Circular 10/23 Conflicts of Interest course for Office Bearers and Trustees available in March
Further to Circular 41/22 issued on 23 September 2022, and following feedback received at the 2022 Congress, ANZAC House can now confirm the release date for the first sub-Branch Office Bearers and Trustees’ course. The Conflicts of Interest course will be released in March 2023, following requests that the release of this training course coincide with the completion of sub-Branch elections.
ANZAC House developed this state-wide online education and training program in support of Initiative 5.7 of the RSL NSW Strategic Plan. The RSL NSW Board determined that it is every RSL NSW member’s responsibility to manage conflicts of interest and subsequently prioritised the facilitation of governance training for Office Bearers and Trustees.
The training will be made available to all new Office Bearers and Trustees who are appointed following the sub-Branch Annual General Meeting (AGM). Detailed instructions on how to access the training will be emailed to the personal email address of sub-Branch Office Bearers and Trustees in March.
Conflicts of interest rarely interfere with an individual’s ability to perform their duties with integrity; however, they can put assets and resources at risk, undermine sub-Branch governance, and negatively affect a sub-Branch’s reputation or that of RSL NSW as a whole.
The online training program will support all sub-Branch Office Bearers and Trustees in identifying and managing conflicts of interest whether for themselves or other sub-Branch members. This will enable the protection of the reputation of RSL NSW and its sub-Branches and reduce the likelihood of breaches of compliance and regulatory obligations.
The course will cover a range of topics, including:
- Identifying and declaring conflicts of interest
- The difference between actual, perceived, and potential conflicts
- Financial and non-financial conflicts
- Managing conflicts and minimising their impact
- Accountability and reporting; and
- Conflicts of interest registers.
The interactive training includes audio and visual content, along with relevant case study examples that will assist in the practical application of the training content within sub-Branches. The course concludes with a quiz and participants will receive a certification of completion.
ANZAC House recognises that sub-Branch Office Bearers are volunteers and as such, the training can be completed at their leisure. There is no deadline, and it is not required to be completed in a single session.
The training has been developed by Major Training Services (MTS), a veteran-owned and operated business, with considerable experience delivering education and training in conjunction with the Australian Defence Force and the Department of Defence.
RSL NSW members have been consulted throughout the development of the eLearning program, and many of the content specialists and development team who contributed to the training module are veterans.
IMPORTANT ACTION FOR HONORARY SECRETARIES:
- Please forward this Circular to your sub-Branch Office Bearers as soon as possible.
- As the training licence is allocated to each Office Bearer, please ensure incoming Office Bearers have been assigned their new role in the sub-Branch Portal and the end date has been assigned to the departing Office Bearer.
- Please also ensure Office Bearers’ personal email addresses are up-to-date and/or added to the sub-Branch Portal. (Each Office Bearer will complete the training individually and we cannot use the sub-Branch email address for training logins).
If you require assistance to update the Office Bearer positions after your sub-Branch AGM, please contact the Member Support Team on 1300 679 775.
If your sub-Branch does not have access to a computer and/or the internet to complete the training, please submit a request for support by completing the Support & Assistance Fund Application Form, contact the Member Support Team on 1300 679 775 or email support@rslnsw.org.au, and access can be organised for you.
