THE MARSUPIAL SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED

 RULES

 1.       OFFICIAL NAME

 The official name of the Society is “The Marsupial Society of Australia Incorporated” (hereinafter called “the Society”), and it shall be based in the city of Adelaide in the State of South Australia

 2.        OBJECTS

 The objects of the Society are :

 (a)      the study of marsupials;

(b)      the conservation of marsupials in the wild and the establishment of viable breeding populations in captivity­;

(c)                  the promotion of the hygienic keeping, scientific management and breeding of marsupials in captivity;

(d)           the dissemination of information on marsupial keeping and hand rearing;

(e)           the provision of education regarding marsupial conservation and management.

 3.       MEMBERSHIP OF THE SOCIETY

(a)      Membership of the Society shall be open to all persons who:

                       (i)        subscribe to the objects of the Society;

                      (ii)        apply for membership in writing to the Secretary; and

          (iii)       submit the prescribed subscription fee.

(b)      All applications for membership of the Society shall come before the next Management Committee Meeting and the applicant shall be awarded membership only on the resolution of that meeting. 

                      In the event of an application for membership being rejected:

                      (i)         all fees shall be refunded in full; and

                    (ii)        the Society shall be under no obligation to give reasons for such application being rejected.

          (c)        Types of Membership.

                       (i)         Full membership.

                                  Full membership is available to any person.

                                  Full members are entitled to full voting rights.

                      (ii)        Complimentary membership.

The Committee shall have the power to grant Complimentary membership to any person for a period not to exceed twelve (12) months.  Complimentary members of the Society are exempt from paying fees but do not have voting rights.

                       (iii)       Honorary Life membership.

Honorary Life membership of the Society may be granted by resolution of a General Meeting of the Society. A nomination for Honorary Life membership shall be submitted in writing, signed by the nominator, to the Management Committee, who may recommend that the nomination be submitted to the next General Meeting of the Society. Honorary Life members are exempt from the payment of annual subscription fees, but shall be entitled to all rights and privileges of a full member.

          (d)        Any member resigning from the Society or ceasing to be a member thereof, for any reason whatsoever, shall ipso facto forfeit all rights or claims upon the Society or its property or any members of the Society.

(e) The Committee may expel, reprimand or suspend, on such terms as it may determine, any member who, in the opinion of the Committee.

(i)       has been guilty of improper conduct or any act which is contrary to the objects of the Society or in the interests of members;

                      (ii)        has failed to comply with these rules;

                      (iii)       has been guilty of any conduct which is damaging to the Society.

Provided always that no member shall be expelled by the Committee until he/she shall have been given an opportunity to show cause to the Committee why he/she should not be expelled, and provided always that such expulsion may be reviewed or quashed by a General Meeting of the Society, and then only by a resolution of members carried by simple majority of voting members present at that meeting exercising their right to vote.

 4.        SUBSCRIPTION FEES

 (a)      The Committee shall have the power to determine, from time to time, the Annual Administration fee.

     (b) The Annual Administration Fee shall become due, and payable in advance, on the 31st of December in each year.

(c) Any member whose subscription is two (2) months in arrears shall automatically cease to be a member of the Society, but may, at the discretion of the Committee, be re-instated after payment of any arrears that the Committee may determine.

Unfinancial members shall not be eligible to vote on matters requiring resolution by members, and shall not receive the Society's newsletters.

 5.       ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

 (a) The Annual General Meeting shall be held no later than May in each calendar year.

(b) Notice of such meeting shall be given to members in writing at least twenty-eight (28) days prior to the date of the meeting.

(c) The business of the Annual General Meeting shall be:

(i)       to consider the President's Annual Report;

(ii)      to receive and consider the Treasurer's report and audited statement of accounts for the period since the previous Annual General Meeting;

(iii)                  to elect the members of the Management Committee for the ensuing year;

(iv)                  to appoint an Auditor; and

(v)                   to consider any other business.

 6.       ORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

 Ordinary General Meetings of the Society shall be held at such time and place at the Committee shall determine.

 7.       SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING

 Special General Meetings of the Society may be called at any time by the Committee and shall be held within twenty-eight (28) days of the receipt by the secretary of a requisition signed by five (5) financial members in which the objects of the meeting are specified.  At least fourteen (14) days notice of such meeting shall be given to each financial member of the Society.

 8.        COMMITTEE OF THE SOCIETY

 (a)      At each Annual General Meeting of the Society a Management Committee shall be determined. The Management Committee shall comprise of:

(i)         a President, who shall be Chairperson;

(ii)      a Vice-President;

(iii)      a Secretary;

(iv)      a Treasurer; and

(v)           a maximum of five (5) other Committee members.

(b)      Only financial Full and Honorary Life members of the Society shall be eligible to stand for election.

(c)      All positions are one (1) year terms.  All incumbents are eligible for re-election.

(d)      Nominations for members of the Committee must be proposed and seconded in writing and agreed to by the nominee.

(e)      The election of Office bearers and Committee members, where the number of nominees exceeds the number of vacancies, shall be by written, confidential ballot on the form prepared for this purpose by the Secretary and the results of this shall be established by simple majority; equality of voting shall be resolved by lot.

(f)       In the case of an insufficiency of nominees for election at an Annual General Meeting, or in the case of a vacancy occurring in any office, the Committee shall have the power to fill such vacancy(s) for the remainder of the Society's year, or if the Committee shall so determine, by a General Meeting of members. The Committee shall have the power to act notwithstanding any vacancy thereon.

(g)      The affairs of the Society shall, subject to any directions given by an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting of the Society, be managed by the full Committee.

(h)      The Committee shall have the power to co-opt any person or persons who are qualified to be elected to the Committee, to membership of the Committee and may at its discretion from time to time appoint for any terms not exceeding its own term of office, and at its pleasure dismiss, any sub-Committees appointed for any specific purpose or purposes. Any sub-Committees appointed pursuant to the provisions of this clause may consist either of members of the Committee or partly members of the Committee and partly of other members of the Society.

(i)       If any member of the Committee shall absent himself/herself from two (2) or more consecutive meetings thereof, without special leave of absence from the Committee, his/her seat on the Committee may be declared vacant by a majority vote of the remaining members of the Committee at any meeting thereof

(j)       The Committee shall meet so often at it may deem necessary or whenever summoned by the President or by two (2) other members of the Committee. Any financial member of the Society is entitled to be present as an observer, but shall not have voting rights at such Committee Meetings.

(k)      A hard copy of the minutes of the proceedings of all Society meetings shall be permanently maintained by the Secretary and signed by the Chairperson and Secretary of such meeting after being ratified at some succeeding meeting.

          (l)         The President shall:

(i)       be the Chairperson of all Society meetings, or in his/her absence, the Vice-President shall perform the duties of the President; and

(ii)      be the Public Officer of the Society.

(m)     The Secretary shall:

(i)       make full and accurate minutes of the proceedings of all Annual General, General, Special General and Committee meetings;

(ii)      give where necessary all notices of General Meetings of the Society and Committee meetings;

(iii)     keep a register of members of the Society containing the full name and address of each member;

(iv)      keep a record of all members attending all meetings of the Society; and

(v)      be responsible for all papers and correspondence except those relating to finance.

(n)      The Treasurer shall:

(i)       keep correct accounts and books showing the financial affairs of the Society and the particulars usually shown in the books of accounts of a like nature;

(ii)      subject to the directions of the Committee, receive on behalf of the Society all moneys of the Society and shall account and give receipts for same;

(iii)     subject to the directions of the Committee, make all disbursements of the funds of the Society by-. cheque, to be signed by at least two (2) of the President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary, to be drawn upon the bank at which the Society's account is kept and shall obtain receipts or discharges for the same;

(iv)      submit a financial report for consideration at each General and Committee Meeting of the Society; and

(v)      prepare for submission at the Annual General Meeting of the Society an audited statement of Account of the Society for the period since the previous Annual General Meeting.

          The books must be audited before the Treasurer vacates office.

          (o)        An Auditor shall:

(i)       be appointed at each Annual General Meeting;

(ii)      have the power to examine at any time the minute books, bank pass books, records of investments, account books, accounts, vouchers, or goods held by the President, Secretary, Treasurer or any other Officer of the Society and report thereon to the Committee;

(iii)     audit the annual financial statements and certify them to be correct or otherwise for presentation at the Annual General Meeting; and

(iv)                                                 not hold any other office.

(p)          No member shall commit the Society in any way whatsoever without prior Committee authorisation.

(q)          The Vice-President shall, in theabsence of the President, perform the duties of the President.

 9.       QUORUM

 (a)      The quorum at all Annual General, General and Special General Meetings of the Society shall be five (5) financial Full or Honorary Life members.

(b)      Three (3) members present at a Management Committee Meeting shall form a quorum, so long as one (1) of them is either the President, Secretary or Treasurer.

(c)      If at any meeting of the Society a quorum is not available thirty (30) minutes after the allotted time of the meeting, the meeting shall stand adjourned to a time and place to be decided upon by the Committee.

 10.      VOTING

 (a)                  Only Honorary Life and financial Full members personally present at Meetings are eligible to vote.

(b)                  Every duly seconded motion shall be decided by a show of hands, or if requested by members, a secret ballot and results shall be established by a simple majority. In the case of a tied vote, the Chairperson of the meeting shall have, in addition to his/her vote as a member, a second or casting vote.

 11.      INCOME

 The income and property of the Society whencesoever derived shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the objects of the Society, and no portion thereof shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend bonus or otherwise howsoever to any individual provided that nothing shall prevent the payment of an honorarium, and expenses incurred for services or goods provided.

 12.      AMENDMENTS TO THESE RULES

 These Rules may be added to, repealed or amended only at a General Meeting of the Society carried by a majority of at least two-thirds of the voting members present and voting thereon provided that notice of any proposed addition or repeal or amendment of these Rules and the nature thereof shall be given in writing to the President and subsequently given, in writing, to members at least fourteen (14) days before the General Meeting at which the addition, repeal or amendment is to be made.

 13.      DUTY OF CARE

 All Committee members have a duty of care to run the Society with due regard to all legal and constitutional requirements.

 14.      INTERPRETATION OF THESE RULES

 The Committee shall be the sole authority for the interpretation of these Rules and the decision of the Committee on any question of interpretation, or upon any matter affecting the Society, and not provided for by these Rules, shall be final and binding upon the members.

 15.      OWNERSHIP OF PROPERTY

 The legal ownership of the property of the Society shall be administered on behalf of the Society by the Committee which shall have full control over the said property.

 All Committee members must return all Society property held by them when they resign from Committee, are not re-elected, or leave the Committee for any other reason.

 16.      WINDING UP

 (a)                  No resolution for the winding up of the Society shall be deemed to have been passed unless notice in writing to propose a resolution to that effect at a General Meeting shall have been given to all members of the Society, and unless such proposition shall have been carried by at least two-thirds of those present and entitled to vote at such meeting. Any such notice may be served on members personally or by sending it though the post in a pre-paid letter addressed to the member at the address shown on the register of members.

(b)                  If on dissolution of the Society there remains after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities any assets whatsoever, the same shall be paid to an organisation which most resembles this one in its objects, such organisation to be chosen at the meeting of dissolution.