Audit and Risk Committee: Department of Education

Overview

The Standing Directions 2018 under the Financial Management Act 1994 (section 3.2) require each public sector agency appoint an audit committee to oversee and advise the public sector agency on matters of accountability and internal control affecting the operations of the agency.

The Audit and Risk Committee (ARC) is appointed by the Secretary of the Department of Education. The ARC assists the Secretary in fulfilling their oversight and governance responsibilities and obligations under the Financial Management Act 1994.

The ARC oversees and provides advice on:

governance
risk management
audit and control assurance activities.

The ARC comprises 5 members, including 4 independent members and one internal member (a departmental executive). In addition, the chief finance officer and the chief audit executive attend ARC meetings.

More information

Committee members

Independent members

Appointed: 1 January 2020
Current term as Chair: 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2028
Andrew is an experienced non-executive director with extensive skills and expertise in assurance, risk management, governance, financial management and performance consulting. He has had 38 years in professional practise with PricewaterhouseCoopers including 24 years as a Partner. In that time, his role included leading PricewaterhouseCoopers Government Practice in Victoria, interacting with senior executives, Cabinet Ministers, Parliamentarians and boards.
Andrew is Chair of the audit, risk, and governance committees for the Department of Transport, Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water, Fire Rescue Victoria, and the Victorian Parliament. Andrew is a Director and Audit Committee member of the Victorian Funds Management Corporation.
Andrew specialised in advising financial institutions in banking, insurance, funds management and treasury in both the private and government sectors. Andrew is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia. He holds qualifications in economics.
Appointed: 1 August 2024
Current term concludes: 31 July 2027
Goran Mitrevski has extensive experience in risk management, assurance, governance, and business improvement in both public and private sector. He has significant skills and experience in Risk Management and Assurance.
Goran currently serves as the Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee of Bass Coast Shire Council and Chair of the Audit and Risk Management Committee of Greater Shepparton City Council.
Goran is a Graduate Member at the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Fellow Member of the Australian Society of Certified Practicing Accountants, a Member of the Institute of Internal Auditors Australia and a Member of the Risk Management Institute of Australasia Ltd.
Appointed: 1 July 2025
Current term concludes: 30 June 2028
Mark Toohey has extensive experience in finance, risk, and governance across various industries and the Victorian public sector. Mark has held executive roles in the financial services industry, including as a Chief Financial Officer.
Mark is currently the chair of the Department of Treasury and Finance Audit and Risk Committee and the V/Line Audit and Risk Committee. He is the Deputy Chair of the Department of Health Audit and Risk Committee. He is a director of the Lyon Foundation Ltd., a not-for-profit contemporary Australian art gallery.
Mark is a Graduate member at the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, and a Fellow Member of CPA Australia. Mark holds qualifications in business and finance.
Appointed: 1 January 2026
Current term concludes: 31 December 2028
Natasha Foster is a global governance, risk and compliance executive with over 25 years of experience spanning financial services, telecommunications, technology, health, not-for-profit and government sectors. She brings deep expertise in risk management, corporate governance, internal controls and regulatory compliance, with significant specialist knowledge in early childhood education and complex, multi-stakeholder environments.
Natasha currently serves in several governance and executive leadership roles. She is the Deputy Chair of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee at API Queensland and Canopy Early Education, and Chair of the Quality, Risk and Safety Committee at No to Violence, where she provides independent oversight across risk, quality and governance.
She is also the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Risk Strategist of Swift Risk Solutions, a specialist consultancy supporting organisations to strengthen governance, risk maturity and compliance capability.
Natasha is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and holds qualifications in law and arts.

Internal member

Appointed: 1 March 2026
Current term concludes: 28 February 2029
Tip Kennedy commenced as Regional Director of the North Western Victoria Region of the Department of Education in July 2025. The North Western Victoria Region stretches from Melbourne to the regional centres of Bendigo and Swan Hill to Mildura and the South Australian border. The region is responsible for more than 350 schools and 700 early childhood services.
Tip has worked in education for more than 30 years, in principal positions and classroom teaching roles. In 2022, Tip joined the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership as a Principal-In-Residence, marking her transition from schools to the corporate sector.
Following this, Tip held an executive role in the South Eastern Victoria Region, and served as the Acting Regional Director of the South Western Victorian Region.
Tip holds qualifications in education, leadership and science with honors in psychology.

Education & training

Updated 5 May 2026