“ARIC provides independent assurance, oversight, and assistance to Council by monitoring, reviewing and providing advice about how Council is run. It plays a pivotal role in overseeing Council’s governance, compliance, risk management and control frameworks, external accountability responsibilities, internal audit, and overall performance in an advisory capacity,”
Carl Millington, ARIC Chair.
The Audit, Risk & Improvement Committee (ARIC) is an independent advisory body to Council and utilises the expertise of its members to improve organisational efficiency, provide robust oversight, and recommend opportunities for improvements to Council services.
ARIC meets at least once in each quarter, with additional extra-ordinary meetings scheduled as required. Committee business is confidential, and meetings are closed to the general public. A report to Council is furnished after each Committee meeting.
Responsibilities
The Office of Local Government Guidelines for Risk Management and Internal Audit (‘the Guidelines’), and Council’s ARIC Terms of Reference set out the Committee’s objectives, authority, composition and tenure, roles and responsibilities, reporting and administrative arrangements.
Membership
The Committee is made up of three independent external members, one of whom acts as a committee chair, together with up to two elected Councillors, who are non-voting members.
This membership is consistent with the Guidelines and the ARIC Terms of Reference. Under the Guidelines, independent members need to meet set eligibility criteria.
Carl Millington
Chair and Independent External Member
Mr Millington is a Chartered Accountant with over 40 years’ experience in providing business advisory, auditing and accounting advice to NSW Local Government, Council Audit Committees, Not for-Profit organisations including government and community-based organisations, and state and local sporting organisations.
His professional roles include:
- Former Managing Partner of Pitcher Partners Sydney (now serving as a consultant)
- Senior partner in the Business Advisory and Assurance Group
- Member of the Pitcher Partners Advisory Board
- Chair of the Pitcher Partners Risk Committee
- Member of the Pitcher Partners National Risk and Quality Committee.
Arthur Butler
Independent External Member
Mr Butler has held Executive Management and Chief Financial Officer positions with Sydney Water and Electricity Commission of New South Wales and was part of the corporatisation and commercialisation of these entities.
Has served on several State Government Advisory Committees:
- A past non-Executive Director of the NSW State Rail Authority
- Rail Infrastructure NSW and Railcorp NSW and also of several private sector companies.
- A past Chair and Member of and currently serving on the Audit and Risk Committees of a number of NSW Government Cluster Departments, leading Government Agencies and local Government Entities.
Michelle Lawson
Independent External Member
Ms Lawson has over 30 years’ experience in Energy, Infrastructure and Finance. She is Non-Executive Director of the Australian Institute of Mining & Metallurgy and the Mark Hughes Foundation, as well as Independent External Member of Central Coast Council’s Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee.
She has more than a decade of practicing Director and Committee Chair experience, holds a Bachelor of Commerce and:
- Is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia & NZ, Governance Institute of Australia and Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
- Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors
- Justice of the Peace in NSW.
Annual Reports to Council
ARIC submits an annual report to Council on its affairs and the management of risk and internal controls.