Education, Science and Technology Network CONSTITUTION
Version: 3rd July 2001
1. Name
The
organisation shall be known as the Queensland Education, Science and Technology
Network (QUESTnet) Management Committee, hereafter called "the
Committee".
2. Objective
The
objective of the Committee shall be to promote and advance the development and
use of Information and Communications Technologies (hereafter called
"ICT") in Higher Education and Research in Queensland and adjacent
areas in Australia, through a variety of relevant means, including but not
limited to the following:
Foster and
facilitate coordination and cooperation in the work of members (eg. by
arranging special meetings and seminars to discuss mechanisms for sharing
infrastructure)
Provide
opportunities for the exchange of information among technical staff in the
region (eg. by the annual QUESTnet conference and other meetings of personnel
in areas of common interest and endeavour)
Formulate and
offer approaches to common issues of members (eg. commission projects, arrange
development seminars)
Provide
strategic direction to, and coordination among, the ICT activities in the
sector (eg. via committee memberships, submissions on proposed initiatives)
Establish and
oversee sub-committees for specific roles or tasks for the benefit of members
(eg. QUESTnet conference)
Develop and
maintain a cooperative working relationship with CAUDIT
Promote and
represent our sector in the State to develop a sphere of influence,
particularly with other educational areas and Government
Deal with Vendors
on a regional basis appropriate to QUESTnet members.
3.
Membership
There
are three categories of membership: Voting Member, Affiliate Member and
Personal Member
3.1 Voting Members
The
Higher Education and Research organisations comprising QUESTnet are listed in
Schedule 1 of this constitution. Each organisation shall be entitled to one
Voting Member, who shall be an officer who contributes strategic ICT leadership
to the organisation and who normally manages core ICT services and
infrastructure. Additional organisations entitled to a voting member may be
elected from time to time by resolution of the voting members.
3.2 Affiliate Members
Affiliate
Members may be drawn, in a similar way as for Voting Members, from other bodies
as may be determined from time to time by a resolution of the voting members.
Affiliate Members are listed in Schedule 2.
3.3 Personal Members
Individuals
who can contribute to the objectives and work of the committee, may be invited
to join the committee for one year as may be determined from time to time by
resolution of the members. A maximum of 20% of the Committee can be Personal
Members. Renewal of personal membership will be by vote of the Executive.
Personal Members are listed in Schedule 3.
3.4 Voting Rights
Affiliate
Members and Personal Members shall have all the rights of audience and debate
on all issues, unless the majority of voting members present determine
otherwise on a case by case basis, but are not eligible to vote. They are not
eligible to sit on the Executive unless specific exemption is given by
resolution of the voting members.
3.5 Proxies
Voting
Members may nominate proxies to attend meetings of the Committee in their
place.
4. Membership Fees
There
shall be an annual membership fee to support the activities of the Committee.
The fees shall fall due on January 1st each year, and shall be set at the
immediately preceding Annual Meeting. The fee for Affiliate Members shall be
50% of the fee for Voting Members for those who are based in Australia. There is no fee for Personal Members. Voting Members whose fees or any other subscription
are more than six months in arrears shall have their voting rights suspended at
the next meeting of the Executive. Affiliate Members whose fees are more than
six months in arrears may have their membership suspended or terminated by
QUESTnet on the recommendation of the Executive. Suspensions shall be in effect
until such time as the fees are no longer in arrears. Members whose membership
is terminated who wish to re-join are required to make a fresh application.
5. Use of Funds
The
income and property of the Committee shall be applied solely towards the
promotion of the objective of the Committee as set out in clause 2 herein, and
no portion shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of
dividend, bonus or otherwise howsoever by way of profit to or amongst the
Members, except as bona fide compensation for services rendered or expenses
incurred on behalf of the Committee.
All expenditures shall be approved by the Executive, in accord with budgets and
other general approvals given by the Committee from time to time.
Funds shall be held in an account set up for that purpose, to be operated on,
and in such a manner, as a meeting of QUESTnet shall determine.
QUESTnet may borrow funds, or obtain credit, only to the limit of the account
balance, or to the account balance minus outstanding liabilities and
commitments to the end of the current financial year, whichever is the lower
amount.
6. Executive Group
An
Executive Group (hereafter called "the Executive") shall be elected
from the members at the Annual Meeting to organise the affairs of the
Committee, including the following:
Arranging
meetings;
Developing and
reviewing strategic directions;
Monitoring
standing committees, sub-committees and working parties;
Representing
and acting for the Committee between meetings as required;
Oversighting
the financial affairs of QUESTnet including the preparation of annual budgets
and monitoring revenue and expenditure against budget;
Canvassing the
opinions of members between meetings.
The
Executive shall consist of the Chair, the Deputy Chair and the Treasurer. The
three elected members shall be elected for 2-year terms at the Annual Meeting
of the Committee, with the Chair and the Treasurer being elected in
odd-numbered years and the Deputy Chair in even numbered years. Members are
encouraged to make nominations and to vote in such a way that the Executive
consists of members from a range of bodies in the region.
Nominations
shall be called at the time that notice of the Annual Meeting is issued, and
shall close during the meeting. Nominations must be in writing bearing the
signatures of the nominee, nominator and seconder; voting shall be by secret
ballot, and the person with the most votes shall be elected; the elections
shall be conducted in the order Chair, Deputy Chair, Treasurer; Office Bearers
shall take office at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting.
The
Executive shall meet (electronically or face-face) at least once per quarter to
review and plan the affairs and activities of the Committee. A record of such
meetings shall be prepared and distributed to all members in a timely fashion.
7. Office-Bearers
7.1. Chair
The
Chair shall be responsible for conducting all meetings of the Committee,
including Executive meetings, and is empowered to represent the Committee as
required.
7.2. Deputy Chair
The
Deputy Chair shall be responsible for assisting the Chair in conducting the
affairs of the Committee, and for deputising for the Chair when absent.
7.3 Treasurer
The
Treasurer shall be responsible for oversight of all financial matters
associated with the operation of the Committee and in addition shall be
responsible for presentation of budgets and financial statements at the Annual
Meeting and at other times as required.
7.4 Co-option
The
Executive shall have the power to co-opt additional members to the Executive
when required.
7.5 Casual Vacancies
In
the event of the resignation of any member of the Executive, an election shall
be held within 60 days to fill this casual vacancy. The person so elected shall
remain in office only for the unexpired portion of the term of the person who
resigned.
This
election may take place at any meeting of the Committee which occurs within the
prescribed period, else it shall be conducted electronically, as follows:
Nominations
shall be called for, closing 14 days later;
A person may
nominate themselves, or another person provided they consent to being
nominated;
The vote shall
be taken within 7 days of nominations closing;
Voting shall
proceed as for other electronic votes, except that the list of votes shall not
be broadcast; instead, each vote shall be individually acknowledged;
The Executive
Officer, or in the absence of the Executive Officer, someone else appointed by
the Executive to act as Executive Officer, shall conduct the election;
The objection
time and declaration of the poll shall be as for other electronic voting.
8. Meetings
There
shall be at least two full meetings of the Committee held each calendar year,
one of which shall be designated the Annual Meeting by the Chair (provided that
it is at least 4 months since the previous Annual Meeting). Twenty-eight days'
written notice of the holding of the Annual Meeting shall normally be given to
all members.
Meetings other than the Annual Meeting may be held as required, and may take
place electronically (including phone conferencing, video conferencing, and
computer conferencing). Voting at Electronic Meetings must comply with the
Rules for Voting given below.
The
Chair may invite any person to attend a meeting under such conditions and
circumstances as determined by the Chair.
8.1 Special Meetings
A
special meeting of the Committee can be called by the Chair or by any Voting
Member with the support of 50% of Voting Members. Twenty-eight days written
notice of such a meeting must be given and the notice must state the purpose of
the Special Meeting.
9. Rules for Voting
At
all meetings of the Committee, and for all votes taken, a Quorum shall consist
of not fewer than half the Voting Members plus one. All motions except changes
to the Constitution shall be passed by a simple majority, with the Chair having
a casting vote (if needed) in addition to a regular vote.
Electronic
Voting may be used to decide any matter which comes before the Committee,
either at a meeting or at any other time, except those matters which must be
decided at Annual Meetings. Members without electronic mail addresses may not
participate in Electronic Votes. It is the responsibility of all members to
ensure that the Executive Officer is advised of their current electronic mail address.
Electronic
Voting shall proceed as follows:
Electronic
votes may only be conducted by the Executive Officer at the direction of the
Executive;
The motion
shall be dispatched via electronic mail to all members, at approximately the
same time, together with any explanatory material, giving a date by which votes
must be received, and inviting members to broadcast any comments they may have
electronically to all members;
The final date
for receipt of votes shall be 7 days from the date of dispatch of the motion
(except for proposed Constitutional amendments);
All votes
received by the Executive Officer by midnight (Executive Officer's local time)
on the due date shall be counted;
The Executive
Officer shall formally acknowledge the receipt of each electronic vote;
The Executive
Officer shall prepare a list of all those voting for, voting against, or
formally abstaining from the motion, and dispatch that to all members as a
check that the votes have been recorded correctly;
If no
objection that a member's vote has been recorded incorrectly is received by the
Executive Officer within 4 days of the dispatch of the voting list, then the
motion shall be declared passed/lost/lapsed in another message despatched to
all members, with a simple majority being required to have a motion passed; in
the event of a tie, the Chair will have a casting vote (as above);
Members may
appoint "proxies" only and merely by assigning the right to use their
electronic mail address to someone else;
In the event
of any irregularity being detected in the voting, then the vote shall be
declared void and, at the discretion of the Executive, retaken;
In the event
of any irregularity being uncovered subsequently, then the vote shall be
declared void, but any action taken based upon that decision shall not be
invalid; at its discretion, the Executive may retake the vote and/or reverse
any action it may have taken based upon that voided vote;
The Executive
Officer shall ensure that all electronic votes are recorded, acknowledged and
added to the minutes of the next formal meeting.
10. Sub-Committees
The
Committee or the Executive may appoint Standing Committees, Sub-Committees and
Working Parties of one or more members, with power to coopt, to address
specific issues, and may nominate one or more members to represent the
Committee on joint Working Parties with, or at meetings with, other bodies.
11. Annual Report
The
Executive shall be responsible for the production of the Annual Report of the
Committee, which shall be produced in the first quarter of each calendar year.
It shall document the affairs of the Committee during the calendar year just
concluded. Copies shall be despatched to all members.
12. Amending the Constitution
The
Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority of all Voting Members
provided that at least fourteen days' written notice of the proposed amendment
is given prior to the vote being taken either electronically or at a meeting.
13. Winding Up
A
motion to wind up QUESTnet shall be considered only at a special meeting,
called for the purpose with at least fourteen (14) days written notice, and
must be approved by not less than two-thirds of the Voting Members present.
Upon winding up, if there remain, after satisfaction of all the Council’s debts
and liabilities, any property whatsoever, the same shall not be paid to or
distributed among the Members, but shall be given to the Australian
Vice-Chancellors?Committee, or, in the event that the Australian
Vice-Chancellors?Committee has ceased to exist, or ceased to be a not for
profit society, to another not for profit society with an interest in Higher
Education.
?Version:?
Final 3rd July 2001)
Queensland
Education, Science and Technology Network
Schedule 1
Voting Members
The
Higher Education and Research organisations comprising QUESTnet and eligible
for one voting member each are:
Australian Catholic University
Australian Institute of Marine
Science
Bond University
Central Queensland University
Commonwealth Scientific,
Industrial and Research Organisation
Griffith University
James Cook University
Northern Territory University
Queensland University of Technology
Southern Cross University
The University of Queensland
University of Southern Queensland
University of the Sunshine Coast
Queensland Education, Science and Technology Network
Schedule
2
Affiliate
Members
Organisations having Affiliate
Membership of QUESTnet are:
Queensland Education, Science and Technology Network
Schedule
3
Personal
Members
Mr Barry Mahoney
Mr Ian Hunter
Mr Wilber Williams
