Audit and Risk Committee
The Audit and Risk Committee is established by a Council under section 53 of the Local Government Act 2020 (the Act).
The Committee assists Council to fulfil its organisational risk management, accounting and reporting responsibilities.
It does this by:
- ensuring Council policies and procedures comply with the Act and any Ministerial directions
- monitoring Council's financial and performance reporting
- monitoring and advising on risk management and fraud management prevention systems and controls
- overseeing internal and external audit functions.
The Committee reports to Council as an Advisory Committee and meets at least four times per year. The Chief Executive Officer, the Executive team and relevant staff attend meetings, but are not voting members.
Each year, the Committee undertakes an assessment of its performance against the Committee Charter. It also prepares a biannual audit and risk report, outlining activities, findings and recommendations. Both reports are provided to the CEO for tabling at the next Council meeting.
Members
Greater Dandenong City Council’s Committee comprises of two Councillors and up to four independent members. The Chair and members of the Committee are appointed by a resolution of the Council. The Chairperson must not be a Councillor of the Council.
Councillor members
- Cr. Sophie Tan
- Cr. Rhonda Garad
Independent members
- Chair, Mr. Michael Shatter
Michael is an experienced non-executive director and committee chair with specialist expertise in audit and risk management, corporate governance, information systems, and cyber security. He brings more than 30 years’ professional experience supporting boards and executive teams in complex, highly regulated, and community-facing organisations.
A former Partner of RSM Australia, Michael led the delivery of governance, risk, assurance, cyber security, and privacy services to a wide range of public-sector entities, including local government, health, emergency services, and integrity agencies. His work has focused on strengthening governance frameworks, financial and performance reporting, internal controls, and risk management practices in environments characterised by operational complexity and high public accountability.
Michael is Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee of Greater Dandenong City Council, as well as Chair of the Audit, Risk and Finance Committees for Triple Zero Victoria and the Victorian Pharmacy Authority. He is also an Independent Member of Audit and Risk Committees for the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission, the Victorian Ombudsman, the Commission for Children and Young People, and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute.
Through these roles, Michael has overseen the governance and assurance of significant digital, infrastructure, and organisational transformation initiatives, providing a whole-of-entity perspective on enterprise risk management, compliance, and continuous improvement.
Michael holds a Bachelor of Business, is a Graduate of the Institute of Australian Company Directors, and is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.
- Ms. Suzie Thoraval
Suzie is an experienced governance, risk and leadership professional with over 25 years’ experience across government, corporates, not-for-profits and academic settings in Australia and internationally.
Suzie is a qualified lawyer with a Master of Laws and deep expertise in governance, risk management, assurance and decision-making in complex and highly regulated environments. She spent 13 years in senior leadership roles in the Victorian Government, including in the role of executive and Chief Risk Officer, leading enterprise risk frameworks, governance reform, assurance programs and large-scale transformation initiatives.
Her career spans senior legal, corporate and government roles, giving her a strong understanding of public accountability, regulatory obligations, operational risk and strategic decision-making. She has extensive experience advising boards, audit and risk committees and executive teams on risk appetite, organisational resilience and governance maturity.
Suzie currently serves as an independent Audit and Risk Committee member for several local government organisations, including the City of Whittlesea and the City of Knox, Judicial College of Victoria, and Chair of the Victorian Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing. She brings a practical, systems-focused approach to strengthening risk culture and decision-making.
She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a member of the Risk Management Institute of Australia and holds a current Legal Practising Certificate.
- Mr. Ian Sargent
Ian is an experienced finance professional having held the position of Chief Financial Officer at various major state government entities. In addition to finance, he has had executive accountability for risk, internal audit, strategy and planning and people and culture. Mr Sargent is a certified practicing accountant, currently an independent member of the IBAC and Victorian Ombudsman Audit and Risk Committees and holds a Bachelor of Business and
Master of Applied Finance.
- Ms. Natalie MacDonald
Natalie's expertise is in governance, risk management, and strategic oversight, making her highly suited for an Audit and Risk Committee role. Her career spans senior executive positions where she led large-scale service delivery, enterprise risk frameworks, and major reform programs across public sector and higher education environments. Ms MacDonald has served on a number of Commonwealth and State boards, not-for-profit, superannuation and research boards. Ms MacDonald is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a Masters in both Business Administration and Commerce (Professional Accounting).
Audit & Risk Committee Charter
NB: The latest Audit & Risk Committee Charter was adopted by Council on 24 November 2025.
