Pete Greed

Jim for all the above reasons................Pete

Yeah but mate...........whose finger? Theirs or ours? Pete

Dafydd: The invitation to self-regulate recreational aviation in Australia was always going to have conditions of compliance attached. Those conditions were known and accepted by the Board of RAAus but unfortunately both RAAus governance and management were not up to speed. It could be argued that the old committee of management model of merging committee members with operations was mostly to blame. If our governance and management systems had been consistent with contemporary good practice then we would not be having this debate. We would not only be complying with CASA's Deed of Agreement but would be contributing to the dialogue that shapes the future of recreational flying in Australia. There is a political dimension to the current situation and if we are to engage at that level we need to be clear and accurate in what is said and written. Andy said his glass was half full at this time....we need to be in charge of the vessel that will top up his glass and chart a way forward. That is the challenge for us all. Pete

Oscar: your analogy of military incompetence would have bells ringing across Australia. Many, I am sure, would recognise the same failings in their own local Clubs, and again, many have devised ways to make the changes necessary to successfully operate their enterprises. The knowledge to do this is out there. The challenge for the incoming RAAus Board is to recognise that the culture that exists within RAAus, came from an era that is significantly different to that of today, and if the new members of the board continue to be influenced by those who support failed governance and management practices of the past, then we are in for a most difficult time. Clearly the old board, not as individuals but collectively, were in denial. The make up of the board was skewed by practicing instructors and dare I say it, a military culture. Refresh the culture by engaging with the diverse community that make up the recreational aviation movement nation-wide, and many of the issues that now plague our organisation will dissipate. The question is: "Who will lead the charge from within"? This forum provides one of the few opportunities to gather together the sort of disparate thinking required to make good decisions. From the extreme thinking of some to the practical contributions of others, consensus is often reached. Even a bit of verbal biff should not challenge the politically correct overmuch. However my problem with many on the forum is that while they are keen to enter the fray on operational matters, governance is not such a sexy a topic. And yet that is where it all starts. Beating up on the board is totally counter-productive, they need our support and we need to find a way to provide it. The issues are now out in the open and it is now time to change tact and move to a new and positive approach to rebuilding the organisation. Any suggestion? Pete

I agree PMc.........Could work both ways. The board could test its agenda with the membership and the regions could contribute from there own experiences, and all at minimum cost. Just a matter of being organised at both a regional and central level. More likely folk will to travel (fly) to naturally occurring locations/venues than ones based on artificial state boundaries. Pete

I'm sure there are a good few members on this forum who could describe the principles of good governance and the benefits of going to a corporate structure such as a Company Limited by Guarantee (a commonly used corporate facility employed by the not-for-profit sector). In fact the original RAAus was incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee. I wonder why it was ever changed? This is not rocket science and can be learned by anyone who values the democratic process and understands the need for order and process when elected to a position of responsibility. It is about representing constituents, teamwork and leadership. Just as important in any restructure, is the retention of the heart and soul of an organisation. It is important that the knowledge base, skills and passion that saw RAAus into existence still provide the strategic direction as we go forward. This of course is the greatest challenge for our existing Board Members, who need to go back to representing their constituents and lay down the foundations of a strategic plan that incorporates the very best of the past with the aspirations of the future. Those aspirations are being regularly discussed and articulated at most Recreational Flying Club meetings around Australia. If we did away with the current State/Territory board selection process and went with a smaller skill based board that formally received its strategic thinking via our regional Clubs, then the communications deficit, which we all experience, would all but vanish over night. What about it Board......get your heads out of the cockpit, leave management to manage and re-engage with the great outside. Went for a flit in the Jab yesterday evening (with 4 mates in their Jabs) ........beautiful Pete

http://asspl.com.au/ A web site worth a look ........ Pete

AlfaRomeo said: The Treasurer needs to get the best understanding of the financial reports. This could involve working with the Accounting staff and external accounting services providers and doing a few sums for themselves. The Treasurer must be able to advise the Board regarding signing off on the Accounts and provide answers to the membership. The Treasurer has an obligation to satisfy themselves that the commercial and accounting systems of the organisation are sound and well/appropriately controlled. The role of the Secretary is analogous. In any RAAus restructure I could see the role of the currently elected Secretary being absorbed into that of a part-time, appointed Company Secretary - paid or voluntary depending on the circumstances of the individual. This would be a key specialist position and amongst other things would advise the board on policy documentation, compliance and process. Pete

There comes a time when the only way to fix something that is completely broken, or out of hours, is to re-build; and the RAAus operation is both. I began following this forum after a letter from our Club regarding RAAus membership was ignored, as was the follow-up phone call to the RAAus President. This forum has been one of the few insights into the governance, management and operations of RAAus, and while discussions are mainly management and operations oriented, provides those of us removed from the action with at least some indication of what is transpiring within the organisation. I say "mainly management and operations" because that is where most of the comments and opinions are directed. It became evident to me as an Ex General Manager and current Board member of community based businesses, the issues of governance and strategic planning, were at the heart of the problems that confront RAAus . At that time I began posting my concerns on this forum and have been consistent in my criticisms of the confusion that exists between true governance, and management. This is not about personalities. It is however about a culture that exists within RAAus that must be purged before proper governance and management process can be implemented. A fresh start based on a team approach that makes a clear distinction between the Chairman/Board and the CEO/Staff and additionally the obligations we might have to those we partner with; be they Government, through Deeds of Agreement, or like associated organisations, via Memorandums. In the absence of a strategic plan, embraced by the membership, RAAus is rudderless. And, as I said in a previous post - simply to overlay good governance over poor operations does not solve the problem. Lets continue to draw our Board members from our membership, but when necessary, skill them in corporate governance - rather than move to a professional academic model of the corporate sector. I for one was very disappointed at the lack of action since the Feb EGM (which we attended). I would suspect that we now face a serious situation with regard to RAAus and its relationship with CASA and can understand CASA's frustration at not only the inaction, but the lack of real understanding of government process. RAAus needs to buy in professional help as the back-yard approach to restoration is no longer appropriate (if it ever was). For this to happen the current board must resolve to put in place the actions that will set the re-structure in motion. After all the stewardship of RAAus is their primary role. Not to act would, in my opinion, run the risk of serious ramifications for the Board and, of course, its members. Without a formal relationship with CASA, RAAus would become an empty shell with the decisions of recreational aviation being made by others. We have a board........lets put the pressure on them to respond before its too late. Pete

Mick: Congratulations on a most informative discussion paper. I also agree that the proposed model is unnecessarily complex and would throw up more problems not far down the track. Better to go back to square one and design a governance and management structure based on contemporary good practice and utilising the tools and resources readily available to community based organisations such as RAAus. Yesterday I discussed with our State rep. Jim Tatlock a firm (Australian Strategic Services) I employed as the General Manager of a community based Adult Education/Job-network provider. The organisation at that time was going through rapid expansion having taken on significant Commonwealth Government contracts. The short term consultancy and move to a Company Limited by Guarantee consolidated the Company into a solid and successful organisation - turn over last year $26 mil. This forum has identified many operational issues most, in my view, caused by poor Governance. Simply overlaying a new governance structure over poor operations is not the answer. Cheers Pete

After all the instability of the past couple of years the board still cannot make the distinction between governance and management. If our own health was as bad as RAAus we would go to the doctor.....the board needs professional help instead of the so called management remedies often promoted on this forum. Without proper governance starting with a strategic plan and performance based management, this organisation will lurch from disaster to disaster. Lets get back to basics, learn from the mistakes of the past and make some real investments in restructuring for the future. There must be ordinary members, such as myself, that are in despair of a way out of this mess. Lets concentrate on bedding the board into its real role.....as a starting point Pete

Would be good if the CEO/General Manager could organise the board/committee of management to publish a Strategic Plan.

Let it go folks.........it's the system that's let us down. A new board and leadership that recognises both governance and management will see us out of the mess but we need professional assistance to separate the two. To my mind the state/territory based board has reached it's use-by-date and some form of regional forums based on our regional clubs should be established to inform the board. Surely we have the capacity to vote in a Board if the CV's of potential members were published. It's critical that RAAus is driven by the strategic thinking of its collective regional members, processed by a board with the necessary governance skills, and managed by a CEO who has the full control over RAAus staff. Cheers

It seems to me that we need a plan first and that should be extracted from the membership in the form of strategic thoughts. This would then guide what ever board is elected in the appointment of an appropriately skilled staff to manage the organisation. The specialist skills required to run a contemporary business/company can be engaged on a short term basis as required. The strategic plan belongs to RAAus. The contract with CASA is a different animal over which we have limited capacity to change. Pete

Cynicism (contemporary) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "In organisations, cynicism manifests itself as a general or specific attitude, characterised by frustration, hopelessness, disillusionment and distrust in regard to economic or governmental organisations, managers and/or other aspects of work". Could I claim to be a grumpy old cynic in contemporary terms Nev? :)

Minimising risk and asset protection, should be at the forefront of any well run community based organisation. These are issues challenging many not-for-profit organisations in Australia as they have grown from basic accounting practice to now being required to operate under corporate law. The current reported confusion regarding the governance of RAAus, especially in light of the motion put at the Feb. special general meeting, requesting an update on what was to be achieved by the next (recently held) general meeting, is a real issue for concern. Folks like it or not we have progressed well beyond the old committee of management (footy club) model. The separation of governance, (the board), and operations, (the staff), needs to be attended to immediately. Perhaps it is - but if so, where is the evidence? It is certainly not being communicated to the membership. And for those who think board strategic planning is just philosophic bullshit, and managing is all about implementing operational systems initiated and designed by others, take a good hard look at the results. That is why we have professional staff paid to implement the strategic plan. (Bugger - I think I just inferred we don't have one, so that may not work, how did we do it before, worked for a while - I think. We may have to put some executive board members into operations - that shouldn't compromise governance, should it?) I think I could be loosing my recreational flyer's sense of fun - but then again it may be just the cynicism of old age.

With an Executive focused on operations and reactive to CASA's contractural arrangements, RAAus is being robbed of any strategic planning capacity. Strategic thinking should be the primary role of the board and reflective of what we as members see as important in the current and future directions of RAAus. The current gene pool of ideas is limited to just a few under the current governance arrangements. Change must come from the elected board and they need professional assistance in achieving good governance. This is not likely to happen while the current executive dabbles in operations at the expense of both the board and paid professional staff. Should have put the fuel we used to go to Canberra into the Jabby :( bugger

Without the impediments of governance being addressed and the power of the executive being returned to the board, what is likely to change. Not much. The inability of members to interact with the board via their State Reps remains a major problem in reflecting back the concerns of regional members and conversely the board tapping the resources available. A return to the past and more pain for those that know there is a better way forward :(

Not so much the people who are flawed Andy....more often than enough its the systems that are there to support them.

Congratulations Wayne. I hope that your position can be accommodated in the management structure of RAAus and that your obvious talents are fully utilised. All the best Pete

Without knowing the relationship between the RAAus Board/Executive and the yet to be appointments of General Manager/CEO and Technical Manager, it is difficult to know if there will be changes to the RAAus governance and management structure. I would guess that if power and control is retained by the "Executive", then there will be no change at all. The administration of the CASA contract must be the responsibility of the new General Manager/CEO, reporting to the full Board, and someone who needs to be across all aspects of the contract for its successful implementation. The GM/CEO must also be responsible for the allocation of resources to ensure that the contract is compliant and the Board is meeting its governance obligations with CASA. That is the role of a GM/CEO. The Technical Manager, reporting to the GM/CEO, is one such resource, along with the technology required to keep costs to a minimum and the audit a matter of routine. The CASA contract can no longer be administered by a dithering Executive utilising antiqued systems - not effective, not efficient, and at times, not compliant. This is not rocket science. RAAus Board members who understand the basic principles of governance and management must be wondering what to do next? A not over-confident Pete

Thanks of your report Jim and it was good to meet you, in person, at the General Meeting. Yesterday we reported back to our monthly Club meeting on the Canberra experience For our members the big ticket items for discussion, from the GM, were: RAAus Governance, financial and management structures Aircraft registrations and Pilot Certificates – CASA Contract Membership and membership categories Insurance – all categories Communications, Website and ancillary services and electronic Newsletter Further Education and Pilot Training All of the above were important topics for members of a regional Club many of whom have been, or are currently being, impacted by suspended aircraft registration. We reported back to the best of our ability……many questions were however difficult to answer with any degree of detail due to the executive’s indecision and lack of hard data. I note with concern that the governance issues, which I personally believe to be at the core of RAAus's current demise, have not as yet been seriously addressed by the board. If the Board drifts back into Executive control even with some of the reforms suggested at the GM being introduced, very little will be achieved in changing a culture that is clearly imbedded in the psyche of RAAus. The division between the Executive and their board member/member supporters, and other board members, was on display for all in attendance to see. We can only hope that this will change immediately and the degree of professionalism required of a national organisation will be implemented ASAP. I would be more than concerned if the new CEO/General Manager is to be briefed by the Executive with out the structural governance and management processes being put in place. The work of the RAAus board in implementing a reform agenda is only just starting and our Club would be keen to support you and Rod as our State reps. as a sounding board or via any sub-committee arrangements that might be appropriate. We especially support the stand you have individually taken in representing our interest. The use of regional clubs as sounding boards for national debate and for two-way communications could move decision making away from individual member cliques to a more balanced community based model at a time when the pressure from government is to go in the opposite direction. One only had to listen to the responses at the GM to realise the depth of experience and talent that resides in regional Australia. Unfortunately their voices are often lost or interpreted as not representing anyone in particular…….so easily ignored by those not keen on consultation or consensus. Keep up the excellent work Pete

Just difficult to fly into......Nev Unless its RPT