The Perth Bushwalkers Club Constitution is called the "Rules of Perth Bushwalkers Club (Inc)" and is registered with the Department of Consumer and Employment Protection. It contains the statutory requirements for the Club's constitution and can only be changed in accordance with the process set out within it.

1. NAME OF CLUB

The name of the club shall be the "Perth Bushwalkers Club (Inc)", hereinafter referred to as the Club.

2. DEFINITIONS

For the purposes of these Rules:

(a) A General Meeting is defined as either an Annual General Meeting, held in accordance with Rule 10 of these Rules, or an Extraordinary General Meeting, held in accordance with Rule 11 of these Rules.
(b) Where notice in writing is required by these Rules, notice shall be deemed to be given as from the date of mailing.
(c) A Member is a member of the Club whose application has been accepted in accordance with Rule 6(a) of these rules.
(d) An Eligible Member at a General Meeting is a Member who has attended at least one Club activity in the previous 12 months, and whose membership was current on the day prior to the commencement of the meeting.
(e) The Committee shall be a group of Members as defined in Rule 9 of these Rules.
(f) The Executive Officers of the Club are the President, Secretary and Treasurer of the Club.

3. OBJECTS

The objects of the Club shall be:

(a) To organise bushwalks and related activities.
(b) To encourage the development of skills relevant to bushwalking.
(c) To promote an awareness of and an empathy for the Western Australian bushwalking environment and to promote its conservation.

4. POWER

The Club has the power to do all such things as are necessary, incidental to or conducive to the attainment of the objects of the Club.

5. INCOME AND PROPERTY

(a) The income and property of the Club shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the Objects of the Club.
(b) No portion of the income or property shall be paid, transferred or distributed directly or indirectly to the members of the Club except for reimbursement of expenses incurred on behalf of the Club.

6. MEMBERSHIP

(a) (i) To become a Member of the Club, a person shall submit an application on a form approved by the Committee, together with membership fees due.
(ii) The Committee shall either accept or reject an application without being required to give reasons.
(iii) If an application is rejected, all membership fees accompanying the application shall be refunded.
(b) A Member shall cease to be a member if the Member: (i) Fails to pay any moneys due;
(ii) Is suspended or expelled;
(iii) Resigns by giving written notice to an Executive Officer of the Club.

7. LIFE MEMBERSHIP

(a) A Member may be elected as a Life Member at an Annual General Meeting in recognition of outstanding contributions made to the Club and to bushwalking in Western Australia.
(b) Only the Committee shall nominate a Member as a Life Member, and may nominate no more than one Club Member each year for Life Membership.
(c) A person nominated for Life Membership must be informed of their nomination before the Annual General Meeting, and has the right to refuse the nomination.
(d) Life Members shall have the same rights, privileges and responsibilities as other Members except that they shall not be reqired to renew their membership or pay membership fees.
(e) Life Members may resign their Life Membership at any time.

8. SUBSCRIPTIONS

(a) Fees and the duration(s) of membership shall be determined by the Committee. Such determinations shall be valid for a period of at least a Club financial year.
(b) Membership fees are non refundable except in accordance with Rule 6(a)(iii).

9. COMMITTEE

(a) The management of the Club shall be the responsibility of the Committee.
(b) Committee members shall be elected in accordance with Rule 10(c)(v) of these Rules or appointed in accordance with Rule 9(g) of these Rules.
(c) The Committee shall consist of no more than 15 and no less than 8 members of the Club.
(d) The Committee shall consist of a President, Secretary and Treasurer and other Committee members as determined at the Annual General Meeting.
(e) No member shall serve more than three consecutive terms as an Executive Officer, nor more than four consecutive terms as a Committee Member, which shall also include terms as an Executive Officer.
(f) All Committee positions must be declared vacant at the Annual General Meeting.
(g) Should any vacancy occur in the Committee, other than in the normal course of elections, the Committee may fill such a vacancy from the members of the Club, and such member shall hold office for the unexpired portion of their predecessor's term.
(h) The Committee shall meet a minimum of four times per year to conduct the business of the Club.
(i) Any three members of the Committee together shall have the power to call a meeting of the Committee.
(j) At least 7 days notice of Committee meetings shall be given to all members of the Committee.
(k) The quorum for Committee meetings shall be 51% of the Committee.
(l) At every Committee meeting, a motion put to the vote shall be decided by a numerical majority of the Committee members present.
(m) The chairperson at all Committee meetings may have a casting vote in addition to a deliberate vote.
(n) The Committee shall have the power to form subcommittees and shall define their terms of reference. Such subcommittees may be disbanded by the Committee.
(o) All Committee decisions and actions are valid unless made fraudulently or in bad faith.

10. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

(a) The Annual General Meeting shall be commenced within 60 days of the end of the Club financial year.
(b) The quorum shall consist of at least 20% of the Eligible Members.
(c) The business of the Annual General Meeting and the order of that business shall be:
(i) Confirmation of the Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting and matters arising.
(ii) The President's Report.
(iii) Submission of an audited balance sheet for the previous Club financial year.
(iv) Any other reports.
(v) Election of the Committee.
(vi) The appointment of an Auditor.
(vii) Notices of Motion.
(viii)General business.
(d) Adjournment of the Annual General Meeting:
(i) If a quorum is not present within 45 minutes of the scheduled starting time, the Annual General Meeting will be adjourned to a date within 30 days of the original meeting.
(ii) Notice of the resumption of that Annual General Meeting shall be given by any practical means to all members not less than 7 days prior to the resumption.
(iii) If a quorum is not present within 45 minutes of the scheduled resumption time of that Annual General Meeting, those Eligible Members present shall be deemed to constitute a quorum.

11. EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

(a) An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called in one of the following ways:
(i) By resolution of the Committee
(ii) By petition in writing signed by at least 10% of the members of the Club, and stating the business of the proposed meeting. An Extraordinary General Meeting called pursuant to a petition shall be held within 30 days following receipt of the petition by an Executive Officer of the Club
(iii) At the request of the President
(iv) By resolution at an Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting.
(b) The quorum shall consist of at least 20% of the Eligible Members.
(c) If a quorum is not present within 45 minutes of the scheduled starting time, the Extraordinary General Meeting shall lapse.

12. CHAIRING GENERAL MEETINGS

(a) The President shall preside at any General Meeting unless the Meeting resolves to elect another Eligible Member to the chair.
(b) The Chairperson of any General Meeting may have a casting vote as well as a deliberate vote.
(c) At all General Meetings, the Chairperson's decision on points of order shall be final.

13. VOTING AT GENERAL MEETINGS

(a) Only Eligible Members may vote at a General Meeting.
(b) At every General Meeting, a motion put to the vote shall be decided by a numerical majority of the Eligible Members present.
(c) At all General Meetings, each Eligible Member shall be entitled to one vote. Postal and proxy votes shall not be accepted.

14. NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETING

(a) At least 14 days written notice shall be given of any General Meeting to all members unless stated otherwise in these Rules. Such notice shall state the business of the meeting.
(b) The non receipt by any member of any notice required by these Rules shall not invalidate or affect any proceedings at such a meeting.

15. MINUTES OF MEETINGS

Minutes shall be kept of all General Meetings and Committee Meetings, and copies shall be provided to any Member following a request by that Member.

16. SUSPENSION OR EXPULSION

(a) The Committee may call a meeting to consider suspension or expulsion of any Member of the Club whose conduct is, in the opinion of the Committee, prejudicial to the interests of the Club. Any action shall be decided by a majority vote of the Committee Members present.
(b) The Member whom it is proposed to suspend or expel may attend this meeting for the purpose of being heard.
(c) (i) Any Member who is suspended or expelled shall be notified in writing of the decision by the Committee within seven days.
(ii) There shall be a right of appeal against a decision to suspend or expel a Member.
(iii)Any request for an appeal must be in writing to an Executive Officer within 14 days of notification of the decision.
(iv) An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be called within 30 days of receipt of the written request.
(v) The Extraordinary General Meeting shall hear the Member's appeal and may confirm, vary or reverse the Committee decision.

17. FINANCE

(a) The Club financial year shall be from the 1st April to the 31st March.
(b) The Committee shall cause true accounts to be kept of the monies received and expended.
(c) An audited balance sheet for the previous financial year, consisting of a summary of the assets and liabilities of the Club and a statement of profit and loss, shall be submitted to each Annual General Meeting.
(d) The accounts shall be audited by the Auditor who shall make a report on the accounts.
(e) Monies of the Club shall be paid into the account or accounts of the Club at such banks or other financial institutions as the Committee may from time to time direct.
(f) Monies shall only be drawn from Club accounts by cheque.
(g) A minimum of two Committee Members are required to sign each cheque. All Committee Members are empowered to become signatories.
(h) All cheques exceeding $500 must be approved by the Committee and the decision recorded in the minutes.
(i) The accounts shall be open to inspection by any Member upon giving reasonable notice to the Treasurer.

18. AUDITOR

The Auditor shall be appointed by resolution at the Annual General Meeting to audit the accounts and shall not be a member of the Committee.

19. COMMON SEAL

(a) The Club shall have a Common Seal
(b) The Common Seal shall not be used without the express authority of the Committee and every use of that Common Seal shall be recorded in the minutes of a Committee meeting.
(c) The Common Seal shall be affixed by an Executive Officer of the Club in the presence of two other members of the Committee, both of whom shall ascribe their names as witnesses.
(d) The Common Seal shall be kept in the control of the President.

20. DISSOLUTION

(a) The Club may at any time, with the consent of 75% of the Eligible Members present at an Extraordinary General Meeting called for the purpose, be dissolved.
(b) If upon the dissolution or winding up of the Club there remains, after the satisfaction of all its debts and liabilities, any property whatsoever, the same shall not be paid to, transferred, or distributed amongst the members of the Club. It shall be given to some incorporated association having objects similar wholly or in part to the objects of the Club or to a charitable organisation as decided at the above Meeting.

21. INSPECTION OF RULES

These rules shall be open to inspection by any member of the Club.

22. ALTERATION OF RULES

(a) No alteration, addition or amendment to these Rules shall be made unless by a special resolution passed by 75% of the Eligible Members at a General Meeting.
(b) Notice of any proposed addition, alteration, or amendment shall be delivered in writing to an Executive Officer at least thirty days prior to the appropriate General Meeting and shall be included in the notice of business of that meeting.
(c) Alterations will take effect in accordance with Rule 17 of the Associations Incorporation Act 1987.

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