DRAFT

MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY

STAFF CONSULATIVE GROUP

MINUTES OF MEETING OF 8 AUGUST 2008

Minutes of the meeting of the Staff Consultative Group held on 8 August 2008 at 9.30 am in the Council Room, E11A.

Present:

	Ms Laura Billington				 G7
	Ms Leanne Cameron			 G8
	Ms Phoebe Dangerfield			 G6	
	Mr Edward Davies				 CPSU
	Ms Carlene Kirvan				 G9
	Dr Rosalind Kitson				 A4
	Associate Professor Julian Leslie		 A3
	Ms Dianne Mitchell				 CPSU
	Mr Lachlan Morgan (Deputy Chair)	 G4	 
	Mr Vasantha Saparamadu			 NTEU
	Ms Cathie Shanley				 G13
	Mr Greg Stark				 CPSU
	Dr Iain Stewart				 A6
	Ms Sondra Wibberley			 CPSU
	Ms Cathy Wright				 G14
	Ms Catherine McMahon			 G11

Apologies

	A/Professor Suzan Burton	  		  A2
	Ms Stephanie Grolimund		  	  NTEU
	Ms Carolyn Kennett (Chair)		  NTEU	Mr Michael Marston			  G3	A/Professor Catriona MacKenzie  	  A7
	Mr Dylan Hodson				  G5
	Ms Kathryn Pearson			 G1	
	Ms Cathy Rytmeister			 A1
	Ms Sue Spinks				 A9
	A/Professor Marea Mitchell		 A5

Vacant Electorates

	General Staff VC				G2
	Academic Staff ELS				A8
	General Staff ELS				G12
	General Staff Law				G10

The apologies as listed above were noted.

Guests: 	Mr Tim Sprague Director, Human Resources

2. MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING

The SCG committee noted the following:

Dr Peter Browne’s resignation and would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his contribution to the work of the SCG.

Ms Kathryn Pearson’s appointment to Electorate G1 (Library) until the end of 2008.

Space guidelines have been revised and circulated with comments from Michael Marston.

The Director, HR requires will ask OFM management to explain the standards regarding sound-proofing.

Amendments to the processing of long service leave in increments of 7 days has been resolved.

REPORT FROM THE DIRECTOR, HR

The Director, HR advised:

All HR policies will be transferred to the new policy template in accordance with the Central Policy Registrar.  This needs to be completed by September for AUQA.
 
The revised policy template will be circulated to the SCG in the following weeks.

Promotion Policy

Julian Leslie and Ian Stewart be appointed to a working party with a response back to Cathy Wright within two weeks.

Head of Department Appointment Process

The Director, HR confirmed:

Only one piece of feedback received to date.

Core changes proposed to the recruitment procedure.  Selection panels will not be elected but will be selected through expressions of interest.

In the set up of the new Faculty structure positions will be advertised internally and that the position of Dean of Law was advertised externally and internally.

SCG Electorates

The SCG acknowledged the need to vary SCG electorates.  There was concern that there may be too many general staff to academic staff.  The concern was raised that any new SCG structure would need to be encoded in the EA.

SCG also recommends a working party be established to form a view on SCG structure post before elections are held later in the year.

Change Process – Issues Management Group

Resolution 19/08

SCG to put forward two representatives within the received time-frame.

Moved 	Lachlan Morgan
Seconded 	Julian Leslie

Passed unanimously

Nominations for the Issues Management Group to be lodged by 15 August 2008.

Code of Conduct

HR has been working on a review of the Code of Conduct.  The second draft will be referred to the Ethics Committee for feedback.  It is hoped the reviewed Code will be available at the next SCG meeting.

HR Delegations

At the SCG meeting in April, the Director advised that HR is working on finalising the delegations. Document to be referred to the SCG for feedback.

It was noted that delegation documentation will need to be amended in accordance with the new Academic structure.  The SCG suggested significant appointments be signed off at the Dean/Faculty level and casual appointments signed off by Heads of Departments.

OH&S Committee

Proposal for a new constitution will be drafted as a result of the new faculty structure.

Performance Development Review Process (PDRP)

Director, HR identified the behaviours in PDRP process have been modified in line with Ethics Statement.

Flexible Working Arrangements

Suzanne Burton confirmed development of new policy is going ahead (WP. FWA).

Reports from Working Parties

No reports from working parties tabled.

Other Business

The chair will check the status of working parties and ask them to report.

The meeting closed at 11.50 am

Next meeting 13 October at 9.30 am in the Council Room