What the management committee does
The management committee of an incorporated association has a number of responsibilities.
Identifying the association
The committee must ensure the association identifies itself properly by:
- nominating and maintaining a physical address in Queensland for serving documents (this cannot be a post office box)
- putting the association’s name on the common seal if it has one
- making sure the association’s full name appears on all official documents, such as
- advertising
- business letters
- accounts
- official notices
- publications
- cheques
- receipts.
Managing financial affairs
The committee must manage the association’s financial affairs by:
- registering the association’s land or interests in land
- making sure that the financial statements are audited or verified annually
- controlling the business dealings and operations
- keeping up to date with public liability insurance (if needed)
- keeping proper records of all transactions and the financial position of the association.
Reporting to members
The committee must uphold their responsibilities to their members by:
- making a copy of the association’s rules available to all members
- following the rules for calling and holding meetings
- calling an annual general meeting (AGM) every year (within 6 months of the end of the association’s financial year)
- ensuring a secretary is elected or appointed at the AGM
- submitting all the financial statements (audited or verified) at the AGM
- keeping minutes of all committee and general meetings.
Lodging reports to us
The committee must ensure the association reports to us by:
- lodging an annual return (unless the association is exempt from lodging an annual return with us)
- notifying us about any changes to
- office bearers (president, treasurer or secretary)
- the association’s postal address
- the secretary’s residential address
- making sure that these reports don’t contain or omit anything to make them false or misleading.
Acting for the association
Committee members should:
- act in good faith
- use reasonable care and skill while doing their duties
- tell the committee if they have a possible conflict of interest (e.g. if a proposed action will financially benefit them)
- not make false or misleading statements to the association’s members
- know the secretary’s duties and make sure they are properly carried out
- bring any relevant letters, emails or other association documents to the committee’s attention.
Follow the association rules
The association rules might set out extra responsibilities or impose specific restrictions on the committee.
All committee members should be familiar with these rules.
Office bearers’ responsibilities
President
The president:
- chairs the committee
- plays a major role in general meetings.
Under the model rules, the president must chair every meeting they attend. If they can’t attend a meeting, another committee member can sit in as acting chair.
Secretary
The secretary’s duties include:
- keeping the register of members
- sending and receiving letters, emails or other documents
- advising the president or treasurer about urgent matters that arise from letters or other documents
- taking nominations for the committee
- telling members about meetings (giving plenty of notice)
- calling and convening all meetings
- arranging the venue
- preparing the agenda
- gathering and presenting any relevant documents
- taking and keeping minutes of meetings and making them available to members.
Treasurer
The treasurer is responsible for the financial affairs of the association. Their duties might include:
- keeping and maintaining an asset register for the association
- managing the petty cash balance
- keeping the petty cash book up to date
- documenting all payments made, including receipts, invoices and statements
- maintaining all deposit and cheque books
- making sure that the committee
- approves or ratifies all payments made
- records details of these payments in the minutes
- keeping all financial records in Queensland.
They must also keep track of payments received by using either:
- a receipt book of consecutively numbered receipts
- a computer system that keeps track of these records.