Resources

Gifts or benefits accepted by a public service employee remain the property of the agency unless the accountable officer for the agency determines it is appropriate for the recipient to retain the gift or benefit. Employees must declare given or received gifts and benefits and the agency must ensure that reportable gifts or benefits have been declared and published online within reportable timeframes.

The Under Treasurer’s Register shows gifts and benefits valued at more than $150 that have been given and received by Queensland Treasury and agency employees in a financial year. Items of cultural significance have been reported regardless of their value. The register is updated each quarter.

The Financial Accountability Handbook (the Handbook) has been designed to assist accountable officers and statutory bodies discharge their obligations under the Financial Accountability Act 2009 (the Act), the Financial and Performance Management Standard 2019 (the Standard), and the Financial Accountability Regulation 2019 (the Regulation).

The purpose of the Cross-Agency Funding Framework (the Framework) is to outline the options available to Government and departments to fund cross-agency initiatives. Specifically, the Framework provides alternative models for how funding can be distributed to agencies, i.e. how best to get funding from the centralised Consolidated Fund out to departments (who then distribute funds to other entities where required). The models can be applied whether an initiative is funded from internal sources, from a reprioritisation of existing funding, or by new funding. Several agencies already utilise the Framework’s models, albeit on an informal basis.

The Framework provides for three broad types of funding models:

• Lead agency funding
• Multi-agency funding (simple), and
• Multi-agency funding (complex).

The funding approach adopted will depend upon the complexity surrounding the initiative, particularly the number of agencies involved.

This procedure has been prepared to comply with section 28 of the Act and the Standard No.1 issued by the Queensland Ombudsman under section 60 of the Act.

The Statutory Body Handbook (Handbook) has been designed to be a practical guide for the establishment and management of Statutory Bodies. The Handbook is a compilation of all the relevant Queensland Treasury guidelines applicable to statutory bodies and covers topics such as:

• Definition of a Statutory Body
• Formation of Statutory Bodies
• Management of Statutory Bodies
• Compliance Checklists
• Board Reporting
• Statutory Bodies Financial Arrangements Act 1982 Operational Guidelines
• Investment Guidelines
• Solvency

No changes to the current policy framework have been made in the release of this Handbook. Notwithstanding, the Handbook supersedes the following documents:

1. Information for Statutory Bodies: Solvency
2. Information for Statutory Bodies – Overview of applicable legislation, policies and guidance documents
3. Establishment of Statutory Bodies – Considerations and contacts
4. Statutory Bodies Financial Arrangements Act 1982 Operational Guidelines
5. Investment Policy Guidelines for Statutory Bodies

The Audit Committee Guidelines: Improving Accountability and Performance have been prepared to assist agencies with the establishment and maintenance of audit committees. The guidelines were updated in July 2020 and a summary of significant changes has been provided, highlighting the major amendments from the previous guidelines.

A Guide to Risk Management has been prepared as an information reference and contains the minimum principles and procedures of a basic risk management process.

The guide is not mandatory; however, application of the guide will encourage better practice.

The guide supports the requirements of the Financial Accountability Act 2009 and the Financial and Performance Management Standard 2019 and is consistent with the principles set out in AS/NZS ISO 31000:2018 Risk management – Principles and Guidelines.

The purpose of the Guidelines for the Formation, Acquisition and Post Approval Monitoring of Companies is to outline the various issues that should be addressed by agencies in seeking the Treasurer’s approval under section 88 and section 88A of the Financial Accountability Act 2009. Under section 58 of the Financial and Performance Management Standard 2019, a department must have regard to the company guidelines in applying for the Treasurer’s approval. The company guidelines reinforce the importance of establishing appropriate governance, accountability and monitoring frameworks for companies.

The financial management tools contain a number of examples and consideration points to assist agencies in assessing their obligations under the current financial legislation and Financial Accountability Handbook. The tools do not form part of the handbook and have been prepared to provide guidance only.