1. ADELAIDE - MEMBER CONSULTATION FORUM
28 March 2018
Summary

2. Overview of Session
Adelaide Convention Centre, North Terrace, Adelaide
5.30pm
Board members:
Peter Wilson & Robyn Erskine
Registered: 74
Attended: 43
Divisional Council:
Opened by: Andrew Dow
Topics Discussed
Process to appoint the board
Strategy for CPA Australia
Engagement between members, and between members and the national office
Appointment of the new CEO
Internal culture
Professional standards scheme
Continuing professional development
Marketing the CPA Australia brand
Membership fees
Centralisation of member services
Providers of CPA Australia’s outsourced functions

3. Summary of discussion
CPA members asked 15 questions of the Board members in attendance, Peter Wilson and Robyn Erskine. Members also addressed each others’ concerns and questions.
The main topics discussed were:
Process to appoint the board – the discussion covered models of direct election, the recommendations of the Independent Review Panel, concerns about the proposed Nominations Committee, potential for online voting, the number of public practitioners on the board, the tenure of the board Chair, and ensuring the board has mechanisms in place to listen to members.
Strategy for CPA Australia – ensuring the organisation is re-focussed towards the needs of members, and knows how to give the best value to the members
Engagement between members, and between members and the national office – communications to members should be open and transparent, and be expanded beyond InTheBlack. Members should have an open method, potentially digital, for communicating with each other. The national office needs to ensure it is engaged with members throughout Australia, not focussed on Melbourne.
The discussion also covered:
Appointment of the new CEO – concerns the new CEO is not a CPA
Internal culture of CPA Australia, and how this needs to change to ensure members are the focus of the organisation
Professional standards scheme – resolving the insurance issue
Continuing professional development – confirming that the recently announced free CDP would continue, rather than be a one-off
Marketing the CPA Australia brand – the future direction of marketing activity
Membership fees – potential for fees to be adjusted in the future
Centralisation of member services - the resultant reduction in local services, and the need for this to be reversed, and local service delivery improved
Providers of CPA Australia’s outsourced functions – reviewing the current service providers for auditing and search

4. PHOTOS