1. Shoalhaven Bushwalkers is an "incorporated association"
Shoalhaven Bushwalkers Inc. is an incorporated association and as such we are bound by the state laws of New South Wales and by regulations set down by the Department of Fair Trading (DFT) for incorporated associations.

2. We are governed by a constitution
Incorporated associations must have a constitution (or rules) that sets out how the association will operate. This constitution is a contract between the association and its members, who agree to adhere to the provisions outlined in the constitution. It's actually a legal requirement that an organisation and its members follow the rules set down in the constitution. We cannot choose to follow some rules and ignore others. If we didn't have a constitution, we would be subject to the rules in the DFT's model constitution, and every time the rules in the model constitution were changed, our rules would change. Our constitution can be found in the Members Only area of this website.

3. We are potentially governed by regulations in the DFT's model constitution!
If there are regulations in the DFT's model constitution that are not referenced in our constitution, we are then subject to the model constitution rules. This is why it is a good idea to add any new rules in the model constitution to our own constitution so that we can modify them to suit the club's requirements.

4. There are consequences if we do not follow the rules!
If the committee or the club doesn't follow the rules of its own constitution, any member can dispute its actions. Under the terms of our constitution, "disputes are to be referred to the committee and then to a community justice centre for mediation under the Community Justice Centres Act 1983. If a dispute is not resolved by mediation within 3 months of the referral to a community justice centre, the dispute is to be referred to arbitration. The Commercial Arbitration Act 2010 applies to any such dispute referred to arbitration."

5. Standing Resolutions
A Standing Resolution is a resolution passed at a committee meeting about a policy or procedure that the club must follow. Standing Resolutions cannot over-ride the SBW constitution. Any Standing Resolution may be changed or removed by subsequent committee resolutions. Our Standing Resolutions can be found in the Members Only area of this website.

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