Circular – 14 February 2019
Circular C01/19
14 February 2019
Call for Nominations – Casual Vacancy of the RSL NSW Board
Pursuant to Clause 15.5 of the RSL NSW Constitution, the RSL NSW Board calls for nominations from service members to fill a casual vacancy on the board of RSL NSW.
Service members who wish to serve on the board of RSL NSW must:
- Understand veterans’ culture, the values of the RSL, and the unique camaraderie borne from military service.
- Have the necessary qualifications and skills to act as a “responsible person” as specified in ACNC governance standards and regulations (https://www.acnc.gov.au/for-charities/manage-your-charity/governance-standards/5-duties-responsible-persons).
- Be able to complete and pass assessment in the Australian Institute of Company Directors course (or equivalent as determined by RSL NSW) within six months of joining the Board.
- Be a current financial service member and not previously disqualified from holding office within RSL NSW.
- Consent to police and banned persons register checks.
- Be prepared to commit adequate time to serve as a director on the RSL NSW Board.
The following skills and attributes are highly desirable:
- Sound understanding of governance issues, including conflict of interest management, directors’ obligations, relevant laws and regulations, and RSL NSW governance documents.
- Skills in planning, strategy, and change management.
- Previous experience in a large and complex organisation, particularly experience in a not-for-profit, charity, or grassroots-member organisation.
- Understanding of risk management and mitigation.
- Professional experience in law, finance, governance, investment, or project management.
Interested service members should submit their nomination to boardnominations@rslnsw.org.au no later than 5pm on 8 March 2019. Nominations should be no more than four pages and include a CV and covering letter. The successful nominee will be advised by close of business on 29 March 2019.
Explanatory Notes
The RSL NSW Act (2018) came into force on 31 December 2018. Under the Act, the RSL NSW Board must comprise a maximum of 10 directors. With the resignation of Scott Seccombe in late 2018 there are currently seven elected Service Member Directors whose terms of office expire in 2020. As permitted by the Act, two independent directors will be appointed by the Board in the near future from a short list of suitable candidates drawn up by an independent director search firm.
Under the RSL NSW Constitution, there are two methods of filling a casual vacancy. Either the Board can appoint any Service Member to fill the casual vacancy (clause 15.5) or an election can be held to fill the casual vacancy upon the rising of the next State Congress (By-law 6). To allow the vacancy to be filled now rather than waiting until the rising of the next State Congress, and because the commencement of the RSL NSW Act (2018) means that any election would have to be held on the basis of the “one-member-one vote” requirement (which requires a rebuild of our membership IT systems, the validation of service member records, and the engagement of an independent election authority) the Board has determined to fill the casual vacancy under clause 15.5.
To ensure that all members have an opportunity to be considered for the process, however, the Board decided to call for nominations in order to give all service members the opportunity to be considered for the position.
Key Dates
- 14 Feb – Call for nominations issued
- 20 Feb – Board Nominations Committee formed
- 8 March – closing date for submission of nominations
- 11 – 16 March – Board Nominations Committee review
- 16 – 28 March – screening, interviews, police and probity checks
- 28 March – Board meeting to appoint successful candidate
- 29 March – Successful nominee advised, communication to members
Jeff O’Brien
State Secretary
