2020 Annual General Meeting

The Australian Business Software Industry Association (ABSIA) hereby gives notice that our 2020 Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Wednesday 28 October at 3pm (AEDT). The details of the meeting are as follows:

AGM Agenda

1. Welcome, introductions and apologies.
2. Acceptance of the last AGM minutes.
3. President's Report. 
4. Treasurer's Report. 
5. Special Resolutions. 
6. Election of Directors. 
7. Other Business.
8. Meeting Close.

Immediately following the AGM, a meeting between the Board and newly Elected Directors will occur. 

Board Director Nominees

Find more information about Board Director Nominees here. Representatives of Developer Members will have received instructions on how to vote and the voting survey on Wednesday 7 October. Proxy voting will close 24 hours before the AGM on Tuesday 27 October at 3pm (AEDT).

Proposed Constitution Changes

ABSIA is proposing changes to their current Constitution at the upcoming AGM. Please find brief descriptions of these changes below. 

Formatting and Minor Changes
The following proposed changes are designed to update the format of the constitution, clarify some clauses and correct any spelling errors. In summary these changes include:

• Adding the ABN to the cover page
• Removing the clause for the initial board as it is no longer required
• Ensuring that body corporate rather than body is used in parts of the constitution
• Removing the signature section which appeared in the original constitution as it is no longer required
• Where address has been referred to in the constitution, this has been updated to "business address" in some instances
• Re-formatting and re-numbering clauses as required

Updated Meanings
With a number of clauses being removed and added through these proposed Constitution amendments, a number of definitions need to be updated and/or removed. 

The definition of Organisational Members has been moved out of the definitions section to the classes of membership section. This definition has also been updated to clarify that this applies to both Developer and Business Members. 

Clarifying the Purpose and Role of the Representative
The purpose and role of a Representative for a Membership needs to be clarified. These points are taking into account earlier special resolutions that seek to update the definitions of Organisational Members and Representatives. 

Using Technology at General Meetings
There is a need to add more detail to clause 17 to outline what the use of technology means in general meetings. 

Updating Board Information
Clarifying the clauses relating to the Board and Directors with the removal of references to clause 36.3 (the Initial Board). Clarification to clauses surrounding the vacation of office, Director term limits and the relationship of Elected Directors to Voting Members to match actual practices have also been made. 

Increasing the Maximum Size of the Board
Increasing the maximum size of the Board to encourage diversity of board membership (gender, cultural and technical background of Directors and represented businesses, areas of interest and expertise) with one more potential Co-opted Director and two more potential Elected Directors. This retains at least a 2/3rds majority of Elected Directors on the Board.

Adding a New Chief Executive Officer Clause
In the event that the Board decides to nominate a Chief Executive Officer, a new clause has been added to outline their position. Other clauses have also been updated to include information about the CEO position. 

For more information about these changes, please find a detailed outline of the proposed Constitution changes here. 

A copy of ABSIA's current Constitution can be found here.