2023 RSL NSW Election of Directors

The key role of the Board is to ensure that RSL NSW does all things necessary to always further its charitable purpose and act in the best interests of RSL NSW. The Board’s responsibilities are set out in the RSL NSW Act 2018 (NSW), the RSL NSW Constitution and the Board Charter (annexed to this FAQ). Board members also have specific legal obligations they must meet in order to properly discharge their duties as Directors.

The RSL NSW Constitution defines Fit and Proper Person as being a person having the attributes of good character, diligence, honesty, integrity and judgement which can reasonably be expected of a RSL NSW Member or of any position of office held under the RSL NSW Constitution.

Directors must be financially literate, be business literate and be comfortable using technology. Directors must understand their legal roles and duties as set out in ACNC and Corporations legislation. In agreeing to be a Director of RSL NSW, Directors must understand that they may be held personally liable for any failure to meet their legal obligations.

RSL NSW Directors are expected to be willing and able to meet the current Board meeting schedule of bi-monthly meetings and travel to Sydney for in-person meetings and join at least 1 RSL NSW committee. The Board generally has 7 meetings scheduled each year but there may be out of session meetings to deal with extraordinary matters as required.  Board meetings require a full day’s commitment.

Directors are also required to attend RSL NSW and RSL NSW related functions and ceremonies from time to time.

Proper participation in Board and Committee Meetings require Directors to take the time to prepare for meetings by reading and understanding papers provided in advance of the meetings.

The President is the principal spokesperson for the League in NSW in consultation with the Chair of the Board and the CEO. The responsibilities of the role are principally to:

• protect RSL NSW’s policy of non-alignment with any political party;
• act as principal spokesperson and representative of ANZAC House and/or RSL NSW;
• represent ANZAC House and/or RSL NSW at commemorative functions, ceremonies and other activities, including District Presidents’ Council, District Council and/or sub-Branch meetings or presentations;
• preside over General or Special State Congress, which includes the AGM or any EGM.

The time commitment expected of the RSL NSW President varies, however as can be expected, the time commitment required to properly fulfill the requirements of the role is greater than that of a Director.

The President has a dual role and is required to satisfy the requirements and obligations of a Director on the Board of RSL NSW as well as attending meetings, ceremonies and such other events as may be required from time to time.

The President may also be required to sit on the Board of RSL Australia and would be required to fill the requirements of that role in addition to Director and Presidential duties.

The 2023 Election is seeking nominations for 7 member Elected Directors and a President. The elected President also serves as a Director, bringing the total member elected positions on the Board to 8.

RSL NSW also has 2 independent Directors on the Board (as defined in the RSL NSW Act 2018). These positions are Board appointed positions and will not be filled in this election.

All active RSL NSW Service Members who meet the eligibility criteria set out in the RSL NSW Constitution and who submit a complete election Nomination Form by 12pm, (noon) on 21 August 2023 can stand for election. Affiliate and Auxiliary Members cannot stand for election.

All RSL NSW Service members who are marked as ‘Active’ (formerly ‘Financial’) in the sub-Branch Portal are eligible to nominate for President and/or an Elected Director position and to vote. If you are unsure whether you are an ‘Active’ member, please contact your sub-Branch Secretary or your Member Support Team on 1300 679 775 or support@rslnsw.org.au.

It is becoming more and more common for organisations to have National Police Checks (NPC) conducted on members of their Board. As a not-for-profit organisation and registered charity, RSL NSW has made the decision that candidates wanting to stand for election will need to submit a NPC obtained at their own cost as part of their nomination to stand as a candidate.

All other eligibility checks will be run at the cost of the organisation.

Instructions for obtaining your NPC are clearly set out in the nomination form, be sure to allow yourself time to make your online application for your NPC and to present at a NSW Police station to have your identity verified.

All active RSL NSW Service Members can support a candidate nomination and vote in the election. Nominators must be active Service Members as at the close of the Member Register, as at 12.00pm (noon) on 18 July 2023 (7 days before the day on which nominations open).

Candidates must be nominated by no fewer than 10 active Service Members. Please note only 10 nominators are required if you are choosing to nominate for President and Elected Director.

If a person purporting to be a nominator is not an active Service Member of RSL NSW at the Close of Nominations, their nomination will not count towards the required 10 active Service Members. If a nominator is unsure of their membership status, they can contact the RSL NSW Support Unit on 1300 679 775 to confirm their membership status.

Affiliate and Auxiliary Members cannot support a candidate nomination or vote in the election.

Nominators do not need to sign the same piece of paper. You may photocopy these pages as many times as you like or distribute as many copies as you need when collecting the signatures of your Nominees. The membership status of all Nominators is validated by the Returning Officer, so it is recommended that you provide more than 10 nominators as your nomination will not be confirmed if you fail to provide 10 valid nominators.

Nomination Packs can be obtained from the Returning Officer (see contact details above). The Returning Officer will email the Election Information Pack (which will include the Nomination Form) to you on request. Election Information Packs will not be posted they will be available via email or can be accessed online on the dedicated Election site. You can complete the Nomination Form via Docusign or you can print a copy of the PDF to fill out. The Returning Officer will provide details for each.

Nomination Forms and supporting documentation may be returned by email, may be completed online via Docusign, post or in person to the Returning Officer as follows:

Email to rslnsw.returningofficer@linkmarketservices.com.au

Post or in person, addressed to:
Debbie Austin

The Returning Officer
RSL NSW Election of Directors
Level 12, 680 George Street, SYDNEY NSW 2000

The Returning Officer must have received all your paperwork, correctly completed, as set out in the Candidate Nomination form, by 12:00pm (noon) on Monday 21 August 2023.

There will be no exceptions made for late submissions of your nomination materials. Late or incomplete nomination materials will not be accepted. It is strongly recommended that you do not leave your submissions to the last minute.  As explained in the nomination form, there are elements of the nomination process that can take up to 10-15 business days to complete.

Candidates who have not received their NPC before the close of nominations can submit a copy of their NPC application confirmation, (signed by a representative of the NSW Police), to the Returning Officer as soon as possible and before nominations close on 21 August 2023. The onus rests with the candidate to ensure that the Returning Officer receives the NPC application confirmation.

Members eligible to nominate candidates to stand for election are any members who are active Service Members. This includes Life Subscribers, Life Members and Honorary Members. It excludes Affiliate and Auxiliary Members.

Candidates will be announced, as they will appear on the ballot, on the RSL NSW website, no later than Thursday 24 August 2023.

Two ballots are being run – one for President and one for Elected Director. Candidates nominating for both roles will appear on both ballots.

Positions on the ballot paper will be determined by a drawing of lots. Once all the relevant checks have been completed the Returning Officer will draw lots for each ballot.

Members eligible to vote can do so online via a secure voting portal or cast their vote using a ballot paper requested from the Returning Officer.

If there is any doubt about your membership and eligibility to vote or to support a nomination, please contact the RSL NSW Support Unit on:

Email: support@rslnsw.org.au

Phone: 1300 679 775

The RSL NSW Support Unit can help confirm your membership status or membership class.