Rules of an association
Every association must have a set of rules, often known as a constitution. The way in which an association operates is largely governed by its rules.
There are some specific matters which must be provided for in the rules of any association
incorporated after July 1988, and the rules of all incorporated associations should be consistent
with the requirements of the Act.
The department has developed a set of model rules, including a checklist of requirements under the Act, as a guide to assist associations to comply with their obligations under the Act. You may choose to create your own rules or to follow our model rules.
The Act requires that a copy of the rules be held by the department as the “official” version of the
association’s rules. The rules of an association as lodged with this department (including any
amendments lodged) are the only effective rules of the association.
An association’s rules must be accessible to all its members and members can copy or take an
extract from the rules, although members cannot remove the rules for that purpose. Many
associations as a matter of policy provide their members with a personal copy of the rules and have found that this assists with the effective management of the association. Associations’ rules also are available to anyone from this department for a fee. (Refer to the Schedule of Fees )