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Australia, New Zealand, Diplomacy Australia, New Zealand, Diplomacy

DAANZ Constitution and Rules


(2 May 1997: Edited by Ian Van Der Werff, DAA Secretary).
(15 February 1999: Name changed to "Diplomacy Association of Australia and New Zealand (DAANZ)" by 1999 AGM).
(15 February 1999: Disputes & Mediation procedure added [Rule 14] by 1999 AGM).
(20 February 2001: Amendments to rules 2.1 and 4.2 as approved at 2001 AGM).
(8 February 2006: Amendments to rules 4.4, 6.3, 9.4, 11.2 & 12.3 as approved at 2006 AGM).

  1. NAME
    1. The Association shall be known as "The Diplomacy Association of Australia and New Zealand Inc." ("the Association").

  2. PURPOSES
    1. The purposes of the Association are as follows:
      • to publicise and promote the game of Diplomacy and games of a similar type within Australia and New Zealand;
      • to provide a forum for the discussion of issues of importance to Australian and New Zealand Diplomacy players;
      • to oversee the conduct of Diplomacy tournaments within Australia and New Zealand.

  3. MEMBERSHIP
    1. All persons aged 18 years and over shall be eligible for membership of the Association.
    2. All persons below the age of 18 years shall be eligible for junior membership of the Association.
    3. A person who is not a member of the Association at the time of the incorporation of the Association, or who has ceased to be a member of the Association by operation of Rule 3.5, shall be admitted as a member of the Association upon payment of the entrance fee and annual subscription to the President.
    4. A person below the age of 18 years who is not a junior member of the Association at the time of incorporation of the Association shall be admitted as a junior member of the Association by lodging an application in writing with the President of the Association.
    5. A person shall cease to be a member of the Association in the event that he or she has not paid the annual subscription on or before the 1st of February each year.
    6. A junior member of the Association is not entitled to vote at meetings of the Association or be an Officer of the Association. A junior member is not required to pay an entrance fee or annual subscription.
    7. A member or junior member of the Association may resign at any time by notice in writing lodged with the President of the Association. Any entrance fee or subscription fee paid by that member shall be forfeited.
    8. The President shall keep and maintain a register of members in which shall be entered the full name, address and date of entry of the name of each member and the register shall be available for inspection by members at the address of the President.

  4. SUBSCRIPTIONS
    1. The entrance fee of the Association shall be nil.
    2. The annual subscription fee of the Association shall be at least $5.00 (Australian) and may be modified from year to year at the discretion of the Committee.
    3. The annual subscription fee shall be paid on or before the 1st February each year.
    4. The entrance fee and annual subscription may be varied by the President by notice sent to both the 'Ozdip' and 'DAANZ Announce' email lists, or by notice in writing sent to the registered address of each member on or before the 30th November, in the year preceding the variation.

  5. OFFICERS and COMMITTEE
    1. The Officers of the Association shall be known as "the Committee" and shall comprise of the following:
      • the President;
      • the Returning Officer;
      • the Secretary;
      • the Public Officer.
    2. Each Officer of the Association shall hold office until the Annual General Meeting next after the date of his or her election but is eligible for re-election.
    3. A casual vacancy shall occur upon the resignation or death of any member of the Committee. In the event of a casual vacancy in any office referred to in Rule 5.1, the Committee may appoint a member to the vacant office and the member shall if so appointed continue in office up to and including the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting next following the date of his or her appointment.
    4. The Committee shall meet at least twice per year. The quorum of the Committee shall be two officers, one of whom must be the President. The President shall chair all meetings of the Committee and the procedure of the Committee Meetings shall be at the sole discretion of the President.
    5. The Committee shall:
      • control and manage the business affairs of the Association;
      • subject to this constitution, exercise all such powers and functions as may be exercised by the Association other than those powers and functions that are required by these Rules to be exercised by general or special meetings of the members of the Association.
      • subject to this constitution have power to perform all acts and things as appear to the Committee to be essential for the proper management of the business affairs of the Association.
    6. The President shall be the Public Officer of the Association. In the event that the President is ineligible to be Public Officer, and eligible member of the Committee shall be appointed Public Officer. In the event that no member of the Committee is eligible to be Public Officer, an eligible member of the Association shall be appointed by the Committee.

  6. MEETINGS
    1. There shall be an Annual General Meeting of the Association once in every calendar year.
    2. The President shall appoint a date, time and place for the Annual General Meeting which must be held during one of the following tournaments:
      • the Australian Diplomacy Championship;
      • the Victorian Diplomacy Championship;
      • The New South Wales Diplomacy Championship.
    3. The President shall call an Annual General Meeting of the Association by notice sent to both the 'Ozdip' and 'DAANZ Announce' email lists, or by notice in writing sent to the registered address of each member at least one month before the time appointed for the Annual General Meeting.
    4. The President or, in his or her absence, the nominee of the meeting shall preside as Chairperson at each Annual General Meeting.
    5. The Chairperson shall ensure that the following matters are dealt with at each Annual General Meeting:
      • a financial statement shall be tabled at the meeting detailing the current assets and liabilities of the Association and the income and expenditure of the Association since the last Annual General Meeting;
      • the election of the officers of the Association.
    6. Save as provided by Rule 6.5, the Chairperson shall in his or her sole discretion, determine what matters shall be discussed at the meeting and the order of business of the meeting. Any member may move a motion that some other matter be discussed and that matter shall be discussed if at least fifty percent of the members present vote in favour of the matter being so discussed.
    7. All votes shall be given personally or by proxy and in the case of equality of voting on a question, the Chairperson is entitled to exercise a second or casting vote.
    8. If at a meeting a poll on any question is demanded by not less than 10 members it shall be taken.
    9. The quorum of the Annual General Meeting shall be ten members, or one half of the current membership of the Association, whichever is the lesser.
    10. The President may call a general meeting of the Association. With the exception of Rule 6.2 and 6.5, the provisions of Part 6 apply to general meetings of the Association, with any necessary modification.

  7. FINANCES
    1. The funds of the Association shall be derived from entrance fees, annual subscriptions, donations and such other sources as the Committee determines.
    2. The income and property of the Association shall be applied solely in promotion of the purposes of the Association and no proportion thereof shall be distributed, paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend, bonus, or otherwise by way of profit to or amongst the members of the Association.
    3. Notwithstanding Rule 7.2, a member is entitled to receive payment in good faith for any services rendered or to be rendered or goods supplied or to be supplied to the Association at the request of the Committee.
    4. The Association shall not incur any debts or liabilities, the total of which exceeds the liquid funds of the Association by one hundred dollars.
    5. The President shall keep in his or her custody or under his or her control all books, documents and securities of the Association.
    6. All cheques, drafts, bills of exchange, promissory notes and other negotiable instruments shall be signed by the President.
    7. The President shall collect and receive all monies due to the Association and make all payments authorised by the Association. The President shall keep correct accounts and books showing the financial affairs of the Association with full details of all receipts and expenditure connected with the activities of the Association.
    8. The accounts and books referred to in Rule 7.7 shall be available for inspection by members.

  8. THE COMMON SEAL
    1. The Common Seal of the Association shall be kept in the custody of the President.
    2. The Common Seal shall not be affixed to any instrument except by the authority of the Committee and the affixing of the Common Seal shall be attested by the signatures either of two members of the Committee or of one member of the Committee and of the Public Officer of the Association.

  9. REMOVAL OF OFFICERS
    1. The Association in special meeting may by resolution remove any officer of the Association before the expiration of his or her term and appoint another member in his or her stead to hold office until the expiration of the term of the officer.
    2. A special meeting shall be call by the Returning Officer upon a petition of not less than fifteen members or one half of the current membership of the Association, whichever is the lesser.
    3. The Returning Officer must call a special meeting of the Association within twenty-one days of the presentation of a petition pursuant to Rule 9.2. In the event that the Returning Officer fails to call a special meeting within the time required, the meeting may be called by any one of the petitioning members.
    4. A Special Meeting of the Association shall be called by notice sent to both the 'Ozdip' and 'DAANZ Announce' email lists, or by notice in writing sent to the registered address of each member of the Association at least seven days prior to the time appointed for the special meeting. The notice required by the Rule shall name the Officer or Officers of the Association whose removal is to be considered at the Special Meeting.
    5. A Special Meeting of the Association may only consider the removal of an Officer or Officers of the Association specified in the notice pursuant to Rule 9.4.

  10. EXPULSION OF MEMBERS
    1. No member shall be expelled from the Association except by a vote of ninety percent of members present at the Annual General Meeting or General Meeting of the Association.
    2. In the event that the expulsion of a member is to be considered at an Annual General Meeting or General Meeting, the President must give notice in writing sent to the registered address of the member proposed to be expelled at least fourteen days prior to the time appointed for the Annual General Meeting or General Meeting.
    3. In the event that a member is expelled from the Association, that member forfeits any subscription fee and entrance fee paid by him or her.

  11. BY-LAWS
    1. The Committee has the power to make any rule or by-law not inconsistent with these Rules.
    2. Any by-law made by the Committee becomes valid upon notice sent to both the 'Ozdip' and 'DAANZ Announce' email lists, or by notice in writing sent to the registered address of each member.
    3. The members of the Association may resolve to revoke the by-law at an Annual General Meeting or General Meeting of the Association.

  12. AMENDMENT OF RULES AND PURPOSES
    1. These Rules and Purposes may be amended at any Annual General Meeting or General Meeting of the Association.
    2. The President must receive at least two month's notice in writing of any proposed resolution to amend these Rules and Purposes.
    3. The President shall give notice of any proposed resolution to amend these Rules and Purposes by publishing such notice to both the 'Ozdip' and 'DAANZ Announce' email lists, or by notice in writing sent to the registered address of each member at least one month prior to the time appointed for the meeting.
    4. A proposed resolution to amend the Rules and Purposes shall only pass if seventy-five percent of the members present at the meeting vote in favour of the resolution.

  13. WINDING UP
    1. Upon the winding up or dissolution of the incorporated Association, the disposition of any surplus assets shall proceed as follows:
      • if the incorporated Association is succeeded by a legal entity or an unincorporated association ("the successor") any surplus assets shall be vested in the successor;
      • if there is no successor to the incorporated Association, the surplus assets shall be distributed in equal shares to each member for the time being of the incorporated Association.

  14. DISPUTES AND MEDIATION
    1. The grievance procedure set out in this rule applies to disputes under the Rules between
      (a) a member and another member; or
      (b) a member and the Association.
    2. The parties to the dispute must meet and discuss the matter in dispute, and, if possible, resolve the dispute within 14 days after the dispute comes to the attention of all of the parties.
    3. If the parties are unable to resolve the dispute at the meeting, or if a party fails to attend that meeting, then the parties must, within 10 days, hold a meeting in the presence of a mediator.
    4. The mediator must be
      (a) a person chosen by agreement between the parties; or
      (b) in the absence of agreement-
      1. in the case of a dispute between a member and another member, a person appointed by the committee of the Association; or
      2. in the case of a dispute between a member and the Association, a person who is a mediator appointed or employed by the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria (Department of Justice).
    5. A member of the Association can be a mediator.
    6. The mediator cannot be a member who is a party to the dispute.
    7. The parties to the dispute must, in good faith, attempt to settle the dispute by mediation.
    8. The mediator, in conducting the mediation, must
      (a) give the parties to the mediation process every opportunity to be heard; and
      (b) allow due consideration by all parties of any written statement submitted by any party; and
      (c) ensure that natural justice is accorded to the parties to the dispute throughout the mediation process.
    9. The mediator must not determine the dispute.
    10. If the mediation process does not result in the dispute being resolved, the parties may seek to resolve the dispute in accordance with the Act or otherwise at law.
Diplomacy Association of Australia and New Zealand, Incorp. Assoc. (Vic) no. A0029615P.

Last modified: 9 September, 2009
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