STA (FASTS) news

Dear Science & Technology Australia Members

1.  STA Annual General Meeting
I am writing to formally notify you of the STA Annual General Meeting which will take place on Thursday 24 November 2011 at The National Library of Australia (Level 4 Conference Room), Parkes Place, Parkes Canberra from 9:00am – 2:00pm.

2. Proxy
Presidents or authorised representatives of STA Member Societies who cannot attend the AGM but would like to nominate a proxy, can fill out the attached proxy form. If would like to give your proxy to someone but you are not aware of who will be attending the AGM please contact me on 02 6257 2891 or via reply email.

3.  Workshop for Members – 23 November 2011
The AGM will follow the STA Member Services Workshop to be held in Canberra on 23 November 2011 between 9am and 5pm at CSIRO, Black Mountain (Ecosystem Sciences Building, Clunies Ross St Acton – PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF VENUE).  The workshop is designed to provide training and tips to assist scientific societies grow and operate with greater ease and efficiency.  
The workshop is free of charge for STA members and will be most beneficial for office bearers and staff of scientific societies who are active in the operation of your society.
If you haven’t already done so, please RSVP by filling in the registration form available at:
http://scienceandtechnologyaustralia.org.au/news-and-events/member-services-workshop-exclusive-to-sta-members/
And return it by Monday 7 November 2011

4. Accommodation on evening of 23 November 2011
Given the Member Services Workshop and AGM fall on a parliamentary sitting week, it is advisable to book accommodation early.  STA has secured a group booking at the Burbery Hotel.  If you would like to take up this option please contact Cathy Bryson no later than Monday 7 November by calling  02 6257 2891 or via email cathy.bryson@sta.org.au

5. Nominations for STA Executive Committee positions
One of the agenda items at the AGM is the election of office holders to the STA Executive. The constitution provides for a steady renewal of the Executive with 4 positions becoming vacant each year.

This year the positions are:

Vice President (2 year term)
Treasurer (2 year term)
Ordinary Member (1 year term)
Early Career Researcher (1 year term) 

The Executive Committee meets on a monthly basis, generally by teleconference.
The Board  meets at least three times a year, with two of those meeting being face to face meetings.

If you would like to discuss the roles and responsibilities of various Executive positions please feel free to contact me or any of the current executive members. Their contact details can be found here:  
http://scienceandtechnologyaustralia.org.au/about-science-australia/governance-and-board/

The successful candidates will join Michael Holland (President 2012 & 2013), Peter Adams (Secretary), Rebecca Ritchie (Chair of the Policy Committee) and myself on the STA Executive.

6.  Nomination requirements and processes
Candidates
candidates wishing to stand for election to the STA Executive must be a financial member of an ordinary member of STA.

Persons who are members of affiliate members cannot stand for the STA Executive or Board. Current affiliates are APESMA, ACDA, ACDS, ACEDD, ACDICT, CAPA, CRC Assoc, CSIRO Staff Association, NTEU, SIA, ARMS, CORE.   However a person who is a member of an affiliate organisation is not precluded from standing for election if they are also a member of an ordinary member in which case they can nominate on the basis that they are a member of the latter.

Nominations
Candidates need to be nominated by two persons who are financial members of an ordinary member of STA. Nominees are not required to be from the same society/association as the candidate.

Nominations need to be made in writing signed by the two nominees and accompanied by the written consent of the candidate and any supporting material. The constitution does not define ‘writing’ or ‘signed’ and therefore email advice of nominations and acceptances is the default method of notice.

The constitution does not contain a pro-forma notice for nominations nor specify the words. You may wish to adopt words to the effect:
I, xxxx current member of xxxx Society, do nominate xxxx as candidate for the position of xxxx  signed name, Address, Ph, Email No.

Nominations close 14 days prior to the AGM. This year the closing date is 5.00pm, Thursday 10 November 2011.

The constitution requires that nominations are sent to the Secretary, however it is both acceptable and convenient practice to send nominations to the Chief Executive Officer and I will collate and organise the documentation.

Supporting materials
The constitution provides for candidates to provide supporting materials for their application. These materials are not defined. Practice has been to suggest that candidates provide a brief CV (1 page) and a brief (1 page) written statement to support their application outlining one or more of:

• their interest in taking the position; and /or
• their interest in participating in STA; and/or
• additional relevant comments on their background/skills/interests.

Providing election materials to the membership
The constitution requires that the Secretary will ensure that all members who are eligible receive notification of all nominees and their supporting materials as soon as practicable after the close of the nominations deadline.

In practice this means the CEO collates all the material and emails it to all Presidents shortly after the deadline for nominations.

Election at AGM
All members – both ordinary and affiliate – are entitled to vote at the elections. Each member has one vote irrespective of the size of their organisation. (NB: Board and Exec members may attend the AGM but do not have any votes unless they are the nominee of their society or are holding proxies).

A returning officer will be elected/appointed by a majority of members at the AGM. The returning officer cannot be a candidate. It is also practice to appoint one or two observers to assist counting votes.

Please note the constitution devolves the electoral process for cluster representatives on the Board to the members of each cluster thus there is no formal election process for Board Members apart from the process outlined above for appointment of Executive Committee Members at the AGM.

If there is only one candidate for an Executive position they are declared elected. If there are no nominees for any given office holder then the AGM can accept one or more nominations from the floor of the AGM.

If there are two or more candidates then a ballot will occur. The constitution states voting is optional preferential except when 3 or more people nominate in which case full preferential voting is specified (i.e. number all boxes 1, 2, 3, etc)

Any candidate who fails to be elected to the position for which he or she nominated can nominate for any positions yet to be elected (except ECR if they are not early career). They are not required to indicate in the nomination process or any time prior to a ballot whether they would be prepared to stand for subsequent positions.

If you have any inquiries about the nomination/electoral process, please contact me on 02 6257 2891 or via reply email.

I look forward to seeing you on 23 and 24 November in Canberra.

Regards
Anna-Maria


_________________________________________________________________

Anna-Maria Arabia
Chief Executive Officer
Science & Technology Australia
26 years of science advocacy in Australia
www.sta.org.au
www.respectthescience.org.au

T: 02 6257 2891
M: 0412 940 921
F: 02 6257 2897

PO Box 259
Canberra City ACT 2601