Equestrian Australia Response to Equestrian Life Article on EA Governance
Re: Letter to the Publisher – Response to Watershed for EA, Ways Ahead for Horse Sports
Dear Robert,
A report prepared by Equestrian Australia’s (EA) Governance Review Panel, of which excerpts appeared in the July/August edition of Equestrian Life, was tabled at a June meeting of the EA national board and shareholders, those being the state branches.
EA welcomes discussion amongst members and invites feedback on the recommendations in this report – which you can read in full HERE
Coming out of the meeting with its shareholders, EA has moved swiftly to enact a key recommendation of this review, that being the formalisation of a nominations committee with external representation. The recruitment process currently underway to appoint casual board vacancies will be reviewed by a nominations committee that will include a representative from the Australian Sports Commission.
There is also strong support for closer working arrangements between EA and the states and much work has already been done in this area. Further scoping of the opportunities for closer cooperation will be a priority moving forward.
While some of the longer term recommendations presented by the review panel hold merit, EA’s immediate focus is working with the members (the states) and the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) to enact the above recommendations as well as ensure EA is meeting each of the Mandatory Sports Governance Principles – available HERE. EA is already performing well in a number of areas, for example the gender balance on our board is above 40% female, and we also have a clear strategic plan and good reporting processes.
Following on from the release of its High Performance Strategy – Winning Edge, the ASC has put all sports on notice, citing good governance as a necessary condition for success. EA is also committed to achieving best practice governance and this was the catalyst for the current governance review, the first to have occurred in more than a decade. EA looks forward to continue to involve all stakeholders in the examination of the best possible constitution for EA for the future.
Judy Fasher,
Chair, Equestrian Australia
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