The following document is the registered Constitution of the SES Volunteers Association of Western Australia Incorporated (SESVA). This document was prepared to comply with “The Associations Incorporations Act 2015”.
The constitution is the foundation of the Association. It contains all the key agreements made by members on how the Association works. In law, it is called the “founding document”, and it is legally binding on the executive and members of the Association. It explains the following:
Why the Association exists, its purpose and objectives:
- Who the Association’s key constituency and stakeholders are
- Who should benefit from its work
- How the Association works, its broad principles and the basic structures for decision making and getting the work done, as well as dealing with the finances and assets of the organisation.
The constitution details members’ rights and responsibilities, office holders understand their mandate and how to be accountable, and members of the public understand why the Association exists and how it operates.
The constitution, in general term,s has detailed and clear sections on:
- The purpose of your Association: why the Association exists, who benefits from your work and how they should benefit.
- The objectives of the Association: what it intends to achieve.
- The membership of your Association: Who may become a member and the duties and rights of members. How you join and how members can resign or be expelled.
The structures and main procedures of decision-making in your Association:
- annual general meetings and other meetings,
- elections and appointments for the different structures of the Association
- their powers and functions,
- who makes what decisions,
- how the Association is governed and how decisions are made
- How it is organised to get the work done.
The roles, rights and responsibilities of people holding specific positions and of the different structures:
- What different individuals or structures are responsible for,
- to whom they account.
- How the finances and assets of the Association are controlled so that no money or resources that belong to the organisation can be abused or misused.
- Financial year and audit process that tells you when your annual financial account will be finalised and audited and who the report will go to
- Closing down the Association: what process must be followed, and what will happen to the money and assets of the Association.