Declaration Process

The Annual Declaration

In a post-Covid environment where staff are now returning to work, expanding research and engagement projects, and participating globally again, it is critical and timely for Western Sydney University to be more cognisant of staff activities and practices. In order to build our awareness of, and ensure organisational compliance, the Annual Declaration has been implemented as a process for staff to register their activities, and record and remain up to date with relevant disclosures such as External Work, Conflicts of Interest, Gifts and Benefits, Foreign Influence and Project Risks. 

The Annual Declaration is a yearly process that will require staff to provide brief details on their activities, which will then be used for internal reporting purposes to monitor and track compliance rates, staff needs, and the development of new processes and procedures to improve the staff experience. 

During the process, you may be asked to submit additional 'disclosures' to ensure you are up to date with already existing (e.g. Conflicts of Interest), or new disclosure (e.g. Project Risk), processes

The information gathered within the Annual Declaration relates directly to your employment at Western Sydney University, and we will not ask any private or personal information that does not relate directly to your role. Once this information has been gathered, your supervisor will vet the submission to ensure accuracy, or to remind you of anything you've missed, and then will be used for organisational wide reporting.

Our goal is to ensure that, as a new process, your submission of the Annual Declaration is smooth and seamless, and we encourage the submission of feedback based on your experience with the process, via a feedback link to on the final page of the Declaration. 

Once submitted, you can also review your submission through the Forms Dashboard once you have completed the Annual Declaration, linked here. 

If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach out to Annual Reporting.

Annual Declarations on Biteable.

FAQs

Why has the Annual Declaration been implemented?

Due to enhanced due diligence measures, and building on existing compliance processes, the Annual Declaration process was implemented to allow Western Sydney University to capture relevant staff data on an annual basis, to better understand and cater to staff needs, ensure compliance against specific policies, and to identify new processes and procedures that could be streamlined and improved based on staff input.

What does the Annual Declaration require?

Requiring a short amount of your time, the Annual Declaration process will ask questions relating to potential secondary (external) employment, conflicts of interest, received gifts or benefits, foreign influence and any projects and associated risks you’re undertaking through your role. Largely, this process should be trouble free and relatively quick to complete. However, should you need to provide any further information, you will either be advised during the Declarations process, or by your supervisor once completed

What are the dates that it captures?

You will be declaring from February of the previous year to February of the current year, meaning any gifts you’ve received, potential conflicts of interests, or external work that you have commenced or undertaken from February 2023 to February 2024, needs to be declared through the Annual Declaration and relevant disclosures.

Who needs to complete it?

All full time, part time, continuing and fixed term staff (academic and profession) employed by Western Sydney University will need to complete the Annual Declaration.

How long do I have to complete it?

The process will be open for a two-week period, as this is the first year it's being run, the timeframe will be from February 1st until April 15th, but in future declaration periods it will be during the first two weeks of February.

Can I change information after submitting?

If there are any changes required, you can submit an amendment to your declaration, or simply notify your supervisor.

What happens once it’s been submitted?

The Annual Declaration is not an approval process, it’s simply a notification process. What this means is that all you need to do is submit, your supervisor will review the information to ensure that it’s accurate and correct, and then your response will be recorded.