Independent Member to The Audit and Risk Committee

**About Merri-bek**

Merri-bek is a progressive council with 180,000 residents: one community, proudly diverse. Our city is vibrant and energetic, known for its active community, array of fabulous festivals, cool pools, eclectic shops and our community of artists and creative industries. As a Council, we’ve been supporting our community through difficult times, and our long term vision has ambitious goals for environmental sustainability, community wellbeing, and creating great places.

Merri-bek City Council strives to be a contemporary, innovative and collaborative organisation with a deep commitment to engagement with the Merri-bek community. With the Civic Centre located in Coburg, 8 kilometres north of Melbourne’s CBD, there are excellent public transport options and great food and cafés right at the doorstep. Merri-bek City Council is a great place to live, work and play.

**The Audit and Risk Committee**

The Audit and Risk Committee is an advisory committee to Council that provides Council with independent assurance and assistance in the areas of financial reporting, internal and external audit, internal control effectiveness, risk management, regulatory compliance and performance reporting. The Committee comprises three Councillors and four independent members.

***Selection Criteria**
- have senior business or financial management/reporting knowledge and experience, be tertiary qualified in Business, Commerce, Accounting or other related disciplines from either the private or public sectors
- be knowledgeable about the duties and responsibilities of the position as outlined in the Charter; especially in relation to Government operations, financial reporting and auditing requirements, risk management, and corporate governance in addition aware of the complexity of Council service delivery and infrastructure challenges would be desirable
- maintain a broad understanding of the legal requirements of the Local Government Act 1989 and the Local Government Act 2020
- have the requisite industry, business, financial and leadership skills, possess strong interpersonal skills and well-developed communication skills

**Ineligibility**
- The Local Government Act 2020, states that an Audit and Risk Committee does not include any person who is a member of Council staff of the Council.
- Furthermore, Good Governance requires that non-Councillor Audit and Risk Committee members are independent and are seen to be independent. Therefore, any person that has in the past three years had a relationship with the Merri-bek City Council in any of the following situations, is ineligible to apply:

- Employed in an Executive capacity by Council;
- Retained by Council as an Advisor or Consultant;
- Employed in an Executive capacity by an organisation or business that has been retained by Council as a preferred Tenderer or appointed to a panel as a preferred supplier for the provision of goods or services to Council.

**Term of Appointment**

Council is offering an appointment of 3 years. Please read the Committees Charter which details full responsibilities of the Committee and the position description.

**Audit and Risk Committee Meetings**

The Audit and Risk Committee meets four times per year with potential for special meetings to be called. Committee members are expected to meet in person at Coburg Civic Centre - 90 Bell Street Coburg. Meetings are held outside of business hours.

**Remuneration**

Remuneration for independent members is $1530 per meeting (including GST)

**Further information**

Please contact Yvonne Callanan, Manager Governance and Strategy on 9350 8782.

Applications close: 11:30, Tuesday 22 November
- Please note that some documents relating to this position may reference Moreland City Council. We are in the process of updating the councils new name of Merri-bek City Council.