Queensland Art Gallery Annual Report 2002-03

OTHER COMMERCIAL SERVICES Highlights include: _Management of exhibition shop for 'love & Death: Art in the Age of Queen Victoria' _production of merchandise range for the 'Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art 2002' _Refurbishment of the Gallery Store office-store room _Upgrade of Gallery Store point-of-sale system _Helmut Jacoby book launch and lecture in conjunction with Wasmuth Verlag Publishers _Various events held at the Gallery in conjunction with the Brisbane Writers Festival. Outcomes and achievements include: _produced sell-out range of merchandise for the 'Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art 2002'. _Expanded sales region for the school sales program with some 280 visits to schools and libraries in Queensland including numerous regional visits to far north Queensland, the western Downs and northern New South Wales. _Installed Windows-based point-of-sale system which includes facility to operate multi-retail sites in preparation for Queensland Gallery of Modern Art (QGMA}. Future directions include: _Development of Collection-based merchandise particularly in the area of Indigenous and contemporary Australian art _Ongoing planning for QGMA commercial activities _Development of additional wholesale avenues for Gallery merchandise _Redesign and expansion of Gallery Store e-commerce site. PROTECTION AND SERVICES The key functions of the Protection and Services Unit are the provision of quality customer-focused protective security and safety systems to the Gallery and its program areas. The delivery of the activities is concentrated in the four primary areas of front-of-house operations, support services, systems management, and systems maintenance. Highlights include: _Development and implementation of Quality Service Standards by the Unit's staff _protection and Services Officers, in partnership with Information Officers, staffed the information desk. Outcomes and achievements include: _provided quality front-of-house services to the Gallery and its visitors _Reviewed procedures and practices to ensure currency of information and relevance to the needs of the Gallery _Implemented succession planning and training for Team Leaders. Future directions include: _planning for the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art _Modelling of systems, practices and strategies for a two-site operation and the continued participation in the Change Management Program. ETHICS AND CODE OF CONDUCT The Gallery's Code of Conduct is based on the ethics principles and obligations outlined in the Public Sector Ethics Act 1994 and was developed following consultation with all staff. New employees receive the Code of Conduct as part of their commencement kit and the Code is available to all staff on the Gallery's intranet. The Code applies to all paid employees as well as volunteers. Persons other than staff members can inspect the Code, free of charge, upon request at the Gallery's Research Library, with extracts or a full copy available free of charge. 54 EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY Strategies to achieve the objectives contained in the Gallery's Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Management Plan 2001-03 continued to be implemented and monitored against target dates during the year. Key strategies included: _Implementation of career planning sessions _Continued online anti-discrimination training and certification for all supervisors and managers _Management of a second intake of Indigenous trainees _Advertising vacancies according to agreed target group network sources and development of a supervisor/manager role statement to be attached to position descriptions outlining in full, responsibilities n.~:levant to EEO, diver~ity and anti-discrimination. HUMAN RESOURCE ISSUES The Gallery: _Implemented a Change Management Program for staff in preparation for the Gallery's transition to a two-site organisation _Undertook two staff surveys including one specific to the Protection and Services Unit _Recruited additional staff to undertake planning and program/services preparation for the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art _provided induction information sessions for all supervisors and staff _Developed a set of client service standards _Continued the traineeship program _Continued online anti-discrimination training for supervisors _Implemented online leave application-approval system _Provided a range of staff training and professional development. RISK MANAGEMENT The Gallery has identified a number of risk areas, and an outline of the management policies and procedures is contained in its yearly Operational Plan. AUDIT COMMITTEE The Board of Trustees Audit Committee, consisting of Mr Tim Fairfax, Mr Wayne Goss, Mrs Ann Gamble Myer (Trustees} and Mr Doug Hall (Director}, met on one occasion. An internal audit was undertaken to assess and mitigate the security risks presented to the Gallery's information systems by way of a network vulnerability security audit. WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY The Gallery has a Workplace Health and Safety Committee consisting of workplace health and safety representatives elected by staff, five Workplace Health and Safety Officers, the Assistant Director (Management and Operations). and the Head of Exhibitions and Display. The Committee met on six occasions during the year. The Gallery is also represented on the Queensland Cultural Centre's Workplace Health and Safety Committee which met on six occasions. WHISTLEBLOWERS PROTECTION ACT There were no disclosures received over the reporting period.