Board Update - Governance Workplan 2026–2028: Half-Year Update

Back in Q1, we shared that the EA Board had kicked off the Governance Workplan 2026–2028 — our three-year plan in response to the independent governance review commissioned by the Australian Sports Commission (ASC).

Three months on, we wanted to give you a quick update on how things are tracking.

The big picture

We’re now 41% of the way through our 82-action workplan, up from 23% last quarter.

So far, 55 actions are either complete or on track, and the Board made 21 governance decisions during the quarter.

There’s still plenty to do, but we’re making good progress.

What we’ve been working on

Board governance and accountability

• Finalised our Board Agenda and Board Paper templates
• Appointed independent Chairs for the Nominations and Finance, Risk & Audit Committees
• Completed recruitment, induction, and the yearly workplan for the Finance, Risk & Audit Committee
• Built a comprehensive Conflicts of Interest Register
• Started induction for National Discipline Committee members, with the Chair and CEO now attending NDC meetings directly

Strategy, values and member engagement

• Published the Equestrian in Australia Leadership Charter on the EA website — have a read if you haven’t already
• Finalised KPIs to help us measure how we engage and communicate with members and stakeholders
• Embedded the ASC Gender Equity Action Plan into the Nominations Committee Charter

Risk and integrity

• Recruited a dedicated Integrity and Complaints Officer and introduced a new secure case management platform
• Updated our Delegations Policy so it’s clearer who is responsible for integrity matters
• Locked in the core costs for the Whole-of-Sport Complaints Management System — an important step towards better-resourced and more consistent complaints handling

Getting out and listening

Governance isn’t just about policies and Board meetings — it’s also about listening to the people who make up our sport.

This quarter, we held our first Member Engagement Forum, ran two Roadshow sessions, and met with 13 State Branches and 29 external stakeholders.

Across our in-person events, website and social channels, we reached more than 48,000 members and stakeholders — a big increase on Q1.

What’s coming next?

Over the next quarter, we’ll be focusing on:

• Taking the revised Nominations Committee Charter to the Board for approval
• Refreshing the Board Skills Matrix ahead of the 2026 Director elections
• Continuing the review of the National Discipline Committee Charter
• Developing our Organisational DEI Policy

We know governance reform probably isn’t the most exciting thing in your inbox — but it matters.

It’s the work behind faster complaints handling, clearer roles between EA and our State Branches, better decision-making, and a sport that’s easier to navigate.

We also know that this kind of change takes time, and we won’t get everything right along the way.

That’s why we’ll keep sharing an update every quarter so you can see what’s been done, what’s underway and where there’s still work to do.

Thanks, as always, for your patience, feedback and support as we work through it together.

View the Q2 Governance Workplan HERE.

Board of Directors

Equestrian Australia