2019 Annual Report James Cook University Cairns Singapore Townsville Page 1 Contents Open data ............................................................................................................................................... 1 Government bodies – James Cook University Council............................................................................ 1 Public availability .................................................................................................................................... 1 Statement of compliance ........................................................................................................................ 1 Letter of compliance ............................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction and year in review ............................................................................................................. 3 Role and main functions ......................................................................................................................... 6 Governance and management ............................................................................................................... 7 Governance – risk management and accountability ............................................................................ 16 Statement of Strategic Intent ............................................................................................................... 26 Operating environment ........................................................................................................................ 28 Section 1: Academic aspiration – Create and sustain opportunities .................................................... 31 Section 2: Academic aspiration – Inspire .............................................................................................. 32 Section 3: Academic aspiration – Catalyst ............................................................................................ 34 Section 4: Enabling focus – Students .................................................................................................... 35 Section 5: Enabling focus – Culture ...................................................................................................... 36 Section 6: Enabling focus – Digitally enabled ....................................................................................... 38 Section 7: Enabling focus – People ....................................................................................................... 40 Section 8: Enabling focus – Place .......................................................................................................... 42 Section 9: Enabling focus – Global outlook / local relevance ............................................................... 43 Major achievements ............................................................................................................................. 45 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) ........................................................................................................ 54 Financial overview ................................................................................................................................ 59 Financial statements and notes ............................................................................................................ 60 Certification of financial statements (management certificate) ........................................................ 119 Independent Auditor’s Report ............................................................................................................ 121 Financial information for the year ended ........................................................................................... 127 Glossary ............................................................................................................................................... 130 James Cook University Annual Report 2019 ISSN 0158-7730 Produced by, and available from the Planning, Performance and Analytics Directorate, James Cook University. This Annual Report is also publicly available on the JCU website at https://www.jcu.edu.au/about-jcu/annual-report © (James Cook University) 2020 Page 2 James Cook University (JCU) is committed to building strong and mutually beneficial partnerships that work towards closing the employment, health and education gap for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Our students come from many backgrounds, promoting a rich cultural and experiential diversity on campus. “We acknowledge the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners of the lands and waters where we operate our business. We honour the unique cultural and spiritual relationship to the land, waters and seas of First Australian peoples and their continuing and rich contribution to James Cook University (JCU) and Australian society. We also pay respect to ancestors and Elders past, present and future.” Source: James Cook University Reconciliation Action Plan 2015-2017. Open data The James Cook University Annual Report and additional reports on Consultancies, and Overseas Travel are published online at https://www.jcu.edu.au/about-jcu/annual-report Open data is also published annually on the Queensland Government Open Data website online at https://data.qld.gov.au Government bodies – James Cook University Council Information relating to Government Bodies (being the James Cook University Council) is published online at https://www.jcu.edu.au/about-jcu/annual-report Public availability For information about this report, or paper copies, please contact James Cook University on Ph: (07) 47814111 (Planning, Performance and Analytics Directorate) or email [email protected] Statement of compliance This Annual Report fulfils the prescribed reporting requirements for 2019 of James Cook University to the Queensland Minister for Education and Minister for Industrial Relations, and provides a comprehensive summary of the University’s operations and achievements during the year. It illustrates the role of the University within the communities it serves, portrays the scope and importance of its activities and displays the University’s effective utilisation of the resources available to it. The report outlines a wide range of developments, innovations and achievements that provide a yardstick by which to measure the performance of the University in 2019 against its strategic intent, aims, priorities and actions. Page 1 Letter of compliance 24th of February 2020 The Honourable Grace Grace MP Minister for Education and Minister for Industrial Relations Department of Education PO Box 15033 CITY EAST QLD 4002 Dear Minister, I am pleased to submit for presentation to the Parliament the Annual Report 2019 and financial statements for James Cook University. I certify that this Annual Report complies with: the prescribed requirements of the Financial Accountability Act 2009 and the Financial and Performance Management Standard 2019, and the detailed requirements set out in the Annual report requirements for Queensland Government agencies. A checklist outlining the annual reporting requirements can be found accompanying this annual report accessible at https://www.jcu.edu.au/about-jcu/annual-report. Yours sincerely Bill Tweddell Chancellor James Cook University Page 2 Introduction and year in review We began 2019 with unprecedented monsoonal flooding in Townsville in late January. Fortunately, we were able to reopen the University’s Townsville campus quickly, despite urgent and on-going remediation which will continue through 2020. Although many in our University community were affected – with some still displaced from their homes – the University has proven itself to be a strong and resilient community. That there was minimal disruption to the start of the Semester was a great testament to the determination and resilience of our student ambassadors, staff and contractors, who worked tirelessly to ensure a smooth start to the Academic Year. In April, our community was further tested by a fire in one of the University Halls’ accommodation buildings, displacing over 200 students overnight. Thankfully there were no injuries but there was significant impact on students. The support staff of the Halls, the University’s Critical Incident response team, both academic and professional staff involved in teaching, learning and student support, as well as the Estate Office and Workplace Health and Safety, all worked tirelessly once again to minimise the impact on the students. Remarkably, replacement student accommodation, including The Village, was established within a month to house displaced students. The support of the broader Townsville community was phenomenal. Throughout these disasters our priority remained – and still remains – on ensuring our students and their needs are at the centre of our action. Our students are our best success story and our five-star rating for graduate employment, published in the Good Universities Guide 2019, shows that the education experience we offer at JCU is highly valued by both our students and their employers. In fact, JCU is the only Queensland university, and one of only three Australian universities, to receive a five-star rating for graduate employment for the past nine years in a row. This is a great achievement that highlights the University’s excellence in teaching