The Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC) has won a prestigious award for a collaborative community engagement project at the 2009 B-HERT Awards.
The aim of the Business/Higher Education Round Table (B–HERT) awards is to reinforce the importance of business–university partnerships in the areas of innovation, research and development and teaching. B–HERT is a not-for-profit organisation established to strengthen the relationship between business and the higher education sector.
ORIC, in partnership with Swinburne University of Technology, the Department of Planning and Community Development—Aboriginal Affairs Victoria, Consumer Affairs Victoria, Department of the Premier and Cabinet, South Australia and Horizons Education and Development, Queensland, received the accolade for its corporate governance training program, Managing in Two Worlds.
The program aims to develop the capacity of directors, members and staff of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations in governing and managing organisations. This includes being more effective in how the organisations operate with increased accountability, authority and leadership direction.
The awards, which were presented at a ceremony in Melbourne last night, recognise outstanding achievements in collaboration between business and higher education in the fields of research and development and education and training.
‘It is good to know that ORIC is seen as a leader in Indigenous corporate governance and support services’, said Anthony Beven, the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations. ‘The fact that we won this award is a welcome recognition for all the hard work that went into making this an award-winning project. It is also an example of different levels of government working in collaboration with the private sector to provide much needed corporate governance training to people who may not otherwise have access to such training.’
Background
The Registrar of Indigenous Corporations administers the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006. There are 2300 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations registered under the Act. One of the statutory functions of the Registrar is to conduct public education programs on the governance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations. The Managing in Two Worlds program was developed for this purpose.
Contact:
Lisa Donnelly on (02) 6219 7611,
6 November 2009
ORIC MR0910-14