Board of Directors and Branch Management Committee Elections 2024
Returning Officer
AASW has appointed Vero Voting (“Vero”) as the Returning Officer for the 2024 Director and Branch Management Committee (“BMC”) elections.
As Returning Officer, Vero will handle the nomination process, the electronic voting process and declare the results of the election within 24 hours of the polls closing.
Vero will email Members directly with the invitation to nominate.
You will receive a separate email from Vero with an invitation to vote, when the candidates are declared and the elections open.
If you haven’t received your email from Vero, please check your spam or junk email folder, in case it has ended up there.
Terms of office – Directors
AASW’s Constitution provides for the term of office for a Director of the Association to commence at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) in the year in which their election is declared (the Association is planning to hold its AGM on 7 November this year) and terminate at the conclusion of the third following AGM.
Terms of office – Branch Management Committees (BMCs)
BMCs consist of not less than four (4) and no more than ten (10) members, a Branch President and a Branch Vice-President.
Later this year, all BMC Branch President roles will become vacant. Terms of office for the positions will commence on 1 November 2024 for a period of two years. Certain branches have vacancies for other BMC roles. These roles – and the terms of office applicable to each – are set out below.
“First Past the Post” Voting System
The Association has adopted a “First Past the Post” voting system, whereby the candidate who polls the highest number of votes is elected. This voting system applies to Board of Director and Branch Management Committee ballots.
Voting by electronic means
All elections will be conducted by electronic means. Vero will administer the electronic voting process and will liaise directly with AASW members regarding the process.
Election Procedure Timeline
| Nominations Open | 9:00am AEST, Thursday 5 September 2024 |
| Nominations Close | 12noon AEST, Thursday 19 September 2024 |
| Declaration of Nominations by Returning Officer | Friday, 20 September 2024 |
| Posting of Candidate Statements on AASW website | Monday, 23 September 2024 |
| Record date for eligibility to vote | Monday, 30 September 2024 |
| Voting opens | 9:00am AEST, Wednesday, 2 October 2024 |
| Voting closes | 5:00pm AEST, Wednesday 16 October 2024 |
| Declaration of Ballot by Returning Officer | Within 24 hours of polls closing |
| Notification of Results on AASW website | As soon as possible after candidates have been informed of the outcomes but in any case, no later than 5:00pm AEST, Friday 18 October 2024 |
Vacant positions
Board of Directors
Three Directors’ positions are available.
One is that of National Vice President, while two Ordinary Director positions are available. All positions are for a three-year term. The successful candidates will commence their respective term of office at the conclusion of the 2024 Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) and terminate at the conclusion of the third following AGM.
Role purpose statements for Director roles can be found here:
Members who are successful in being elected to the Board will be required to commit to a personal development plan, to be completed over the course of tenure. This will encompass Foundations of Directorship training, privacy training, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural awareness training and other types of governance responsibilities, such as training in cybersecurity risks. The cost of this training will be met by the Association.
A webinar to allow members to meet Director candidates will be hosted by the Association in early October. If you are nominating for a Director role, I encourage you to participate. The webinar will also provide you with an opportunity to promote your credentials, interact with members as well as to take and answer questions. Details on the date and how you can register for the webinar will be provided shortly.
Want to be a Director?
Nominating for a Directorship of AASW requires skill, dedication and a passion for advancing the professional identity of social workers. Hear the experiences of National President, Linda Ford, on the Board over the last seven years, as well as the experiences of a Director elected last year (Ashton Hayes) with this podcast
Nomination forms for Director vacancies may be found here:
Branch Management Committees (BMCs)
Role descriptions for Branch President, Branch Vice President (where the position is vacant on a BMC) and Branch Committee member can be found here:
Terms of office for BMC vacancies on offer are outlined below:
| ACT Branch | One (1) BMC Branch President position, expiring 31 October 2026 One (1) BMC Branch Vice President position, expiring 31 October 2026 Ten (10) BMC Ordinary Member positions, each expiring 31 October 2026 |
| New South Wales Branch | One (1) BMC Branch President position, expiring 31 October 2026 Five (5) BMC Ordinary Member positions, each expiring 31 October 2026 Three (3) BMC Ordinary member positions, each expiring 31 October 2025 |
| North Queensland Branch | One (1) BMC Branch President position, expiring 31 October 2026 One (1) BMC Branch Vice President position, expiring 31 October 2026 Ten (10) BMC Ordinary Member positions, each expiring 31 October 2026 |
| Northern Territory Branch | One (1) BMC Branch President position, expiring 31 October 2026 Five (5) BMC Ordinary Member positions, each expiring 31 October 2026 One (1) BMC Ordinary Member position, expiring 31 October 2025 |
| Queensland Branch | One (1) BMC Branch President position, expiring 31 October 2026 Five (5) BMC Ordinary Member positions, each expiring 31 October 2026 Two (2) BMC Ordinary Member positions, each expiring 31 October 2025 |
| South Australia Branch | One (1) BMC Branch President position, each expiring 31 October 2026 Five (5) BMC Ordinary Member positions, each expiring 31 October 2026 One (1) BMC Ordinary Member position, expiring 31 October 2025 |
| Tasmania Branch | One (1) BMC Branch President position, expiring 31 October 2026 Five (5) BMC Ordinary Member positions, each expiring 31 October 2026 Three (3) BMC Ordinary Member positions, expiring 31 October 2025 |
| Victoria Branch | One (1) BMC Branch President position, expiring 31 October 2026 One (1) BMC Branch Vice President position, expiring 31 October 2026 Ten (10) BMC Ordinary Member positions, each expiring 31 October 2026 |
| Western Australia Branch | One (1) BMC Branch President position, expiring 31 October 2026 Five (5) BMC Ordinary Member positions, each expiring 31 October 2026 One (1) BMC Ordinary Member position, expiring 31 October 2025 |
Nomination forms for Director and BMC vacancies may be found here:
Enquiries regarding the nominations process may be directed to [email protected]
