A note from the Chair - NDC Update

Dear Snowsports Community,

As indicated in communication throughout 2024, the Snow Australia Board, with the support of staff, has completed a comprehensive review of our National Discipline Committees (NDCs), and certain processes around the administration of our sport.

This review was initiated in response to growing demands around sports governance, requiring our Board to provide greater scrutiny over finance, risk management, sport integrity, child protection, and a range of other compliance obligations.

In response to these demands, we have recognised the need for our NDCs to play a more active role in setting strategy and policy. This has led to a call for a more diverse range of skills and representation across all committees.

The full review, which was released in November 2024 can be viewed here.

A summary of our organisation’s activities in response to the recommendations of the review is provided below:

Restructure and Refresh of National Discipline Committees:

• Achieved a minimum of 40% gender representation on all National Discipline Committees.
• Established equal gender representation across the Chairs of all sub-committees.
• Ensured athlete representation on each committee.
• Balanced representation across our institute partners, the community, clubs, and officials.
• Defined a clear direction for each NDC to contribute to strategy and policies relating to their respective disciplines.

Formation of New Committees:
•    New Selection Committee has been established to provide oversight and independent review of all selection decisions.
•    New Athletes’ Committee has been established and will comprise the athletes appointed to each discipline committee, chaired by Katya Crema, the Athlete Representative to the Snow Australia Board. 

Approval and Release of Key Governance Documents:

• New Athlete Committee Terms of Reference
• New Selection Committee Terms of Reference
• New Selection and Appeal Process Guide
• Updated National Discipline Committee Terms of Reference
• Updated Selection Appeals Policy 

These documents outline the roles and responsibilities for each of the committees and its members.  The Process Guide also outlines the step by step process for how our organisation will go about receiving applications, nominating athletes, make selection decisions and undertake any required review.

We again thank all current and past members of our NDCs who have dedicated significant time and effort to achieving this outcome.  The revised processes will no doubt bring an increased level of governance and transparency to this area of our sport.  
 
At the upcoming AGM our Board will also be proposing updates to our Constitution which align with the new processes outlined above and bring our sport in-line with the current Sports Governance Standards and best practices. I thank our Finance Governance and Risk Committee, led by Jacky Storer for its work in this area.

We encourage you to review the documents provided. If you have any questions or concerns or would like to have an online meeting to go through the documents in more detail, please do not hesitate to reach out to me, any member of our Board, or our staff.

Thank you for your continued support and commitment to the growth and success of snowsports in Australia.

Best regards,
Daniel Bosco
Chair
Snow Australia