Plenty Valley
Netball Association
Incorporated Association
Registered NoA0005092X
CONSTITUTION
Dated 12th October 2013
table
of provisions
PART 1—PRELIMINARY
1 Name
2 Objectives of
Association
3 Financial year
4 Definitions
PART 2—POWERS OF ASSOCIATION
5 Powers of Association
6 Not for profit
organisation
PART 3—MEMBERS, DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES AND GRIEVANCES
Division 1—Membership
7 Minimum number of
members
8 Who is eligible to be
a member
9 Application for
membership
6
10 Membership of PVNA
11 Consideration of
application
12 New membership
13 Subscription/ Members
fees
14 General rights of
members
15 Rights not
transferable
16 Ceasing membership
17 Resigning as a member
18 Register of members
Division 2—Disciplinary action
19 Grounds for taking
disciplinary action
20 Disciplinary
subcommittee
21 Notice to member
22 Decision of
subcommittee
23 Appeal rights
24 Conduct of
disciplinary appeal meeting
Division 3—Grievance procedure
25 Application
26 Parties must attempt
to resolve the dispute
27 Appointment of
mediator
28 Mediation process
29 Failure to resolve
dispute by mediation
PART 4—GENERAL MEETINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION
30 Annual general
meetings
31 Special general
meetings
32 Special general
meeting held at request of members
33 Notice of general
meetings
34 Proxies
35 Use of technology
36 Quorum at general
meetings
37 Adjournment of
general meeting
38 Voting at general
meeting
39 Special resolutions
40 Determining whether
resolution carried
41 Minutes of general
meeting
PART 5—COMMITTEE
Division 1—Powers of Committee
42 Role and powers
43 Delegation
Division 2—Composition of Committee and duties of members
44 Composition of
Committee
45 General Duties
46 President and
Vice-President
47 Secretary
48
Treasurer
Division 3—Election of Committee members and tenure of office
49 Who is eligible to be
a Committee member
50 Positions to be
declared vacant
51 Nominations
52 Election of President
etc.
53 Election of ordinary
members
54 Ballot
55 Term of office
56 Vacation of office
57 Filling casual
vacancies
Division 4—Meetings of Committee
58 Meetings of Committee
59 Notice of meetings
60 Urgent meetings
61 Procedure and order
of business
62 Use of technology
63 Quorum
64 Voting
65 Conflict of interest 19
66 Minutes of meeting 20
67 Leave of absence
PART 6—FINANCIAL MATTERS
68 Source of funds
69 Management of funds
70 Financial records
71 Financial statements
PART 7—GENERAL MATTERS
72 Common seal
73 Registered address
74 Notice requirements
75 Custody and
inspection of books and records
76 Winding up and
cancellation
77 Alteration of Rules
Appendix A Proxy Voting form
Appendix B Direct Voting form
Constitution
of
Plenty Valley Netball Association
Registration
No NoA0005092X
The
name of the incorporated association is Plenty Valley Netball Association Incorporated
Trading as PVNA
2 Objectives of the
Association
The purposes for which the Association is
established to:
(a) encourage and promote Netball in the City
of Whittlesea and surrounding areas
(b) promote the Australian national game of
Netball.
(c) organise the conduct of day competition,
making rules and regulations and establish procedures for the orderly conduct
and good management of the Competition. Such powers shall include making of
rules in respect to registration of players and Club officials, admission and
removal of members from the Competition, discipline of members, players and
officials, recognition of achievement of members, players and officials and
settlement of disputes in relation to all matters over which the Association
has power.
(d) appoint Committee of Management to
represent and act on behalf of its Members in accordance with these rules and good
management practices.
(e) provide for the promotion, encouragement
and administration of the sport of netball.
(f) encourage participation and enjoyment in
the sport of netball as a means of improving health, fitness and the quality of
life.
(g) encourage improvement in the standard of
netball and sportsmanship generally and endeavour to ensure a high standard of
netball is maintained.
(h) develop a sense of sportsmanship and a
high degree of proficiency in our netball competitions, adopting and complying
with the rules of the sport of netball.
(i) encourage and promote the health and
safety of competitors-enhancing drug free competition.
(j) promote and hold, either alone or
jointly, with any other Association, club or person - netball competitions,
championships, exhibitions, meetings and
other activities of the Association generally.
(k) invest and deal with moneys of the
Association not immediately required.
The
financial year of the Association is each period of 12 months ending on 31st
December.
In
these Rules—
absolute
majority,
of the Committee, means a majority of the committee members currently holding
office and entitled to vote at the time (as distinct from a majority of
committee members present at a committee meeting);
Chairperson, of a general
meeting or committee meeting, means the person chairing the meeting as required
under rule 46;
Committee
means
the Committee having management of the business of the Association;
committee
meeting means
a meeting of the Committee held in accordance with these Rules;
committee
member means
a member of the Committee elected or appointed under Division 3 of Part 5;
disciplinary
appeal meeting means
a meeting of the members of the Association convened under rule 23(3);
disciplinary
meeting means
a meeting of the Committee convened for the purposes of rule 22;
disciplinary subcommittee means the
subcommittee appointed under rule 20;
financial
year means
the 12 month period specified in rule 3;
general
meeting means
a general meeting of the members of the Association convened in accordance with
Part 4 and includes an annual general meeting, a special general meeting and a
disciplinary appeal meeting;
junior member means a member under the age of 18 years refer
rule 10 (a)
life member means a person elected by Members in accordance with
rule 10(c)
member means a member of
the Association;
member entitled to
vote means
a member who under rule 13(2) is entitled to vote at a general meeting;
parent includes, a step-parent, a foster parent, a guardian, an
adoptive parent, and a person who has
custody or daily care and control of the child.
parent member refer rule 10(b)
special resolution means a resolution
that requires not less than three-quarters of the members voting
at a general meeting, whether in person or by proxy, to vote in favour of the
resolution;
the
Act means
the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012 and includes any
regulations made under that Act;
the
Registrar means
the Registrar of Incorporated Associations.
(1) Subject to the Act, the Association has power to do all things
incidental or conducive to achieve its purposes.
(2) Without limiting subrule (1), the Association may—
(a) acquire, hold and dispose of real or personal
property;
(b) open and operate accounts with financial
institutions;
(c) invest its money in any security in which
trust monies may lawfully be invested;
(d) raise and borrow money on any terms and in any
manner as it thinks fit;
(e) secure the repayment of money raised or
borrowed, or the payment of a debt or liability;
(f) appoint agents to transact business on its
behalf;
(g) enter into any other contract it considers
necessary or desirable.
(3) The Association may only exercise its powers and use its income and
assets (including any surplus) for its purposes.
(1) The Association must not distribute any surplus, income or assets
directly or indirectly to its members.
(2) Subrule (1) does not prevent the Association from paying a member—
(a) reimbursement for expenses properly incurred
by the member; or
(b) for goods or services provided by the member—
if
this is done in good faith on terms no more favourable than if the member was
not a member.
PART 3—MEMBERS,
DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES AND GRIEVANCES
The
Association must have at least 5 members.
8. Who is eligible to be a member
Any
person who supports the purposes of the Association is eligible for membership.
(1) To apply to become a member of the Association, a person must
submit a written application to a committee member stating that the person—
(a) wishes to become a member of the Association;
and
(b) supports the purposes of the Association; and
(c) agrees to comply with these Rules.
(2) The application—
(a) must be signed by the applicant; and in the
case of person under the age of 18 years co signed by parent.
(b) may be accompanied by the necessary fee.
Types of membership.
PVNA shall have the following categories of members –
(a) Junior Members- Persons under the age of 18 at the start of the
relevant year and registered
to play with PVNA for that
year are Junior Members. Junior members have no voting rights
and are not eligible for
elected positions with PVNA. The interest of each junior member may
be represented by one
parent of that junior member.
(b) Parent members: Parents of Junior Members may
apply to become parent
members subject to the
following restrictions:
i. Only one parent
of a Junior Member may become a parent member.
ii. Where a Junior
Member has one or more siblings who are also Junior Members a parent member
who represents anyone those Junior Members shall be deemed to
represent them
all.
iii. Each parent member
shall have only one vote regardless of the number of Junior Members which that Parent Member
represents. Parent Members shall be eligible to vote at general
meetings, stand for election to committee and exercise all the rights of membership of
PVNA.
(c) Honorary Life Members: Persons who have given outstanding service to
PVNA may be
nominated by the committee
for election as Life Members at any Annual General Meeting.
Life Members shall be
eligible to vote at general meetings, stand for election to committee and exercise all the rights of
membership of PVNA.
11. Consideration of application
(1) As soon as practicable after an application for membership is
received, the Committee must decide by resolution whether to accept or reject
the application.
(2) The Committee must notify the applicant in writing of its decision
as soon as practicable after the decision is made.
(3) If the Committee rejects the application, it must return any money
accompanying the application to the applicant.
(4) No reason need be given for the rejection of an application.
(1) If an application for membership is approved by the Committee—
(a) the resolution to accept the membership must
be recorded in the minutes of the committee meeting; and
(b) the Secretary must, as soon as practicable,
enter the name and address of the new member, and the date of becoming a
member, in the register of members.
(2) A person becomes a member of the Association and, subject to rule
13(2), is entitled to exercise his or her rights of membership from the date,
whichever is the later, on which—
(a) the Committee approves the person's
membership; or
(b) the person pays the required fee.
13 Subscription/ Membership fees
(1) At each annual general meeting, the Association must determine—
(a) the amount of the subscription (if any) for the following
financial year; and
(b) the date for payment of the required subscription.
(2) The Association may determine that any new member who joins after
the start of a financial year must, for that financial year, pay a fee equal
to—
(a) the full subscription/membership fee ; or
(b) a pro rata subscription/membership fee based on the remaining part of the financial
year; or
(c) a fixed amount determined from time to time by
the Association.
(3) The rights of a member (including the right to vote) who has not
paid the subscription/membership fee by the due date are suspended until the
subscription/membership fee is paid.
(1) A member of the Association who is entitled to vote has the right—
(a) to receive notice of general meetings and of
proposed special resolutions in the manner and time prescribed by these Rules;
and
(b) to submit items of business for consideration
at a general meeting; and
(c) to attend and be heard at general meetings;
and
(d) to vote at a general meeting; and
(e) to have access to the minutes of general
meetings and other documents of the Association as provided under rule 75; and
(f) to inspect the register of members.
(2) A member is entitled to vote if—
(a) the member is a member other than a junior
member; and
(b) more than 10 business days have passed since
he or she became a member of the Association; and
(c) the member's membership rights are not
suspended for any reason.
The
rights of a member are not transferable and end when membership ceases.
(1) The membership of a person ceases on resignation, expulsion or
death.
(2) If a person ceases to be a member of the Association, the Secretary
must, as soon as practicable, enter the date the person ceased to be a member
in the register of members.
(1) A member may resign by notice in writing given to the Association.
(2) A member is taken to have resigned if—
(a) the member's subscription/membership fee is more than 3 months in arrears; or
(b) where no subscription/membership fee is payable—
(i) the Secretary has made a written request to
the member to confirm that he or she wishes to remain a member; and
(ii) the member has not, within 3 months after
receiving that request, confirmed in writing that he or she wishes to remain a
member.
(1) The Secretary must keep and maintain a register of members that
includes—
(a) for each current member—
(i) the member's name;
(ii) the address for notice last given by the
member;
(iii) the date of becoming a member;
(iv) any other information determined by the
Committee; and
(b) for each former member, the date of ceasing to
be a member.
(2) Any member may, at a reasonable time and free of charge, inspect
the register of members.
Division
2—Disciplinary action
19 Grounds for taking disciplinary action
The
Association may take disciplinary action against a member in accordance with
this Division if it is determined that the member—
(a) has failed to comply with these Rules; or
(b) refuses to support the purposes of the
Association; or
(c) has engaged in conduct prejudicial to the
Association.
(1) If the Committee is satisfied that there are sufficient grounds for
taking disciplinary action against a member, the Committee must appoint a
disciplinary subcommittee to hear the matter and determine what action, if any,
to take against the member.
(2) The members of the disciplinary subcommittee—
(a) may be Committee members, members of the
Association or anyone else; but
(b) must not be biased against, or in favour of,
the member concerned.
(1) Before disciplinary action is taken against a member, the Secretary
must give written notice to the member—
(a) stating that the Association proposes to take
disciplinary action against the member; and
(b) stating the grounds for the proposed
disciplinary action; and
(c) specifying the date, place and time of
the meeting at which the disciplinary subcommittee intends to consider the
disciplinary action (the disciplinary meeting); and
(d) advising the member that he or she may do one
or both of the following—
(i) attend the disciplinary meeting and address
the disciplinary subcommittee at that meeting;
(ii) give a written statement to the disciplinary
subcommittee at any time before the disciplinary meeting; and
(e) setting out the member's appeal rights under
rule 23.
(2) The notice must be given no earlier than 28 days, and no later than
14 days, before the disciplinary meeting is held.
(1) At the disciplinary meeting, the disciplinary subcommittee must—
(a) give the member an opportunity to be heard;
and
(b) consider any written statement submitted by
the member.
(2) After complying with subrule (1), the disciplinary subcommittee
may—
(a) take no further action against the member; or
(b) subject to subrule (3)—
(i) reprimand the member; or
(ii) suspend the membership rights of the member
for a specified period; or
(iii) expel the member from the Association.
(3) The disciplinary subcommittee may not fine the member.
(4) The suspension of membership rights or the expulsion of a member by
the disciplinary subcommittee under this rule takes effect immediately after
the vote is passed.
(1) A person whose membership rights have been suspended or who has
been expelled from the Association under rule 22 may give notice to the effect
that he or she wishes to appeal against the suspension or expulsion.
(2) The notice must be in writing and given—
(a) to the disciplinary subcommittee immediately
after the vote to suspend or expel the person is taken; or
(b) to the Secretary not later than 48 hours after
the vote.
(3) If a person has given notice under subrule (2), a disciplinary
appeal meeting must be convened by the Committee as soon as practicable, but in
any event not later than 21 days, after the notice is received.
(4) Notice of the disciplinary appeal meeting must be given to each
member of the Association who is entitled to vote as soon as practicable and
must—
(a) specify the date, time and place of the
meeting; and
(b) state—
(i) the name of the person against whom the
disciplinary action has been taken; and
(ii) the grounds for taking that action; and
(iii) that at the disciplinary appeal meeting the
members present must vote on whether the decision to suspend or expel the
person should be upheld or revoked.
24 Conduct of disciplinary appeal meeting
(1) At a disciplinary appeal meeting—
(a) no business other than the question of the
appeal may be conducted; and
(b) the Committee must state the grounds for
suspending or expelling the member and the reasons for taking that action; and
(c) the person whose membership has been suspended
or who has been expelled must be given an opportunity to be heard.
(2) After complying with subrule (1), the members present and entitled
to vote at the meeting must vote by secret ballot on the question of whether
the decision to suspend or expel the person should be upheld or revoked.
(3) A member may not vote by proxy at the meeting.
(4) The decision is upheld if not less than three quarters of the
members voting at the meeting vote in favour of the decision.
Division 3—Grievance
procedure
(1) The grievance procedure set out in this Division applies to
disputes under these Rules between—
(a) a member and another member;
(b) a member and the Committee;
(c) a member and the Association.
(2) A member must not initiate a grievance procedure in relation to a
matter that is the subject of a disciplinary procedure until the disciplinary
procedure has been completed.
26 Parties
must attempt to resolve the dispute
The
parties to a dispute must attempt to resolve the dispute between themselves
within 14 days of the dispute coming to the attention of each party.
(1) If the parties to a dispute are unable to resolve the dispute
between themselves within the time required by rule 26, the parties must within
10 days—
(a) notify the Committee of the dispute; and
(b) agree to or request the appointment of a
mediator; and
(c) attempt in good faith to settle the dispute by
mediation.
(2) The mediator must be—
(a) a person chosen by agreement between the
parties; or
(b) in the absence of agreement—
(i) if the dispute is between a member and another
member—a person appointed by the Committee; or
(ii) if the dispute is between a member and the
Committee or the Association—a person appointed or employed by the Dispute
Settlement Centre of Victoria.
(3) A mediator appointed by the Committee may be a member or former
member of the Association but in any case must not be a person who—
(a) has a personal interest in the dispute; or
(b) is biased in favour of or against any party.
(1) The mediator to the dispute, in conducting the mediation, must—
(a) give each party every opportunity to be heard;
and
(b) allow due consideration by all parties of any
written statement submitted by any party; and
(c) ensure that natural justice is accorded to the
parties throughout the mediation process.
(2) The mediator must not determine the dispute.
29 Failure to resolve dispute by mediation
If
the mediation process does not resolve the dispute, the parties may seek to
resolve the dispute in accordance with the Act or otherwise at law.
PART 4—GENERAL
MEETINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION
(1) The Committee must convene an annual general meeting of the
Association to be held within 5 months after the end of each financial
year.
(2) Despite subrule (1), the Association may hold its first annual
general meeting at any time within 18 months after its incorporation.
(3) The Committee may determine the date, time and place of the annual
general meeting.
(4) The ordinary business of the annual general meeting is as follows—
(a) to confirm the minutes of the previous annual
general meeting and of any special general meeting held since then;
(b) to receive and consider—
(i) the annual report of the Committee on the
activities of the Association during the preceding financial year; and
(ii) the financial statements of the Association
for the preceding financial year submitted by the Committee in accordance with
Part 7 of the Act;
(c) to elect the members of the Committee;
(d) to confirm or vary the amounts (if any) of the
subscription /membership fee.
(5) The annual general meeting may also conduct any other business of
which notice has been given in accordance with these Rules.
(1) Any general meeting of the Association, other than an annual
general meeting or a disciplinary appeal meeting, is a special general meeting.
(2) The Committee may convene a special general meeting whenever it
thinks fit.
(3) No business other than that set out in the notice under rule 33 may
be conducted at the meeting.
32 Special general meeting held at request of
members
(1) The Committee must convene a special general meeting if a request
to do so is made in accordance with subrule (2) by at least 10% of the total
number of members.
(2) A request for a special general meeting must—
(a) be in writing; and
(b) state the business to be considered at the
meeting and any resolutions to be proposed; and
(c) include the names and signatures of the
members requesting the meeting; and
(d) be given to the Secretary.
(3) If the Committee does not convene a special general meeting within
one month after the date on which the request is made, the members making the
request (or any of them) may convene the special general meeting.
(4) A special general meeting convened by members under subrule (3)—
(a) must be held within 3 months after the date on
which the original request was made; and
(b) may only consider the business stated in that
request.
(5) The Association must reimburse all reasonable expenses incurred by
the members convening a special general meeting under subrule (3).
(1) The Secretary (or, in the case of a special general meeting
convened under rule 32(3), the members convening the meeting) must give to each
member of the Association—
(a) at least 21 days' notice of a general meeting
if a special resolution is to be proposed at the meeting; or
(b) at least 14 days' notice of a general meeting
in any other case.
(2) The notice must—
(a) specify the date, time and place of the
meeting; and
(b) indicate the general nature of each item of
business to be considered at the meeting; and
(c) if a special resolution is to be proposed—
(i) state in full the proposed resolution; and
(ii) state the intention to propose the resolution
as a special resolution; and
(d) comply with rule 34(5).
(3) This rule does not apply to a disciplinary appeal meeting.
34 Proxy Voting and Direct
Voting
(1) A member may
appoint another member as his or her proxy to vote and speak on his or her
behalf at a general meeting other than at a disciplinary appeal meeting.
(2) The appointment
of a proxy must be in writing and signed by the member making the appointment.
(3) The member
appointing the proxy may give specific directions as to how the proxy is to
vote on his or her behalf, otherwise the proxy may vote on behalf of the member
in any matter as he or she sees fit.
(4) If the Committee
has approved a form for the appointment of a proxy, the member may use any
other form that clearly identifies the person appointed as the member's proxy
and that has been signed by the member.
(5) Notice of a
general meeting given to a member under rule 33 must—
(i) state that the member may appoint another
member as a proxy for the meeting; and
(ii) include a copy of any form that the
Committee has approved for the appointment of a proxy.
(6) A form appointing
a proxy must be given to the Chairperson of the meeting before or at the
commencement of the meeting.
(7) A form appointing
a proxy sent by post or electronically is of no effect unless it is received by
the Association no later than 24 hours before the commencement of the meeting.
(8) Every member who is
entitled to vote at a General Meeting shall be entitled to case a direct vote.
(9) A member unable to attend a
General Meeting may vote by direct vote without the need to appoint
a proxy.
(10) A direct vote at a general meeting shall be
cast on the Voting Paper approved by the Committee
for the meeting and may be delivered personally or sent by post or by
electronic transmission to the
Secretary and shall be received not less than forty-eight (48) hours prior to the time of the
appointed meeting.
(11) A member who has cast a
direct vote is entitled to attend the meeting but will not be entitled
to vote on the motion at the meeting.
(1) A member not physically present at a general meeting may be
permitted to participate in the meeting by the use of technology that allows
that member and the members present at the meeting to clearly and simultaneously
communicate with each other.
(2) For the purposes of this Part, a member participating in a general
meeting as permitted under subrule (1) is taken to be present at the meeting
and, if the member votes at the meeting, is taken to have voted in person.
(1) No business may be conducted at a general meeting unless a quorum
of members is present.
(2) The quorum for a general meeting is the presence (physically, by
proxy or as allowed under rule 35) of one (1) voting member from each Team
within the Association. members.
Penalty of two(2)
membership points for teams not attending as outlined above.
(3) If a quorum is not present within 30 minutes after the notified commencement
time of a general meeting—
(a) in the case of a meeting convened by, or at
the request of, members under rule 32—the meeting must be dissolved;
(b) in any other case—
(i) the meeting must be adjourned to a date not
more than 21 days after the adjournment; and
(ii) notice of the date, time and place to which
the meeting is adjourned must be given at the meeting and confirmed by written
notice given to all members as soon as practicable after the meeting.
(4) If a quorum is not present within 30 minutes after the time to
which a general meeting has been adjourned under subrule (3)(b), the members
present at the meeting (if not fewer than 3) may proceed with the business of
the meeting as if a quorum were present.
37 Adjournment of general meeting
(1) The Chairperson of a general meeting at which a quorum is present
may, with the consent of a majority of members present at the meeting, adjourn
the meeting to another time at the same place or at another place.
(2) Without limiting subrule (1), a meeting may be adjourned—
(a) if there is insufficient time to deal with the
business at hand; or
(b) to give the members more time to consider an
item of business.
Example
The members may wish to have more time
to examine the financial statements submitted by the Committee at an annual
general meeting.
(3) No business may be conducted on the resumption of an adjourned
meeting other than the business that remained unfinished when the meeting was adjourned.
(4) Notice of the adjournment of a meeting under this rule is not
required unless the meeting is adjourned for 14 days or more, in which case
notice of the meeting must be given in accordance with rule 33.
(1) On any question arising at a general meeting—
(a) subject to subrule (3), each member who is
entitled to vote has one vote; and
(b) members may vote personally or by proxy; and
(c) except in the case of a special resolution,
the question must be decided on a majority of votes.
(2) If votes are divided equally on a question, the Chairperson of the
meeting has a second or casting vote.
(3) If the question is whether or not to confirm the minutes of a
previous meeting, only members who were present at that meeting may vote.
(4) This rule does not apply to a vote at a disciplinary appeal meeting
conducted under rule 24.
A
special resolution is passed if not less than three quarters of the members
voting at a general meeting (whether in person or by proxy) vote in favour of
the resolution.
(a) to remove a committee member from office ;
(b) to alter these Rules, including changing the
name or any of the purposes of the Association.
40 Determining whether resolution carried
(1) Subject to subsection (2), the Chairperson of a general meeting
may, on the basis of a show of hands, declare that a resolution has been—
(a) carried; or
(b) carried unanimously; or
(c) carried by a particular majority; or
(d) lost—
and
an entry to that effect in the minutes of the meeting is conclusive proof of
that fact.
(2) If a poll (where votes are cast in writing) is demanded by three or
more members on any question—
(a) the poll must be taken at the meeting in the
manner determined by the Chairperson of the meeting; and
(b) the Chairperson must declare the result of the
resolution on the basis of the poll.
(3) A poll demanded on the election of the Chairperson or on a question
of an adjournment must be taken immediately.
(4) A poll demanded on any other question must be taken before the close
of the meeting at a time determined by the Chairperson.
(1) The Committee must ensure that minutes are taken and kept of each
general meeting.
(2) The minutes must record the business considered at the meeting, any
resolution on which a vote is taken and the result of the vote.
(3) In addition, the minutes of each annual general meeting must
include—
(a) the names of the members attending the
meeting; and
(b) proxy forms given to the Chairperson of the
meeting under rule 34(6); and
(c) the financial statements submitted to the
members in accordance with rule 30(4)(b)(ii); and
(d) the certificate signed by two committee
members certifying that the financial statements give a true and fair view of
the financial position and performance of the Association; and
(e) any audited accounts and auditor's report or
report of a review accompanying the financial statements that are required
under the Act.
Division 1—Powers of
Committee
The
Committee shall be entitled from time to time to make, alter and repeal By-Laws
for the management of the Association. Such By-laws are to be communicated to
the members in a manner determined by the Committee.
(1) The business of the Association must be managed by or under the
direction of a Committee.
(2) The Committee may exercise all the powers of the Association except
those powers that these Rules or the Act require to be exercised by general
meetings of the members of the Association.
(3) The Committee may—
(a) appoint and remove staff;
(b) establish subcommittees consisting of members
with terms of reference it considers appropriate.
(1) The Committee may delegate to a member of the Committee, a
subcommittee or staff, any of its powers and functions other than—
(a) this power of delegation; or
(b) a duty imposed on the Committee by the Act or
any other law.
(2) The delegation must be in writing and may be subject to the
conditions and limitations the Committee considers appropriate.
(3) The Committee may, in writing, revoke a delegation wholly or in
part.
Division 2—Composition of Committee and duties of members
The
Committee consists of—
(a) a President; and
(b) a Vice-President; and
(c) a Secretary; and
(d) a Assistant Secretary
(d) a Treasurer; and
(e) 3 ordinary members elected under rule 53.
(1) As soon as practicable after being elected or appointed to the
Committee, each committee member must become familiar with these Rules and the
Act.
(2) The Committee is collectively responsible for ensuring that the
Association complies with the Act and that individual members of the Committee
comply with these Rules.
(3) Committee members must exercise their powers and discharge their
duties with reasonable care and diligence.
(4) Committee members must exercise their powers and discharge their
duties—
(a) in good faith in the best interests of the
Association; and
(b) for a proper purpose.
(5) Committee members and former committee members must not make
improper use of—
(a) their position; or
(b) information acquired by virtue of holding
their position—
so
as to gain an advantage for themselves or any other person or to cause
detriment to the Association.
(6) In addition to any duties imposed by these Rules, a committee
member must perform any other duties imposed from time to time by resolution at
a general meeting.
46 President and Vice-President
(1) Subject to subrule (2), the President or, in the President's
absence, the Vice-President is the Chairperson for any general meetings and for
any committee meetings.
(2) If the President and the Vice-President are both absent, or are
unable to preside, the Chairperson of the meeting must be—
(a) in the case of a general meeting—a member
elected by the other members present; or
(b) in the case of a committee
meeting—a committee member elected by the other committee members present.
47 Secretary and Assistant
Secretary
(1) The Secretary with the assistance of the Assistant Secretary must
perform any duty or function required under the Act to be performed by the
secretary of an incorporated association.
(2) The Secretary must—
(a) maintain the register of members in accordance
with rule 18; and
(b) keep custody of the common seal (if any) of
the Association and, except for the financial records referred to in rule
70(3), all books, documents and securities of the Association in accordance
with rules 72 and 75; and
(c) subject to the Act and these Rules, provide
members with access to the register of members, the minutes of general meetings
and other books and documents; and
(d) perform any other duty or function imposed on
the Secretary by these Rules.
(3) The Secretary must give to the Registrar notice of his or her
appointment within 14 days after the appointment.
(1) The Treasurer must—
(a) receive/or appoint a person to collect &
receipt all moneys paid to or received
by the Association and issue receipts for those moneys in the name of the
Association; and
(b) ensure that all moneys received are paid into
the account of the Association within 10 working days after receipt; and
(c) make any payments authorised by the Committee
or by a general meeting of the Association from the Association's funds; and
(d) ensure cheques are signed by at least
2 committee members one of whom shall be the President or Treasurer.
(2) The Treasurer must—
(a) ensure that the financial records of the
Association are kept in accordance with the Act; and
(b) coordinate the preparation of the financial
statements of the Association and their certification by the Committee prior to
their submission to the annual general meeting of the Association.
(3) The Treasurer must ensure that at least one other committee member
has access to the accounts and financial records of the Association.
Division 3—Election of Committee members and tenure of
office
49 Who is eligible to be a Committee member
A
member is eligible to be elected or appointed as a committee member if the
member—
(a) is 18 years or over; and
(b) is entitled to vote at a general meeting.
50 Positions to be declared vacant
(1) This rule applies to—
(a) the first annual general meeting of the
Association after its incorporation; or
(b) any subsequent annual general meeting of the
Association, after the annual report and financial statements of the
Association have been received.
(2) The Chairperson of the meeting must declare all positions on the
Committee vacant and hold elections for those positions in accordance with
rules 51 to 54.
(1) Prior to the election of each position, the Chairperson of the
meeting must call for nominations to fill that position.
(2) An eligible member of the Association may—
(a) nominate himself or herself; or
(b) with the member's consent, be nominated by
another member.
(3) A member who is nominated for a position and fails to be elected to
that position may be nominated for any other position for which an election is
yet to be held.
(1) At the annual general meeting, separate elections must be held for
each of the following positions—
(a) President;
(b) Vice-President;
(c) Secretary;
(d) Assistant Secretary
(e) Treasurer.
(2) If only one member is nominated for the position, the Chairperson
of the meeting must declare the member elected to the position.
(3) If more than one member is nominated, a ballot must be held in
accordance with rule 54.
(4) On his or her election, the new President may take over as
Chairperson of the meeting.
53 Election of ordinary members
(1) The annual general meeting must by resolution decide the number of
ordinary members of the Committee (if any) it wishes to hold office for the
next year.
(2) A single election may be held to fill all of those positions.
(3) If the number of members nominated for the position of ordinary
committee member is less than or equal to the number to be elected, the
Chairperson of the meeting must declare each of those members to be elected to
the position.
(4) If the number of members nominated exceeds the number to be
elected, a ballot must be held in accordance with rule 54.
(1) If a ballot is required for the election for a position, the Chairperson
of the meeting must appoint a member to act as returning officer to conduct the
ballot.
(2) The returning officer must not be a member nominated for the
position.
(3) Before the ballot is taken, each candidate may make a short speech
in support of his or her election.
(4) The election must be by secret ballot.
(5) The returning officer must give a blank piece of paper to—
(a) each member present in person; and
(b) each proxy appointed by a member.
Example
If a member has been appointed the proxy
of 5 other members, the member must be given 6 ballot papers—one for the
member and one each for the other members.
(6) If the ballot is for a single position, the voter must write on the
ballot paper the name of the candidate for whom they wish to vote.
(7) If the ballot is for more than one position—
(a) the voter must write on the ballot paper the
name of each candidate for whom they wish to vote;
(b) the voter must not write the names of more
candidates than the number to be elected.
(8) Ballot papers that do not comply with subrule (7)(b) are not
to be counted.
(9) Each ballot paper on which the name of a candidate has been written
counts as one vote for that candidate.
(10) The returning officer must declare elected the candidate or, in the
case of an election for more than one position, the candidates who received the
most votes.
(11) If the returning officer is unable to declare the result of an
election under subrule (10) because 2 or more candidates received the same
number of votes, the returning officer must—
(a) conduct a further election for the position in
accordance with subrules (4) to (10) to decide which of those candidates is to
be elected; or
(b) with the agreement of those candidates, decide
by lot which of them is to be elected.
Examples
The choice of candidate may be decided
by the toss of a coin, drawing straws or drawing a name out of a hat.
(1) Subject to subrule (3) and rule 56, a committee member holds office
until the positions of the Committee are declared vacant at the next annual
general meeting.
(2) A committee member may be re-elected.
(3) A general meeting of the Association may—
(a) by special resolution remove a committee
member from office; and
(b) elect an eligible member of the Association to
fill the vacant position in accordance with this Division.
(4) A member who is the subject of a proposed special resolution under
subrule (3)(a) may make representations in writing to the Secretary or
President of the Association (not exceeding a reasonable length) and may
request that the representations be provided to the members of the Association.
(5) The Secretary or the President may give a copy of the
representations to each member of the Association or, if they are not so given,
the member may require that they be read out at the meeting at which the
special resolution is to be proposed.
(1) A committee member may resign from the Committee by written notice
addressed to the Committee.
(2) A person ceases to be a committee member if he or she—
(a) ceases to be a member of the Association; or
(b) fails to attend 3 consecutive committee
meetings (other than special or urgent committee meetings) without leave of
absence under rule 67; or
(c) otherwise ceases to be a committee member by
operation of section 78 of the Act.
Note
A Committee member may not hold the
office of secretary if they do not reside in Australia.
57
Filling casual vacancies
(1) The Committee may appoint an eligible member of the Association to
fill a position on the Committee that—
(a) has become vacant under rule 56; or
(b) was not filled by election at the last annual
general meeting.
(2) If the position of Secretary becomes vacant, the Committee must
appoint a member to the position within 14 days after the vacancy arises.
(3) Rule 55 applies to any committee member appointed by the Committee
under subrule (1) or (2).
(4) The Committee may continue to act despite any vacancy in its
membership.
Division 4—Meetings of Committee
(1) The Committee must meet at least 4 times in each year at the dates,
times and places determined by the Committee.
(2) The date, time and place of the first committee meeting must be
determined by the members of the Committee as soon as practicable after the
annual general meeting of the Association at which the members of the Committee
were elected.
(3) Special committee meetings may be convened by the President or by
any 4 members of the Committee.
(1) Notice of each committee meeting must be given to each committee
member no later than 7 days before the date of the meeting.
(2) Notice may be given of more than one committee meeting at the same
time.
(3) The notice must state the date, time and place of the meeting.
(4) If a special committee meeting is convened, the notice must include
the general nature of the business to be conducted.
(5) The only business that may be conducted at the meeting is the
business for which the meeting is convened.
(1) In cases of urgency, a meeting can be held without notice being
given in accordance with rule 59 provided that as much notice as practicable is
given to each committee member by the quickest means practicable.
(2) Any resolution made at the meeting must be passed by an absolute
majority of the Committee.
(3) The only business that may be conducted at an urgent meeting is the
business for which the meeting is convened.
61 Procedure and order of business
(1) The procedure to be followed at a meeting of a Committee must be
determined from time to time by the Committee.
(2) The order of business may be determined by the members present at
the meeting.
(1) A committee member who is not physically present at a committee
meeting may participate in the meeting by the use of technology that allows
that committee member and the committee members present at the meeting to
clearly and simultaneously communicate with each other.
(2) For the purposes of this Part, a committee member participating in
a committee meeting as permitted under subrule (1) is taken to be present at
the meeting and, if the member votes at the meeting, is taken to have voted in
person.
(1) No business may be conducted at a Committee meeting unless a quorum
is present.
(2) The quorum for a committee meeting is the presence (in person or as
allowed under rule 62) of a majority of the committee members holding office.
(3) If a quorum is not present within 30 minutes after the notified
commencement time of a committee meeting—
(a) in the case of a special meeting—the meeting
lapses;
(b) in any other case—the meeting must be
adjourned to a date no later than 14 days after the adjournment and notice of
the time, date and place to which the meeting is adjourned must be given in
accordance with rule 59.
(1) On any question arising at a committee meeting, each committee
member present at the meeting has one vote.
(2) A motion is carried if a majority of committee members present at
the meeting vote in favour of the motion.
(3) Subrule (2) does not apply to any motion or question which is
required by these Rules to be passed by an absolute majority of the Committee.
(4) If votes are divided equally on a question, the Chairperson of the
meeting has a second or casting vote.
(5) Voting by proxy is not permitted.
(1) A committee member who has a material personal interest in a matter
being considered at a committee meeting must disclose the nature and extent of
that interest to the Committee.
(2) The member—
(a) must not be present while the matter is being
considered at the meeting; and
(b) must not vote on the matter.
Note
Under section 81(3) of the Act, if there
are insufficient committee members to form a quorum because a member who has a
material personal interest is disqualified from voting on a matter, a general
meeting may be called to deal with the matter.
(3) This rule does not apply to a material personal interest—
(a) that exists only because the member belongs to
a class of persons for whose benefit the Association is established; or
(b) that the member has in common with all, or a
substantial proportion of, the members of the Association.
(1) The Committee must ensure that minutes are taken and kept of each
committee meeting.
(2) The minutes must record the following—
(a) the names of the members in attendance at the
meeting;
(b) the business considered at the meeting;
(c) any resolution on which a vote is taken and
the result of the vote;
(d) any material personal interest disclosed under
rule 65.
(1) The Committee may grant a committee member leave of absence from
committee meetings for a period not exceeding 3 months.
(2) The Committee must not grant leave of absence retrospectively
unless it is satisfied that it was not feasible for the committee member to
seek the leave in advance.
The
funds of the Association may be derived from joining fees, annual
subscriptions, donations, fund-raising activities, grants, interest and any
other sources approved by the Committee.
(1) The Association must open an account with a financial institution
from which all expenditure of the Association is made and into which all of the
Association's revenue is deposited.
(2) Subject to any restrictions imposed by a general meeting of the
Association, the Committee may approve expenditure on behalf of the
Association.
(3) The Committee may authorise the Treasurer to expend funds on behalf
of the Association (including by electronic funds transfer) up to a specified
limit without requiring approval from the Committee for each item on which the
funds are expended.
(4) All cheques, drafts, bills of exchange, promissory notes and other
negotiable instruments must be signed by 2 committee members.
(5) All funds of the Association must be deposited into the financial
account of the Association no later than 5 working days after receipt.
(6) With the approval of the Committee, the Treasurer may maintain a
cash float provided that all money paid from or paid into the float is
accurately recorded at the time of the transaction.
(1) The Association must keep financial records that—
(a) correctly record and explain its transactions,
financial position and performance; and
(b) enable financial statements to be prepared as
required by the Act.
(2) The Association must retain the financial records for 7 years after
the transactions covered by the records are completed.
(3) The Treasurer must keep in his or her custody, or under his or her
control—
(a) the financial records for the current
financial year; and
(b) any other financial records as authorised by
the Committee.
(1) For each financial year, the Committee must ensure that the
requirements under the Act relating to the financial statements of the
Association are met.
(2) Without limiting subrule (1), those requirements include—
(a) the preparation of the financial statements;
(b) if required, the review or auditing of the
financial statements;
(c) the certification of the financial statements
by the Committee;
(d) the submission of the financial statements to
the annual general meeting of the Association;
(e) the lodgement with the Registrar of the
financial statements and accompanying reports, certificates, statements and
fee.
PART 7—GENERAL MATTERS
(1) The Association may have a common seal.
(2) If the Association has a common seal—
(a) the name of the Association must appear in
legible characters on the common seal;
(b) a document may only be sealed with the common
seal by the authority of the Committee and the sealing must be witnessed by the
signatures of two committee members;
(c) the common seal must be kept in the custody of
the Secretary.
73 Registered
address
The
registered address of the Association is—
(a) the address determined from time to time by
resolution of the Committee; or
(b) if the Committee has not determined an address
to be the registered address—the postal address of the Secretary.
(1) Any notice required to be given to a member or a committee member
under these Rules may be given—
(a) by handing the notice to the member
personally; or
(b) by sending it by post to the member at the
address recorded for the member on the register of members; or
(c) by email or facsimile transmission.
(2) Subrule (1) does not apply to notice given under rule 60.
(3) Any notice required to be given to the Association or the Committee
may be given—
(a) by handing the notice to a member of the
Committee; or
(b) by sending the notice by post to the
registered address; or
(c) by leaving the notice at the registered
address; or
(d) if the Committee determines that it is
appropriate in the circumstances—
(i) by email to the email address of the
Association or the Secretary; or
(ii) by facsimile transmission to the facsimile
number of the Association.
75 Custody and inspection of books and records
(1) Members may on request inspect free of charge—
(a) the register of members;
(b) the minutes of general meetings;
(c) subject to subrule (2), the financial records,
books, securities and any other relevant document of the Association, including
minutes of Committee meetings.
(2) The Committee may refuse to permit a member to inspect records of
the Association that relate to confidential, personal, employment, commercial
or legal matters or where to do so may be prejudicial to the interests of the
Association.
(3) The Committee must on request make copies of these rules available
to members and applicants for membership free of charge.
(4) Subject to subrule (2), a member may make a copy of any of the
other records of the Association referred to in this rule and the Association
may charge a reasonable fee for provision of a copy of such a record.
(5) For purposes of this rule—
relevant
documents means
the records and other documents, however compiled, recorded or stored, that
relate to the incorporation and management of the Association and includes the
following—
(a) its membership records;
(b) its financial statements;
(c) its financial records;
(d) records and documents relating to
transactions, dealings, business or property of the Association.
76 Winding up and cancellation
(1) The Association may be wound up voluntarily by special resolution.
(2) In the event of the winding up or the cancellation of the
incorporation of the Association, the surplus assets of the Association must
not be distributed to any members or former members of the Association.
(3) Subject to the Act and any court order made under section 133 of
the Act, the surplus assets must be given to a body that has similar purposes
to the Association and which is not carried on for the profit or gain of its
individual members.
(4) The body to which the surplus assets are to be given must be
decided by special resolution.
These
Rules may only be altered by special resolution of a general meeting of the
Association.

PROXY VOTING FORM
I,.....................................................................................
Address:..................................................................................
.....................................................................................................
Being
a member of the Plenty Valley Netball Association, hereby appoint
.....................................................................................................................
Or
failing him/her, the Chairman of the Meeting to vote on my behalf on the
Resolution to be put at the Special Meeting to
be held on................day of
...............................
in the year, ......... and at any adjournment thereof.
Resolution...........................................................................................
..................................................................................................................
The
Proxy holder is hereby instructed to vote as follows:-
□For
the resolution □Against the
Resolution □ Discretion of the
proxy holder.
............................................................................. / /
Signature
of member appointing the Proxy Date
APPENDIX
A Constitution of Plenty Valley Netball
Association

Direct
Voting Form
Special
Resolution
Motion
:
............................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................
Place
an X in the box corresponding to your wishes.
By marking the boxes you are directing the Committee to record your vote
strictly in accordance with these instructions
For
the Resolution
Against
the Resolution
............................................................................. / /
Signature
of member Date
Team......................................................................
This
Direct voting form shall be delivered to the Secretary in person, by post, or
by electronic transmission not less than 24 hours prior to the time for holding
the meeting or adjourned meeting, in default the direct vote shall not be
treated as valid.
APPENDIX
B Constitution
of Plenty Valley Netball Association