Governance

The following documents provide our governance framework. If you wish to discuss them, please contact the Regional Meeting clerk at rmnswclerk@quakersaustralia.info 

A. Our procedures

1. We are guided by our Handbook of Practice and Procedure in Australia and our AYM Policies.
2. Our Rules/Constitution, as an incorporated association, are FINAL_ Constitution The Religious Society of Friends Quakers New South Wales Regional Meeting Inc.pdf
3. We follow the good governance guidelines of the Australian Charities and Not for profit Commission (ACNC) available here.
4. All members, attenders, employees and volunteers must abide by our Australia Quaker Code of Conduct_Draft (approved_YM22)_.pdf.

• This document outlines respectful, safe online communications: Australian Quaker Online Community Agreement_Draft_(approved_YM22)_.pdf

     5. We are, and aspire to be, child-safe and child-friendly. Please see the NSW Office of the Children's Guardian for information.

B. Managing our risks

1. Our Risk Managment Plan identifies possible risks and how to limit our exposure.
2. We have an  overarching OHS Management System. This includes a number of template forms for printing: OHS forms combined.pdf.

• Please use this form to report any incident: Incident Report Form (approved_YM22)_.pdf

    3. We own three meetinghouses (at Devonshire Street, Surry Hills; Wahroonga; and Woodford, Blue Mountains). We have preventative maintenance schedules and evacuation plans for these:
             a. Devonshire Street LM: SH-UpperHall_Final.pdfSH-LowerHall_final.pdfSH-WardensNorth_final.pdfSH-WardensSouth_final.pdf
             b. Wahroonga LM Evac Plan
             c. Blue Mountains LM Evac Plan

C. Meetinghouse usage

1. Venue Hire Guidelines are designed to minimise risk, both for us and for those using our meetinghouses.
2. Guest Accommodation Guidelines are designed to minimise risk to guests and Quakers NSW.
3. We ask any Local Meeting considering leasing space to a tenant (whether a residential or office tenancy) to use the information on the NSW Fair Trading website.

D. Employment and volunteers

1. Legally speaking, anyone who does anything for Quakers is a volunteer (unless they are a paid employee or contractor). See the NSW RM Volunteers Policy. The Volunteer Guidelines are particularly important for meetinghouse wardens, as there are minimum standards which must be followed in order to class their work as 'voluntary'. Otherwise, regardless of their title, they are employees.

2. We have approved role descriptions for a number of regional meeting roles: Role descriptions collated_7.10.21.pdf. All role holders are volunteers and are bound to follow our Volunteer Policy.
3.  Our Employment Policy applies to contractors, casual, part-time and full-time employees. There is a Sample Employment Contract which can be adapted. Contracts should be clear if the employer is the Regional or the Local Meeting.  

E. What RM office holders need to do to meet our legal obligations

1. Compliance Table detailing all our legal responsibilities. This explains which aspects are the particular responsibility each office holder.
2. Our Handover Checklist for Office Holders provides guidance for the transition when a new person takes on an office holder's role.