More on Governance

Governance refers to the processes, activities and relationships of AMBA that make sure we are effectively and properly run. Good governance is when AMBA has practices and procedures in place that help us to do our work effectively and openly, and when the roles and responsibilities of people in our organisation are clearly understood.

Why is good governance important?

Good governance helps make sure that the day-to-day work of AMBA aligns with and contributes to achieving our purpose. It is important that board members ask why are we here, what are we doing and how will we do it? Asking these questions (and trying to answer them) helps us to stay true to our vision and mission.

Ten principles that promote good governance

1 Roles and Responsibilities

There should be clarity regarding individual director responsibilities, organisational expectations of directors and the role of the board.

2 Board Composition

A board needs to have the right group of people, having particular regard to each individual’s background, skills and experience, and how the addition of an individual builds the collective capability and effective functioning of the board.

3 Purpose and Strategy

The board plays an important role in setting the vision, purpose and strategies of the organisation, helping the organisation understand these and adapting the direction or plans as appropriate.

4 Risk 

By putting in place an appropriate system of risk oversight and internal controls, boards can help increase the likelihood that their organisation will deliver on its purpose.

5 Organisational Performance

The degree to which an organisation is delivering on its purpose can be difficult to assess, but this can be aided by the board determining and assessing appropriate performance categories and indicators for the organisation.

6 Board Effectiveness

A board’s effectiveness may be greatly enhanced through: careful forward planning of board-related activities; board meetings being run in an efficient manner; regular assessments of board performance; having a board succession plan; and the effective use of sub-committees, where appropriate.

7 Integrity and Accountability

It is important that the board have in place a system whereby: there is a flow of information to the board that aids decision-making; there is transparency and accountability to external stakeholders; and the integrity of financial statements and other key information is safeguarded.

8 Organisation Building

The board has a role to play in enhancing the capacity and capabilities of the organisation they serve.

9 Culture and Ethics

The board sets the tone for ethical and responsible decision-making throughout the organisation.

10 Engagement

The board helps an organisation to engage effectively with stakeholders.

More on the Board of Directors

As a company limited by guarantee, AMBA is required by law to maintain a Board of Directors. The AMBA Board of Directors is a hybrid model of a typical board and an executive management team. AMBA's tiered and federated member-club model requires our board to take on executive management responsibilities in addition to our governance role of providing leadership and strategy, setting and maintaining vision, mission and values and ensuring compliance with governing documents.

AMBA has more than the average number of directors due to our hybrid model and broad areas of responsibility. Directors make both strategic and operational decisions, with some directors focused purely on management activity such as communicating expectations to our member-clubs and volunteers; managing day-to-day operations and program implementation.

All AMBA directors are internal to our organisation, are members of their local club and are volunteers.  

More on our state bodies

State and Territory Committees exist to enable the achievement of AMBA goals and are a key liaison between the Board and member-clubs.

State and territory committees support AMBA clubs in their state or territory through operational and/or strategic guidance. State and territory committees are sub-committees of the AMBA Board and are comprised of individual members of local clubs, elected by member clubs (of that state/territory). Through regular interactions and facilitation of club sharing opportunities via events such as annual state seminar, the state and territory bodies seek to make their clubs as efficient as possible.

More on your local club

AMBA is a grassroots organisation and the magic happens at club level. Local clubs exist to directly support their member families. They are the fabric of the AMBA organisation and are the key to servicing multiple birth families across Australia and directly impacting their health outcomes.

Affiliated clubs across Australia support their members in their own unique way with the ultimate goal to be there for families when they need it most. The main function of local clubs is to improve health outcomes of member families by offering a range of support services. Clubs are independently managed and operated by volunteer parents of multiples from all walks of life and experience.

Clubs affiliate and have voting rights with both the AMBA national body and with the local state/territory body. Clubs generally hold their own constitution and by-laws and are governed by those in their day-to-day operations.

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