1. Mandatory Board Quotas
Transition to
Mandatory Board Quotas
[ORG Name]
[DATE]

2. About the Quotas Independent Inquiry into Women and Girls in
Sport and Active Recreation: A Five Year Game Plan for Victoria (2015)
Recommendation 3: ‘Mandate gender balance and good governance principles’
This means a minimum quota of 40% women on boards for:
State sport Associations
Regional Sport Assemblies
State Sport & Recreation Bodies
In December 2015, the Victorian Minister for Sport released the final report of the independent Inquiry into Women and Girls in Sport and Active Recreation – A Five Year Game Plan for Victoria – and committed to implement all nine of the Inquiry’s recommendations to enhance participation by women and girls and to increase their engagement in leadership and governance roles.
Recommendation 3 was to ‘Mandate gender balance and good governance principles’, with the Game Plan Inquiry making the following comments about implementation:
A minimum quota of 40% should be set for female representation on governing bodies.
A phase-in period of up to three years is reasonable for change.
There should be annual monitoring and reporting against this quota.
This recommendation has been noted as a founding reform in Safe and Strong – a Victorian gender equality strategy, released by the Victorian Government in December 2016.
KEY LINKS:
Quotas Fact Sheet:
Women & Girls in Sport and Active Recreation Inquiry Report:
Safe & Strong - Victorian Gender Equality Strategy:

3. Business Case for Diversity
Studies show the following benefits of gender diversity to boards:
Improved business performance
Broader, more in-depth discussion leading to improved decision making
Higher return on equity
Improved organisation reputation
Improved board unity and relations
The business case for diversity
Planning for and implementing gender diversity in your organisation is not only the right thing to do, it also makes good business sense. Higher rates of women’s leadership in your organisation is proven to increase the organisation’s problem-solving ability, because increasing the diversity of views on boards and at staff level increases the pool of ideas available for the organisation to draw on. Additionally, with greater diversity of ideas in your organisation, you have the potential to be more creative and innovative.
Increasing women’s leadership in your organisation will assist your organisation to develop, as well as making you leaders in the sector for other organisations to follow. The benefits are clear:
Companies with a higher representation of women in decision-making positions, in both the private and public sectors, perform better than those with more homogenous leadership (Ernst & Young Australia 2012).
Gender-diverse boards have broader, more in-depth discussions that enable them to solve problems and perform better than male-dominated boards (Insync Surveys 2010).
Women bring astute interpersonal skills to boards, which improves unity and functioning by generating better board relations and assisting all board members to work together to get results (Insync Surveys 2010).
Over a three and five-year period, ASX500 companies with female directors delivered significantly higher return on equity than companies without any women on their boards (Reibey Institute 2011).
Other Benefits of Diversity:
Improved organisational performance
A diverse workforce has the potential to increase the knowledge pool of an organisation and, if well managed, can lead to collaborative sharing of ideas across the organisation, which increases productivity
Cost advantages
A diverse, well-managed workforce will potentially lodge fewer grievance and equity complaints against an organisation, as employees feel valued and safe from bullying.
Lower turnover rates, less absenteeism
Employees who feel valued and supported by a diverse workforce policy are less likely to be absent or to leave the organisation, avoiding the considerable cost, time and effort required to hire new staff.
Reputation
Organisations that manage a diverse workforce well have more potential to develop a good public image and become known as positive, inclusive places to work. This assists the organisation’s ability to attract and retain a diverse range of high-calibre staff
Flexibility
Organisations that have a diverse workforce are more likely to have flexible systems to manage the diverse range of people they employ. This flexibility allows organisations to respond more quickly and appropriately to environmental changes.
Creativity and innovation
Diversity provides a greater range of individual differences in an organisation, providing a broader range of perspectives and ideas to solve problems.
Better-quality problem solving
Diversity in the workforce can improve decision making, as there is a broader pool of knowledge and perspectives to draw from to solve problems.
Building effective partnerships
Having a diverse workforce with a range of ideas and skills increases the organisation’s capacity to work in an increasingly globalised market, which requires innovative business solutions and the ability to work with many different stakeholders.
All notes on this slide sourced from:
Victorian Government (2017), Guidelines for the Recruitment and Retention of Women in Leadership Roles

4. Where are we now
Insert information here about your organisations current position.
This may include information about:
% women on your board
How you recruit board members
Any steps you have currently taken
You may also wish to consider a broader overview of information about female participation in your sport as a whole (i.e. staff, coaches, officials, participants, volunteers).

5. Where do we need to be State Government VicHealth SSAs, RSAs and SSRBs
eligible for State Government funding
are required to have
40% women on  their board
by 1 July 2019
VicHealth
VicHealth will also apply the quota to
SSAs, RSAs, national and
elite sporting organisations
by 1 July 2019

6. What if WE Don’t Meet the Quota?
Affected organisations that
don’t meet the 40% quota
by 1 July 2019
will not be eligible for
State Government and VicHealth
funding opportunities.
As at Oct 2017, Clubs, Leagues and Associations are not expected to meet the Quota.

7. How Can we get there Items to consider
Is the board fully aware of the incoming changes and their impact?
What is your organisation structure
Review your organisation’s board composition
Complete a skills audit
Reflect on director recruitment methods
Timeframes for next AGM & 1 July 2019 deadline
Meeting practices
Who will undertake the work?
This slide is provided as an outline of how your organisation may wish to approach the incoming Quotas. When presenting to your board or members, adapt the list of action as required.
Is your board aware of the incoming changes?
What information do they need?
How has/will this be communicated?
Do board members need additional information/support/training?
Organisation structure
What type of organisation are you? (i.e. Company Limited by Guarantee, Incorporated Association etc.)
What legislation impacts the structure of your organisation?
Are there clauses in your constitution that may constrain the move towards quotas?
Will constitutional change be required?
Review your organisation’s board composition
How many directors can your organisation have?
Who can be a director of your organisation?
Is there provision for appointed directors? Are there restrictions around these positions?
Do directors have term limits?
Is director rotation staggered?
Complete a skills audit
Undertake a skills audit of current directors
Identify any significant areas of experience and skills that are missing
Identify any experience or skills required to assist your organisation meet its strategic plan
Incorporate information about skills desired in upcoming election advertisements   
Reflect on director recruitment methods
How are vacancies advertised?
Who receives this information?
Do you actively seek/encourage potential directors to nominate?
Do you utilise a nominations sub-committee to assist to recruit directors?
Do you advertise beyond your membership?
Is a director nomination kit developed providing all information a potential director may require?
How long before the AGM do you seek nominations?
Consider timeframes relating to your next AGM
How much notice is required to convene an AGM?
When do nominations need to be received by your organisation?
What is the expected director rotation based on maximum terms (if in place)?
Meeting practices
Does the meeting time and location make attendance accessible to potential directors?
Can your organisation utilise technology to assist with meeting attendance (i.e. Teleconference and video conference)?
Who will undertake the work?
Do you have a working group/sub-committee to drive the transition?
Is there a current sub-committee with the right skills to deliver this?
How will they report to the board?
Do you need to consider external assistance?

8. What Support is Available
Vicsport INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
Information and Resources via Vicsport website
Board Bank
Advertise upcoming board elections and positions available
Industry Based Training Opportunities
Effective Directors & Effective Boards workshops
Industry Induction
Organisation Specific Support (on demand basis)
Facilitated discussions at board meetings
Document review
Ongoing Support
Individual meetings, advice and guidance throughout the transition process
Vicsport has been engaged by the Sport and Recreation Victoria to assist affected organisations to transition through the process in order to meet the minimum quota by This support will consist of a range of initiatives including:
Information and Resources via Vicsport website
Board Bank
Industry Based Training Opportunities
Organisation Specific Support (on demand basis)
Ongoing Support
Vicsport is here to assist organisations through the transition process by:
Facilitating the sharing of information, ideas and strategies across organisations
The provision of tailored advice and assistance that is specific to the needs of your organisation

9. Where to from here
<Insert details about what your organisation will do next after this meeting/presentation>

10. vicsport.com.au/board-quotas
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vicsport.com.au/board-quotas