About the National Regulators Community of Practice

The National Regulators Community of Practice (NRCoP) is an active network of public sector regulators from all levels of government in Australia and Aotearoa-New Zealand and from every regulatory sector, professional background, role and level of seniority, who are keen to learn from and with each other.  

Its objectives are to support participants to become more professional and capable regulators and to promote the public value and importance of regulation as a key function of government and thereby, to deliver better citizen outcomes.  

The NRCoP also welcomes regulatory policy makers and others with a scholarly or professional interest in regulation but its primary focus is on inspiring, connecting and building the professionalism of practising regulators.  

The NRCoP is not a platform for dissemination and promotion of, or engagement with, the regulatory policy settings of individual governments.   

The NRCoP is not able to represent or speak for regulators in the design or implementation of regulatory policy settings. The NRCoP governance committees (see below) are chosen for their individual knowledge, broad experience and enthusiasm to advance high quality regulation. The committees are not constituted to act as a representative body and have no mandate to do so.  

NRCoP has three levels of participation:  

• Regulatory agencies (including departments): Australian public sector departments and regulatory agencies can become regulatory agency or department participants. These participants make a yearly contribution of $2,000, $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 (plus GST) to ANZSOG as the auspicing body for the NRCoP depending on their size and level of participation in NRCoP activities.
• Regulatory practitioners: all individuals engaged in regulatory practice in Australia and New Zealand are the primary focus of NRCoP and can participate in NRCoP activities.   
• Regulatory policy makers, academics and others: all individuals from Australia, New Zealand or overseas with a scholarly or professional interest in regulation are also welcome to participate in NRCoP activities 

The NRCoP is auspiced by the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG). As part of this arrangement ANZSOG will provide the following to the NRCoP:  

• Employing and supporting staff members to provide the NRCoP secretariat.  
• Ensuring the governance of the NRCoP operates in accordance with these Terms of Reference and procedures.  
• Providing oversight of the collection of financial contributions, financial management and financial reporting for NRCoP.  
• Supporting legal, contractual and procurement activities as required.  
• Providing access to its international and trans-Tasman network of leading regulatory scholars, public intellectuals and senior practitioners.  

ANZSOG will further support the NRCoP Secretariat in the following deliverables  

• Providing expert technical support for the development, promotion and delivery of face-to-face and online learning and events for NRCoP.   
• Contributing to ongoing stakeholder communications and engagement, including through maintaining a confidential, up-to-date data base of NRCoP participants, regular communication material and an engaging website.  
• Building and maintaining a knowledge base for practising regulators through the NRCoP Regulation Policy and Practice collection on APO or similar, access to reports of interest and relevance to Australasian regulators.  
• Supporting the development and roll-out of nationally recognised professional education for regulators.  
• Conducting an annual survey of NRCoP participants to gauge the contemporary and high-profile issues of importance to practising regulators.  
• Evaluating and reporting on the activities, achievements and impact of the NRCoP.  

In return for this support from ANZSOG the NRCoP agrees that ANZSOG should be reimbursed from the funds collected from the regulatory agency and department participants.  as specifically negotiated each year. This amount covers the salary and on-costs of the NRCoP Secretariat plus a negotiated proportional contribution to ANZSOG’s direct support and overheads.

The NRCoP is governed by a National Steering Committee.  

The role of the Steering Committee is to:  

• Bring participants’ regulatory expertise and enthusiasm to the task of turning the vision of the NRCoP into concrete activities which advance regulatory professionalism and inspire, connect and motivate practising regulators.  
• Individually and collectively act as ambassadors for the NRCoP, encouraging their regulatory colleagues to engage with NRCoP national activities and any offered face-to-face in their jurisdiction.  
• Actively engage with regulatory agency and department participating organisations on ANZSOG and the NRCoP’s behalf to ensure they are gaining full benefit from their participation in NRCoP and with regulatory agencies outside the NRCoP to encourage their participation.  
• Advise on a program of free online and face– to– face learning events for regulators which are engaging and responsive to the priority issues raised by participants in the annual survey.  
• Support ANZSOG in designing a thought provoking, timely and effective program for any annual forums.  
• Attend, facilitate and/or present at events themselves as appropriate.  
• Advise on membership of the NRCoP’s chapter committees and from time to time on new members of the Steering Committee, in consultation with ANZSOG and where appropriate with the relevant chapter.  
• Attend Steering Committee meetings (5-6 per annum) by teleconference and respond to out of session issues raised through email by ANZSOG and other Steering Committee members.  
• Act as intermediary between ANZSOG and the NRCoP’s agency and department participants on matters of accountability, including collective half year and annual reporting on deliverables and achievements.  
• Monitor and advise on the expenditure of the NRCoP’s funding envelope in accordance with a 12–18 month forward plan developed and agreed with ANZSOG’s Dean.  
• Contribute to the sustainability of the NRCoP by collaborating with ANZSOG on the selection of and direction to ANZSOG staff dedicated to its work or to other ANZSOG staff providing direct support to NRCoP (Marketing and Communications, Program Delivery).  

The Steering Committee is led by a Chair, appointed by the Dean ANZSOG on agreement of the Steering Committee participants. The role of the Chair is to:  

• Convene and chair the meetings of the Steering Committee.  
• Act as the face of, and principal source of authority for, the NRCoP in all external dealings.  
• Work closely with ANZSOG in the exercise of ANZSOG’s responsibilities on behalf of the NRCoP.  
• Lead the process of appointments to the Steering Committee and chapter committees and the appointment or removal of chapter Chairs, consistent with the terms of reference for Steering Committee and committee membership.  
• Provide an authoritative source of advice on NRCoP priorities, current developments in regulatory practice around Australia and the NRCoP’s governance and operating procedures.  

The Steering Committee comprises the Chair, academic advisors, a pracademic advisor, the ANZSOG staff supporting the NRCoP, the ANZSOG Deputy CEO – Thought Leadership and two representatives from each of the chapter committees, including the Chair of each chapter. The committee may co-opt additional members as appropriate and desirable. National Steering Committee members will be appointed for a period of three years, after which time they can seek re-appointment. The term of office may be extended by mutual consent between the individual and the NRCoP Steering Committee or in the case of the Chair, between the individual and ANZSOG.   

The Steering Committee is committed to ensuring that the NRCoP reflects diversity in its membership and activities.  

The work of the National Steering Committee is supported by State and Territory chapter committees which are part of the unified national governance structure of the NRCoP. The Chairs of the chapter committees are appointed by the Chair of the NRCoP National Steering Committee.  

The role of chapter committees is to:  

• Provide two representatives to the NRCoP Steering Committee, the Chair and one other.  
• Utilise their networks to locate and profile innovative regulatory practices, programs and experiences from which other regulators across Australia can learn; and bring these to the attention of the National Steering Committee and ANZSOG.  
• Help build enthusiasm, engagement and momentum for the NRCoP through their agencies and networks, and lead by example in attending and promoting NRCoP learning events.  
• If they so wish, identify and implement opportunities for chapter-specific activities. Where possible these activities will be planned jointly with the Steering Committee so that opportunities to provide wider access or to share findings with other NRCoP participants are maximised.  
• Attend committee meetings (3-4 per annum) in person or by teleconference and respond to out of session issues raised through email.  

The responsibilities of the Chair of chapter committees are to:  

• Report regularly to the National Steering Committee on chapter activities and issues emerging from local regulators of interest to others across the network.  
• Ensure prompt, comprehensive two-way communication between the chapter committee, ANZSOG and the Steering Committee.  
• Convene and preside over six committee meetings per annum.  
• Work closely with ANZSOG and the NRCoP Steering Committee in relation to appointments to the committee consequent upon vacancies.  
• Lead or co-ordinate development and delivery of any chapter-specific activities.  

Chapter committee members will be appointed for a period of three years, after which time they can seek re-appointment. The term of office may be extended by mutual consent between the individual and the Chair of the chapter committee.   

There is no fixed membership size for either the National Steering Committee or chapter committees and no quorum is required for meetings. However, it is desirable that each committee have at least 12-15 members to ensure appropriate diversity, to facilitate adequate attendance at meetings and to cover vacancies.  

Membership of the National Steering Committee or chapter committees is entirely voluntary and no sitting fees or out of pocket reimbursements are payable. The exception is where ANZSOG requests a Steering Committee member to represent it and the NRCoP at any out of state face-to-face event, in which case all reasonable travel expenses will be covered.  

Membership of the Steering Committee and chapter committees should reflect the diversity of regulatory experience, sector and role as well as gender and other markers of demographic diversity.  

The Steering Committee and each chapter committee should desirably include members from Commonwealth, State and local government regulators.  

These Terms of Reference and operating procedures apply from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2025.  

They will be reviewed for relevance and effectiveness prior to expiry, in consultation with the Chair and NRCoP Steering Committee.