Governance

AV Charter

AV aims to improve the health of the community by providing high quality pre-hospital emergency care and medical transport. We service a population of over six million people annually.

AV is a statutory authority required by the 黄片视频 Services Act 1986 to provide state-wide emergency pre-hospital ambulance services to all Victorians. This includes to:

Respond rapidly to requests for help in a medical emergency.
Provide specialised medical skills to maintain life and to reduce injuries in emergency situations and while transporting patients.
Provide safe, patient-centred and appropriate services.
Provide specialised transport facilities to move people requiring emergency medical treatment.
Provide services for which specialised medical, or transport skills are necessary.
Foster continuous improvement in the quality and safety of the care and services it provides.
Foster public education in first aid.

AV was established on 1 July 2008 following the merger of the Metropolitan 黄片视频 Service, Rural 黄片视频 and the Alexandra and District 黄片视频 Service.

AV reports to the Hon. Mary-Anne Thomas MP, Minister for 黄片视频 Services.

Appointed by the Governor in Council on the recommendation of the Minister, the Board of Directors (the Board) is responsible for the provision of comprehensive, safe and efficient ambulance services to the people of Victoria.

While organisational operations and management is vested in the Chief Executive Officer and the Executive team, the Board is accountable to the Victorian Government and Minister for the overall and ongoing performance of AV.

The Board operates in accordance with the AV By-Laws (approved by the Department of Health Secretary), as well as other Board and government policies and frameworks. These support AV to meet its statutory obligations and, in doing so, comply with appropriate standards of governance, transparency, accountability and propriety. All Board and committee members are independent, non-executive Directors.

The Board鈥檚 qualifications, skills and experience are diverse and extensive, with expertise across government, technology and transformation, finance, accounting, law, commerce, diversity, leadership, governance, not-for-profit settings, community engagement, and culture.

The Board also ensures it maintains regular engagement with representatives of other health services, government department officers, external specialists and other Board Chairs to ensure it remains connected to contemporary practices and initiatives in health, risk and governance.

The Board Chair works with DH and the Minister to ensure the Board has the requisite skills, competency and diversity mix to provide strong and insightful stewardship of the organisation.

This includes ensuring the Board has the attributes required not only for today鈥檚 needs, but also for future years where the Board will need to respond to a more technologically, financially and socially complex environment and ensuring that AV is safe, fair and inclusive.

Board Committees

The Board maintains three statutory committees, two advisory committees, and a Remuneration and Nominations Committee to support its functions.

All committees are governed by Board-approved Terms of References, which set out each committee鈥檚 role, responsibilities, membership, quorum and voting structures. The Board appoints all committee members (reviewed annually) and ensures annual performance and effectiveness reviews are conducted and reported.

Committee activities continue to be periodically reviewed, to ensure they remain fit-for-purpose, aligned to legislation and government frameworks and best practice governance, and advance the Board鈥檚 role and responsibilities under the 黄片视频 Services Act 1986.

Finance Committee (section 18 requirement)

The Finance Committee advises the Board on AV鈥檚 financial and business plans, strategies and budgets to ensure the long-term financial viability of the organisation. The committee assists the Board in monitoring strategies that seek to maximise revenue, and the effective and efficient use of AV financial resources and assets. Specific responsibilities include:

Financial strategy.
Financial reporting.
Business and financial planning and performance.

The committee is assisted in its work by the extensive commercial, finance and accounting experience of its members, including an independent member. The committee continuously improves its insights into AV through regular presentations on key areas of the business which present both financial opportunity and challenge for the organisation.

Audit and Risk Committee (section 18 requirement)

The Audit and Risk Committee assists the AV Board in fulfilling its responsibilities in the areas of compliance, internal control, financial reporting, assurance activities and contemporary risk management.

Specific responsibilities include:

Financial risk and internal controls.
Financial reporting and management.
Internal and external audit.
AV鈥檚 compliance with laws, regulations, internal policies and industry standards.
Enterprise risk management (sharing responsibility with the Quality and Safety Committee in overseeing clinical risks).

Throughout the year, the committee regularly engaged with AV鈥檚 internal auditors (Ernst & Young) and external auditors (Victorian Auditor General鈥檚 Office). This ensured the committee provided the Board and AV with robust and informed oversight of matters mandated by its Terms of Reference, the Department of Health, and the Department of Treasury and Finance.

The committee鈥檚 work is supported by a strong cross-section of skills and experience.

The committee continues to update and refine AV鈥檚 risk and risk appetite framework, as well as staying connected to internal and external emerging risks. In 2024-25, the committee continued its oversight of material risks including, but not limited to, the ICT, security, patient safety, privacy and organisational culture.

Quality and Safety Committee (section 18 requirement)

The Quality and Safety Committee is responsible to the Board for monitoring the performance of AV with regard to whether:

Effective and accountable systems are in place to monitor and improve the quality, safety and effectiveness of services provided by AV.
Any systemic problems identified with the quality, safety and effectiveness of ambulance services are addressed and the results reported in a timely manner.
AV continuously strives to improve the quality of the services it provides and to foster innovation.

The committee actively monitors the performance of quality care and service provision against the five domains of the Safer Care Victoria Clinical Governance Framework and AV鈥檚 own Best Care Framework.

黄片视频 includes AV Directors (each with clinical governance, health service and legal and experience), paramedic observers and Community Advisory Committee members.

The committee maintains an ongoing commitment to evolving its knowledge and consideration of new clinical governance practices and frameworks, comprehensive quality and safety reporting, and ways to effectively monitor and measure patient care, safety and experience.

This is supported by the connection of its directors to emerging best practices across public health generally, as well as the advancements in data and clinical practices delivered by management.

Patient case examples remain a consistent part of this committee鈥檚 work plan, to provide members with a direct connection to patient experiences, AV clinical practices and clinical governance performance.

People and Culture Committee

The People and Culture Committee advises the Board on material policies and strategies to improve the health, safety, wellbeing, development and performance of AV employees. The committee monitors the development and implementation of strategies to ensure the organisation fosters and promotes a positive culture that enables delivery of high-quality patient care, and a safe and supportive environment for all employees.

The committee鈥檚 focus remains workforce health, safety, workplace cultural programs, employee engagement, emerging technology practices relevant to manual handling, strategic workforce planning, and other initiatives that drive a safer, fairer, more inclusive work environment for our people.

Prior to the closure of the YourAV program, the committee supported the implementation and embedding of the recommendations made by the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission in its independent review. In 2025, the committee continues its focus on building a respectful and safe workplace by overseeing the roll-out of the AV People Plan.

In 2024-25, the committee further enhanced their skills and expertise with the inclusion of a new independent committee member.

Community Advisory Committee

The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) informs and guides the Board and Executive on key issues associated with AV鈥檚 work with the community.

Independent community members come from a diverse range of backgrounds, experience and education sets and have been an important part of the CAC鈥檚 successful contribution to service design planning and AV鈥檚 patient care commitments.

In 2024-25 we recruited new members to the Committee who are providing us with invaluable contributions that strengthen voice of the community in our service design processes and decision making.

Led by an Independent member Chair in 2024-25, the CAC has become a valued source of patient, consumer, and community insights as to how we can better deliver our services.

Through engagement with our CAC, we have developed the Community and Consumer Engagement Plan which they continue to monitor. Throughout 2024-25, the CAC also participated in various service design workshops and provided advice on:

Open Disclosure and Statutory Duty of Candour Procedure
Patient Experience Insight Enhancements
National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards
Social Procurement
Community Fundraising
Timely Emergency Care 2 (TEC2) Improvement Program
Community Forums, and
AV鈥檚 Disability Inclusion Program.

Updated 1 December 2025