CAQ Conduct of Meetings Policy

INTRODUCTION

Meetings are necessary in order that Croquet Association of Queensland (CAQ) Inc. can be governed efficiently under its constitution.

Wide consultation with all stakeholders and with different points of view and wide discussion of basic issues are a necessary support for good decision-making and should be encouraged.
It is important to ensure that all CAQ meetings are conducted well so that:
in making decisions, proper regard can be had to the views of the majority, of the minority, of individual members, of absentee members, and of all of these groups taken together; and
decisions can be made efficiently and expeditiously, with due respect for the time and commitment of members of CAQ and members of the Management Committee
A key tenet informing the conduct of CAQ meetings is adherence to the principles of openness, transparency and accountability

PURPOSE

This policy is designed to:

provide guidance on the appointment of the Chair and set out the parameters by which the Chair is to conduct meetings, to ensure that meetings are conducted well
identify a minimum set of conditions that will allow necessary decisions to be taken efficiently and if possible, expeditiously
assign discretion to rule on matters not covered in the CAQ constitution

SCOPE

This policy applies to meetings of the Croquet Association of Queensland Inc., including, but not limited to: General Meetings and Management Committee Meetings.

POLICY

The conduct of meetings for CAQ will be governed by the standing orders of the Association (see Appendix 1). In addition, details pertaining to the conduct of members attending the Association’s Management Committee meetings are outlined in Appendix 2.

PROCEDURES

The President of CAQ shall be the Chair of the Association as laid down in the Association’s constitution/rules.

The Chair shall conduct meetings according to the Standing Orders (see Appendix 1), and any other resolution of the Management Committee.

Where the Standing Orders are ambiguous or contestable or silent, and there are no other Management Committee directions given on the subject, the Chair has discretion to rule as to the meetings practices to be followed.

Where there is continuing disagreement on any ruling by the Chair, any Member may move a motion of dissent to the Chair’s ruling. If this motion is seconded a vote shall be taken. If the motion of dissent is carried, the Chair’s decision must be reversed

VIRTUAL MEETINGS

A Management Committee Meeting may be held by means of a Virtual Meeting, provided that:

the number of members participating is not less than a quorum required for a Management Committee Meeting; and
the meeting is convened and held in accordance with the Qld. Associations Incorporation Act.

All provisions of this Policy relating to a meeting apply to a Virtual Meeting, including the Standing Orders (see Appendix 1)

The following provisions apply to a Virtual Meeting of CAQ:

all persons participating in the meeting must be linked by telephone, audio-visual or other instantaneous means for the purpose of the meeting
each of the persons taking part in the meeting must be able to hear and be heard by each of the other persons taking part at the commencement of the meeting and each person so taking part is deemed for the purposes of this policy to be present at the meeting
at the commencement of the meeting each person must be distinguishable to the chair

All reasonable efforts must be made to ensure that these provisions are met. When technology consistently fails, the person affected should be contacted by the chair and alternative arrangements for participation made.

a person may not leave a Virtual Meeting by disconnecting his or her telephone, audio-visual or other communication equipment unless that person has previously notified the chair
a person may conclusively be presumed to have been present and to have formed part of a quorum at all times during a Virtual Meeting unless that person has previously notified the chair of leaving the meeting
a minute of proceedings of a Virtual Meeting is sufficient evidence of the proceedings and of the observance of all necessary formalities if the minute is certified to be a correct minute by the chair

RESPONSIBILITY

The CAQ Management Committee is responsible for the review and ratification of this policy.

CAQ Constitution/Rules

AUTHORISATION

Croquet Association Queensland Inc. Management Committee.

Any comments or questions on the Conduct of Meetings Policy should be forwarded to:

The Secretary, Croquet Association Queensland Inc. Ph: 0480 613 711 E-Mail: secretary@croquetqld.org

APPENDIX 1: CAQ Standing Orders

1. Calling and Notice of Meetings

The Chair will liaise with the Secretary to ensure that all General Meetings and Management Committee Meetings are called, and appropriate notice is given in accordance with the constitution.

2. Meeting Agenda

The Secretary will call for items, and, in consultation with the Chair, prepare and circulate a meeting agenda to appropriate members, prior to the meeting.

3. Minutes of Meetings

Minutes of any General Meeting or Management Committee meeting must be recorded and will be ratified by the Chair before being circulated to all members before the scheduled date of the next meeting.

The minutes shall record

the date, time and venue of the meeting
the names of those members and officers present
the name of the chairperson
any apologies tendered
any failure of a quorum
a list of items considered
actions
any resolutions pertaining to those items; and
details of any declarations of pecuniary interest or conflict of interest

Other matters may be recorded at the discretion of the Chair. Confidential or “in camera” matters will be recorded but redacted from the published minutes.

Subject to the above, meeting minutes will be made available to all members within a reasonable time frame following a meeting.

3. Members’ Interests

As per the CAQ Conflict of Interest Policy, no members will vote or take part in the discussion of any matter at any meeting where they, directly or indirectly, have any pecuniary interest as defined in law, other than an interest in common with the public, or with the clients of the organisation, or with the staff of the organisation.

4. Amendment

The Management Committee may amend these standing orders at any time either permanently or for a specified period.

5. Other matters

The Chair is to decide all questions where these standing orders make no provision or insufficient provision.

In reaching its decisions the Chair may take account of, but not to be bound by, Robert’s Rules of Order (http://www.rulesonline.com/

6. Suspension of Standing Orders

Should any matter of urgency arise, a member may move suspension of Standing Orders for a stated period to allow the urgent question to be discussed.

7. Conduct of attendees

The Chair should ensure appropriate meeting conduct is adopted and adhered to at all General, Management and sub-committee meetings of the Association. See also Appendix 2.

No interruption of a speaker is allowed except for two formal motions:

(a) “That the question be now put”.

Also known as “the closure”, the motion may be moved on either a motion or an amendment. It can interrupt a speaker, and must not be debated. It needs no seconder. If moved on an amendment it affects the amendment only. It does not prevent the mover of the original motion exercising the right of reply.

(b) “That the speaker be no longer heard”.

A motion “that the speaker be no longer heard” must be seconded and must not be debated. The Chair should try to obtain a fair hearing for the speaker if the speaker is in order.

A speaker may also be interrupted on a “Point of Order”, which must be taken immediately the alleged breach has occurred.

8. Disagreement with the Chair’s Ruling

The Chair must rule on all points of order and procedure, but is subject to a motion moved, seconded and carried “that the Chair’s ruling be disagreed with”.

The mover may speak briefly in support of the motion, and the Chair must explain why the ruling was given. The Chair takes the vote. Final authority rests with the meeting.

9. Motions and Amendments

All proposals made to the meeting must be in the form of motions that are formally recorded in the minutes.

A question arising at a CAQ Committee meeting is to be decided by a majority of votes of the members present in attendance and entitled to vote. Each member present has one vote on a matter arising for decision by the Committee.

As a member of the Committee, the Chair is entitled to vote. However, the Chair of the meeting does not have an additional casting vote. If vote numbers on a matter are tied, the motion is resolved in the negative.

Voting by Proxy is not permitted at Management Committee meetings.

10. Motion Procedures

Members may speak to any motion when granted the right to speak by the Chair.

In speaking to any motion or amendment, members are to confine their remarks strictly to such motion or amendment, and will not introduce irrelevant matters or indulge in needless repetition. In this matter, the Chair's ruling is final and is not open to challenge.

(a) Clear motions

All motions and amendments proposed should be clearly expressed and be capable of only one interpretation. The Secretary may ask that they be in writing.

(b) Motions and Amendments – Moved and Seconded

All motions and amendments, except the Closure [refer 7.a], must be moved and seconded. If no seconder is found, then the motion or amendment lapses.

No motion or amendment which has been moved and seconded may be withdrawn without the consent of the meeting.

(d) Digression from the Question

Every speaker must keep to the question put before the meeting. Any member who digresses from the subject may be called to order by the Chairperson.

(e) Speaking twice on the same question.

No person may speak twice to the same question except in explanation or in answer to question/s unless it is the mover of the original motion exercising right of reply.

(f) Right of Reply

The mover of a motion which is opposed may reply to the arguments raised before the motion is put but may not introduce any new matter. The reply ends the debate if there are no amendments.

If an amendment is moved, the mover of the original motion may speak to it, and also exercise the right of reply before the amendment is put. The reply does not end the debate on the substantive motion.

(g) Resolution Null and Void

If a resolution is passed inadvertently in contravention of the Constitution, it must be declared null and void.

(h) No power to speak after the motion is put

No member may speak on any motion after it has been put to the vote. No amendment may be moved after the substantive motion has been put to the vote.

(i) Recurring Subject

A motion on a subject matter which keeps recurring may be deferred by the meeting to a future nominated date.

11. Amendments to Motions

(a) Only one amendment

When an amendment is moved to an original motion, no further amendment may be discussed until the first amendment is disposed of, but further amendments may be foreshadowed without discussion. Amendments are voted upon before the motion.

(b) An amendment must not be a direct negation of the motion

An amendment must be relevant to the question and so framed that it forms, with part of the original motion unaffected by it, a sensible and consistent proposal. It must not be a direct negation of the original motion.

If a motion is capable of amendment in different ways, the Chairperson should ask for all amendments to be handed in in writing. The Chairperson will then decide the order in which they may be moved, which will depend on where they stand in the substantive motion, if they are agreed to. No amendment can be accepted to the first part of a motion after the second or subsequent parts have been amended.

(d) Speaking to Amendments

No person may move or second more than one amendment to an original motion but the mover and seconder of a motion or an amendment may speak to subsequent amendments.

(e) Amendment negated

If the first amendment is lost, the original motion again becomes open to amendment.

(f) Substantive motion

If the first amendment is carried, the motion as amended becomes the substantive motion and is again open for amendment. When the substantive motion is put to the meeting and carried, it becomes the resolution.

12. Notices of Motion

(a) In writing

A notice of motion may be given in writing by one Member and seconded by another Member or by one Regional Committee and seconded by another Regional Committee.

(b) Absence of Proposer of Notice of Motion

Any motion of which due notice has been given may, in the absence of the Proposer of such notice, be moved by another member.

Amendments may be moved to motions on notice provided they are in the scope of the notice and can involve the Association in no greater obligations than the notice specifies.

APPENDIX 2: CAQ Member Conduct at MC Meetings

In addition to application of the CAQ Standing Orders (Appendix 1), Management Committee members are reminded that the following code of conduct principles apply at meetings. Members should

1. act honestly and in good faith in the interests of CAQ as a whole

2. exercise the degree of care, skill and diligence that a reasonable person in a like position would exercise in CAQ circumstances

3. be independent in judgment and actions and take all reasonable steps to be satisfied as to the soundness of all decisions taken by the Committee

4. be well prepared for Committee meetings

5. make reasonable enquiries at Committee meetings to ensure that CQ is operating efficiently, effectively and legally towards achieving CAQ goals

6. undertake diligent analysis of all proposals and matters placed before the Committee

7. treat colleagues with respect, courtesy, honesty and fairness, having proper regard to their interests, opinions, rights, safety and welfare

8. show respect for the opinions of other Committee members and allow each a fair and reasonable opportunity to contribute to discussion and decision making

9. not abuse, harass, bully, intimidate, discriminate, threaten or victimise other Committee members

10. promote and encourage diversity, equality and inclusiveness in decision making and throughout CAQ

11. at all times exemplify the values and actively conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the critical statutory, cultural and leadership role of a Committee member of CAQ