How Fair Go is run
Fair Go is in its founding year. We're building it in the open, with the people it serves. This is who guides us, how decisions are made, where the money goes, and how you can take part.
Who does what
Six groups share the work. See the diagram on our About page for how they connect.
Supporters
- Who
- Everyone signed up to Fair Go
- Decides
- Annual campaign priorities, by vote
- Term
- Ongoing
Founder-convener
- Who
- Day-to-day lead and spokesperson; holds the website and accounts
- Decides
- Operational decisions within the agreed plan
- Term
- Until incorporation
Interim steering group
- Who
- Strategy, oversight and policy sign-off
- Decides
- Plans, policies, budget and new campaigns
- Term
- 12 months
First Nations advisory group
- Who
- Cultural guidance; reviews all campaigns and content about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- Decides
- Can pause any campaign or content affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- Term
- Set by the group
Working groups
- Who
- Deliver the work
- Decides
- How to deliver within their area
- Term
- Open, join any time
Reference panels
- Who
- Advise from lived and practice experience
- Decides
- Advisory only
- Term
- 12 months
The First Nations advisory group sets its own terms of reference, membership and ways of working. Its advice, and our response, are summarised publicly with the group's agreement. Read our First Nations commitment.
Our principles
Volunteer-run
No salaries, wages or fees for anyone. Any money goes to promoting the profession.
Inclusive
Open to every social worker: member or not, any field, any region.
Transparent
We publish our decisions and every dollar in and out.
Accountable
There's a clear path for concerns and complaints, including about the convener.
Culturally safe
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people guide anything that affects them.
True to social work
Everything we do is consistent with social work values.
We're forming our first steering group now.
The steering group sets direction, signs off policies and the budget, and holds the convener to account.
Who we're looking for
4–6 people who together cover:
- A range of fields: health, disability, aged care, child and family, policy
- Metro, regional and rural practice
- Early-career and experienced practitioners
- AASW members and non-members
- At least one Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander member, in addition to the advisory group
people
a month, with one online meeting
month term
paid. Voluntary, like everyone at Fair Go.
The convener and the First Nations advisory group select members against published criteria. Members follow the code of conduct and declare any conflicts of interest.
Express interestPick what you care about. Give as much time as you have.
Stories
Collect, edit and moderate stories for #ThisIsSocialWork.
Pulse survey
Design, promote and analyse our short surveys of social workers.
Campaigns
Research, letters to MPs and submissions to inquiries.
Events and community
World Social Work Day, meet-ups and peer circles.
Join with one form
Tell us which group, and how much time you have.
Monthly catch-up
One online meeting a month for each group.
Pick up a task
Tasks live in a shared list. Take what suits you.
Volunteers follow our volunteer code and confidentiality rules, and our Interim Privacy Policy. Each group's convener will be named here once appointed.
Join a working groupNo one takes a salary. Here's every dollar.
In our founding year we have no income, only in-kind support: hosting, design and volunteer time. We'll publish a simple table of income and spending within 3 months of each year's end.
In-kind contributors to be listed here.
We accept
- Small donations, once we're a legal entity
- Grants from philanthropic trusts
- In-kind support
We don't accept
- Funding that limits what we can say
- Funding from any single employer, provider or political party
- Any use of funds for salaries, wages or fees
Any single funder over 20% of annual income is named publicly and approved by the steering group.
after year end, we publish our income and spending.
We speak for social workers, not anyone's business.
Register of interests
The convener and every steering group member list their roles, employers and business interests. We review the register every 6 months, and whenever something changes.
| Person | Role at Fair Go | Declared interests |
|---|---|---|
| Steven Lowrie | Founder-convener | Runs Support Circuits, a technology company for the NDIS and aged care sector. Runs Together Two Limited, an NDIS provider. |
How we manage conflicts
- Declare the conflict at the start of any related discussion.
- Step out of decisions that affect your own organisation.
- Fair Go never promotes a member's products or services.
- Supporter data is never shared with a member's business.
Our policies
Every policy in one place. We add governance policies as they're written.
| Policy | Covers | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Interim Privacy Policy | Australian Privacy Principles, data storage, access and deletion | Interim, version 0.1 |
| Interim Community Guidelines | Respect, no client details, moderation | Interim, version 0.1 |
| Interim Accessibility Statement | WCAG 2.2 AA, other formats | Interim, version 0.1 |
| Interim Disclaimer | Not a regulator, union or part of the AASW | Interim, version 0.1 |
| Code of conduct | For the steering group, working groups and volunteers | Being written |
| Conflicts of interest | Declaration, register, stepping out | Being written |
| Complaints | How to raise a concern, timeframes, escalation | Being written |
| Cultural safety | Written with the First Nations advisory group | Phase 2 |
| Media and spokesperson | Who can speak for Fair Go, and how | Phase 2 |
| Funding and sponsorship | What funding we accept | Phase 2 |
| Safeguarding | If a story or message reveals someone at risk | Phase 2 |
Concerns or complaints
Until our complaints policy is published, raise a concern through the contact form. If your concern is about the convener, say so: it will go to a nominated steering group member instead.
Where we're heading
We'll stay unincorporated for our founding year, then incorporate once we have a steering group, a small income and a need for a bank account or grants. We'll get free not-for-profit legal advice before choosing a structure.
- We are here
Founding year
Now to 12 months
Unincorporated group. Convener and interim steering group. In-kind support only.
Auspice
If a grant arrives early
An existing not-for-profit holds funds and legal responsibility, for a fee.
Incorporate
Around 12 months
Triggered by a steering group, 300+ supporters and the need for a bank account.
Register as a charity
After incorporating
Apply to the ACNC and consider DGR status, so donations are tax-deductible.
Elected governance
First AGM
Supporters, as members, elect the board. Seats reserved for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and early-career members.
Two possible legal structures
Incorporated association
- Where
- State-based, for example NSW
- Needs
- A committee of at least 3
- Suits us if
- We mainly work in one state and want low cost
Company limited by guarantee
- Where
- National, through ASIC
- Needs
- At least 3 directors
- Suits us if
- We want a national footprint and larger funding
Locking in our promises
When we incorporate, our constitution will include a not-for-profit clause: no income or property is paid to members as salary or profit, and all funds are used only to promote the social work profession. It will also write in the working groups, the First Nations advisory group's authority and the supporter vote, so the grassroots model survives the move to a formal board.