Australia Awards. Alumni Reference Group CONSTITUTION

Transcription

1 Australia Awards Alumni Reference Group CONSTITUTION V9.00 1

2 Table of Contents PART 1: GENERAL Name of the Association Definitions Objective Abbreviations and Acronyms... 4 PART II: MEMBERSHIP Membership database General membership Honorary membership Membership categories Membership entitlements Termination of ARG membership... 6 PART III: ARG EXECUTIVE Responsibility ARG Executive membership ARG Executive membership eligibility Executive duties Re-election of existing ARG Team Coordinator Removal of an ARG Team Coordinator Meetings and quorum Mode of meeting... 9 PART IV: MISCELLANEOUS Source of funds Partnerships Constitution as a dynamic document Annex 1. ARG ENTITLEMENT ACTIVITY AND POINT VALUE Annex 2. ARG ENTITLEMENT SCHEME

3 PART 1: GENERAL 1. Name of the Association To be referred to as Australia Awards in Indonesia - Alumni Reference Group and includes the following Australian Government scholarship programs; Colombo Plan, Australian Sponsored Training Scholarships (ASTAS), Australian International Development Assistance Bureau (AIDAB) scholarships, Australia Development Cooperation Scholarships (ADCOSS) Australia Leadership Awards (ALA), Australian Partnerships Scholarships (APS), Australia Development Scholarships (ADS) and Australia Awards Scholarships. 2. Definitions In this Constitution, unless the context otherwise requires: a) ARG means Australia Awards in Indonesia - Alumni Reference Group; b) Constitution means the Constitution of Australia Awards in Indonesia - Alumni Reference Group; c) Honorary ARG Member means a person as described under Clause 7; d) ARG Executive Member means a person as described under Clause 12; e) ARG Chairperson means a person as described under Clause 14.1; 14.2; f) ARG Team Coordinator means a person as described under Clause 14.3; 14.4; g) ARG Executive Liaison Officer means a person as described under Clause 14.5; 3. Objective To maximise the contribution to the development of Indonesia by Australia Awards alumni through: Effective networking between Australia Awards alumni; Effective networking between Australia Awards alumni and representatives from the Governments of Australia and Indonesia; Provision of a readily accessible group for representatives of the Government of Australia and Indonesia to seek development-related inputs from alumni representing key development priority areas of Indonesia (as described under Clause 12.1). 3

4 Australia Awards Program Outcomes Impact Indonesia s development is enhanced by the contributions of internationally qualified professionals and a strong and positive relationship with Australia. Outcome 1 Indonesian alumni use their knowledge, skills and attitudes in their professional fields Outcome 2 Indonesian alumni use their knowledge, skills and attitudes in their communities Outcome 3 Indonesian alumni have, or support, links with Australia, Australian organisations, or Australians Outcome 4 Indonesian alumni have links with other Australia Awards alumni, or their organisations, in Indonesia and worldwide Outcome 5 Indonesian alumni view Australia and Australians in a positive light 4. Abbreviations and Acronyms AAS Australia Awards Scholarships AAI Australia Awards Indonesia ARG Australia Awards in Indonesia - Alumni Reference Group Executive Alumni Reference Group Executive DFAT Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade GoA Government of Australia GoI Government of Indonesia MC Managing Contractor 4

5 PART II: MEMBERSHIP 5. Membership database 5.1 The Australia Awards - Indonesia office shall establish, manage and maintain a database of Australia Awards in Indonesia - Alumni Reference Group (ARG) members; 5.2 The ARG database details will be provided to each ARG Team Coordinators only for respective group members within the Team Coordinators responsibility; 5.3 The ARG database shall not be used by the ARG Executive or ARG Team Coordinators for purposes other than within the scope of the ARG Constitution. 6. General membership 6.1 All Government of Australia (GoA) scholarship alumni are eligible to become a member of the ARG; 6.2 Applications for ARG membership will be conducted through an Expression of Interest and endorsed through the ARG Executive. The frequency of this to be determined by the Executive; 6.3 Further expansion of the ARG will be reviewed when membership reaches 150 members. 7. Honorary membership 7.1 Honorary members are those within the ARG who hold senior positions within the GOI and private sector who due to work commitments are unable to participate in ARG activities, but for strategic and profiling purposes, are important to retain within the membership; 7.2 A maximum of 10% of the total number of ARG members will be within the Honorary category. 8. Membership categories 8.1 Differentiation of ARG membership will be by Bronze, Silver and Gold levels of membership; 8.2 Points are acquired through ARG member participation in a range of activities (Annex 1); 8.3 Bronze membership exists for all new members up to an activity level of 199 points; 8.4 Silver membership exists for members for activity levels between points; 8.5 Gold membership exists for members for activity levels in excess of 500+ points. 5

6 9. Membership entitlements 9.1 Each category level provides entitlements to be claimed by the ARG member (Annex 1); 9.2 A Core Entitlement will be provided to the ARG member when the required level of activity points is achieved. This entitlement is provided once only; 9.3 A Bonus Entitlement can be claimed for which activity points must be traded. These points are deducted from the ARG members balance. The ARG category level will remain for a further 12 months before being downgraded to the level consistent with the revised points; 9.4 The member who does not claim the points in 12 months of the redeem period (September November each year) will lose 25% of their points; 9.5 Entitlements will be available for review on the Australia Awards Indonesia (AAI) website; 9.6 Entitlements will be reviewed in the review period in August each year based on the member s activity/ies conducted in the previous year; 9.7 ARG membership and associated entitlements are not transferable to another ARG member or non-arg member; 9.8 ARG membership terminates upon cessation of the person s membership. 10. Termination of ARG membership 10.1 A member is entitled to voluntarily terminate their ARG membership at any time by providing written notice to the Chairperson or ARG Team Coordinator; 10.2 Membership may be terminated by the ARG Executive for members with zero activity levels recorded after 12 months of ARG membership; 10.3 Membership termination does not apply to Honorary members; 10.4 Membership will be terminated if the member passes away. PART III: ARG EXECUTIVE 11. Responsibility 11.1 An Executive will be established as the governing body of the ARG. Responsibilities of the Executive will be for the operation and function of the ARG in accordance with the ARG Objective. 12. ARG Executive membership 12.1 The Executive will consist of the following: 6

7 ARG Chairperson (1) ARG Team Coordinators (9) 1. Reform of bureaucracy and administration, 2. Education, 3. Health, 4. Poverty reduction, disadvantage area and post-conflict regions 5. Food security, 6. Infrastructure, 7. Energy and technological innovation, 8. Environment and natural disasters, 9. Investment and business climate. 13. ARG Executive membership eligibility 13.1 Only ARG members are eligible for ARG Executive Membership; 13.2 Elections for office bearers for the ARG Executive will be held every two years; 13.3 ARG Executive membership will be for a period of 2 years. 14. Executive duties 14.1 The Chairperson is responsible for making sure that each meeting is planned effectively, in an orderly and efficient manner. The Chairperson must make the most of all his/her ARG members and lead the team'. This also involves regularly reviewing the Groups performance and identifying and managing the process for renewal of the Groups through recruitment of new members The duties of the Chairperson shall be to: Ensure the Executive functions properly and is managed effectively; Faciliate effective communication with ARG members, Executive members, Honorary Members and with the Governments of Indonesia and Australia; Chair two ARG executive meetings and one ARG annual meeting per year; Act as spokesperson for the ARG; Represent Government of Australia (GoA) alumni when called upon at the following meetings: Australia Awards New Alumni Dinner (and any associated workshops); Meetings called by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT); GoA receptions and bilateral government meetings as required; Other duties as required. 7

8 14.3 The ARG Team Coordinators will, in consultation with the ARG Chairperson, coordinate the activities of the ARG Team in order to maximise the potential of each team as an alumni representative body for each respective priority development area. Activities may include: Participation in the Alumni Grant Scheme (AGS) Funding Application Review (Annex 3 AGS Guidelines); Providing input to development-related discussions as required by the Governments of Indonesia and Australia; Facilitation of activities involving respective ARG team members and the broader alumni community The duties of the ARG Team Coordinators shall be to: Lead and motivate the ARG Team members to maximize their contribution to the ARG; Report on proposed/delivered activities at the ARG Executive Meetings; Participate as a member of the Australia Awards Alumni Grant Scheme Funding Application Review Panel; Participate in Government of Australia receptions as required as key alumni representatives; Work towards developing and fostering professional linkages between alumni and their organisations, with counterparts in Australia, Indonesia and ASEAN nations; Perform other activities which contribute to Australia Awards Outcomes The ARG Executive Liaison Officer is an Australia Awards office staff member responsible for providing administrative and coordination support to the ARG. The duties of the ARG Executive Officer shall be to: Prepare the agenda and minutes for the ARG Executive Meeting; Provide secretarial support to the ARG Chairperson; Provide other administrative support as required for the ARG Executive; Maintain accurate records of all Alumni Reference Group (ARG) members; Manage records of ARG member entitlements; Perform other duties as required by the ARG Chairperson. 8

9 15. Re-election of existing ARG Team Coordinator An existing ARG Team Coordinators can stand for re-election for a maximum of one additional two year period. 16. Removal of an ARG Team Coordinator If an ARG Team Coordinator either: acts in a manner prejudicial to the mission, objectives, values and best interests of the ARG; or is charged and subsequently convicted of a criminal offence within Indonesia; or does not fulfill the obligations of his/her position, The ARG Chairperson can recommend to Australia Awards Indonesia office for removal of that person from their position. 17. Meetings and quorum 17.1 The Executive shall meet six monthly at the Australia Awards office or the Australian Embassy in Jakarta; 17.2 If at the adjourned meeting, a quorum is not present (consisting of the ARG Chairperson and at least five ARG Team Coordinators) within an hour of the appointed starting time of the meeting, the meeting shall be dissolved; 17.3 The Agenda of the Executive meeting shall be sent electronically by the Australia Awards office to each member of the Executive at least seven (7) days before the time appointed for the convening of the meeting; 17.4 The minutes of the Executive meeting shall be sent electronically by the Australia Awards office to each member of the Executive no later than seven (7) days after the ARG Executive meeting. 18. Mode of meeting The Executive may meet in person or by telephone or other instantaneous means of conferring for the dispatch of business or by any combination of those means which allows each person present to hear and be heard by each other person present and to adjourn and otherwise regulate its meetings as it determines. PART IV: MISCELLANEOUS 19. Source of funds 19.1 The funds of the ARG shall be derived from DFAT through Australia Awards- Indonesia. 9

10 19.2 The funds can only be used for ARG purposes, which are not in conflict with the mission and objectives outlined in the Constitution. 20. Partnerships 20.1 The Activities of DFAT in Indonesia are premised on the basis of partnership with the Government of Indonesia. The activities of the ARG must also focus upon promoting partnerships at the national, provincial and local level Funding of ARG activities are to reflect partnerships. Any request for funding received by ARG Executive from Local Members, must be accompanied by details on the partnerships that exists with the Government of Indonesia. 21. Constitution as a dynamic document 21.1 Changes to the ARG Constitution may be required as the ARG evolves. Any changes will be approved by the ARG Executive subject to the right of vetoe by DFAT This ARG Constitution (Version 9) endorsed during ARG Executive Meeting on September

11 Annex 1. ARG ENTITLEMENT ACTIVITY AND POINT VALUE No Activity Points value Evidence of a development outcome achieved by the ARG member in the previous 12 months within the professional field or community Evidence of a project undertaken by the ARG member in the previous 12 months which strengthens the home organisation Evidence of a professional linkage in Australia established by the ARG member in the previous 12 months Evidence of a professional linkage established by the ARG member with an organisation in the ASEAN region Evidence of mentoring undertaking in a professional setting by the ARG member in the previous 12 months Evidence of a peer reviewed journal article published in the previous 12 months 25 7 Contribution of an article to the Australia Awards Indonesia e-newsletter 10 11

12 Annex 2. ARG ENTITLEMENT SCHEME Level Status achieved at: Core Entitlement+ Bonus Entitlement* Points required GOLD 500+ points SILVER points BRONZE points Silver level entitlements in addition to: ARG plaque presented at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta Bronze level entitlements in addition to: Certificate of Silver Level ARG membership Accommodation, travel and per diems to attend the Annual ARG meeting and dinner Accommodation, travel and registration fees at an approved international conference to the value of Rp50 million Accommodation, travel and per diems to participate in Leadership Development training in Jakarta Books purchase - up to Rp.500, ARG Compendium +will be provided to ARG member automatically when activity points reach this level *will be provided to the ARG member only upon application. Bonus Entitlement points are deducted from the ARG member s balance, however the activity level remains for a further 12 months before being downgraded to the level consistent with the revised points. 12