Dear Members,
On the 15th March 2022 I wrote to you outlining the background and details of a review of the MCC Constitution. A copy of my newsletter can be found on the MCC website, however for ease of reference I have included the content below:
Dear Members, as a key component of the 2021-2026 Strategic plan the Mandurah Country Club (MCC) is about to undergo a review of the current club Constitution. The Constitution was written many years ago and although it has been amended from time-to-time, it is appropriate to carry out a comprehensive review to ensure it is contemporary and meets the current and future needs of the MCC, including mandatory legislative requirements.
The Management Committee has formed a working group reporting through to the Governance Sub-Committee to undertake this review and firstly develop a discussion paper to help scope and understand the priorities for our club. By way of example, there are new requirements for office bearers as a result of changes to the Associations Act and these changes will present a good opportunity to address the structure, roles, and responsibilities of the MCC Management Committee.
There are a number of key focus area for the review, including:
- Reviewing the structure, roles and responsibilities of the Management Committee, sub committees, and MCC staff.
- Reviewing the constitutional framework governing the club’s operations and activities to ensure responsible and accountable corporate governance, appropriate risk management and future policy development.
- Identifying procedures or rules that are more appropriately specified in By-Laws.
- Identifying and removing barriers that prevent or discourage volunteers from nominating for various MCC Committees.
- Maximise efficiency and effectiveness of committee operational procedures, roles and responsibilities.
- Review golf membership categories.
- The powers of the Management Committee and associated sub-committees.
- Ensuring adherence to the Associations Act 2016 and identify & address new risks for Management Committee members.
- Ensuring that the MCC Constitution addresses required legislation, both State and Federal.
- Creating a contemporary succinct and unambiguous constitutional document for the club.
- The review involves considerable work and will be presented to the Management Committee for consideration in July/August 2022.
The Management Committee is requesting interested members to make written submissions in regard to the above areas of focus and any issues they think relevant to the MCC Constitution review. The submissions will help form part of the discussion paper to be presented to the Management Committee to enable further evaluation and the future progression of the project. Please direct your written submissions to the General Manager Grant Shortland-Jones no later than COB 30th April 2022.
The review process I wrote to you about is now completed, and a final draft of the proposed changes was presented to the Management Committee at the June 2023 Board meeting. The review procedure was extensive, and I take this opportunity to thank Vice President Ron Stone for his stewardship of this important project and all those members who willingly volunteered their time and expertise as part of the various working groups and Governance sub-committee.
In addition to the close involvement of club members and administration, the review process also incorporated advice from various industry bodies, in particular WA Golf and Clubs WA. As a result, we were able to source an appropriate template for the revised Constitution and their assistance and advice is appreciated.
As outlined, the work undertaken by those involved in the review has been extensive and a number of drafts were developed to endure comprehensive feedback and peer review was received. The final draft constitution was given to Clubs WA to verify that all changes are in line with the requirements of the Association Incorporations Act 2015.
Now that the final draft has been approved by the Management Committee the next step is to present the proposed changes to the members for their approval. This is achieved by calling a ‘Special General Meeting’ (SGM) in accordance with the rules governing this requirement which can be found at Section 37 of the MCC Constitution. If the proposed changes are approved by the members the document is then forwarded to the WA Government Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety Consumer Protection for final approval.
The date for the SGM has been set for Tuesday 22nd August 2023. In addition to this newsletter there will be a full briefing provided to members well in advance of the SGM to ensure you are fully aware of the proposed changes and the rationale that supports them.
Without going into the detail at this stage, the proposed changes will include:
- Modernisation of the document in line with contemporary requirements as provided by the Clubs WA constitution template.
- Contemporary wording to bring in line with a modern version.
- Changes required to comply with legislation.
- A key proposal relates to the Governance of the club to ensure it is contemporary and provides the following benefits and efficiencies:
- Mitigation of risk.
- Streamlined Committee focusing on strategic and governance responsibilities with the removal of operational tasks that are better suited to sub-committees.
- Improved separation of powers having more members involved in sub-committees to make recommendations to Management Committee
- Utilisation of member expertise in key governance areas, e.g., Finance, Governance, Golf Operations.
Whilst I understand and appreciate that reading a Constitutional document is not the most exciting of endeavours, I do ask that you take the time to read the subsequent communication about the proposed changes and what will be raised at the Special General Meeting. This review is an important step forward for our club to ensure we continually improve our processes, build on our successes, and position the club to better meet and manage future challenges.
Kind regards
Ian Johnson, MCC President – 17 July 2023
