1. Membership of the committee
Effective and efficient management committees are ideally made up of people with a range of skills, knowledge and experience that can add to the overall strength of the committee. Members of management committees may include people who represent certain groups or organisations who provide a particular service, for example, people representing consumers, Indigenous interests, mental health services, disability services, youth services, etc. Often, associations don't have the luxury of nominating their 'ideal' committee, but it is a principle worth pursuing. Few things create more difficulties in associations than a dysfunctional committee.
The Act requires an incorporated association's rules to include provisions about the name, constitution, membership and powers of the committee responsible for management of the association. So, the rules need to be clear about the committee membership, what the committee is to be called, and what functions it is permitted to carry out. The rules of the association must also include rules about:
- the election or appointment of committee members;
- terms of office of committee members;
- how the office of a committee member will become vacant;
- filling casual vacancies on the committee; and
- the quorum and procedure at meetings of the committee.
The Act also requires associations to keep an up-to-date record of the names and addresses of all members of the committee and any other office bearers. Members of the association are entitled to inspect and copy the record on request, but members are not allowed to remove the record.
Although these requirements are legislated, they reflect commonly accepted and sensible expectations. Members have a right to know who their committee members are, and if necessary, how to contact them. Well-managed associations ensure that this information is readily available to their members, often through newsletters or other means.
