Australian Universities

• Australian Catholic University
• Australian Defence Force Academy (University College)
• Australian National University
• Bond University
• Central Queensland University
• Charles Darwin University
• Charles Sturt University
• Curtin University
• Deakin University
• Edith Cowan University
• Flinders University of South Australia
• Griffith University
• James Cook University
• Latrobe University
• Macquarie University
• Monash University
• Murdoch University
• Queensland University of Technology
• Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
• Southern Cross University
• Swinburne University of Technology
• University of Adelaide
• University of Ballarat
• University of Canberra
• University of Melbourne
• University of Newcastle
• University of New England
• University of New South Wales
• University of Queensland
• University of South Australia
• University of Southern Queensland
• University of Sydney
• University of the Sunshine Coast
• University of Tasmania
• University of Technology, Sydney
• University of Western Australia
• University of Western Sydney
• University of Wollongong
• Victoria University

NB: Not all Australasian Universities have publicly accessible OHS web sites.

New Zealand Universities

• Auckland University of Technology
• University of Auckland
• Massey University
• University of Otago
• University of Waikato
• Victoria University of Wellington

Hong Kong Universities

• The Chinese University of Hong Kong
• Hong Kong University
• Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Other Non-Australasian Universities

• Glasgow University
• Strathclyde University
• Liverpool John Moores University
• Kingston University
• OHSE departments of colleges and universities in the USA | UK

Affiliated Associations

• Universities Safety and Health Association (UK)
• Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Association (USA)

Constitution of the AUSA

1. Name of the Association

Australasian University Safety Association, abbreviated to AUSA, and herein called the Association.

2. Objectives

The Association exists primarily to:

• promote exchange of information on health, safety, environment, and related topics between OHS Professionals working in Universities and allied industries
• promote uniform approaches to OHS problems in Universities and allied industries
• provide for representation to educational authorities and government bodies for OHS Professionals working in Universities and allied industries.

3. Membership

3.1 Institutional

All Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) and Risk Management Units (or equivalent) in Australasian Universities are eligible to be represented in the Association. Membership is by virtue of having one or more current individual members employed at the University. Each Institutional Member may be required to contribute a fee set by the Association to cover the expenses of operating the Association. (At present no fees have been set.)

3.2 Individual

Individuals who are employed in Occupational Health and Safety or Risk Management positions (or equivalent) in Australasian Universities are eligible for membership of the Association. Other individuals active in the occupational health and safety or risk management fields in the Australasian tertiary education sector, research institutes and other allied industries may apply for membership, which will be granted provided this does not compromise the objectives of the Association. Each Individual Member may be required to contribute a fee set by the Association to cover the expenses of operating the Association. (At present no fees have been set.) NB: Unless specifically stated otherwise, references to members shall be read as reference to individual members.

3.3 Admission

Applications for membership will be considered by the Association Executive. Applications for membership should be submitted through any current method by which applications may be lodged, to the Secretary for consideration by the Executive. The application form is available from the website or from the Secretary. If a fee is set for membership, this must be paid before membership can be effected. (At present no fees have been set.)

3.4 Professional Conduct

The Association supports the minimum standards of ethics and service as specified in the Victorian Code of Ethics and Minimum Service Standards for professional members of occupational health and safety (OHS) associations but does not have a requirement for certification for Association membership.

3.5 Termination

Membership of the Association shall cease when:

• an individual leaves the Australasian tertiary education sector or allied industry
• an individual behaves in a way that the Executive, having afforded the member the opportunity to explain/defend his or her behaviour, believes will damage the reputation of the Association or prevent it from operating effectively; any such finding by the Executive must be endorsed by a simple majority of all Office Bearers
• any membership fees payable by the member are two years in arrears. (At present no fees have been set.)

Any member wishing to resign from the Association should do so in writing (or by email) to the Secretary.

3.6 Members' Duties and Rights

Members have a duty to conduct themselves professionally at all times, and to contribute to the effective functioning of the Association. For each Institutional Member of the Association, there is only one voting right, irrespective of the number of Campuses or Individual members from that University. Institutional Members have the right to vote on the forthcoming conference location. Any other ballots will be of Individual Members only.

3.7 Register of Members

The Secretary shall maintain a register of Individual Members, which will be made available to all members to facilitate the objectives of the Association. The Secretary shall not release the Register of Members to non-members without prior consultation with members.

3.8 Honorary Fellow

The Executive Committee may from time to time appoint as an Honorary Fellow current or past members who have rendered outstanding service to the Association and its objectives. Any member may nominate a person for this honour, with or without the nominees consent. A Honorary Fellow will have the same voting rights as an Individual Member provided they remain a current member. The Executive Committee may also rescind this honour if necessary.

4. Executive & Office Bearers

4.1 Executive Committee

The Association's Executive Committee shall comprise the President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary. The Executive Committee shall manage the day-to-day affairs of the Association, including any monies, property and business affairs.

4.2 Other Office Bearers

Other Officers include a Communications Officer, State Chairs (NSW/ACT, Vic/Tas, Qld, SA/NT and WA), New Zealand Chair and a Conference Sub-Committee Chair. Executive Committee members may also serve in any of these roles but will have one vote only in a Committee vote.

4.3 Election Procedures

Elections for all Office Bearers, including the Executive Committee shall be held every two years. Nominations shall be called for one month in advance of the Biennial General Meeting. Nominations shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary, and shall be signed by a proposer and seconder. The nominee shall provide a declaration that she/he is willing to serve. The nominee, proposer and seconder shall all be current Individual Members of the Association at the time of making the nomination. Nominations will be accepted by the Secretary up until the opening of the Biennial General Meeting.

If, at the close of nominations, there is more than one nominee for a position, a ballot of individual members shall be held at the meeting, and election shall be by a simple majority of votes cast.

If, at the close of nominations, there is only one nominee for a position, that member shall be declared elected.

Casual vacancies shall be filled at the discretion of the Executive.

The incoming Committee shall serve from the close of the Biennial General Meeting.

5. Duties of Office Bearers

5.1 President

The President shall Chair all Executive Committee, Biennial General and other meetings, represent the Association in all matters pertaining to achieving the objectives of the Association, foster relations with organisations with similar objectives within Australasia and elsewhere and keep the members advised of significant matters of interest.

5.2 Vice-President

The Vice-President shall support the President in fulfilling their duties and deputise as required.

5.3 Secretary

The Secretary shall keep full and correct minutes of the proceedings of Association meetings, conduct the correspondence of the Association and have custody of the documents, records and registers, process new member applications and maintain a membership register of all past and present members of the Association.

5.4 Treasurer

The Treasurer shall keep full and correct records of the financial transactions of the Association (except for the Biennial Conference) and shall report regularly to the Executive Committee and at the Biennial Conference on the financial status of the Association.

5.5 Communications Officer

The Communications Officer shall maintain the Association website and moderate the List-Server under the direction of the Executive Committee.

5.6 State and NZ Chairs

The State and New Zealand Chairs shall promote local meetings and professional activities of Association members, recruit eligible members and assist with the local implementation of the objectives of the Association.

5.7 Conference Sub-Committee Chair

The Conference Sub-Committee Chair shall manage the local committee in the planning, promotion, programme and financial aspects of the next Biennial Conference.

6. Finances

Any income and assets of the Association shall only be used in the pursuit of the Association's objectives. The assets and income of the Association shall be applied to advance the above-mentioned objectives and no portion shall be distributed directly or indirectly to the members of the Association except as bona fide compensation for services rendered or expenses incurred on behalf of the Association. No member shall have any personal claim on any income or asset of the Association, and no member shall profit directly or indirectly from membership of the Association. However, costs incurred by members in conducting business on behalf of the Association may be met by the Association. Any such transactions will be disclosed in the annual financial statements of the Association, which shall be provided to all members.

The Treasurer shall keep proper records of all financial transactions of the Association, and shall report annually to members on the financial status of the Association. Any Association Bank, Credit Union or Building Society account shall be operated by the Treasurer with the President and Secretary being co-signatories. The Treasurer and either the President or Secretary or other member authorised by Executive must co-sign all such transactions. The Association's financial year shall correspond with the Calendar Year, i.e. commence in January.

The Executive may authorise a Conference Sub-Committee to handle transactions associated with the conduct of any Australasian Universities' OHS Conference arranged under the auspices of the Association. In this case, a Conference Treasurer shall be appointed with responsibility for keeping proper records of all financial transactions associated with the Conference, and reporting these to the Association. Conference funds may be rolled over from one conference to the next, at the discretion of the Executive.

7. Meetings

7.1 Types and Frequency

A General Meeting of the Association shall be held every two years to coincide with the biennial Universities OHS Conference held under the auspices of the Association. The business of the Biennial General Meeting shall include

• the adoption of minutes of the previous Biennial General Meeting
• Election of Office Bearers
• Finance Report by the Treasurer
• Reports from other Office Bearers
• decision on the location of the next Conference
• appointment of a new Conference Sub-Committee, if required
• and any other business relevant to the objectives of the Association that members wish to raise.

The Secretary shall notify the members of the location, date and time of the Biennial General Meeting at least one month in advance of the meeting. The Secretary shall make available the minutes of the Biennial General Meeting to members following the meeting. The Secretary shall forward an agenda and any other relevant papers to the members at least two weeks prior to the Biennial General Meeting.

A Special General Meeting shall be called by the Secretary upon receipt of a written request for such a meeting by 20 Individual Members for the consideration of business that cannot be considered by any other means. Such a Special General Meeting may be conducted by telephone- or video-conferencing at the discretion of the Executive. The Secretary shall inform the members of the date, time and location of any Special General Meeting at least two weeks in advance of the meeting, and shall forward an agenda and other relevant documents to members prior to the meeting.

The Executive shall meet at least twice a year, in addition to at the Biennial General Meeting and any Special General Meeting. Meetings of the Executive may be conducted by telephone- or video-conferencing.

7.2 Quorum

The quorum for General Meetings of the Association shall be 15 Individual Members representing at least seven Institutional Members.

8. Activities of the Association

In order to promote its objectives, the Association organises the following activities:

• Biennial Universities' OHS Conference, organised under the auspices of the Association
• UNIOHS email discussion group, a list-server providing an electronic forum for exchange of information, primarily amongst Australasian University OHS Officers and other members of the Association
• An Association Web-site to facilitate access to relevant information for members
• Special interest working groups on specific topics.

The location and dates of each Biennial Conference shall be decided in advance at a Biennial General Meeting. In this case, voting will be by Institutional Members, each of which shall have one vote only, irrespective of the number of Individual Members present from any Institution. However, the Executive shall retain the authority to alter the location and dates of the forthcoming Conference in consultation with the Conference Sub-Committee, if the resolution of the Biennial General Meeting becomes impractical to fulfill due to unforeseen circumstances.

The above activities are subject to alteration and addition according to the wishes of the members. Proposals for new activities to be supported by the Association should be made to the Secretary in advance of the Biennial General Meeting for inclusion on the meeting agenda.

The Association recognises and encourages both formal and informal local-based groups meet in Australasia for the exchange of information relating to OHS in the tertiary education sector.

9. Altering the Constitution

This Constitution may be altered by way of a written Notice of Motion, proposed by a current Individual Member and seconded by 5 current Individual Members, then submitted to the Secretary, who will arrange a ballot and accept returns. To be adopted the proposal must be passed by a simple majority of votes received within 30 days in a ballot of all Association Individual Members.

10. Dissolution

The Association may be dissolved upon the passage, by a three quarters majority of Individual Members at a Special General Meeting, of a written Notice of Motion submitted at least two months in advance of the meeting to the Secretary, proposed and seconded by current Individual Members of the Association. The Secretary shall arrange for a ballot to be conducted for Individual Members who are unable to be represented in person a Special General Meeting held for this purpose.

In the event of the Association being dissolved, the balance of account(s) that remains after such dissolution and the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities shall be transferred to another organisation with similar purposes which is not carried on for the profit or gain of its individual members.

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Notes:

This Constitution was established at the AUSA Biennial General Meeting held on July 7, 1999 at the University of Melbourne. It was amended in August 2006 and again in June 2010 following a ballot of members.