Appendices
Appendix five. Governance
Executive Committee profile
Richard Bolt
Secretary
Mr Richard Bolt, B.Eng. (Electrical), Master Public Policy and Management, GAICD, FIPAA leads the department and the DPI Executive Committee.
He is responsible for driving the delivery of programs and policies promoting the sustainable development of Victoria’s primary and energy industries.
Mr Bolt provides advice to the Minister for Agriculture and to the Minister for Energy and Resources and leads DPI’s strategic input in whole-of-government and inter-governmental forums.
Richard Aldous
Deputy Secretary
Energy and Earth Resources
Dr Richard Aldous, PhD, DIC, M.Aus IMM heads the Energy and Earth Resources Group.
The group encompasses the energy and earth resources industries and includes policy, regulation, and investment facilitation.
Dr Aldous provides advice to the DPI Secretary and to the Minister for Energy and Resources on the energy, petroleum, minerals and extractive industries. He also oversees the delivery of Energy Technology Innovation programs.
Deborah Peterson
Deputy Secretary
Policy and Strategy
Dr Deborah Peterson, PhD, M.Sc., B.B.S. (Hons), GAICD, FIPAA heads the Policy and Strategy Group.
The group manages the delivery of policy and strategy and oversees the department’s cabinet, legislative and ministerial responsibilities.
Dr Peterson provides policy analysis and advice on agriculture, fisheries, and forestry, energy and earth resources to DPI and its ministers.
She is responsible for DPI’s corporate and sectoral strategies and helps shape DPI input into whole-of-Victorian Government strategies, including climate change, water and regulatory reform.
Joanne de Morton
Deputy Secretary
Business and Corporate Services
Ms Joanne de Morton, MBA, Grad. Cert. Public Sector Mgt, GAICD, MIPAA heads the Business and Corporate Services Group.
The group manages the corporate framework, directly supporting the achievement of departmental objectives, including finance, human resources, communication, knowledge and information technology, facilities management, legal services, governance and shared services.
Her major focus is on strengthening the department’s reputation by anticipating and managing corporate risks, providing high-quality corporate governance, and achieving best practice in business and corporate service delivery.
Bruce Kefford
Deputy Secretary
Agriculture Research and Development
Dr Bruce Kefford, B.Sc. (Hons), PhD, Graduate Management Qualification (AGSM), FIPAA, MAICD heads the Agriculture Research and Development Group.
The group includes the agricultural research divisions of Biosciences Research and Future Farming Systems, and the Office of Science, Technology and Commercialisation, which oversees strategy development and investment processes, and the commercialisation of intellectual property.
Dr Kefford provides advice to the DPI Secretary and to the Minister for Agriculture to improve the competitiveness and the sustainable growth of the agriculture industries. He leads the National Primary Industries Research and Development Sub-Committee under the Primary Industries Ministerial Council and Primary Industries Standing Committee.
John Skerritt
Deputy Secretary
Agriculture and Fisheries Services
Dr John Skerritt, B.Sc. (Hons 1), PhD, Adjunct Professor (Univ.QLD), FTSE is responsible for leadership towards more competitive, productive and sustainable agriculture and fisheries sectors in Victoria.
He is leading and implementing key reforms within the Agriculture and Fisheries Services Group, which includes Biosecurity Victoria, Farm Services Victoria, Fisheries Victoria and the Office of Emergency and Security Planning divisions.
These reforms include improving DPI’s services to farmers, the whole-of-government Biosecurity Strategy for Victoria and strengthening DPI’s emergency management capabilities.
Executive role
The Secretary is the head of the department and reports to the Minister for Agriculture and the Minister for Energy and Resources.
Executive Committee
The Secretary (Chair) and the Deputy Secretaries meet weekly as an Executive Committee.
The members bring a broad range of perspectives and consider key issues and decisions to ensure they are properly tested before the Secretary makes a final decision. The Executive Committee is a deliberative body that provides a process through which differences are considered and integrated in preparation for formal decision.
Management Forum
Management Forum is the primary forum for information exchange, alignment and engagement for senior management. The forum guides the development of the DPI Strategic Plan and other strategic projects that impact DPI-wide performance. It comprises the Secretary, Deputy Secretaries, and their direct reports who are the heads of major function areas.
Standing committees
Standing committees are those required by legislation. Members are appointed by the Secretary.
DPI has two standing committees:
The Audit and Risk Management Standing Committee provides independent assurance, oversight and review of financial management and reporting, compliance with applicable laws, regulations and standards, risk management planning, and review of the efficiency and effectiveness of operations.
Chair: Peter Lewinsky (independent member), independent members Kathy Grigg, Fiona Bennett and Michele Allan (resigned August 2009) and DPI members Joanne de Morton, Ron Prestige, Alan Young and Jeremi Moule.
The Accredited Purchasing Unit Standing Committee advises on government procurement and contract management issues, and scrutinises and approves major procurement and acquisitions including consultancies.
Chair: Giovanna Tivisini, General Counsel.
The Gene Technology Standing Committee oversees the development of appropriate policies and procedures within DPI for gene technology and security sensitive biological agent research and their applications. In addition to DPI senior management representation, the committee includes a representative from the Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development and an independent external member.
Chair: Dr Graham Mitchell, DPI Chief Scientist.
Steering committees
The Emergency and Security Planning Steering Committee replaced the Emergency Management Standing Committee (July 2009 - March 2010).
The Standing Committee, which was chaired by Bruce Kefford, Deputy Secretary, Agriculture Research and Development, coordinated DPI’s emergency response planning and deployment consistent with the department’s emergency management strategy.
The Emergency and Security Planning Steering Committee comprises Executive Directors primarily responsible for various types of emergencies and key personnel and infrastructure functions. It is now the primary group for ensuring adequate preparedness and capability for DPI emergencies.
Through the Deputy Secretary, Agriculture and Fisheries Services, the committee may bring key emergency and security issues to the attention of the Executive Committee.
Chair: David Harris, Executive Director, Emergency and Security Planning.
Other groupings
To deliver a diverse and varied work program and live the value of “working together”, DPI creates many groups for a variety of purposes. They may include project control boards, working groups, communities of practice and collaboration groups.
Establishment, terms of reference and membership of these groups is at the discretion of the convenor. They have no official decision-making authority and can only make recommendations to an authorised delegate.
