Corporate governance framework

The Bureau’s corporate governance framework provides a sound basis for decision-making, defines mechanisms for accountability and stewardship, and supports the Bureau’s strategic
direction and leadership.

The framework is based on:

• the legislative foundation provided by the Meteorology Act 1955, the Water Act 2007, the Public Service Act 1999, and the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (PGPA Act);
• a clearly defined executive and management structure;
• a comprehensive planning, performance and reporting framework;
• various mechanisms for stakeholder input and review;
• detailed financial and asset management policies, procedures and guidelines;
• thorough risk management and fraud control strategies; and
• an Audit Committee and internal audit function to provide independent advice and assurance on the Bureau’s activities.

Executive and management structure

As 30 June, the Bureau comprised:

• the Executive Team (CEO and Director of Meteorology, six Group Executives, the Public Services Transformation Program Director and the ROBUST Program Director);
• six Groups, further broken down into 28 Programs, who are collectively responsible for delivering the Bureau’s Strategy 2017–2022;
• the Public Services Transformation Program and the ROBUST Program;
• the National Operations Centre;
• seven State and Territory Offices, located in the State capital cities and Darwin; and
• 32 field observing offices across Australia, the offshore islands, and Antarctic Territory, as well as other specialist facilities.

In addition to the general Group and Program structure, several specialist roles are attached to
senior positions, including:

• Chief Customer Officer, performed by the Group Executive, Business Solutions;
• Chief Operating Officer, performed by the Group Executive, Corporate Services;
• Chief Information and Technology Officer, performed by the Group Executive, Data and Digital;
• Chief Scientist, performed by the Group Executive, Science and Innovation;
• Chief Strategy Officer, performed by the Group Executive, Strategy and Performance;
• Chief Financial Officer, performed by the General Manager, Finance; and
• General Counsel, performed by the General Manager, Legal and Commercial.

The Executive

The Bureau’s Executive team (the Executive) comprises the CEO and Director of Meteorology
(Director), six Group Executives, the Public Services Transformation Program Director and the
ROBUST Program Director. The role of the Executive is to consider and promulgate decisions
on program, policy, financial and people management issues across the Bureau and to provide
leadership under the authority of the Director as the accountable authority for the agency (under the PGPA Act). The Executive has responsibility for setting the Bureau’s strategic policies and priorities and for optimising the use of its resources.

Dr Andrew Johnson
Chief Executive Officer and Director of Meteorology

Dr Andrew Johnson

Dr Johnson was appointed Director and CEO of the Bureau of Meteorology in September 2016. He joined the Bureau from Johnson & Associates Consulting, a firm he founded to provide environmental and agricultural knowledge services nationally and internationally. For nearly a decade Dr Johnson was a member of the CSIRO Executive Team where he led the organisation’s water, land, atmospheric, marine, biodiversity and urban research. Dr Johnson is a Non-Executive Director of the Planet Ark Environmental Foundation, a Councillor of the Queensland Futures Institute and a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Australian Agricultural Company. Dr Johnson has a PhD from the University of Queensland and a master’s from the Kennedy School at Harvard University. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technical Sciences and Engineering and Australian Institute of Company Directors. Dr Johnson is also Australia’s permanent representative to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in Geneva.

Dr Dasarath (Jaya) Jayasuriya
Group Executive, National Forecast Services

Dr Dasarath (Jaya) Jayasuriya

Jaya joined the Bureau in 2009 as part of the implementation of the Water Information Program. Jaya joined from Melbourne Water after 27 years in the water and environment sectors where he made significant contributions to several major projects such as the establishment of the Yarra Ranges National Park and the listing of the Big and Black Heritage rivers. In the disaster management sector, Jaya has played critical roles in the establishment of the National Flood Forecasting Service and the standardisation of the Bureau’s hazard services. Jaya is one of six members of the Expert Group established by the WMO to advise the global community on climate, water and food security. He is also a member of the WMO Flood Forecasting Initiative Advisory Group and a member of the Advisory Board supporting the European Union-funded EartH2Observe initiative.

Dr Peter Stone
Chief Customer Officer and Group Executive, Business Solutions

Dr Peter Stone

Peter joined the Bureau in July 2017. Peter’s work history has included a range of roles in farm management, food industry consulting, grain marketing, science management and corporate governance. For much of the last ten years, Peter’s work has focused on establishing partnerships that seek solutions to the management of contested resources, such as land and water in northern Australia, coal seam gas and the Great Barrier Reef.

Ms Nichole Brinsmead
Chief Information and Technology Officer and Group Executive, Data and Digital

Ms Nichole BrinsmeadNichole joined the Bureau in February 2018. Nichole has had over 20 years’ experience in a diverse range of roles across several business and technology domains in the financial services, higher education, professional services and emergency services. This has included senior roles at PwC, ANZ, and RMIT where she has had very significant leadership and management responsibilities in operational, solution delivery and engagement environments.

Dr Gilbert Brunet
Chief Scientist and Group Executive, Science and Innovation

Dr Gilbert BrunetGilbert joined the Bureau in December 2018 after 12 years as Director of the Meteorological Research Division (MRD) of Environment and Climate Change Canada. From 2012–15 Gilbert was seconded to the United Kingdom (UK) Met Office as the Director Weather Science. Gilbert has also previously led the Numerical Prediction Research Section of Environment and Climate Change Canada. Gilbert is currently Chair of the UK Met Office’s Scientific Advisory Committee and previously chaired the Scientific Steering Committee of the WMO’s Research Program. Gilbert is recognised as an expert in weather and climate dynamics. Gilbert has a PhD in meteorology from McGill University.

Mr Graham Hawke
Chief Strategy Officer and Group Executive, Strategy and Performance

Mr Graham HawkeGraham joined the Bureau in 2013 as the Executive responsible for the Bureau’s climate, water, research and environment functions. Graham has over 20 years of senior management experience in government and the private sector including in transport, rural water and global professional services. He currently serves on advisory boards to Melbourne University and Water Research Australia. Graham holds a Master of Engineering Science, is a Fellow of Engineers Australia and a Chartered Engineer. He also holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA), is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a professional member of the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society. Graham is the Bureau’s Indigenous Champion.

Ms Jennifer Gale
Chief Operating Officer and Group Executive, Corporate Services

Ms Jennifer GaleJennifer commenced with the Bureau in April 2017. Prior to joining the Bureau, Jennifer was the Executive Director Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer at The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne and a board member of the Australian Health Services Financial Management Association. Jennifer has also held senior leadership roles in the departments of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts; Finance; Human Services; the National Capital Authority and Airservices. Jennifer has a Bachelor of Business from RMIT University, and is a Fellow of CPA Australia, and a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Ms Kirsten Garwood
Public Services Transformation Program Director

Ms Kirsten GarwoodKirsten joined the Bureau in October 2017. Prior to joining the Australian Public Service (APS), Kirsten spent 25 years within the information, communications and technology sector in technical, service delivery, customer leadership and senior leadership roles, serving both the private and public sectors, and working closely with the national security and social services sectors since 2011. Kirsten has an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Science (Hons) from the University of New South Wales.

Mr Alistair Legge
ROBUST Program Director

Mr Alistair LeggeAlistair joined the Bureau in September 2017 to direct the ROBUST Program. Prior to joining the Bureau, Alistair was Chief Information Officer and General Manager Customers for United Energy and Multinet Gas. Alistair is an experienced technology and organisational change leader and has held customer, market, innovation and revenue-focused executive leadership roles across gas and electricity utilities, telecommunications providers and the entertainment industry, together with senior management consulting roles. Alistair has a Bachelor of Engineering and a Master of International Business from the University of Melbourne, and an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management.

Committees

The Bureau Executive is the highest-level decision-making body within the organisation. Executive meetings are chaired by the Director and held once per month.

The Executive is supported by three sub-committees: the Investment Committee; the Major Transactions Committee; and the Security, Risk and Business Continuity Committee. The Bureau’s Audit Committee provides independent assurance on the Bureau’s risks, controls and compliance, and is convened by the CEO.

In addition to the subcommittees, the Bureau’s senior managers meet monthly to discuss key issues and progress. These Senior Leadership Team meetings involve the Director, Group Executives and General Managers.

The Bureau's Executive Committee structure.

Partnerships

The Bureau partners with Australian Government agencies to manage the delivery of common
outcomes. At 30 June, these partnership arrangements include:

• a strategic partnering agreement for the provision of meteorological and oceanographic services to support the Department of Defence;
• memorandums of understanding with a range of Defence stakeholders, including: the Navy, Army and Air Force; Headquarters Joint Operations Command; Defence Estate and Infrastructure Group; and the Defence Science and Technology Group;
• a memorandum of understanding and agency agreement with Airservices;
• a memorandum of understanding with the Australian Antarctic Division;
• a Water Information Research and Development Alliance (WIRADA) with CSIRO;
• a collaborative relationship understanding with CSIRO;
• a collaborative head agreement with Geosciences Australia;
• a strategic partnership with the ABC; and
• a strategic partnership agreement with the Australian Energy Market Operator.

The Audit Committee

The Director of Meteorology convenes the Bureau of Meteorology’s Audit Committee in compliance with section 45 of the PGPA Act. The Audit Committee is governed by its charter, which requires the committee to review and provide independent assurance on the appropriateness of the Bureau’s financial reporting, performance reporting, system of risk oversight and management and system of internal control in accordance with section 17 of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Rule 2014 (PGPA rule).

The Audit Committee comprises four independent members who bring a wealth of experience to
their role. Throughout 2018–19, the committee was chaired by Mr Andrew Dix.

The Audit Committee held four meetings in 2018–19 (28 August, 4 December, 12 March and 15
May). The Audit Committee considered the Strategic Internal Audit Plan 2018–2022, internal audit reports and adopted a new internal audit protocol and processes.

Audit Committee membership and meeting attendance.

Qualifications and experience of the Bureau of Meteorology Audit Committee as at 30 June.​

Andrew Dix
Andrew was appointed as the first Independent Chair of the Bureau’s Audit Committee in 2015. He holds other board and audit committee roles, including at Swinburne University of Technology, the Australian Department of Human Services, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and Anglicare Victoria. Prior to his non-executive career, Andrew spent 35 years in influential roles at Price Waterhouse followed by Telstra. Andrew is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, a professional member of the institute of Internal auditors, and a Graduate Member of the Institute of Company Directors.

Daniel McCabe
Daniel is currently the Chief Information Officer and Head of the Information Technology Division at the Australian Department of Health, where he oversees modernisation of the information and communication technology (ICT) environment through initiatives such as My Aged Care and the Enterprise Data Warehouse. He has also acted as Chief Operating Officer for the Department’s corporate and enabling areas. Daniel has held senior influential roles in the Department of Immigration and Border Protection and the Department of Defence, where he has led substantial ICT modernisation and change initiatives.

Mark Tucker
Mark is a former APS Deputy Secretary. He worked in the portfolios of Agriculture, the Environment, Communication and the Arts, and Prime Minister and Cabinet. Mark has been involved in most of Australia’s natural resource management priorities over the past 30 years, providing policy advice to governments and implementing significant funding programs and legislation. He has a Bachelor of Science (Hons) majoring in marine zoology, and early in his career conducted research in Antarctic coastal marine ecosystems.

Paula Allen
Paula has over 25 years’ experience across services, finance, technology, governance and strategy for businesses, governments and international organisations. Paula is a Fellow Chartered Accountant, Chartered Financial Analyst, a Graduate Member of the AICD as well as holding their Advanced Diploma in Mastering the Boardroom. She has studied more broadly including across new technology, big data and ethics. She is a member of the Board of VicTrack and Chairman of their Audit and Risk Committee. She also hears cases for the Chartered Accounts, Professional Conduct hearings, as well as maintaining various private clients.

Corporate planning and evaluation

The Bureau’s Strategy 2017–2022 charts the Bureau’s course over five years, outlining strategic
objectives, actions and success measures.

The Corporate Plan 2018–19 was published on the Bureau’s website in August. Prepared in accordance with requirements of the PGPA Act, the plan sets out the Bureau’s priorities, planned achievements and success measures for 2018–19 and the outlook to 2021–22.

Operational planning within the Bureau is undertaken on a Group and Program basis. The evaluation of performance against plans is an important component of the annual planning cycle. Progress against the Bureau’s success measures is regularly monitored through reports to the Bureau Executive. Overall performance against the success measures for 2018–19 is presented in the Annual Performance Statement.

Enterprise risk management approach

The Bureau’s enterprise risk management framework is closely aligned to the Strategy 2017–2022 to enable:

• a greater understanding of how the management of risks and opportunities within the Strategy will drive success;
• identification and assessment of the risks inherent within the Strategy through Group and Program Plans, and where emerging and disruptive risks may affect the delivery of strategic actions;
• dynamic and constructive risk conversations between members of the Senior Leadership Team;
• monitoring of risks relating to culture; and
• monitoring of the alignment of strategy, risk controls, compliance and people.

The framework is founded on a robust governance, control and reporting system that depends on:

• leadership—communicating the risk message with a consistent tone;
• integrating risk into day-to-day business—identifying where risk needs to be managed within an activity; and
• understanding the Bureau’s appetite for risk—providing training, relevant to roles and responsibilities, on how to take the right risks.

With the introduction of the new framework, the Bureau developed a new risk methodology and reviewed all risks. Risks associated with achieving the Bureau’s strategic actions were identified, as well as risks shared across Groups and Programs. Collectively, these are referred to as key business risks, and are outlined in the table below.

Resilience

The Bureau is committed to its role in enabling a safe, prosperous, secure and healthy Australia, and has established mechanisms to ensure it can continue to thrive in a rapidly changing environment. Enhancing the Bureau’s adaptive capacity and its ability to manage transformation requires many components that assist in increasing resilience.

Throughout 2018–19, the Bureau has been building its resilience framework to anticipate and adapt to disruptive events and incidents, and to continue operating where uncertainty affects strategic objectives. The framework uses a risk-based approach, and a common terminology and structure to avoid confusion during the management of disruptive events. It incorporates crisis management, incident control, business continuity, IT disaster recovery, security risk management, communications, and continuity plans.

Fraud control

In 2018–19, the Bureau of Meteorology did not identify any significant issues or incidents of fraud. The Bureau’s Fraud Control Plan, last updated in 2014 and published on the Bureau’s intranet, provides the basis for its fraud prevention, detection and investigation activities in compliance with the Commonwealth Fraud Control Framework and section 10 of the PGPA Rule. The Bureau conducts fraud risk assessments annually as part of its overall risk management framework.

The Bureau uses various strategies and mechanisms to prevent fraud which include:

• establishing an Audit Committee to provide independent assurance to the Director about a range of matters including fraud control and developing and implementing an internal audit plan;
• preparing a fraud risk assessment that is reviewed annually;
• providing a dedicated Fraud Liaison Officer as a central referral point on fraud-related matters, and a Fraud Control Officer to assess allegations of potential incidences;
• ensuring every employee completes online induction training modules before accessing the Bureau’s internal data systems; modules include the Fraud Control Framework, Accountable and Ethical Decision-Making, ICT Security and APS Values, Code of Conduct and Employment Principles;
• assigning financial delegations to positions, requiring co-authorisation of spending and assurance that the amount is allocated in the approved budget;
• maintaining an up-to-date fraud risk register as an integral part of the Bureau’s fraud control mechanism within the risk management framework; and
• participating in the annual Fraud against the Commonwealth survey, undertaken by the Australian Institute of Criminology.

The Bureau has several mechanisms in place to detect any incidents of potential fraud, including:

• the Bureau’s internal auditors undertaking historical financial ledger audits to identify and report any concerns in transactional behaviour by employees or contractors;
• scrutinising a vendor master listing and ledger, and verifying listed or disclosed business registrations with the Australian Taxation Office and the Australian Securities and Investment Commission;
• commissioning an independent consultant to provide data-mining analysis to highlight outliers and further investigate each item of concern;
• the Australian National Audit Office auditing the Bureau’s financial statements;
• encouraging employees to report suspected fraud to their direct supervisor or to the Fraud Liaison Officer or Fraud Control Officer;
• implementing a new travel and expense solution with inbuilt audit capability;
• quality assurance of sample transactions conducted monthly; and
• regular reporting and analysis for breaches of compliance and patterns.

Where the Bureau determines that an allegation of potentially fraudulent activity needs to be investigated, it will:

• seek the advice of the Fraud Liaison Officer and Fraud Control Officer;
• follow the Australian Government Investigations Standards 2011 for all fraud investigation activities;
• investigate the allegation using an internal (or outsourced) investigation officer or through referral of serious or complex fraud matters to the Australian Federal Police; and
• maintain a fraud register for the purposes of registering incidents of possible fraud. All known incidents are investigated and any material matters, as diagnosed by the Fraud Control Officer, are formerly reported to the Bureau’s Audit Committee.

External scrutiny

The following matters were dealt with in 2018–19.

• The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) undertook an audit of the Bureau’s delivery of extreme weather services. The ANAO made four recommendations in its report (Performance Audit Report, Auditor-General Report No.39 of 2018–19) to assist the Bureau in strengthening its processes in extreme weather service delivery. The Bureau agreed with the ANAO’s recommendations and committed to several relevant actions to address them.
• The Bureau provided a submission to the Queensland Inspector-General Emergency Management in support of the 2019 Monsoon Trough Rainfall and Flood Review. The purpose of this review was to assess the effectiveness of preparedness activities for and response to the monsoon trough rainfall and flooding event in January and February 2019 that occurred in Queensland.
• The Bureau provided a submission to the Queensland Inspector-General Emergency Management in support of the 2018 Queensland Bushfires Review. The purpose of this review was to assess the effectiveness of Queensland’s disaster management system in preparing for and responding to the major bushfires and heatwave that occurred in November and December 2018.

Freedom of information

Entities subject to the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) are required to publish information to the public as part of the Information Publication Scheme (IPS). Part II of the FOI Act requires each agency to display on its website a plan showing what information it publishes in accordance with the IPS requirements. The information provided by the Bureau in response to the IPS is available at www.bom.gov.au/foi/ips.shtml

In 2018–19, the Bureau received nine requests under FOI and carried over five requests from 2017–18. Of these, 13 were completed by 30 June 2019 and one remained in progress.

Corrections

Errors in the reporting of public forecasts delivered by the Bureau have been identified in the
2017–18 Annual Report. New Bureau forecast products for the most recent implementations of the Grid Forecast Editor in the Northern Territory and Queensland had not been calculated correctly.

The number of public forecasts the Bureau issued in 2017–18 should have read 695 350, not 569 060 as reported (p. vi and p. 23). The number of public forecasts the Bureau issued in 2016–17 should have read 691 070, not 565 510; in 2015–16 should have read 695 778, not 570 218; in 2014–15 should have read 661 929, not 564 699; in 2013–14 should have read 507 040, not 485 271 as reported (all p. 23).

Errors in the reporting of ratings of the BOM Weather app have been identified in the 2017–18 Annual Report. The average Google Play rating should have been 4.1 stars, not 3.5 stars as reported (p. 12). The average Apple App Store rating should have been 3.5 stars, not 4.1 stars as reported (p. 12).