Statement from the Board 27 April 2018

Today the Notice of Meeting for the AGM is being distributed either by email or post depending on your preferences in CRM.

You are being asked to vote on 14 resolutions that will determine CPA Australia’s future direction.

Your new Board is supporting four resolutions that will implement the recommendations of the 2017 Independent Review.

The Independent Review was conducted over five months and considered more than 1700 submissions from members and other stakeholders. It was chaired by former Commonwealth Auditor-General, Ian McPhee AO PSM.

Since receiving these recommendations, your new Board has consulted extensively with thousands of members through individual meetings, member consultation forums, webinars and at CPA Australia events across Australia and internationally.

What we have heard is that members want the governance arrangements of our professional body to be fixed and for the Board to focus on delivering improved service and value to members.
Five different members have also submitted their own resolutions for members to consider at the AGM. Your new Board respects the views put forward by these members but for the reasons noted in the accompanying documentation we do not support these resolutions.

We believe the recommendations from the Independent Review, and discussed at member consultation forums, will deliver more effective governance changes that will ensure CPA Australia’s operations are transparent, accountable and best serve the interests of all members.

We are committed to ensuring that the views of all members are considered as decisions are made about CPA Australia’s future direction.

Since your new Board was appointed, we have been working with Divisional Councils and members to deliver positive change for CPA Australia. We have:

• new Business and Member Engagement Strategies under development that put member interests at the centre of everything we do
• introduced 28.5 hours free CPD to support members throughout their career
• introduced a new media campaign to promote the range of services offered by public practitioners
• secured a new Professional Standards Council (PSC) Scheme that is now in place in every Australian state and territory
• cut Director remuneration by 24 per cent, cut Deputy President remuneration by 13 per cent and cut President and Chair remuneration by 28 per cent
• removed the two Chief Operating Officer roles from the organisation's structure
• set the new Chief Executive Officer’s remuneration at market rates and disclosed details of the package and contractual notice period
• released an Annual Report with disclosures in excess of anything ever published previously including director and key management personnel remuneration.

If you support the direction your new Board is taking, we ask that voting members support the Board endorsed resolutions either by attending and voting at the AGM or by submitting your proxy.

Full details are included in the Notice of Meeting and the proxy form.

Please ensure your voice is heard by having your say at the AGM.

Peter Wilson AM FCPA
President and Chair
On behalf of CPA Australia’s Board of Directors