UNCLASSIFIED

ACT Veterinary Surgeons Board

VETERINARY SURGEONS BOARD

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

ACT VETERINARY SURGEONS BOARD

CODE OF CONDUCT

V0.3

March 2018

Message from the President

The Veterinary Surgeons Board of the ACT is established to assist the Minister with the administration of the relevant legislation in relation to the veterinary surgeons profession in the ACT. The ACT Veterinary Surgeons Board is required to act diligently in all its dealings and comply with the various legislation, policies and procedures that govern such boards in the Territory.

Members of the ACT Veterinary Surgeons Board will be required to sign a Code of Conduct on appointment with undertakings to ensure they behave ethically, honestly and with integrity at all times. It is incumbent upon all members of the board to fully understand and adhere to the responsibilities outlined in this document.

Conduct

  1. A board member shall, in the performance of their duties:
  2. exercise reasonable care and skill;
  3. act impartially, uninfluenced by fear or favour;
  4. act with probity;
  5. treat members of the public, other public employees including other board members, and members of the veterinary profession with courtesy and sensitivity to their rights, duties and aspirations;
  6. in dealing with members of the public, make all reasonable efforts to assist them to understand their entitlements under Territory laws and to understand any requirements that they are obliged to satisfy under those laws;
  7. not harass a member of the public, another public employee including other board members, or members of the veterinary profession whether sexually or otherwise;
  8. not unlawfully coerce a member of the public, another public employee including other board members, or members of the veterinary profession;
  9. not make comment that he or she is not authorised to make where the comment may be expected to be taken to be an official comment;
  10. not make improper use of the property of the Territory;
  11. avoid waste and extravagance in the use of property of the Territory or ACT Veterinary Surgeons Board; and
  12. report to the President of the Board, or in the case of the President of the Board, report to the Senior Executive Responsible for Business Integrity and Risk within the Transport Canberra and City Services Directorate:
  13. any corrupt or fraudulent conduct in the public sector that comes to his or her attention; or
  14. any possible maladministration in the public sector that he or she has reason to suspect.
  1. A board member shall be:
  2. frank and honest in official dealings with colleagues.
  3. behave in a manner that upholds and promotes the good reputation of the ACT Veterinary Surgeons Board.
  4. respect the confidentiality and privacy of all information that they encounter as a member of the board.
  5. ensure the secure storage of sensitive or confidential information.

Conflict of Interest

  1. A board member should avoid situations in which any private interest, whether pecuniary or otherwise, conflicts or might reasonably be thought to conflict, with their public duty.
  2. When a board member directly or indirectly possesses an interest which conflicts or might reasonably be thought to conflict with tie public duty, or improperly influence conduct in the discharge of responsibilities, the board member should disclose that interest according to the prescribed procedures. Should new or additional facts become material after an initial disclosure has been made, the board member should disclose the further information.
  3. When the interests of members of the board member’s immediate family are involved, the interests should be disclosed to the extent that they are known. Members of the immediate family will ordinarily comprise only the spouse and dependent children, but may include other members of the household or family when their interests are closely connected with those of the board member.
  4. When a board member possesses an interest which conflicts or might reasonably be thought to conflict with the duties of their office and such interest is not prescribed as a qualification for that office, the member should forthwith divest themselves of that interest, secure their removal from the duties in question, or obtain the authorisation of a superior or other board members to continue to discharge the duties. Transfer to a trustee or to a member of the board member’s family is not a sufficient divestment for the purpose. If immediate divestment would cause significant hardship to the board member, possession of the interest should be disclosed to board members or the minister and authorisation obtained for temporary retention pending divestment.
  5. A board member should not:
  6. use information obtained in the course of their official duties to directly or indirectly gain a pecuniary advantage for themselves or for any other person. In particular, a board member should scrupulously avoid investments or other transactions about which they have, or might reasonably be thought to have, early or confidential information which might confer on the member an unfair or improper advantage over other persons.
  7. Discuss or publicly disclose information gained in the course of their official duties without prior approval of the board or relevant minister.
  1. A board member should not:
  2. solicit or accept from any person any remuneration or benefit for the discharge of their duties over and above the official remuneration;
  3. solicit or accept any benefit, advantage or promise of future advantage for themselves, their immediate family or any business concern or trust with which they are associated, from persons who are in, or seek to be in, any contractual or special relationship with government.
  4. except as may be permitted under the rules applicable to their position on the board, accept any gift, hospitality or concessional travel offered in connection with the discharge of their duties.

Code of Conduct / Conflict of Interest Declaration

I, ______declare that, to the best of my knowledge, I do not have any conflict of interest that could arise from my appointment to the ACT Veterinary Surgeons Board. Should an actual or potential conflict of interest arise, I agree to disclose this immediately to the President of the Board, or in the case of the President, to the Minister for Transport and City Services.

I have read and agree to abide by the guidelines set out in this Code of Conduct and the general obligations of public employees as outlined in Section 9 of the Public Sector Management Act 1994, which has been incorporated into this document.

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SignatureFirst and Last Name

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Date

UNCLASSIFIED

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Code of Conduct1 of 4March 2018