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First Graphene Ltd. Governance Information 2017

Sep 28, 2017

35640_rns_2017-09-28_0d9dc6f2-e62c-4f22-a476-9f8dee2a1d08.pdf

Governance Information

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2017Corporate Governance Statement

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Introduction

This Corporate Governance Statement discloses the extent to which the Company has, during the financial year ending 30

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June 2017, followed the recommendations set by the ASX Corporate Governance Council in its publication Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations ( Recommendations ). The Recommendations are not mandatory, however the Recommendations that have not been followed for any part of the reporting period have been identified and reasons provided for not following them along with what (if any) alternative governance practices were adopted in lieu of the recommendation during that period.

Principle 1: Lay Solid Foundations for Management and Oversight

1.1 A listed entity should disclose:
(a) the respective roles and
responsibilities of its board and
management; and
(b) those matters expressly
reserved to the board and those
delegated to management.
The Board has adopted a Board
Charter that formalises its roles and
responsibilities
and
defines
the
matters that are reserved for the
Board and specific matters that are
delegated to management.
The Board Charter is available on
the Company’s website.
1.2 A listed entity should:
(a) undertake appropriate
checks before appointing a
person, or putting forward to
security holders a candidate for
election, as a director; and
(b) provide security holders with
all material information in its
possession relevant to a decision
on whether or not to elect or re-
elect a director.
The Board is responsible for ensuring
it is comprised of individuals who are
best
able
to
discharge
the
responsibilities of directors having
regard to the law and the best
standards of governance.
The Company requires the Board to
ensure
appropriate
checks
(including checks in respect of
character, experience, education,
criminal record and bankruptcy
history
(as
appropriate))
are
undertaken before appointing a
person,
or
putting
forward
to
security holders a candidate for
election, as a Director.
The qualifications, experience and
special responsibilities of the Board
members are set out in the Directors
Report.

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1.3 A listed entity should have a
written agreement with each
director and senior executive
setting out the terms of their
appointment.
On appointment of a Director, the
Company
issues
a
letter
of
appointment setting out the terms
and conditions of their appointment
to the Board. Senior executives
have executed services contracts
with the Company.
1.4 The company secretary of a
listed entity should be
accountable directly to the
board, through the chair, on all
matters to do with the proper
functioning of the board.
The Corporate Governance Manual
outlines the roles, responsibility and
accountability of the Company
Secretary. In accordance with this,
the
Company
Secretary
is
accountable to the Board, through
the
Chair,
on
all
governance
matters.
The Company Secretary is to report
to the Board on matters they are
aware of which fall within the
Materiality Threshold as set out in the
Company's Board Charter.
1.5 A listed entity should:
(a) have a diversity policy which
includes requirements for the
board or a relevant committee of
the board to set measurable
objectives for achieving gender
diversity and to assess annually
both the objectives and the
entity’s progress in achieving
them;
(b) disclose that policy or a
summary of it; and
(c) disclose as at the end of each
reporting period the measurable
objectives for achieving gender
diversity set by the board or a
relevant committee of the board
in accordance with the entity’s
diversity policy and its progress
towards achieving them, and
either:
(1) the respective proportions of
men and women on the board,
The Company has a Diversity Policy,
which is disclosed on the Company
website. The Board acknowledges
the
absence
of
female
participation
on
the
Board
of
Directors. However, the Board has
determined that the composition of
the current Board represents the
best mix of Directors that have an
appropriate range of qualifications
and expertise, can understand and
competently deal with current and
emerging business issues and can
effectively review and challenge
the performance of management.
The Company has not set or
disclosed measurable objectives for
achieving gender diversity. Due to
the size of the Company, the Board
does not deem it practical to limit
the Company to specific targets for
gender diversity as it operates in a
very competitive labour market
where
positions
are
sometimes
difficult to fill. However, every

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in senior executive positions and
across the whole organisation
(including how the entity has
defined “senior executive” for
these purposes); or
(2) if the entity is a “relevant
employer” under the Workplace
Gender Equality Act, the entity’s
most recent “Gender Equality
Indicators”, as defined in and
published under that Act.
candidate suitably qualified for a
position has an equal opportunity of
appointment regardless of gender,
age,
ethnicity
or
cultural
background.
The
proportion
of
women
employees
in
the
whole
organisation,
women
in
senior
executive positions and women on
the Board are set out in the following
table:
Proportion
of
women
Whole
organisation
1 out of 44 (2.3%)
Senior
Executive
positions
0 out of 2 (0%)
Board
0 out of 4 (0%)
candidate suitably qualified for a
position has an equal opportunity of
appointment regardless of gender,
age,
ethnicity
or
cultural
background.
The
proportion
of
women
employees
in
the
whole
organisation,
women
in
senior
executive positions and women on
the Board are set out in the following
table:
Proportion
of
women
Whole
organisation
1 out of 44 (2.3%)
Senior
Executive
positions
0 out of 2 (0%)
Board
0 out of 4 (0%)
Proportion
of
women
Whole
organisation
1 out of 44 (2.3%)
Senior
Executive
positions

0 out of 2 (0%)
Board 0 out of 4 (0%)
1.6 A listed entity should:
(a) have and disclose a process
for periodically evaluating the
performance of the board, its
committees and individual
directors; and
(b) disclose, in relation to each
reporting period, whether a
performance evaluation was
undertaken in the reporting
period in accordance with that
process.
(a)
The Board is responsible for
evaluating the performance of
the Board, its committees and
individual
Directors
on
an
annual basis. It may do so with
the aid of an independent
advisor. The process for this is set
out
in
the
Process
for
Performance Evaluation, which
is available on the Company’s
website.
(b)
The Process for Performance
Evaluation
requires
the
Company to disclose whether or
not performance evaluations
were conducted during the
relevant reporting period. The
Company
has
completed
performance
evaluations
in
respect
of
the
Board,
its
committees
and
individual
Directors for the past financial
year in accordance with the
aboveprocess.

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1.7 A listed entity should:
(a) have and disclose a process
for periodically evaluating the
performance of its senior
executives; and
(b) disclose, in relation to each
reporting period, whether a
performance evaluation was
undertaken in the reporting
period in accordance with that
process.
(a) The Board is responsible for
evaluating
the
performance
and
remuneration
of
the
Company’s senior executives on
an
annual
basis.
A
senior
executive, for these purposes,
means
key
management
personnel (as defined in the
Corporations Act) other than a
non-executive
Director.
The
applicable processes for these
evaluations can be found in the
Company’s
Process
for
Performance Evaluation, which
is available on the Company’s
website.
(b) The Company has completed
performance
evaluations
in
respect of the senior executives
(if any) for the past financial
year in accordance with the
applicableprocesses.

Principle 2: Structure the Board to Add Value

2.1 The board of a listed entity
should:
(a) have a nomination
committee which:
(1) has at least three members, a
majority of whom are
independent directors; and
(2) is chaired by an independent
director,
and disclose:
(3) the charter of the committee;
(4) the members of the
committee; and
(5) as at the end of each
reporting period, the number of
times the committee met
throughout the period and the
The Company has not established a
separate Nomination Committee.
Given
the
current
size
and
composition of the Board, the Board
believes that there would be no
efficiencies gained by establishing a
separate Nomination Committee.
Accordingly, the Board performs the
role of the Nomination Committee.
When the Board convenes as the
Nomination Committee it carries out
those
functions
which
are
delegated to it in the Company’s
Nomination
Committee
Charter.
The Board deals with any conflicts of
interest that may occur when
convening in the capacity of the
Nomination Committee by ensuring
that the director with conflicting
interests is not party to the relevant
discussions.

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individual attendances of the
members at those meetings; or
(b) if it does not have a
nomination committee, disclose
that fact and the processes it
employs to address board
succession issues and to ensure
that the board has the
appropriate balance of skills,
knowledge, experience,
independence and diversity to
enable it to discharge its duties
and responsibilities effectively.
The full Board carries out the role of
the Nomination Committee. The full
Board did not officially convene as
a Nomination Committee during
the
Reporting
Period,
however
nomination-related
discussions
occurred from time to time during
the year as required.
The Company has adopted a
Nomination
Committee
Charter
which
describes
the
role,
composition,
functions
and
responsibilities of the Nomination
Committee.
A
copy
of
the
Nomination Committee Charter is
available
on
the
Company’s
website.
2.2 A listed entity should have and
disclose a board skills matrix
setting out the mix of skills and
diversity that the board currently
has or is looking to achieve in its
membership.
X The
Company
supports
the
appointment of Directors who bring
a wide range of business and
professional skills and experience.
While the Company does not have
or disclose a formal skills matrix it
does consider directors attributes
prior to any appointment. The
qualifications, skills and expertise
relevant to the position of Director
held by each Director in office at
the date of the annual report and
their attendance at Board and
Committee meetings is included in
the Directors’ Report.
2.3 A listed entity should disclose:
(a) the names of the directors
considered by the board to be
independent directors;
(b) if a director has an interest,
position, association or
relationship of the type described
in Box 2.3 but the board is of the
opinion that it does not
compromise the independence
of the director, the nature of the
interest, position, associationor
The Board considers Directors to be
independent where they are free of
any interest, position, association or
relationship that might influence, or
reasonably
be
perceived
to
influence, in a material respect his or
her
capacity
to
bring
an
independent judgement to bear on
issues before the Board and to act
in the best interests of the entity and
its security holders generally.

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relationship in question and an
explanation of why the board is
of that opinion; and
(c) the length of service of each
director.
The Board has adopted a definition
of independence based on that set
out in Principle 2.3 of the ASX
Corporate
Governance
Council
Principles and Recommendations.
The
Board
will
review
the
independence of each Director in
light of interests disclosed to the
Board from time to time.
In accordance with the definition of
independence above, and the
materiality
thresholds
set,
the
following Directors are considered
to be independent:
Mr Warwick Grigor has been an
independent
director
since
his
appointment on 4 December 2015;
and
Mr Chris Banasik has been an
independent
director
since
his
appointment on 20 May 2015.
Mr
Craig
McGuckin
is
not
considered to be an independent
director due to his role as Managing
Director.
Mr Peter Youd is not considered to
be an independent director due to
his role as Executive Director, CFO
and Company Secretary.
2.4 A majority of the board of a listed
entity should be independent
directors.
x Half of the Board’s directors (2 out of
4) are considered independent.
2.5 The chair of the board of a listed
entity should be an independent
director and, in particular, should
not be the same person as the
CEO of the entity.
The Chairman of the Board, Mr
Warwick Grigor is an independent
director. Mr Craig McGuckin is the
Managing
Director
of
the
Company.
2.6 A listed entity should have a
program for inducting new
directors and provide
appropriate professional
development opportunities for
The Board’s induction program
provides incoming directors with
information that will enable them to
carry out their duties in the best
interests of the Company. This

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directors to develop and
maintain the skills and knowledge
needed to perform their role as
directors effectively.
includes
supporting
ongoing
education of Directors for the
benefit of the Company.
Each director of the Company has
the right to seek independent
professional advice at the expense
of the Company, however prior
approval
of
the
Chairman
is
required
which
will
not
be
unreasonablywithheld.

Principle 3: Act Ethically and Responsibly

3.1 A listed entity should:
(a) have a code of conduct for
its directors, senior executives
and employees; and
(b) disclose that code or a
summary of it.
The Company has adopted a Code
of Conduct to be adhered to by the
Board,
management
and
employees.
The Code of Conduct is available
on the Company’s website.
Principle 4: Safeguard Integrity in Corporate Reporting
4.1 The board of a listed entity
should:
(a) have an audit committee
which:
(1) has at least three members,
all of whom are non-executive
directors and a majority of whom
are independent directors; and
(2) is chaired by an independent
director, who is not the chair of
the board,
and disclose:
(3) the charter of the committee;
(4) the relevant qualifications
and experience of the members
of the committee; and
(5) in relation to each reporting
period, the number of times the
committee met throughout the
period and the individual
x The Company has established a
separate Audit Committee.
Members of the Audit Committee
are Warwick Grigor and Chris
Banasik. The Audit Committee does
not comply with Recommendation
4.1(a)(1) in that the committee does
not consist of at least 3 members
and
does
not
comply
with
Recommendation 4.1(a)(2) in that it
is
Chaired
by
Mr
Grigor,
the
Chairman of the Board.
The Board considers these directors
to
be
the
most
appropriate
members to constitute the Audit
Committee given their technical,
finance and accounting expertise
and broad knowledge of the
industry within which the Company
operates and the fact that they are
independent,
non-executive
directors.

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attendances of the members at
those meetings; or
(b) if it does not have an audit
committee, disclose that fact
and the processes it employs that
independently verify and
safeguard the integrity of its
corporate reporting, including
the processes for the
appointment and removal of the
external auditor and the rotation
of the audit engagement
partner.
Details of each of the director’s
qualifications and experience and
the
attendance
at
Audit
Committee meetings are set out in
the Directors Report under the
section headed Board of Directors.
The
Company
has
established
procedures
for
the
selection,
appointment and rotation of its
external
auditor.
The
Board
is
responsible
for
the
initial
appointment of the external auditor
and the appointment of a new
external auditor when any vacancy
arises, as recommended by the
Audit Committee (or its equivalent).
Candidates for the position of
external auditor must demonstrate
complete independence from the
Company
through
the
engagement period. The Board
may otherwise select an external
auditor based on criteria relevant to
the
Company’s
business
and
circumstances. The performance of
the external auditor is reviewed on
an annual basis by the Audit
Committee (or its equivalent) and
any recommendations are made to
the Board.
The Company’s Audit Committee
Charter
and
the
Company’s
Procedure
for
Selection,
Appointment
and
Rotation
of
External Auditor are available on
the Company’s website.

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4.2 The board of a listed entity
should, before it approves the
entity’s financial statements for a
financial period, receive from its
CEO and CFO a declaration that,
in their opinion, the financial
records of the entity have been
properly maintained and that the
financial statements comply with
the appropriate accounting
standards and give a true and
fair view of the financial position
and performance of the entity
and that the opinion has been
formed on the basis of a sound
system of risk management and
internal control which is
operating effectively.
The CEO and the CFO make a
statement to the Board prior to
approval of the annual, half-yearly
and quarterly accounts that, in their
opinion, the financial records of the
entity
have
been
properly
maintained and that the financial
statements
comply
with
the
appropriate accounting standards
and give a true and fair view of the
financial position and performance
of the entity and that the opinion
has been formed on the basis of a
sound system of risk management
and
internal
control
which
is
operating effectively.
4.3 A listed entity that has an AGM
should ensure that its external
auditor attends its AGM and is
available to answer questions
from security holders relevant to
the audit.
The external auditors are requested
to attend the Annual General
Meeting and are available to
answer
shareholders’
questions
about the conduct of the audit and
preparation of the Auditor’s Report.
Principle 5: Make Timely and Balanced Disclosure
5.1 A listed entity should:
(a) have a written policy for
complying with its continuous
disclosure obligations under the
Listing Rules; and
(b) disclose that policy or a
summary of it.
The Company has adopted a Policy
on Continuous Disclosure which is
available
on
the
Company’s
website.
Principle 6: Respect the Rights of Security Holders
6.1 A listed entity should provide
information about itself and its
governance to investors via its
website.
The Company’s website provides a
corporate
governance
landing
page where all relevant corporate
governance information can be
accessed. The website also has
access to copies of all releases and
reports made to ASX and general

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information about the Company
and its activities.
6.2 A listed entity should design and
implement an investor relations
program to facilitate effective
two-way communication with
investors.
The Company has adopted a
Shareholder Communication Policy
which
is
available
on
the
Company’s website.
6.3 A listed entity should disclose the
policies and processes it has in
place to facilitate and
encourage participation at
meetings of security holders.
Shareholders are encouraged to
participate at all general meetings
and AGMs of the Company. Upon
the despatch of any notice of
meeting
to
Shareholders,
the
Company Secretary shall send out
material
stating
that
all
Shareholders are encouraged to
participate at the meeting.
6.4 A listed entity should give security
holders the option to receive
communications from, and send
communications to, the entity
and its security registry
electronically.
The Shareholder Communications
Policy provides that security holders
can register with the Company to
receive information updates. Links
are
made
available
to
the
Company’s website on which all
information provided to the ASX is
immediately posted. Shareholders
can
email
the
Company
at
[email protected].
The Company’s Share registrar is
equipped for electronic enquiries
and
shareholders
can
make
changes to their details online.

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Principle 7: Recognise and Manage Risk

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7.1 The board of a listed entity  The Company has no specific Risk should: Committee. The Company has a Risk Management Policy which is (a) have a committee or posted on the Company website. committees to oversee risk, each of which: The Board is responsible for approving the Company's policies (1) has at least three members, a on risk oversight and management majority of whom are and satisfying itself that independent directors; and management has developed and implemented a sound system of risk (2) is chaired by an independent management and internal control. director, The Managing Director has and disclose: responsibility for identifying, (3) the charter of the committee; assessing, monitoring and managing risks. The Managing (4) the members of the Director is also responsible for committee; and identifying any material changes to the Company's risk profile and (5) as at the end of each ensuring, with approval of the reporting period, the number of times the committee met Board, the risk profile is updated to reflect any material change. throughout the period and the individual attendances of the The Managing Director is required to members at those meetings; or report on the progress of, and on all matters associated with, risk (b) if it does not have a risk management on a regular basis. committee or committees that The Managing Director and the satisfy (a) above, disclose that CEO make a statement to the fact and the processes it employs Board on the system of risk for overseeing the entity’s risk management and internal control management framework. on a quarterly basis. The Managing Director provides a summary of the Company's management of its material business risks and reports to the Board on the effectiveness of whether those risks are being managed effectively at least annually. 7.2 The board or a committee of the  (a) The Risk Management Policy board should: requires that the Board should, at least annually, satisfy itself (a) review the entity’s risk that the Company’s risk management framework at least management framework annually to satisfy itself that it continues to be sound. continues to be sound; and

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(b) disclose, in relation to each
reporting period, whether such a
review has taken place.
(b) The Board has completed a
review of the Company’s risk
management framework in
thepast financialyear.
7.3 A listed entity should disclose:
(a) if it has an internal audit
function, how the function is
structured and what role it
performs; or
(b) if it does not have an internal
audit function, that fact and the
processes it employs for
evaluating and continually
improving the effectiveness of its
risk management and internal
control processes.
The Company does not have an
internal audit function. The Board
works closely with the Management
Team to identify and manage
operational,
financial
and
compliance
risks
which
could
prevent
the
Company
from
achieving its objectives. The Audit
Committee actively encourages
the External Auditor to raise internal
control
issues,
and
oversees
management’s timely remediation
thereof.
7.4 A listed entity should disclose
whether it has any material
exposure to economic,
environmental and social
sustainability risks and, if it does,
how it manages or intends to
manage those risks.
The Board has identifiedexposure to
economic,
environmental
and
social sustainability risks as part of its
annual risk review. The Board has
implemented
suitable
risk
management
processes
to
be
incorporated into all aspects of
business
planning,
operations
management
and
employee
relations.

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Principle 8: Remunerate Fairly and Responsibly

8.1 The board of a listed entity
should:
(a) have a remuneration
committee which:
(1) has at least three members, a
majority of whom are
independent directors; and
(2) is chaired by an independent
director,
and disclose:
(3) the charter of the committee;
(4) the members of the
committee; and
(5) as at the end of each
reporting period, the number of
times the committee met
throughout the period and the
individual attendances of the
members at those meetings; or
(b) if it does not have a
remuneration committee,
disclose that fact and the
processes it employs for setting
the level and composition of
remuneration for directors and
senior executives and ensuring
that such remuneration is
appropriate and not excessive.
x Members
of
the
Remuneration
Committee are Warwick Grigor and
Chris Banasik, both independent
directors,
with
Mr
Banasik
as
Chairman.
The
Remuneration
Committee does not comply with
Recommendation 8.1(a)(1) in that
the committee does not consist of
at least 3 members.
Details
of
members
and
attendance
of
Remuneration
Committee meetings is available in
the Director’s Report.
The
Remuneration
Committee
charter
is
available
on
the
Company’s website.
8.2 A listed entity should separately
disclose its policies and practices
regarding the remuneration of
non-executive directors and the
remuneration of executive
directors and other senior
executives.
The Company complies with the
guidelines for executive and non-
executive director remuneration,
details of which are included in the
Remuneration Report contained
within the Annual Report.

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8.3 A listed entity which has an
equity-based remuneration
scheme should:
(a) have a policy on whether
participants are permitted to
enter into transactions (whether
through the use of derivatives or
otherwise) which limit the
economic risk of participating in
the scheme; and
(b) disclose that policy or a
summary of it.
The
Company’s
Remuneration
Committee
Charter
contains
a
policy restricting participants of the
Employee Share Option Plan from
entering into transactions (whether
through the use of derivatives or
otherwise) which limit the economic
risk of participating in the scheme.
The
Remuneration
Committee
charter
is
available
on
the
Company’s website.

The Company’s corporate governance practices were in place for the financial year ended 30 June 2017 and to the date of signing the Directors’ Report.

Various corporate governance practices are discussed within this statement. For further information on corporate governance policies adopted by the Company, refer to our website www.firstgraphite.com.au

This Corporate Governance Statement has been approved by the Board and is dated 29 September 2017.

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