.

The Gliding Australia Governance & Integrity Committee, ratified on 23 September 2020, is working within these principles for the advancement and development of the sport of gliding into the future. If you want to understand more about “good governance” and what it means for your club and you as an individual member, visit the SportAus website for more information.