Digest from the CRC LEME Board Meeting
Held 28 November 2002, Canberra
Dennis Gee, CEO
4 December 2002
In recognising that LEME staff and students have an interest in
Board matters, it was decided that the CEO should prepare a Digest
of Proceedings compiled from the minutes, and that these should
be posted on the LEME intranet for general interest. Here are the
main points:
At last we have a strategic plan in an advanced draft form that
is endorsed by the Board. The CEO was authorised to review the version
submitted to the Board in light of their comments, and place it
on the LEME web site at his discretion. We are required by the Commonwealth
Agreement under which we operate to produce a new Strategic Plan
in our second year. It has had a somewhat tortured gestation because
of the many and varied inputs form a wide range of people. The latest
version is a short succinct statement of strategic priorities, together
with objectives, how we meet them and how we can be measured against
the objectives. Details on project schedules, milestones, budgets
and staffing appear in the Operational Plan, which will be updated
following our forthcoming project reviews.
The Plan is here on our
website for everyone to read, digest, and hopefully embrace. The
CEO will be happy to receive comments.
ANU Proposal to Assume Obligations and Entitlements of University
of Canberra
For reasons of stated impecuniosity (impecunia is a better word),
University of Canberra formally advised the Board in September that
as from 1 January 2003 they will not be in a position to continue
their annual cash contribution to the CRC. Consequently a special
LEME Board meeting decided unanimously to ask UC to retire from
the CRC. The CRC will endeavour to cooperate with UC after it ceases
to be a core participant. At the time ANU indicated to the Board
an interest in picking up the obligations and entitlements of UC.
A formal proposal was put to the November Board by ANU, the essence
of which was an additional cash contribution of $50,000 to assume
the CRC entitlements due to UC for the remainder of this financial
year. This would involve the assumption by ANU of present LEME-funded
positions, operating resources attached to projects, and financial
support for LEME scholarships.
ANU's clearly stated intention was for this arrangement to be offered
to LEME for ensuing years, and it would resubmit a further proposal
for a full $200K contribution in the budget preparation process
for next financial year.
The Board accepted the ANU proposal in principle, pending the resolution
of matters of detail relating to staff and students. Both the Board
and ANU were most desirous of retaining the capabilities of Ken
McQueen, and discussions are ongoing which all parties hope will
be successful.
The Board was empathetic with the concern of some Board members
representing some core participants that the nature and scope of
projects being undertaken by UC should continue. The ANU Board representative
endorsed this view.
Financial Management
It was noted that financial management and reporting practices
for some core participants are to improve for better efficiency
and effectiveness. The CEO was directed to look at ways of improving
quality and timeliness of financial information to enable informed
decision making. This will be discussed at Executive, and probably
will involve introduction of informal accrual accounting reporting
to be practiced by project leaders.
This will be a topic to be further discussed at the March 2003
Board meeting (Board /Executive Workshop).
Position Paper on AEM
The Board desires that we make more contribution to issues of current
interest, and has requested that we prepare a short position paper
on policy, application and interpretation of AEM in salinity mapping.
The competing claims can be very confusing in the eyes of non-professional
stakeholders. One issue here is the political pitfalls in not clearly
distinguishing between data, and images that are commonly called
salinity "hazard" maps, and salinity "risk"
interpretations.
Program 4 Projects
The Board endorsed in principle, a proposal from Andy Herczeg,
forwarded by Mirko Stauffacher of CSIRO Land & Water, for an
existing Program 1 project (Inland Acid Sulphate Soils) to be redefined
and transferred to Program 4 as Salt mobilisation and Water Quality.
Board endorsement was subject to attention to comments from some
Executives that there should be more diversity of participants in
the project.
This move is important as it heralds an increasing presence of
CSIRO Land &Water in LEME and adds very significantly to the
project work being undertaken in Program 4.
Protocols with Bureau of Rural Sciences
Following the separation of BRS from LEME, Paul Wilkes has been
most successful in establishing new protocols with BRS in regard
to future work on State NAP salinity projects. This enables LEME
to deal directly with States, either independently, or as an equal
partner with BRS. The first results of this are new arrangements
for current NAP projects in South Australia and Queensland. The
Board approved the signing (by Paul Wilkes and Colin Grant of BRS)
of a proforma agreement setting out the Summary of Outputs and Responsibilities,
in respect of South Australian NAP projects in collaboration with
BRS. The Board expressed pleasure that the setbacks with the separation
of BRS seem to be offset by major advances in developing P4 projects
which have the potential to bring in significant levels of external
funding.
Program 2 Leader
The Board held the view that the vacant Program 2 Leader position,
and Assoc Prof Mineral Exploration position at Curtin University,
should both be advertised internally and externally. These positions
may be filled by one person or separately.
Safety Policy
The Board sub-committee tabled a draft Field Safety Manual and
Procedures. This is based on the Geoscience Australia guide. It
is proposed that this be the "highest common denominator"
to define LEME Duty of Care. However, it is emphasised that LEME
people attached to core participants will be subject to the guides
prepared by their host institutions. The CEO is to review the draft
and, when finalised, direct the best course of action to promote
its adoption. It is also to be reviewed by HR sections of the host
institutions.
Land Use Advisory Council
The Land Use Advisory Council met on 23-24 September in Canberra.
The resulting
report tabled by its Chair, Kevin Goss, can be viewed by staff.
Next Board Meeting
The date for the next Board meeting is set for 14 March 2003, and
the agenda items will include:
- Formal adoption of Strategic Plan (hopefully a past issue by
then!)
- eport on financial management and reporting practices
- Project reviews
- Preparation for the 2nd year review.
In regard to the project reviews, this means that the CEO will
probably convene a travelling technical panel to have one-to-one
reviews of all individual projects. This would need to take place
in February 2003.
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