Beyond PMSA Response to the PMSA’s Recently Announced Governance ‘Review’
The PMSA’s governance ‘review’ process will NEVER deliver the reform our schools deserve
We have received a huge number of questions from concerned stakeholders about the PMSA’s communique to the school communities last week regarding its governance ‘review’ process.
We have all been told that “over its 100 year history, the PMSA has undergone previous governance reviews to ensure the organisation evolves with modern standards and community expectations.” It seems that evolution is glacial because the legal structure and governing documents that presently give the PMSA its existence can, in our opinion, only be described as significantly less than highly evolved, and totally at odds with modern standards and community expectations – even 40 years ago.
Whilst any announcement that the PMSA is considering reform is a welcome one, the scope of the review process involving the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) will do nothing to deliver authentic and meaningful change. It is window dressing at best. Understanding why the PMSA’s governance review will never deliver the authentic and meaningful change required to enable our schools to flourish is essential for all members of the school communities to understand. We explain our reasons in this post.
Topics covered in the blog include the following:
Engaging industry recognised professionals to assist with a review process does not make it authentic if the scope of the permitted review is restricted.
Why are we critical of the process?
The absence of authenticity and trust.
What is INCLUDED in the PMSA "review" process?
Community Engagement Plan.
Issues Paper.
What is EXCLUDED from the "review" is more important than what is included.
Future State Governance Design.
The last word
Whether you support Beyond PMSA or not, without Beyond PMSA’s involvement in this debate, there would be no review process at all. But having said that, Beyond PMSA’s role is to agitate for authentic structural and cultural improvement in the governance arrangements of our schools. Improvement that does not require our schools to settle for mediocrity. Improvement that can set these schools up to flourish for the next 100 years. If anyone thinks that’s a bad idea, or if wanting to achieve a result that is truly world class is wrong, then we lay ourselves open to their criticism.
To those who:
are weary of or would criticise the length or public nature of the discourse; or
choose to believe the recent and misleading PR spin about the nature of Beyond PMSA’s role and engagement in the debate,
Beyond PMSA maintains that it is and has always been a constructive agitator for positive change. We encourage constructive and appropriate debate within areas of our direct control, but we do not resile from having strong views about important issues. Equally, we are not a police force for the thousands of individuals or splinter groups that have their own independent views or who undertake their own independent actions, including approaches to the media.
We have all been through the fire to get to this point because of the recalcitrant and uncompromising stance of the PMSA and its staunch refusal to admit wrongdoing, engage with the communities or to expeditiously pursue reform through authentic and inclusive consultation. The PMSA’s attitude and approach to the crisis has both instigated AND perpetuated the public nature of the debate.
In summary:
We will not support a process that “looks” like it is delivering change but is not.
We will not fall in line behind this process simply because the PMSA has decided that it is “too hard” to do it properly and involve the Churches.
We will respect and support our schools, our students and our staff, but we are not going to stay silent because some might feel uncomfortable about the need to continue to ask the hard questions or call out bad decisions.
We continue to fight for the best possible outcome for our schools.
Help us make the case for doing the job right and to help deliver something that is truly world class. Our schools deserve nothing less.
So what question should be at the top of your list for the PMSA to answer?
In our view, if there is one fundamental question that anyone who decides to participate in the PMSA’s “forums” should ask the PMSA it is this:”
“How can the AICD Statement of Work and the Issues for review set out in the Issues Paper possibly deliver the world class governance outcome that our schools deserve if the PMSA won’t objectively concede to including a consideration of more substantive governance issues, such as constitutional reform and the ongoing scope of the PMSA’s functional control in the governance of the schools?”
