Governance
FRRR is a company limited by guarantee, with our Members being the Australian Government and the Sidney Myer Fund. The organisation is a specifically listed Item 1 DGR entity in legislation (see ATO endorsement), which we describe as our superpower. This allows us to facilitate tax deductible giving and support the thousands of not-for-profits across remote, rural, and regional Australia that don’t have DGR status and are unable to access the majority of philanthropic funding.
In every action, FRRR seeks to further our vision – in our grant-making to not-for-profit organisations, conduit funding partnerships, insights, choice of investments and choice of donor partners. FRRR acknowledges the tensions that exist in the social, economic, cultural, and environmental opportunities and threats to remote, rural, and regional communities. We act with ethical exclusions, and positive screens – and take steps to consider and articulate how each of our choices contributes to positive social, environmental, cultural and economic change across remote, rural, and regional Australia.
We do this by leveraging a variety of tools and expertise in line with the objects set out in our Constitution, which allow us to:
- Promote, for the public benefit, rural renewal, regeneration and development in Australia in social, economic, environmental, and cultural areas.
- Add value to the work of rural organisations to resolve regional development issues at a national and local level.
- Strengthen regional capacity for growth, development, and adjustment in the context of national and global change.
- Develop new ideas and methods through thinking, researching, debating, testing, and informing to address issues facing regional and rural Australia.
- Strengthen the regional and rural voice to ensure vigorous regional and rural participation in national growth and development.
- Provide facilitation services to assist groups to lead and face change so that regional and local communities can choose paths to their futures.
- Raise money and other resources (both tax deductible and non-tax deductible) for the operation of the national body and the funding of national services and programs to resource rural Australia.
- Raise money and other resources (both tax deductible and non-tax deductible) for direct use by regions for projects and/or seed funding for local capacity building and funding bodies.
- Provide expertise and support to local and regional bodies to assist them to raise funds for local capacity building projects and initiatives.
The Board
FRRR’s Board of Directors exercises the powers vested in it by the Corporations Law and the Company’s Constitution. The Board is directly responsible to its members for the long-term health and prosperity of the Company. Our financial reports are independently audited to confirm our financial processes meet all statutory requirements.
FRRR’s policies and practices provide the framework which enables the Board’s principal role to be achieved while ensuring that FRRR activities are conducted ethically and in accordance with the law, including well managed and transparent annual financial statements.
The Board charts the direction of FRRR and monitors management’s performance. Its responsibilities include:
- Setting the vision and providing strategic direction, ensuring there is rigorous analysis and substantiation of thinking supporting the strategy and reviewing the effective implementation of the strategy.
- Establishing and maintaining appropriate governance structures, including evaluating the performance of Directors, appropriate audit & risk management, etc.
- Regularly monitoring the Company’s operational key performance indicators and its financial performance against these plans and budgets.
- Identifying and recommending an appropriate Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and reviewing the performance of the CEO.
- Ensuring that the Company’s financial and other reporting mechanisms result in adequate, accurate and timely information being provided to the Board.
- Ensuring significant business and other risks to the Company are identified and appropriately managed and adequate internal controls are in place.
- Ratifying the appointment, removal and remuneration of direct reports to the CEO.
- Ensuring the Company’s Occupation, Health and Safety (OH&S) policies and processes are clearly articulated, that all employees are adequately trained in them, and that there is continuous monitoring and evaluation to ensure OH&S risks are proactively identified and mitigated.
The Board is advised by a number of committees:
- Nominations and Appointments committee – responsible for Board and CEO recruitment;
- Finance and Audit (F&A) Committee – oversees all aspects of financial investment and management of the Foundation;
- Outback Advisory Board – Work will commence in 2025 to appoint this board to help FRRR strengthen and grow support for outback communities;
- Program Advisory Committees – Chaired by an FRRR Director, these committees comprise other Directors, partners, community representatives and / or subject matter experts. They consider the grant assessments undertaken by staff and recommend projects to fund; and
- WA Advisory Board – a group of highly respected people that FRRR calls on to guide our activities in WA.
Explore our most recent Financial Statements lodged with ACNC.
Tim Fairfax AC
Sue Middleton
Amy Crawford
Anne Grindrod
David Hardie
David Mackay
Donna Digby
Georgie Somerset AM
James Flintoft
Kylie Hansen
William Myer
Patrons
FRRR is fortunate to have a number of highly respected people as our Patrons. Traditionally, our Patron in Chief is the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. Other current Patrons include the Hon John Anderson AC, as well as founding retired board members the Rt Hon Ian Sinclair AC and Bill Kelty AC.
Ms Sam Mostyn AC
The Right Honourable Ian Sinclair AC
Bill Kelty AC
Hon. John Anderson AC
Past Patrons-in-Chief, Patrons and Directors
| Name | Appointed | Retired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PAST PATRONS-IN-CHIEF | ||||
| Hon William Deane AC KBE QC | 2000 | 2001 | ||
| Hon Peter Hollingsworth AC OBE | 2001 | 2003 | ||
| Hon Michael Jeffery AC CVO MC (Retd) | 2003 | 2008 | ||
| Dame Quentin Bryce AC | 2008 | 2014 | ||
| Hon Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd) | 2014 | 2019 | ||
| PAST PATRONS | ||||
| Lady Marigold Southey | 2000 | 2019 | ||
| Baillieu Myer AC | 2000 | 2022 | ||
| PAST DIRECTORS | ||||
| Winsome McCaughey | 1 March 2000 | 30 May 2000 | ||
| Kenneth Cowley AO | 30 May 2000 | 10 July 2001 | ||
| Gatjil Djerrkura OAM | 30 May 2000 | 28 November 2001 | ||
| Kenneth Matthews | 2 March 2000 | 11 March 2005 | ||
| Sidney Myer AM | 1 March 2000 | 30 June 2005 | ||
| Francis Bethwaite | 1 March 2000 | 25 November 2009 | ||
| Michael Taylor AO | 11 March 2005 | 25 November 2009 | ||
| Samantha Baillieu | 30 June 2005 | 30 June 2010 | ||
| Dr Wendy Craik AM | 23 November 2000 | 25 March 2011 | ||
| Mike Mrdak AO | 12 January 2010 | 21 May 2011 | ||
| Mike Mrdak AO | 9 October 2013 | 12 September 2017 | ||
| Glenys Beauchamp PSM | 21 May 2011 | 10 October 2013 | ||
| Lindy Hayward | 8 September 2010 | 10 October 2013 | ||
| Margaret Smith AO | 1 March 2000 | 17 November 2015 | ||
| Tim Fairfax AC | 31 October 2002 | 6 July 2017 | ||
| Bill Kelty | 30 May 2000 | 30 June 2019 | ||
| The Rt Hon Ian Sinclair AC | 1 March 2000 | 30 June 2019 | ||
| Dr Steven Kennedy PSM | 15 November 2017 | 1 September 2019 | ||
| Simon Atkinson | 11 March 2020 | 21 April 2021 | ||
| Ian Allen AM | 28 March 2001 | 17 February 2022 | ||
| Fred Grimwade | 21 September 2011 | 17 February 2022 | ||
| Rachel Bacon | 27 April 2021 | 24 August 2022 | ||
| Patrick Myer | 25 September 2013 | 9 November 2022 | ||
| Paddy Handbury | 20 March 2009 | 9 November 2022 | ||
| Hon Simon Crean | 1 July 2019 | 25 June 2023 | ||
| Andrew McKenzie | 4 April 2018 | 31 December 2023 | ||
| Bruce Scott | 15 November 2017 | 30 May 2024 | ||
| Annabel F. White | 24 March 2015 | 13 November 2024 | ||
| The Honourable John Sharp AM | 11 September 2019 | 14 December 2024 | ||