Department-wide and Parents and Citizens’ Associations
To ensure that all officers are accountable for the departmental resources that they use, and that resource use is publicly defensible and clearly provides improved outcomes for the department’s customers or the State as a whole.
All departmental resources, and funds held by Parents and Citizens’ Associations, belong to the public and must be used for, or support, the delivery of public services. This is true regardless of whether resources are provided through the State or Commonwealth Budgets, or sourced through user charging, fundraising, or donations.
Note that funds collected through student councils and staff social clubs and/or user pays arrangements for staff activities such as social events or group health and wellbeing activities are the property of the relevant student council, social club or group. They are not public resources unless and until they are donated to the department and, as such, must be separately kept and accounted for.
Principle
What this means for the department
Principle 1: Official purposes
Resources must only be used for official purposes except where permitted for limited personal use.
Principle 2: Stewardship
Expenditure must represent the best use of public resources to achieve the desired objective.
Principle 3: Compliance
Procurement policies and practices must be followed.
Principle 4: Accountability
Expenditure must be properly authorised, and provide an audit trail of that authorisation.
Principle 5: Conflict of interest
An officer must not authorise expenditure that provides, or could be perceived to provide, a personal benefit to him/herself, or where there is a conflict of interest.
The exception is where an officer approves (within delegation limits) expenditure from which the officer indirectly benefits (e.g. by improved accommodation or technology) or benefits as a minor part of a group (e.g. group professional development that the approving officer attends, along with multiple colleagues).
Principle 6: Defensibility
Use of public resources must be publicly defensible.
In particular, when making decisions about appropriate expenses, schools must also consider the public perception of that expense in light of any Voluntary Financial Contributions that it requests from parents.
Term
Definition
Official purposes
Relating to the department’s core objectives and services, as outlined in the department’s strategic plan.
For staff-related expenses:
Publicly defensible
Able to be supported, justified and difficult to challenge by the Minister, the department’s executive and the wider community whether or not they have any association with the resource being used.
Previous seven years shown. Minor version updates not included.
2.0 Appropriate and ethical use of public resources
1.0 Appropriate and ethical use of public resources
For further information, please contact Finance Branch through the Services Catalogue Online (DoE employees only). Customers and users external to the department should email financialpolicy.finance@qed.qld.gov.au.
Uncontrolled copy. Refer to the Department of Education Policy and Procedure Register to ensure you have the most current version of this document.
How would you rate this page?
Thank you! We appreciate your feedback.
Share with Facebook
Share with Twitter
Share with LinkedIn
Share with Google+
Share with Pinterest