Dear 2020 Members,
Over the past 6-months the Ice Skating Victoria Council has been working on a new Constitution for the association. This new Constitution will modernise the association's structure, bringing it inline with the Australian Institute of Sport recommendations and guidelines. This is a positive step for the sport in Victoria.
A Special General Meeting will be called to vote on the new Constitution, but before that happens we welcome feedback and comment from members.
The new Constitution changes in four key ways:
- The Committee will transfer to a Board structure and Councillors will become Directors. The nine (9) elected positions will remain, however clubs will no longer have a representative voting at each meeting, instead, Strategic Forums will be held throughout the year where clubs can send multiple delegates to provide input on the strategic direction of Ice Skating Victoria. It has often been an issue resourcing Club representative roles as the volunteers have to sit on both the Club and ISV committees. The Strategic Forum will reduce the monthly commitment to a couple of times per year. The Victorian Professional Skaters Association (VPSA) will no longer have a guest representative at meetings, but multiple representatives from VPSA will be invited to attend the Strategic Forums.
- Board roles will be extended from single year terms to two year terms for eight of the nine positions. To make it easier for new faces to join the Board, the ninth position will be a one year term. For the first year of the Constitution, four Director roles will be for two years, while five will be for one year. This will allow for an even rotation of Directors in future years.
- Voting at the AGM will also change. Proxy votes will no longer be accepted. Instead, ISV will transition to an electronic voting method conducted prior to an AGM. This will give all members the opportunity to vote. As part of a policy update this week, member voting rights have also been simplified, and Aussie Skate members given the right to vote. Members under the age of 16 at the close of a ballot will have their vote deferred to their guardian as listed in their member record. This removes the need to apply for a proxy vote. More information on Memberships is available on the Memberships page.
- Voting for the executive roles will also change. These roles will now be decided after the AGM by the Board. This allows members to vote for who they want involved, and once elected, the Board is able to determine who is best suited to each of the specific roles amongst themselves. In the past, executive positions have not been contested, while the general council positions have a significant number of nominations. This will make for a fairer election process for all roles.
You can read the Draft Constitution on the Ice Skating Victoria website. Feedback and questions can be directed to myself via email: [email protected]
The closing date to have feedback considered is next Wednesday 13 January.
Once feedback is received, it will be reviewed by the Council and considered for implementation. Following this, a Special General Meeting will be scheduled to vote on the Draft Constitution. The AGM will take place several weeks after the Special General Meeting.
Kind regards,
Andrew Taylor
President
Ice Skating Victoria