CSIRO Head Office, Canberra, ACT

The CSIRO head office, Limestone Avenue, Canberra, ACT.

The governance of CSIRO

Good governance ensures that CSIRO can be trusted to do what it was established to do.

  • 22 February 2011 | Updated 14 October 2011

CSIRO is an Australian Government statutory authority constituted and operating under the provisions of the Science and Industry Research Act 1949. CSIRO's primary functions under the Act are to carry out scientific research to benefit Australian industry and the community, and to contribute to the achievement of national objectives.

CSIRO is accountable to the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research and is part of the Innovation, Industry, Science and Research portfolio.

The CSIRO Board is responsible to the Australian Government for the overall governance, strategy and performance of the Organisation. Find out more about Our Board.

Enterprise governance provides direction, control and accountability to enable CSIRO to achieve its objectives.

CSIRO's Governance Framework covers:

  • the ways in which CSIRO is organised, directed and managed
  • how it engages with the outside world
  • how it monitors its performance; and
  • the ways it is held accountable for its decisions and actions.

CSIRO recognises that good governance cannot be measured in purely financial terms. As a public sector body, CSIRO's performance is measured against broader national, social and community objectives.

Detailed information about CSIRO's Governance can be found in our Annual report.

Featured items

Statement of Expectations

The then Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator the Honourable Kim Carr, provided CSIRO with his revised Statement of Expectations on 31 August 2011. The Statement reconfirms and refines the Government's expectations of CSIRO. (4 pages)

Flagship Advisory Committees

The Flagship Advisory Committees provide independent, external advice to CSIRO through the Flagship Director on how to maximise the effectiveness of the Flagship portfolio to achieve its goals. They also assist CSIRO on broader strategic issues relevant to the sectors in which the Flagship operates.

Governance Charters

Our Governance Charters comprise:

Public Research Agency Charter with the CSIRO

The Public Research Agency Charter with the CSIRO is to provide guidance to CSIRO when engaging in public debate. (3 pages)

CSIRO’s service charter

Read an overview of our customer service standards, staff conduct and how we evaluate our performance.

CSIRO Board Charter

The Board is responsible to the Australian Government for the overall direction, development, assurance and performance of CSIRO.

CSIRO Board Audit and Risk Committee Charter

The Committee assists CSIRO and its Board in areas of financial management, risk management, internal control and compliance.

Freedom of Information

Freedom of Information

The Freedom of Information Act 1982 gives a general right to the public and to staff to seek access to documents held by CSIRO.

Policies

Our Policies comprise:

Key policy statements

CSIRO has five major policy statements that articulate the organisation's commitment in key areas.

Policy on Public Comment by CSIRO Staff

CSIRO's fundamental purpose is to achieve positive impact from science on behalf of Australia. This policy aims to assist CSIRO staff in their external communicaton activities.

Senate order for production of indexed lists of agency files

In line with Senate requirements, CSIRO tables indexed lists of files created in the Organisation’s central office twice a year. These lists are available to download.

Health, Safety and Environment

Health safety and environment annual report

The CSIRO Health and Safety and Environment (HSE) annual report records the performance standards achieved and documents the actions taken to meet our HSE organisational strategic goals.