Conflict of Interest

Policy 	Employees, management committee members and volunteers will declare potential, perceived and/or real conflicts of interests. The organisation will engage in open, transparent and ethical decision making processes. 
		
Definitions	Pecuniary interests are also known as financial or fiscal interests.

A potential conflict of interest occurs when there is a risk that the matter could be considered a conflict of interest.

	A real conflict of interest occurs when there is an actual conflict of interest.

	Disclosed conflict of interest - an open declaration of a conflict of interest.

Procedure
•	A conflict of interest occurs when an employee’s or Management Committee member’s personal interests are in conflict with the organisation’s and community’s interest. When there is a conflict, it may influence the outcome of the decisions they are required to make.

•	A personal interest occurs when a decision a person makes directly or indirectly affects themselves or associates including (but not limited to):
•	immediate and extended family members or other persons with a strong personal bond (e.g. husband, wife, children, brothers, sisters, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles and friends) 
•	organisations in which the person is actively involved (church, sporting club, etc)
•	business partner/s.

•	A personal or material interest occurs when a person and/or their associates may indirectly or directly stand to personally or financially profit from the decision being made by the decision maker.

•	A decision that involves the whole community or a specific group of people does not normally lead to a conflict of interest. For example, if the organisation is reviewing a program targeting youth, a Committee member or employee of the organisation will not have a conflict of interest just because he or she has an adolescent son or daughter.

•	If A Management Committee member or employee of the organisation believes they have a potential or real conflict of interest in a matter that requires a decision to be made, the Management Committee member or employee should disclose the personal interest at a staff or Management Committee meeting. For example, if the organisation is deciding whether or not to fund an all-expenses-paid trip for a young person to attend a conference and the person is a son or daughter of a Management Committee member or an employee, the employee or Management Committee member must declare the conflict of interest.

•	If a Management Committee member or employee of the organisation believes they have a personal interest that may result in their financial gain, the employee or Management Committee member must declare the interest at a staff or Management Committee meeting.

•	If the Manager or Chair of the Management Committee believes that a potential or real conflict of interest may exist, then the Manager/Chair is required to disclose the matter to the organisation.

What happens when a conflict of interest is disclosed?
•	When an employee or Management Committee member of an organisation declares a potential or real conflict of interest at a meeting, the disclosure should be recorded in the Minutes.  

•	When a conflict of interest is disclosed, the Manager or Chair of the Management Committee should record the declaration in the Conflict of Interest Record. 

•	When the Manager or Chair or other employee discloses a conflict of interest, the responsibility for resolving the conflict rests with the person to whom the disclosure is made.

•	If the conflict of interest is a minor issue, the organisation may decide that disclosure and registering the conflict of interest is a sufficient course of action.

•	If the conflict is significant, the organisation should implement a policy that the person who has the conflict must remove themselves from all discussions and decisions being made regarding the matter. 

Accessing the Conflict of Interest Record
•	All persons wishing to access the Conflict of Interest Record should complete the Request to Access Public Documents.

•	The Conflict of Interest Record should be made available to the general public within 21 days of request, unless there are special circumstances that exist or the applicant has been denied.

•	The Conflict of Interest Record should be stored in a safe and secure location.

Related documents
Conflict of Interest Record
Request to Access Public Documents