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Secretariat services for boards, committees and expert panels across Australia
Your board secretary has resigned in the same year as your Chair and CEO. Your committee is moving its papers online in the middle of an accreditation round, or a Minister has just announced an expert panel and someone has to run it. Our board support and secretariat services have you covered: agendas, board and committee papers, minutes, travel, fees, payments and full reporting. We work with community service providers, businesses and government agencies.
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- We send agendas and papers out ahead of the meeting, minute decisions clearly and ensure your meet governance requirements, so your board can show what it decided and why.
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- If your board secretary leaves or a new Chair and new members arrive, the cycle keeps running. We bring the new Chair and new members up to date on previous decisions so they start without a gap.
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- We can also advise on how your board or committee runs and keep your governance documents up to date. For an expert panel, we review the scientific evidence alongside running its meetings.
When people change and the meetings still have to run
When a secretariat works, nobody notices it. Papers arrive on time, the minutes say who decided what, and the Chair has everything they need to lead.
But when things don’t work, governance groups get into trouble for many reasons - messy administration, late papers and nobody keeping track of decisions. Good secretariat support means the Chair can focus on leading, members can contribute their expertise and the group delivers. That support comes under the most strain when people change, workloads grow or a new group has to start work straight away.
- Keeping things on-track if your secretary resigns. Next month's papers still have to go out. We step in with agendas, meeting materials and clear, actionable minutes, for a transition period or as a standing arrangement.
- Your Chair, CEO and board secretary are all changing. Meetings have to run no matter who is coming or going. We worked with a board and its subcommittees through exactly that after a merger, helping its services to the community continue without interruption.
- Board members are doing the administration. Directors are chasing papers and booking venues instead of governing. We handle the administrative tasks so your directors can focus on strategic guidance and direction.
- Your committee has to modernise without stopping. Improving document handling and updating systems can’t wait for business to take a break. We moved a national committee onto an online board management system without pausing its work, and its accreditation assessments became more efficient.
- Your department has a new expert panel to oversee. The panel needs its meetings run, its evidence reviewed and its consultation managed, all at once. We did all three for an expert health panel and supported its final report to government.
How our board secretariat support works
As a dedicated secretariat provider, we run the meeting cycle for boards, subcommittees, national committees and expert panels; for community service providers and government departments alike. From basics like logistics, preparing papers and taking minutes, extending to expert advice on how the group runs. We can also assess your governance structures and processes, either in conjunction with secretariat support or independently
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We run the whole cycle, in the room and online. Our team manages virtual and face-to-face meetings, travel arrangements, fees and payments, and provides comprehensive meeting papers so your members can turn up and contribute.
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We advise on procedure as well as running meetings. Along with administrative support, we can offer strategic advice on committee procedures and accreditation processes, guidance on governance best practice, and support to implement updated national standards.
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We review your processes and key governance documents. We check your processes reflect best practice and the context you are working in, and update them if they do not. We also facilitate a board self-evaluation if you want one. This governance support runs alongside meetings rather than instead of them.
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We set up an online platform, or work with yours. If your committee wants its papers online, we set up a secure, accessible place for document sharing and decision-making. Our team has used Boardable, OnBoard and Diligent, and we can work with your existing system or recommend one.
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We can step in at short notice. We provide temporary or emergency support during a transition, a workload peak or staff absence, with a team that deploys quickly to keep governance and administration running.
Our process
If we are setting up a new secretariat for you, the work starts with the group's purpose and its first meeting. If we are taking on an existing one, it starts with what is already in place. Either way, the destination is a steady operating rhythm you can rely on, and our meeting management covers the full cycle through the same five stages.
What we deliver:
- The papers for every meeting. An agenda and reports for each meeting, prepared with your management and sent out in time for members to read them.
- The minutes and the record. Minutes that record each decision and who is to act on it, kept with the papers as the group's complete record.
Understand
First, we learn about your governance arrangements as they stand: who decides what, and which meetings and subcommittees exist. We read what your constitution, national standard or terms of reference require, and find where the cycle can be improved.
Plan
Next, we establish an operating rhythm with your Chair and executive: who prepares which paper by when, and how you keep decisions and records. We also agree how you handle sensitive items, and we set the meeting calendar for the year. If your committee needs a board management platform, we work with you to set it up.
Deliver
We keep things running smoothly. We send agendas and papers out on time, support virtual and face-to-face meetings, minute decisions and actions clearly, arrange travel, and process fees and payments.
Review
We check with you regularly that the cycle is running as agreed, and adjust what is not working.
Close
When a time-bound engagement ends, your team and Chair receive a complete record and the knowledge to run the cycle. We also help you decide when to review a group and how to wind it up properly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is secretariat support?
Everything that makes your board or committee cycle work: agenda development, meeting materials, travel arrangements, fees and payments, minutes, and making sure the group meets its governance requirements. It can extend to strategic advice on committee procedures, reviewing governance documents and a facilitated self-evaluation. A secretariat has five functions to cover: project management, governance, policy, administration and finance.
Do your secretariat services cover national committees and expert advisory groups as well as boards?
Yes. Our work has included committee secretariat services for a national accreditation committee, an expert health panel that reported to a Minister, and the board of a community services provider.
How do we get board papers that support good decisions?
We coordinate with your management to prepare the papers so they reach members in a consistent form, in time to read, and support clear decision-making. The minutes then record the decisions and the actions.
Can you help us set up a new committee, advisory group or panel from scratch?
Yes. We help you establish the group, run the first meeting so it sets the tone, and keep things moving from there. For an expert panel, that can include literature reviews, a public consultation with its submissions analysed, and plain-language summaries for the communities affected.
How do you handle confidential board and committee papers?
Through privacy and confidentiality policies, secure information management systems, staff training on privacy requirements, clear access and use procedures and confidentiality agreements. Our experience supporting sensitive inquiries and board processes means we know the risks and the common pitfalls.
How quickly can you start running our secretariat?
We can generally establish basic secretariat functions within two to four weeks, and for urgent needs a rapid response team can provide immediate support while we build permanent arrangements.