Blind Citizens Australia

• Event Details
• Elections
• How to Nominate
• Telephone Voting Process

Event Details

Blind Citizens Australia (BCA) will hold its 44th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday 30th November in Sydney, at the office of Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, 2-4 Thomas St, Chatswood at 11:00AM. Anyone who is unable to attend in person will be able to listen to the proceedings via a live stream available on this page.

The AGM will be followed by lunch and a fun activity for those who can attend in person.

The Agenda for the AGM includes presentation and discussion of the Annual Review and the Directors’ Report and Financial Statements; as well as the announcement of the election of Directors, National Policy Council (NPC) Representatives and Members of the NSW/ACT State Division Committee. There are no items of Special Business for consideration at this year’s AGM. 

All Full Members are entitled to one vote each in relation to any resolution put to the AGM. If Full Members are unable to attend this meeting in person, they may appoint the Chairperson, or another Full Member as a Proxy. Information about proxy voting is available by contacting BCA, and a proxy form can be downloaded here.   

It is important to note that no election will take place at the AGM. Telephone and SMS voting will again be available for this year’s elections. All eligible members of BCA will have the opportunity to vote via telephone or SMS should elections be necessary.

Elections

Call for Nominations for Directors

This year, there are two vacancies for Directors of BCA, each for a three-year term: 

• Rocco Cutri has filled a casual vacancy on the Board and is eligible for re-election this year
• Daniel Stubbs has advised the Board of his resignation due to a change in his employment situation

Call for Nominations for National Policy Council Representatives

There are vacant positions for “NPC Representatives” in Tasmania, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia. The term of office for an NPC Representative is two years. NPC members whose terms of office conclude this year are David Morrell (Tasmania), Steve Richardson (Queensland) and David Squirrell (South Australia). All are eligible for re-election.  Martin Stewart served as NPC Representative for Victoria but resigned recently following his appointment as BCA’s National Advocacy Officer. In order to nominate for a position on the NPC, members must reside in the state or territory they are nominating to represent.

Call for Nominations for NSW/ACT State Division Committee

The NSW/ACT State Division Committee comprises six representatives from NSW and one representative from the ACT. All seven positions are up for election and all members of the current committee are eligible for re-election. The current committee consists of Joana d’Orey Novo, Graeme Innes, Stephen Belbin, Marie Shang, Bill McKennariey and Susan Thompson.

The ACT representative was the late Justin Simpson.

To be eligible for election, members must reside within NSW or the ACT.

How to Nominate

Potential nominees for all positions must be Full Members of BCA as at 30 June, 2019 and are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the relevant Position Description and the BCA Code of Conduct (below).

• Director’s Position Description
• National Policy Council Position Description
• NSW/ACT State Division Position Description
• BCA Code of Conduct

The ballot for Directors will be determined first; followed by NPC positions; and finally, State Division Committee membership.

Eligible members wishing to nominate are required to complete a nomination form, which can be used to nominate for more than one position. Valid nomination forms must include the names of the nominee, a nominator and seconder, all of whom must have been Full Members of BCA as at 30 June 2019. Please note that BCA is strongly committed to ensuring the nomination process is fully accessible to our members; as such, signatures are not required. The Company Secretary, Emma Bennison, will take all necessary steps to verify the validity of nominations.

All nominations should be accompanied by a written statement of no more than 300 words in support of the nomination, by, or on behalf of the nominee. Nomination forms and nominee statements should be submitted in Microsoft Word or text format. Please contact Emma Bennison, Company Secretary on 0410 553 383, if you need to submit your nomination in another format.

Nominations and accompanying statements must reach Emma Bennison, Company Secretary, at companysecretary@bca.org.au by 5:00PM Melbourne time on Monday, 21 October, 2019.

Telephone Voting Process

Only Full Members of Blind Citizens Australia as at 30 June 2019 may cast a telephone or SMS vote.

Election of Directors

• If there are no more than two valid nominations for election as a Director at the close of the nomination period, the members nominated will be declared elected and there will not be a ballot.
• If there are more than two nominees for election as Director at the close of the nomination period, a ballot will be held. At the close of the poll, the two nominees with the highest number of valid votes received will be declared elected for a three-year term.

Election of NPC Representatives

• If there is only one valid nominee for election as the “State Representative” for a State or Territory at the close of the nomination period, that member will be declared elected and there will not be a ballot in that State.
• If there are two or more nominees for election as the “State Representative” for a State or Territory at the close of the nomination period, a ballot will be held among members resident in that State.  At the close of the poll, the nominee with the highest number of valid votes received will be declared elected.

Election of NSW/ACT State Division Committee Members

• If there are no more than six valid nominees for election from NSW at the close of the nomination period, those members will be declared elected to the NSW/ACT State Division Committee and there will not be a ballot in New South Wales.
• If seven or more nominations are received form members from NSW, a ballot will be held among members in NSW and the six members with the highest number of valid votes will be declared elected.
• If only one nomination is received for the ACT members’ position on the NSW/ACT State Division Committee at the close of the nomination period, that member will be declared elected and there will not be a ballot in the ACT.
• If there are two or more nominees for election as the ACT member on the Committee, at the close of nominations, a ballot will be held among members resident in the ACT.  At the close of the poll, the nominee with the highest number of valid votes will be declared elected.

If a ballot is required for any position, instructions on casting a telephone or SMS vote, along with the details of all nominees and their supporting statements, will be mailed to all eligible Full Members by Wednesday, 6 November, 2019. Voting will open on Monday, 11 November and will close at 5:00PM Melbourne time on Monday, 25 November, 2019. Any votes received after this time will not be counted.

The Company Secretary will declare the results of all polls at the AGM on 30th November, 2019.

Whether you are nominating and voting or not, we do hope you can join us at this year’s Annual General Meeting. If you require any of the documents listed in an alternative format, please contact BCA as soon as possible.