Dear AARE Members,
As part of good governance of a progressive, consultative, member Association, the Executive of AARE undertakes to review the Association’s constitution at regular intervals.
The review of an Association’s Constitution should help to ensure that the Association’s practices and rules keep pace with the context and environment within which the Association is undertaking its business, member expectations, and also that the Association complies with its legal requirements.
The most recent full AARE Constitutional review was conducted in 2018.
At the 2022 AARE Annual General Meeting, members voted to amend the Constitution to address member concerns about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation on the Executive and asked the Executive to enact further review and change to the Constitution in 2023.
Background
AARE is incorporated in South Australia and therefore must comply with the South Australian Associations Incorporation Act 1985.
The association’s rules (i.e. Constitution) should be clear and help the association be inclusive, fair and open with its members. For those who would like more information, refer to the following links:
- details about what association rules should contain
- requirements that must be met when running an incorporated association
- the template used as the basis for the AARE constitution in it's modern form
2023 Constitution Review Process
In 2023 the Executive has undertaken to conduct a Constitutional Review and aims to be ready to vote on any changes suggested through the review process as part of the 2023 Annual General Meeting.
The Constitutional Review process is being conducted by a sub-group of the Executive, who will consult with members throughout the process in a number of different ways. The Constitutional review is being led by Annette Woods as AARE Secretary and Julie McLeod as AARE President.
The Executive is committed to a consultative process for the 2023 Constitutional Review. Members can expect to receive relevant information throughout the process, and there will be opportunities for member input at key points.
Member consultation: have your say
As the first part of the review process, members are invited to provide initial feedback related to the current AARE Constitution via a member survey. The survey is an initial opportunity for the Committee to collect member perspectives related to the Constitution.
To provide your feedback please click through to the member Constitutional Review Survey.
Please refer as specifically as you can to particular Constitution issues and indicate the relevant sections/clauses of the Constitution in your feedback.
To enable the Constitutional review process to meet its targets of a member vote in 2023, members are respectfully asked to provide feedback by COB Wednesday 7th June, 2023.
This initial member feedback will be used to inform the work of the Committee, who are also working to ensure that the Association’s practices and rules keep pace with the context and environment within which the Association is undertaking its business, and that the Association complies with all relevant legal requirements.
Beyond the survey
Throughout the Constitutional Review period there will also be consultation with members invited as representatives of different membership groups of the Association. If you would like to provide feedback beyond the survey or have other queries, please contact the AARE Secretary, Annette Woods (annette.woods@qut.edu.au) and she will be in contact with you.
AARE is a member association, and thus your perspectives are important.
Professor Julie McLeod Professor Annette Woods
AARE President AARE Secretary