Governance

Puffing Billy Railway Board

Photo by Michael Greenhill

From 1 July 2023, the Puffing Billy Railway Act 2022 replaced the Emerald Tourist Railway Act 1977 as the new principal Act, securing and modernising the governance of the railway. The Emerald Tourist Railway Board is continued under the Puffing Billy Railway Act 2022 as the Puffing Billy Railway Board.

Puffing Billy Railway operates exclusively under the authority and sole governance of the Puffing Billy Railway Board, ensuring its role as the sole operator of the railway.

Objectives of the Board

The Board has the following objectives—
(a) to ensure the economic sustainability and viability of the Puffing Billy Railway;
(b) to maintain and develop the heritage significance of the Puffing Billy Railway;
(c) to manage and promote the safe operation of the Puffing Billy Railway;
(d) to promote the tourism offering of, and to enhance the visitor experience provided by, the Puffing Billy Railway and the surrounding region;
(e) to recognise the importance of volunteer participation in the operation of the Puffing Billy Railway;
(f) to promote understanding of and education relating to rail heritage;
(g) to promote the preservation of narrow gauge rail heritage;
(h) to develop and maintain partnerships with community organisations and businesses;
(i) to develop and maintain harmonious relations between the Board, volunteers and the community;
(j) to provide a safe, inclusive and diverse working environment for employees and volunteers.

Functions of the Board

The Board has the following functions—
(a) to operate, manage and maintain the infrastructure and assets of the Puffing Billy Railway in a safe, effective and efficient manner;
(b) to manage volunteer engagement with the Puffing Billy Railway;
(c) to develop suitable marketing and communications strategies for activities relating to the Puffing Billy Railway;
(d) to report to the Minister as required under this Act, including in relation to incidents and other matters relating to the safety of the Puffing Billy Railway
(e) any other function conferred on the Board under this or any other Act.
In performing its functions, the Board must—
(a) operate on a not-for-profit basis; and
(b) operate in an open, transparent and accountable manner; and
(c) have regard to—
(i) the objectives set out in section 6; and
(ii) the benefits of volunteerism; and
(iii) the need for continuous improvement in the operation and management of the Puffing Billy Railway; and
(iv) the expectations of the community in relation to the Board's activities and its use of public money and volunteer time.

Powers of the Board

Subject to this section, the Board has the power to do all things necessary or convenient to achieve its objectives and to perform its functions under this Act, including the power—
(a) to enter into any agreement, contract, lease, licence or easement; and
(b) to engage persons as employees, consultants, contractors or agents; and
(c) for any purpose consistent with the Board's objectives and functions, to accept appointment as the committee of management of any land reserved under the Crown Land (Reserves) Act 1978.
The Board must not enter into a contract or agreement for which the consideration exceeds $1 million without the written approval of the Minister.
The Board has the powers conferred on it by the Borrowing and Investment Powers Act 1987 for the purpose of performing its functions and exercising its powers under this Act.
The Board must not borrow any amount under a financial accommodation or financial arrangement without the written approval of the Minister.

The Puffing Billy Railway Board comprises of the following members:

Tim North OAM KC

Chair

Legal

Member of King’s Counsel. Admitted to practice as a barrister in 1980 and signed the Victorian Bar Roll in 1983 specialising in commercial litigation for over 35 years. Appears regularly as an International Mediator and Arbitrator in Asia-Pacific region. Former President of the Victorian Rugby Union (elected by Victorian community-based clubs and associates). President of Melbourne Rebels Rugby Union.

Dianne Smith

Deputy Chair

Change Management - Marketing and advertising; tourism; and governance.

Dianne Smith has held roles including CEO of the Industry Capability Network Vic., CEO Melbourne Chamber of Commerce, Chief Executive of the Victoria Tourism Industry Council, and Manager Tourism Partnerships at Parks Victoria. Dianne has a strong background in business and industry development, advocacy and communications, and commercial operational management. She is a Board Director of Central Highlands Water, and a Club Melbourne Ambassador.

Bart Clingin

Finance & Governance

Bart Clingin is an Interim Executive & Consultant. He is a Chartered Accountant and has held various interim executive positions across the public sector and not-for-profit organisations. Bart is a member of Finance Committees in the health and education sectors. Areas of experience include finance and accounting, enterprise risk management, governance, process improvement and system implementation.

Angela Jamieson

Thomas Sargant

Rail & Governance

Managing Director for Ranfurlie Consulting Group, as well as a management consultant and advisor to public and private sector clients on major projects and commercial transactions, particularly in the areas of franchising, network operations and asset management. Thomas is also currently engaged by the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning as the Director Assets on the Metropolitan Rail Refranchising Project. In addition, Thomas Sargant’s senior executive experience extends to the private and public sectors in heavy civil construction and public transport operations.

Jacqui deKievit

Gabrielle Lim

Read about the Ombudsman Investigation Report here

ETRB 2023 ANNUAL REPORT:
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ETRB 2022 ANNUAL REPORT:
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ETRB 2021 ANNUAL REPORT:
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ETRB 2020 ANNUAL REPORT:
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ETRB 2019 ANNUAL REPORT:

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Policies & Disclosures

As a Public Entity, we are dedicated to upholding and maintaining the highest standards of accountability and integrity.

We operate in accordance with various regulatory standards, which are incorporated into the Puffing Billy Railway Board’s policies and procedures.

Our various policies, disclosures and compliance standards include but are not limited to:

Child Safety & Wellbeing Policy

Whistleblower Policy

The Emerald Tourist Railway Board (ETRB) has developed this Whistleblower Policy (Policy) for the following purposes:

To encourage and facilitate the making of disclosures regarding:
- “improper conduct” or “detrimental action”, which may be “public interest disclosures” within the meaning of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2012 (Vic) (PID Act) (see section 5 of this Policy); and
- “misconduct”, an “improper state of affairs”, or “illegal, unethical or otherwise improper conduct”, which may be “reportable matters”, within the meaning of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (Corporations Act) (see section 4 of this Policy),

committed by an employee, volunteer, contractor or officer of ETRB (Qualifying Disclosures).

To establish a system for Qualifying Disclosures to be investigated, reported (if required) and, if possible, rectified.
To provide protections against victimisation for individuals who make Qualifying Disclosures (Whistleblowers).
To ensure confidentiality in relation to the identify of Whistleblowers and, where required, the contents of their disclosures.
To ensure that Whistleblowers are aware of their rights under the PID Act and the Corporations Act.
To ensure that the ETRB is compliant with its obligations under the PID Act and the Corporations Act in relation to Qualifying Disclosures.

View our Whistleblower Policy.

Gifts, Benefits and Hospitality Policy

This policy outlines the Emerald Tourist Railway Board’s (ETRB) operators of Puffing Billy Railway’s (PBR) position on:

Responding to offers of gifts, benefits and hospitality; and
Providing gifts, benefits and hospitality.

This policy is intended to:

Support individuals and the organisation in the avoidance of conflicts of interest and maintain high levels of integrity and public trust, and
Support behaviour consistent with the Code of Conduct for Victorian Public Sector Employees, Code of Conduct for Victorian Public Sector Employees of Special Bodies and/or the Code of
Conduct for Directors of Victorian Public Entities.

View our Gifts, Benefits and Hospitality Policy.

	Date	Recipient	Donor	Business Associate	Offer	Value	Reason	Business Benefit	Risk	Ceremonial	Decision	Ownership	Approved by
1.	18/2/2021	Board members and Management representatives (17 People in total)	Emerald Tourist Railway Board	NA	Hospitality - Dinner	$2000	Farewell dinner to interim CEO.	- Recognising the Executive contribution to the organisation. - Cultural benefits.	NA	Yes	Accepted	Accepted	Tim North, Chair.
2.	17/11/2021	CEO	Fetching Events	Yes	Gift Hamper	$100	Christmas / Post Lockdown	- Recognising the restart of the railway. - Will be shared with PBR staff.	NA	NA	Accepted	Accepted	Peter Abbott, CEO.
3.	07/01/2022	All current employees (108 employees) of Emerald Tourist Railway Board	Emerald Tourist Railway Board	NA	Christmas Gift Voucher	$5,400	Christmas Gift to Employees	A goodwill gesture and thank-you for the employees for their efforts over the last 12 months.	NA	Yes	Accepted	Accepted	Peter Abbott, CEO.
4.	01/04/2023	CEO	ICN Victoria	NA	Industry Breakfast	$200	Networking	Sponsorship opportunities	NA	No	Accepted	Accepted	Tim North, Chair.

The Emerald Tourist Railway Board (the ETRB), the operator of the Puffing Billy Railway, is committed to protecting the privacy of all individuals’ Personal Information, Sensitive Information and Health Information that it may collect and hold.

The ETRB is committed to:

The responsible collection and management of Personal Information;
Providing individuals with the right to access the Personal Information held about them;
Providing individuals with the right to make corrections to the Personal Information held about them;
Appropriately handling queries and complaints about privacy related issues;
Only sharing Personal Information with other parties when permitted to by law or when failure to provide information to another party may result in a breach of any other applicable law; and
Ensuring stakeholders and representatives such as employees, staff, and contractors understand their obligations relating to the management of Personal Information.

View our Privacy Policy.

Our Vision

To excel in Puffing Billy Railway's presentation of a heritage rail experience, which captures both the natural beauty and rich social history of Victoria's Dandenong Ranges.

Our Mission

To restore and operate the Puffing Billy Railway as Australia's premier heritage steam railway, in a safe and efficient, and economically sustainable manner for the ongoing education, benefit and satisfaction of the community, customers and railway stakeholders, including staff and volunteers.

Our Strategic Plan

Puffing Billy Railway's four-year Strategic Plan 2022-2025 is now available for viewing here. The four-year plan is taken from earlier work our predecessors undertook on the Masterplan, broadened to encompass all other fundamental factors.

The plan encompasses everything from preserving the cultural and heritage rail significance, through to safety and support for our most valued asset, our people, more work nurturing our environment and actions like partnerships to ensure a sustainable future for the business.

To view the PDF of Puffing Billy Railway's four-year Strategic Plan 2022-2025, please click here.

Our Gender Equality Action Plan

The Gender Equality Act 2020 is Victoria’s first piece of legislation specifically designed to address gender
inequalities within the workplace. This Act requires that defined entities develop a Gender Equality Action to help
address this issue.

The Puffing Billy Railway Board (PBRB) operators of Puffing Billy Railway have embraced this opportunity to
publicly articulate our commitment to and outline how we will contribute to the improvement in the status of women
in the workplace and provide a fair and just workplace free of discrimination. Puffing Billy Railway's three-year Gender Equality Action Plan 2022-2025 is available for viewing here.

This is the first time Puffing Billy Railway has critically reviewed workforce data through a gender lens. The GEAP outlines a 4-year action plan including strategies and measures designed to create a firm foundation for gender equality changes with the possibility for more aspirational strategies in the future. While Puffing Billy Railway aspires to the gender equality principles outlined in the Act, this GEAP is reflective of the organisation today; and is the first step of our gender equality journey.

August 2022 - The GEAP has been lodged with the Commission for Gender Equality in the Public Sector.

Reconciliation Action Plan 2022 - 2024

In March 2023, Puffing Billy Railway's Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) was formally endorsed by Reconciliation Australia.

As the railway's first RAP, this is a significant milestone that reflects the organisation's commitment to reconciliation and is the first step in building and strengthening relationships with the Traditional Custodians of the land Puffing Billy Railway operates.

Fourteen actions have been identified in the Reflect RAP, with a number of these focused on key themes of Relationships, Respect, and Opportunities. During this time, Puffing Billy Railway will scope and develop relationships with the Wurundjeri and Bunurong people and explore our sphere of influence, which will prepare the railway for reconciliation initiatives in future RAPs.

RECONCILIATION ACTION PLAN 2022 - 2024:

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Acknowledgement Statement

Puffing Billy Railway acknowledges the Wurundjeri and Bunurong people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which Puffing Billy Railway operates, and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.