Statewide Mutual is proposing to introduce a programme to ensure the ongoing sustainability of Councillors’ and Officers’ cover to ultimately protect members’ contributions.
Introduced in 2004, Councillors’ and Officers’ Cover provides cover to senior management and politicians participating in Local Government. Unfortunately, in recent years we’ve seen deterioration in the claims experience across the portfolio. Since 2010 the claims frequency has increased threefold, with claims cost increasing from $500,000 to nearly $3 million.
The recent high profile ICAC cases involving Council have caused losses in excess of $1 million!
Two part programme
The first part of the Integrity Management Programme centres on raising awareness of the subject through a training programme. This will be presented by the Australian Institute of Company Directors, one of the foremost authorities in the area. The training programme will focus on engaging and educating members in identifying steps and activities that can be implemented to reduce potential losses. This will be done through interactive sessions using practical case studies.
The second part of the programme involves evaluating current systems to prevent integrity breaches and claims in terms of the Councillors’ & Officers’ policy. This can form the basis for developing individual Integrity Management Plans as part of Councils’ ongoing Continuous Improvement Pathway via their Risk Management Action Plans.
The Statewide Mutual Board of Management requests Member Council support for the programme and look forward to great results for all.