For more information please contact the Executive.
NAME1. The name of the Association is "Association of Australasian Acoustical Consultants". OBJECTS2. The objects for which the Association is established are:
HONORARY MEMBERSHIP3. Honorary Membership for a prescribed period of time or a Citation may be conferred upon a Member of the Association or an individual in recognition of service and contribution to acoustics and to the standing and welfare of acoustical consultants. ORDINARY MEMBERSHIP4. Membership shall be Member or Member (International); unless the context indicates otherwise Member and Member (International) are hereafter collectively called Member. 5. Membership at Member grade may be granted to consultancies structured as:
6. Membership shall conform to the following:
7. Membership (International) may be granted to an Acoustical Consultant resident or normally resident outside Australia or New Zealand and in other respects complying with the requirements of ORDINARY MEMBERSHIP. ELECTION TO MEMBERSHIP8. Election to membership shall take place in the following manner:
CONTINUING MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS9. Each consultancy shall provide acoustical consulting services to the community as its day-to- day principal activity and shall not derive more than one half of its fees from a single client. 10. No principal, partner or director of a consultancy shall undertake activities which will prejudice the impartiality of the consultancy. 11. No related or associated organisation of a consultancy shall undertake activities which will prejudice the impartiality of the consultancy. 12. All persons, Principals and staff, authorising reports of the consultancy or otherwise taking technical responsibility of each consultancy shall be a corporate Member of the Australian Acoustical Society, Acoustical Society of New Zealand or equivalent society as approved by the Executive. 13. Members shall at all times carry professional indemnity insurance to a minimum amount of cover as determined from time to time by the Association with respect to acoustical consulting assignments being carried out or to be carried out by them within Australia or New Zealand and overseas. 14. All members shall:
CENSURE OF A MEMBER15. The Association may censure a Member for failing to comply with the established ethics of the Association or the accepted principles of practice and conduct of the members thereof and such censure shall be in the form of a letter under the hand of the Chairman for the time being of the Association to such Member. SUSPENSION OF MEMBERSHIP16. If upon examination and consideration by the Executive Committee, a Member is found in default of the CONTINUING MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS, then that Member may be suspended by the Executive Committee.
17. During the period of the suspension the Member shall not be eligible to participate in any proceedings of the Association. 18. The Representation of any suspended Member shall during the period of any suspension be deemed to have ceased. 19. Any person being an elected officer of the Association shall during the period of any suspension imposed upon the Member be deemed to have relinquished such elected office. 20. Suspension for non-payment of any sum due to the Association shall be for a period not exceeding sixty (60) days but such suspension may be renewed if at the expiration of the first period of suspension the sum or sums due to the Association have not been paid but such extension shall not exceed a period of sixty (60) days in any event. 21. Any suspension may at any time be waived if in the opinion of the Executive Committee the reason therefore no longer exists or if a satisfactory explanation for non-payment has been made. 22. Such suspension may be waived by the Executive Committee at any time if a satisfactory explanation for the cause of the suspension shall be given by the Member. 23. During the period of the suspension for a cause other than non-payment of any sum due to the Association the Member shall remain liable to pay all sums due to the Association by the Member. | TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP24. A Member shall cease to be a Member of the Association:
25. If in the opinion of the Association, and as so determined by a majority of all members of the Association a Member no longer conforms to the REQUIREMENTS OF MEMBERSHIP and/or the CONTINUING MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS as provided for in this the constitution ; then that Member shall cease to be a Member provided that:
REPRESENTATION26. A Representative of each Member firm, partnership, company or separate and distinct branch or division shall be designated in writing under the hand of the management of that Member firm to be it's Representative to the Association. The Representative shall be a Principal or Manager as per the requirements of clause 6 (a) of this Constitution. 27. A Delegate may be sent by a Member organisation in lieu of the Representative to attend Meetings of the AAAC. The Delegate must be an experienced and fully qualified acoustical consultant who is also a Member of the Australian Acoustical Society, Acoustical Society of New Zealand or equivalent society as approved by the Executive. The Delegate is free to contribute to any matter under discussion but would not normally vote on behalf of the Representative unless carrying a written proxy vote signed by the Representative or a Principal of the Member firm. A Delegate may not act as an Executive Member, but may attend an Executive Meeting as an observer. A Delegate may be sent out of the meeting during delicate discussion and voting at the discretion of the Chairman. 28. An Observer may be sent by a Member organisation or potential member organisation to general meetings of the AAAC. An observer may only contribute to discussion at the invitation of the Chairman, and has no voting rights. An Observer may be sent out of the meeting room at the discretion of the Chairman. VOTING RIGHTS29. At all meetings of the Association each Member shall have one vote. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE30. Members of the Association shall appoint at the first meeting thereof an Executive Committee comprising the Officers named hereunder and who shall be responsible for the management and control of the Association subject to such terms and conditions as the members may impose thereon. 31. The Officers are:
32. In particular, the Executive Committee shall have power to:
33. A Majority of members of the Executive shall constitute a quorum and the Executive shall meet at such times as it determines or when called together by the Chairman or any two Committee members thereof. 34. Members of the Executive shall be elected for a two-year term and be eligible for re-election at the expiry of the term. 35. The Chairman shall normally preside at all meeting of the Association and the Executive Committee and the Chairman shall be an ex officio member of any Committee of the Association. The Secretary shall be the Public Officer of the Association and shall in addition to the duties normally performed by a Secretary keep and maintain a complete record of the business of the Association. 36. An elected Officer or member of the Executive Committee shall be deemed to have vacated their office of membership of the Executive Committee if the Member is no longer the Representative of a Member partnership, firm, company or separate and distinct group or division thereof or otherwise ceases to be a Member of the Association, resigns from their position or is removed from office. The vacancy so created shall be filled by appointment to be made by the Executive Committee and the person so appointed shall hold the office or membership appointment for the remainder of the term for which the Member's predecessor was appointed. SUB-COMMITTEES37. The Association may by majority vote of the members appointment sub-committees and determine the purpose thereof and the membership. 38. If not appointed by the Association; the members of the sub-committee shall appoint the Chairman of each sub-committee from their own number. 39. Meetings of sub-committees shall be on the call of the Chairman of that sub-committee. FEES40. Fees payable on application for membership and regular subscriptions for membership shall be such as are determined from time to time by a two-thirds majority of all Members of the Association. GENERAL MEETINGS41. For each year following the formation of the Association the members thereof shall hold a meeting which shall be called the Annual General Meeting and at which the business to be conducted shall include where necessary the election of officers and members of the Executive Committee. 42. Any meeting of members other than the Annual General Meeting shall be an Extraordinary Meeting to be normally convened on the call of the Chairman of the Association or by the Executive Committee. However, any five members of the Association may by notice in writing to the Secretary of the Association requisition the calling of an Extraordinary Meeting and if such shall not be called by the Chairman or the Executive Committee such members may themselves call the meeting. 43. All meetings shall be at such places upon such dates and at such times as shall be determined by the person or persons entitled to call the same and notice of such meeting shall be given by such person or persons not less than twenty days prior to the proposed meeting. An Extraordinary Meeting may be called on not less than two days' notice provided than not less than three days from the date of such meeting not more than one-third of the Members entitled to attend such meetings have signified their inability to be present. WINDING-UP44. The Association shall not be dissolved except at a General Meeting of the Association specially convened for the purpose and by a resolution carried by a three-fourths majority of the votes recorded in respect of same. 45. If upon winding up or dissolution of the Association there remains after satisfaction of all debts and liabilities, any property whatsoever, the same shall not be paid to or distributed among Members of the Association but shall be given or transferred to some other association having similar objectives to the Association and which shall prohibit the distribution of its income and property amongst its members to an extent at least as great as is imposed on the Association, such organisation to be determined by the Members of the Association at or before the time of dissolution and in default thereof by such judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria as may have, or acquire jurisdiction in the matter. CONSTITUTION CHANGE46. The Constitution of the Association may be amended at any Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary Meeting of the Association provided that:
NOT FOR PROFIT47. The assets and income of the organisation shall be applied solely in furtherance of its above-mentioned objects and no portion shall be distributed directly or indirectly to the members of the organisation except as bona fide compensation for services rendered or expense incurred on behalf of the organisation. |
Members of the Association of Australian Acoustical Consultants agree:-
1. To maintain the highest standards of business, professional and personal conduct and not disclose confidential client information without permission.
2. To provide professional opinions in an objective and truthful manner, avoiding statements that are untrue, demeaning, misleading or unethical.
3. To avoid misrepresentation of one’s skills and experiences and to undertake work only in areas of competence, unless the client is informed of the member’s limitations.
4. To disclose any financial or other conflict of interest on an assignment.
5. To maintain a proper sense of responsibility to the client, community, employees, the profession and the environment.
6. To ensure that staff are qualified and competently trained to handle the assigned task.
7. To treat other members of the AAAC with professional respect and refrain from public criticism of one another. This does not preclude members from providing responsible comment on another’s work when called to do so. However, restraint should be exercised in carrying out the review of another member’s work and criticism be confined to those points that are truly relevant and objectively important.
8. When carrying out a review of another member’s work take reasonable steps to inform that member.
9. To refrain from taking over another member’s work on a project unless the client has notified that member that their involvement has been discontinued.
10. To take reasonable steps to ensure that a client who overrules or neglects the member’s advice is made aware of the possible consequences.
11. To avoid being placed under an obligation to a third party in dealing with a client, and to refuse anything of substantial value from a third party.
12. Not knowingly omit from any finalised report any information that would materially alter the conclusions that could be drawn from the report.