Australian
Institute of Marine Science
Annual
Report 1997-1998
Corporate
Overview
AIMS is a
Commonwealth Statutory Authority subject to the
Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act
1997, reporting to the Minister for Industry,
Science and Tourism. The program of the
Institute is defined by the Australian
Institute of Marine Science Act 1972, by
the strategic priorities as determined by the
Council, and by the decisions of Government.
In line with the thrust towards greater
commercialisation and adoption of the
Institute’s research, the Australian
Institute of Marine Science Act 1972 was
amended in 1992 to better reflect the
obligations on AIMS to not only perform
research and development, but to encourage
and facilitate its application and use. The
functions of the Institute are detailed in
Appendix 4.
The Institute
undertakes marine science and technology
research to build knowledge and understanding
of marine ecosystems, for promoting
sustainable development of marine industries,
and for allowing effective conservation of
marine resources. AIMS has conducted
research, not only in Australia, but also in
southeast Asia and the Pacific and Indian
Oceans.
Governance
The AIMS
Council is appointed by the Governor-General
and is responsible for the overall direction
and operation of the Institute. Its
representatives have a range of marine
interests, and experience Australia-wide and
overseas. The Council is committed to the
principle of applying the results of the
Institute’s research for the benefit of
the community, for the benefit of Australian
industry and commerce, and to assist the
Government in making informed management
decisions concerning coastal and marine
resources and activities.
The Director
is appointed by the Governor-General, on
advice from the government, through the
Minister for Industry, Science and Tourism.
The Institute’s day-to-day management is
conducted by the Director, assisted by an
Executive Committee of four senior staff who
meet monthly and report to each Council
meeting.
Code
of conduct
The Institute
has a Code of Conduct for Council and staff
covering general standards of behaviour.
Council
meetings
The
Institute’s Council meets four times per
year. Members disclose to the Council their
connections to other commercial entities,
such as Boards, and adhere to a policy on
declaring actual or potential conflicts of
interest as part of the Council operations.
The Council has an Audit Committee comprising
two Council members, one independent member,
and the internal auditor, which oversees the
Institute’s audit strategy and reviews
and reports to the Council in connection with
the Institute’s accounting records.
Council
meetings are normally attended by the
Institute’s Executive Committee to
provide advice and consultation. The Council
met on the following dates during the
1997-1998 reporting year:
| Council meeting
#128 |
8-9 September
1997 |
Townsville |
| Council meeting
#129 |
24 November
1997 |
Canberra |
| Council meeting
#130 |
16-17 March1998 |
Townsville |
| Council meeting
#131 |
10 June 1998 |
Dampier |
Chairman
and members
Professor
Peter R. Andrews, BSc(Hons), PhD, FRACI,
FTSE
Director,
Centre for Drug Design and Development,
University of Queensland, Brisbane Qld.
Member of
Council
1988-1998
Appointed AIMS Council Chairman in July 1995
Current term 30 June 1994 - 30 June 1998
The Chairman
of Council, Professor Peter Andrews, is the
Director of the Centre for Drug Design and
Development at the University of Queensland
and former Dean of Science and Technology at
Bond University.
Professor
Andrews is an active promoter of the benefits
of closer interaction between public sector
research organisations and industry, and has
been at the forefront of initiatives to
foster the development of an Australian
research-based pharmaceutical industry, built
on the nation’s high quality basic
research, and natural resources. His personal
research interests have been focussed on the
study of the structure and function of
biologically active substances, including
computer-aided design of novel pharmaceutical
products based on naturally occurring
chemical substances extracted from marine
organisms. Professor Andrews is a Director of
AGEN Ltd and a Fellow of the Australian
Academy of Technological Sciences and
Engineering.
Dr Wendy
Craik, BSc(Hons), PhD, Grad Dip
M’ment, FTSE
Executive
Director, National Farmers’ Federation
Member of Council 1997-1998
Current term 1 July 1997 - 30 June
2000
Dr Craik is
the Executive Director of the National
Farmers’ Federation (NFF). A fisheries
biologist, Dr Craik worked for the Great
Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority for 17
years, the last three as the Executive
Officer responsible to the Chair of the
Authority. Dr Craik was responsible for
coordinating the development and
implementation of the 25-Year Strategic
Plan for the Great Barrier Reef World
Heritage Area. Dr Craik has extensive
experience in public policy, environmental
planning, management and research, and
financial and human resource management. Dr
Craik is a member of the Australian Landcare
Council and the Board of the Institute of
Land and Food Resources at Melbourne
University.
Mr Bruce G.
McKay, BSc(Hons), FIEAust, FAICD
Member of
Council 1997-1998
Current term 1 July 1997 - 30 June
2000
Mr McKay is a
geologist with almost thirty years experience
in exploration, production, and management in
the resources industry, primarily in oil and
gas. He worked for Esso Australia and
internationally with Exxon affiliates from
1968 to 1992. He is an Honorary Life Member
of the Australian Petroleum Production and
Exploration Association (APPEA) and was its
Chairman in 1991 to 1992. He is a
Non-Executive Director of Normandy Mining
Limited and the Non-Executive Chairman of
Australian Worldwide Exploration NL.
Dr Raymond
W. George, BSc(Hons), PhD
Albany WA
Member of Council 1995-1998
Current term 18 July 1995 – 30
May 1998
Dr George is
an experienced marine biologist with a
special knowledge and interest in crustacea.
He has worked on the basic biology of the
Western Rock Lobster with CSIRO, Division of
Fisheries. He retired in 1984 as Senior
Curator of the Western Australian Museum
after 26 years with the organisation. Since
that time Dr George has worked as a
scientific consultant to a number of marine
industry groups and government agencies.
Mr Geoffrey
G. Hill, BEcon(Syd), MBA, FCPA ASIA
Executive
Chairman,
Geoffrey Hill & Associates Pty Ltd,
Sydney NSW
Member of Council 1995-1998
Current term 18 July 1995 - 18 July
1998
Mr Hill has
worked extensively both in Australia and
overseas and has been a merchant banker for
over 25 years. He specialises in corporate
financial advice, mergers, acquisitions, and
restructuring and recovery. Mr Hill is
Chairman of Geoffrey Hill & Associates
Pty Ltd, a member of the Republic Securities
Ltd Group. Mr Hill is also Chairman/Director
of a number of companies including
International Pacific Investments Ltd,
Auspine Ltd, FAI Insurances Ltd, and Auto
Logistics Ltd.
Dr Russell
E. Reichelt, BSc(Hons), PhD, FAICD
Director
Australian Institute of Marine Science,
Townsville Qld.
Director of AIMS and ex-officio member
of Council, 1995-1998
Current term 17 January 1995 - 18
January 2002
Dr Reichelt is
interested in the application of science and
technology for the benefit of the community,
industry, and public policy decision-makers.
Before appointment as AIMS Director in 1995
he was Director of the Fisheries Resources
Branch of the Bureau of Resource Sciences,
Canberra. Prior to that he was a research
scientist at AIMS. He is Chairman of the
Board of the Fisheries Research and
Development Corporation, and adjunct
Professor of Biological Sciences at James
Cook University.
New
Council members
Three new
Council members were appointed on 1 July 1998
for a five-year term. They are Mr Norbury
Rogers (Chairman), Dr Merilyn Sleigh, and Mr
Brian Guthrie.
Executive
Committee
The Director
is responsible for managing the day-to-day
affairs of the Institute, drawing support and
advice from an Executive Committee, of which
he is Chairman. During 1997-1998 the
Executive Committee included Dr Peter Isdale,
Acting Associate Director (Business); Dr
David McB Williams, Associate Director
(Research); Dr John Veron, Chief Scientist,
and Mr Peter Willers, General Manager,
Support Services.
Social justice and equity
Staff
All Institute
staff members are employed under the Australian
Institute of Marine Science Act 1972
(amended 1992). No staff members are employed
under the Public Service Act 1922. In
addition to staff paid from appropriation
funds, the Institute employs staff
periodically on various projects and schemes
that are funded from external organisations.
The total
staff employed by AIMS during the 1997-98
reporting period (including casuals)
represented as an equivalent full-time value
(i.e. staff years) is shown in the following
table:
| Source of
funding |
Category |
Number |
| Appropriation |
Science |
68.8 |
| |
Corporate |
22.1 |
| |
Support |
35.1 |
| Sub-total |
|
126.0 |
| External |
Science |
39.2 |
| |
Corporate |
0.0 |
| |
Support |
1.0 |
| Sub-total |
|
40.1 |
| TOTAL |
|
166.1 |
The break-down
of staff by gender is shown in the following
tables:
| Appropriation-funded
staff |
Female |
Male |
Total |
| Science |
13.9 |
54.9 |
68.8 |
| Support |
21.1 |
36.0 |
57.2 |
| Total |
35.0 |
90.9 |
126.0 |
| Externally-funded
staff |
Female |
Male |
Total |
| Science |
17.8 |
21.3 |
39.2 |
| Support |
1.0 |
0.0 |
1.0 |
| Total |
18.8 |
21.3 |
40.1 |
| Total staff |
Female |
Male |
Total |
| |
53.9 |
112.3 |
166.1 |
Workplace
Diversity
Measured
against the objectives in the AIMS Equal
Employment Opportunity (EEO) Plan, the
majority of outcomes have been achieved in
advance of the Year 2000 target. The numbers
of permanent and fixed term Institute staff
for designated EEO groups, as at 30 June
1998, are shown in the table below.
| EEO Group |
1996-1997
% of staff
|
1997-1998
% of staff
|
| Aboriginal and
TorresStrait Islander |
1.0 |
1.0 |
| Staff from a
non-English speaking background |
19.6 |
22.0 |
| Staff with a
disability |
7.0 |
7.0 |
| Female staff |
35.0 |
32.0 |
Twelve of the
65 short-term casual employees in 1997-98
were from a non-English speaking background.
Staff, visiting experts, volunteers,
Associates and collaborative scientists
originating from over thirty countries worked
at AIMS during the year.
Five per cent
of the permanent/fixed term workforce works
part-time, indicating a move to more flexible
working arrangements, particularly for staff
with family responsibilities.
The
Institute’s Workplace Harassment Contact
Officers reported that no formal cases were
lodged this year. During the year both
officers attended Workplace Harassment
training courses.
The
Disabilities Focus Group (DFG) comprises both
scientific and support staff and considers
and, where possible, resolves issues
affecting people with disabilities within the
Institute. As a result of their effort, this
year, the following improvements have been
made to cater for people with special needs:
conversion of
toilet facilities into disabled toilets;
installation
of handrails in a number of toilets; and
erection of a
notice board to display brochures and
information on a range of issues affecting
people with disabilities or special needs.
Industrial
Democracy
Extensive
consultation with staff and their
representation took place to formulate a
Workplace Agreement. The draft Agreement was
presented to management and staff for their
consideration, and a new Workplace Agreement
for the period 1998-2000 is expected to be
certified in the Australian Industrial
Commission early in the new financial year.
Occupational
Health and Safety (OH&S)
The OH&S
Committee met three times. Forty-six OH&S
incidents were reported during the year. All
cases were dealt with promptly; the majority
involved minor work injuries. New OH&S
staff/visitor induction forms were introduced
and are now processed electronically.
Fifty-six staff and 108 visitors were
inducted to OH&S procedures, and
second-tier induction was conducted for staff
and visitors intending to work in
laboratories, at sea, or in the field.
OH&S
audits were undertaken to address urgent
concerns in hazardous areas (including the
mechanical workshop and marine store). Risk
assessments were undertaken on manual
handling activities, for example in the
Oceanographic Technican Section.
Comcare
reporting guidelines were installed on the
Institute’s Intranet to improve staff
access.
In addition to
the weekly OH&S induction and second-tier
training sessions, 166 staff attended
OH&S training courses during the year.
Eighty-eight staff attended safety courses,
including defensive driving, radiation safety
and first aid training, and 78 staff attended
diving, or safety-at-sea courses.
Two long-term
non-compensable cases involving
rehabilitation and graduated return to work
programs were managed during the year, and
two long-term compensation cases were
finalised.
The
Institute’s employee assistance program
providers, Interlock, reported an 8.5 per
cent usage rate of counselling activities for
the year, compared with 13.5 per cent for
1996-97.
Freedom of
Information (FOI)
A statement of
specific items is required under Section 8 of
the Freedom of Information Act 1982 and is
included here:
Establishment
The Institute
is located on a 207-hectare site at Cape
Ferguson, approximately 50 kilometres east of
Townsville, and has an office and
laboratories in Dampier, Western Australia.
The Institute is governed by a Council
consisting of a part-time Chairperson, and
part-time members, who are appointed by the
Governor-General. The Director is a member of
Council, ex officio. The Council is
responsible to the Honourable John Moore,
Minister for Industry, Science and Tourism.
Arrangements for
Outside Participation
The
Institute’s research programs are
formulated by the Executive Committee and
endorsed by the Council. However, the
Institute receives advice and is reviewed
periodically, as requested by the Government.
Categories of Documents
The Institute
maintains copies of administrative manuals,
research publications, and its Annual
Reports.
FOI Procedures and
Initial Contact Point
Facilities for
consulting documents are provided at AIMS.
The Institute’s publications are on
display for the public and may be purchased
through the AIMS Bookshop, managed by the
Science Communications Section. General
enquiries concerning access to documents, or
other matters relating to FOI, should be
directed to:
Human
Resources Manager
Australian Institute of Marine Science
PMB No 3, Townsville Mail Centre
Qld 4810
Telephone: (07) 4753 4319
Facsimile: (07) 4772 5852
FOI Requests
No requests
were made of the Institute during the year
under the provisions of the Freedom of
Information Act 1982.
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