Governance Framework (Australian First Nation's perspective)

Introduction
There are 8 elements to governance

- first 4 set the scene, ie  context (purpose, people, culture and wider environment)
- next 4 are about content, ie what you do (structure, strategy, rules and resources.)




"...covenants is most effective when you use your knowledge of that your specific contacts to design your governance model. That is, you design the structure, institutions, strategies and resources to match your peoples' priorities and ways of working, as well as to meet legal obligations..."
AIGI, 2023

Eight elements

i) purpose (it brings people together, eg cultural connection (family, community, nation, etc); have a shared vision; common projects, programmes, etc
Questions to achieve this
- What are your shared goals?
- How do you achieve our shared goals
- Why are you coming together?
- What is your shared history?)

ii) people (different stakeholders, eg staff, customers, suppliers, shareholders, partners, etc
Questions to achieve this
- Who do you represent?
- Who do you want to be involved with?
- Who will be the decision-makers?
- What experience, character, skills and qualifications do your staff need?)

iii) culture (it is the way we do things; it is shared by the different stakeholders in the organisation; is made up of knowledge, beliefs, ideas, power, laws and rules, meanings, relationships, etc; it involves customs (the right way to behave and treat one another) and traditions (behaviours developed in the past that are still relevant today.)
Questions to achieve this
- What responsibilities do you hold?
- Who holds the knowledge
- What are the language and/or cultural practices incorporated in the way we work together?)

iv) wider environment (understanding who in the wider community will be affected by your decisions
Questions to achieve this
- Who do you need to be considerate of?
- Who else do you want to work with?
- What legal or regulatory obligations do you need to think about?)

v) structure (what type of group are forming , eg corporation, association, peak body, etc; how do you share power, ie a governing body that represents, leaders makes decisions on behalf of the beneficiaries.
"...different structures have different legal and financial benefits group and different responsibilities for the individuals..."
AIGI, 2023
Questions to achieve this
- Have you want to work together to achieve what is important to you?
- What structure best aligns with  your purpose
-  Do you want to legally incorporate or stay informal?)
vi) Strategy (what will you do to achieve your shared goals, vision/purpose, etc; strategy can be set out as
"...- activity (different tasks)
     - timeframe (when you will do the tasks)
     - outcomes (the results of your activities)
     - impact (how it helps your purpose)
     - evaluation (track progress and revise)..."
AIGI, 2023
Questions to achieve this
- What are your priorities?
- What are the steps to make them happen?
- How can you monitor to make sure you stay on track?
- What could go wrong and what can you do about it?)

vii) Rules (they are the agreed way people behave and get things done; indicate what to do and what not to do in specific situations; rules should be recorded, ie rulebooks, constitutions, policies, procedures, processes, etc; ideally everyone is treated with consistency and fairness.
Questions to achieve this
- How do you make decisions?
- If you disagree, how will you resolve disputes?
- Who is accountable?)

viii) Resources (are required to help you achieve your shared goals and include knowledge and skills, relationships, funding, technology, infrastructure, natural resources, etc
Questions to achieve this
- What resources are already available?
- What do you need to achieve your goals?
- How will you get sources required?
- How will you manage the resources)

Worksheet

 (source: AIGI, 2023)