Advertising Standards Bureau - Review of Operations 2013 | Page 28

A committed, appropriately skilled and
sustainable workforce

Long term development

High standards in governance

The ASB endeavours to provide a rewarding

The ASB capitalises on opportunities to
administer all advertising and marketing
communications complaints codes

Board of Directors members attended a strategic
planning exercise with an external facilitator

Training for staff is available on request and is also
promoted in relation to skills and qualifications
required. As well as attendance at a variety
of industry workshops and conferences to
maintain a current knowledge of industry trends,
staff training was undertaken in presentation
skills, company secretary responsibilities and
governance practices.

The Bureau made the decision in 2013 to resume
in-house administration of the Claims Board,
which had been outsourced almost since its
inception. It is hoped bringing the procedures
back in-house and some minor changes to the
Procedural Guidelines for participants will
provide the Bureau with the starting point to
reinvigorating this avenue for alternative dispute
resolution between competitors in 2014.

and challenging work environment while also
maintaining a flexible family-friendly workplace.

In 2013 a new position of project and
communications assistant was created, following
the successful trial of the role in 2012. The
position provides research, administrative,
technical, and general communications support to
several members of staff.
The ASB maintained an employee assistance
program (EAP) through an external service
provider which provides advice, counselling and
support to all Bureau staff.
In terms of specific staffing information, for the
calendar year ended 31 December 2013, ASB had:
•

nine staff members, seven who work
part‑time hours

•

a full time staffing equivalent of 6.56 people

•

a
n average staff tenure of 5.60 years

•

in March. This exercise was held to harness
the expertise and skills of the Directors in
development of the Strategic Plan 2013-2015.

A new policy was endorsed by the Board on the
appointment of Alternate Directors, providing
greater flexibility for future appointees. Following
the policy’s endorsement, the Board approved the
appointment of new director (Simon Talbot) with
an alternate (Rebecca Boustead) in October.

In 2013, the ASB made submissions to the
ANZTPA in relation to its consultation
document, Possible Joint Regulatory Scheme for
therapeutic products for Australia and New Zealand
and to the Therapeutic Goods Administration
Consultation RIS: Regulating the advertising of
therapeutic goods to the general public. In both
submissions, the ASB proposed that it take on the
complaint resolution process for therapeutic goods

advertising, bringing therapeutic goods advertising
into line with other Australian advertising. The
consultation outcomes were yet to be released at
the end of 2013.
Company secretarial responsibilities were
brought in-house in 2013, leveraging off skills
available internally and providing an opportunity
for further professional development and
reduced costs.

a
staff gross attrition rate of 11.2% (one
separation) for 2013.

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Advertising Standards Bureau