Audit and Risk Committee

Our Audit and Risk Committee is a committee of our Board and is responsible for reviewing the appropriateness of our financial reporting, performance reporting, system of risk oversight and management and system of internal control. Our Audit and Risk Committee members are appointed by our Board.

We have established our Audit and Risk Committee in accordance with the requirements of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 and the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Rule 2014. The work of our Audit and Risk Committee is guided by the Audit and Risk Committee Charter.

Our Audit and Risk Committee members

Note: All Committee members are appointed on a part-time basis.

Mr Don Cross

Mr Don Cross was appointed to the Audit and Risk Committee in July 2021. Mr Cross is currently a Chair and member of several federal government audit and risk committees and subcommittees and was a senior partner at KPMG and a lead partner for KPMG’s key strategic government accounts. He has experience in government program delivery and reform, financial statement audit and internal audit for policy, regulatory and service delivery agencies. His professional qualifications are in accounting, fraud control, business and auditing and he is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and a Certified Practicing Accountant.

Mrs Maree Gooch

Mrs Maree Gooch was appointed to the APVMA Board in March 2022 and was appointed to the Audit and Risk Committee in May 2023. Mrs Gooch is Principal of Value Creators, which provides specialised business coaching and capacity building courses in business transformation, strategy and finance for small and medium enterprises in the agribusiness and tourism sectors. Mrs Gooch is a former farmer, and she currently serves as Project Director for SafeFarms WA and is the Chair of CRISP Wireless. She is a former director of the Rural Business Development Corporation, AusChem Training, FarmSafe Australia and the WA Chamber of Commerce WA’s SEN panel and former chair of the Rural Regional Remote Women’s Network (WA).

Ms Diana Hamono

Ms Diana Hamono was appointed to the Audit and Risk Committee in October 2021. Ms Hamono has more than 36 years’ internal auditing and IT auditing experience in federal and local government organisations, spanning regulatory, policy and service delivery organisations. Her audit consulting experience covers all aspects of risk, governance, ICT, program and project management and corporate and operational business systems. Ms Hamono is an independent audit and risk committee member at several local and federal government agencies. She holds a Masters degree in Information Studies (Knowledge Management), a Diploma of Security (Risk Management), an OGC Gateway Reviewer Team Member accreditation, a certificate of COBIT 5 Foundations and a foundation Certificate in IT Service Management (ITIL v3). She is a certified Information Systems Auditor, is certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT, is a Professional Member of IIA-Australia and a Member of ISACA.

Mr Darren Schaeffer

Mr Darren Schaeffer was appointed to the Audit and Risk Committee in August 2020. Mr Schaeffer has more than 12 years’ experience working in the private sector for large commercial companies – particularly in the services and manufacturing sectors – 14 years in the public-sector, including 8 as Chief Financial Officer of 2 material federal government departments, and 9 years in professional services, including currently serving as Chair of the Torres Strait Regional Authority Audit Committee. He is a Fellow Certified Practising Accountant, Graduate of Australian Institute of Company Directors, Professional Member Institute of Internal Auditors and Member of the Australian Evaluation Society. He is currently studying a Professional Doctorate of Business Administration (Research), and holds a Masters of Business Administration (Public Sector), Bachelor of Business (Accounting) and is a Certified Government Auditing Professional.