20160207 Club Constitutions and new legislation

Image from Restore Australia

The Government has finally, well almost finally, put into place the new legislation for the incorporation of Associations. It’s been a while. A white paper in 2005 began the discussion and the long road to getting legislation through parliament.

Bills of this nature are often low on the scale of political impact, and consequently they drop to the bottom of the business paper, then lapse at the end of parliament, then we start all over again. It’s very inefficient, however that’s the way our Westminster system works, and I’m sure that every party in Government will use this procedure to best advantage,

That’s as close as I will get to being political in the news bulletin, however it helps to understand the gestation and protracted labour of this legislation.

In preparation for this new legislation coming into effect, the Department of Commerce has emailed incorporated associations advising them of the new law, and that it will affect club governance, and may require review of club constitutions.

Firstly, if your club didnt receive one of these emails, and the club is incorporated, your secretary should contact the Department of Commerce to update the club’s contact details.

Secondly, if your club is in the process of revising its constitution, you should probably pause the process and wait until the new rules are published.

And finally, if your club hasn’t yet registered for the Associations Info Newsletter, you should do so now. The link to the Department of Commerce website will be posted on vk6 dot net.

http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/consumer-protection/associations-new-law