IACA CONSTITUTION
1 NAME
The name of the organisation, herein after called the Institute, shall be the:
Institute of Australian Consulting Arboriculturists (I.A.C.A.)©®
2 PRIMARY AIMS
2.1 The primary aim of the Institute shall be to foster practice and research in support of the Consulting Arboriculturist.
2.2 The Institute will adopt a code of ethics for its membership.
3 OBJECTS
The objects of the institute will be:
(a) To promote the role of the Consultant Arboriculturist.
(b) To promote uniformity across Arboricultural Consultancy by the establishment
of minimum practices guidelines.
(c) To review and address industrial issues affecting Arboricultural Consultancy.
(d) To liaise on tree management issues with consenting authorities, Local
Government, Government Departments, Elected Representatives and Associations
of Professional Tree Managers such as the Local Government Tree Resources
Association (LGTRA), and public sector professionals whose work may impact
on trees e.g. architects, planners, engineers and certifiers.
(e) To implement a mentor program through members or their practices for
the ongoing development of the profession by fostering the development of
new practitioners, e.g. by way of cadetships.
(f) To provide through support the professional development of the members
by seeking opportunities of further education to enhance the skill and knowledge
base within the individual and profession as a whole.
(g) To influence the development and implementation of courses in Tree Management
and Arboriculture at tertiary institutions being public and private providers,
and the development and implementation of University based courses in the
Management of Urban Trees to further the professional development of members
by the availability of educational opportunities and the development of
the profession through research.
(h) To develop a program of certified training from within, or from industry
or other providers, to assist in the professional development of members,
by delivering specialised unit/s of study which otherwise would not be available.
(i) To disseminate information throughout the membership of the institute.
(j) To maintain the highest standards of practice of Arboricultural Consultancy,
from its members to the community.
RULES OF MEMBERSHIP
4.0 MEMBERSHIP
4.1 Membership will be by invitation with nomination by a current member submitted on the formal application for membership to the executive and the applicant admitted after the criteria for membership has been satisfied. A member will abide by the rules of membership and the code of ethics..
5.0 CRITERIA FOR MEMBERSHIP
5.1 Membership will be restricted to individuals who are practitioners
involved in an Arboricultural Consultancy practice as the majority of their
business activity. This allows for the undertaking or supervision of scientific
testing or research and associated reporting on trees, and related tree
management and tree protection practices, e.g. the installation of tree
protection zones on construction sites, or root investigation excavation,
and where no situation of a conflict of interest could arise that would
bias or unduly influence the provision of their consultancy service.
5.2 Further to 5.1 and 5.3, eligibility for membership is excluded to Arboriculturists
involved in the undertaking of tree pruning or removal works, or the management,
or ownership of such businesses, due to the obvious potential for ethical
conflict between these activities and the consultancy process.
5.3 Further to 5.1 and 5.2, the minimum qualification will be a Diploma
of Horticulture (Arboriculture) as recognised by the Australian Qualification
Framework (AQF).
5.4 Further to 5.1, 5.2, 5.3 and 5.5, the applicant will be required to
have and maintain Professional Indemnity insurance with the minimum requirements
for such insurance as determined by the Institute.
5.5 Where a prospective member satisfies all criteria for membership but
does not have a diploma of arboriculture under the Australian Qualification
Framework but has a similar equal or higher qualification comprised of tree
management subjects of an academic level equal to or higher than those of
the diploma of arboriculture and more than 5 years continual and current
experience in consulting arboriculture, their application may be referred
to the Extra-admissions Criteria Committee (E.C.C.) for determination.
5.6 Further to 4.1 a member will be annually required to read and sign the
IACA Code of Ethics and return it to the IACA executive as a declaration
of commitment to be bound by the code.
5.7 A member will be subject to ongoing professional education and development
with annual self assessment as part of the Ongoing Professionally Accredited
Learning scheme. Any member may be subject to an audit to verify compliance.
6.0 EXTRA-ADMISSIONS CRITERIA COMMITTEE
6.1 The Extra-admissions Criteria Committee, (the Committee), will be comprised
of (4) four members being: (2) two executives, and (2) two non-executives,
with all the committee members appointed by the members by a majority vote.
A new committee will be formed each year at the time when the election for
the executive is held. The Committee will formally record its activities
and findings and these will remain confidential with a copy of those outcomes
provided only to the individual applicant upon completion of its work. The
Committee will be accountable to the executive by providing to it a report
of its activities annually at the time of the Annual General Meeting (AGM);
work of the Committee being its processes, findings and decisions shall
be independent of the overall executive body.
6.2 An application for membership will be referred to the Extra-admissions
Criteria Committee, where an applicant does not possess the minimum qualification,
but possesses a similar qualification and is a recognised competent practitioner
with (5) five consecutive years of experience or more, being a continuous
period up to the date of the application.
6.3 Provision of evidence for membership to the Extra-admissions Criteria
Committee may be required to demonstrate competency. A diverse range of
examples of the applicants work spanning the immediately preceding (3) years,
from the date of the application may need to be submitted for consideration.
Where clarification of the material submitted is required, or additional
material requested, the applicant will be formally notified and the processing
of their application put on hold for no longer than (3) months from the
date of notification, until such clarification or additional information
is provided. Where additional information is not forthcoming after (3) three
months, the application will be refused.
6.4 Decisions of the Extra-admissions Criteria Committee are final, and
unsuccessful applicants may reapply in (1) one year.
6.5 All supporting documentation provided to the Extra-admissions Criteria
Committee will be returned to the applicant when the application for the
membership has been concluded by either approval or refusal, with references
to such documentation recorded only.
7.0 DISCIPLINARY ACTION
7.1 Any member of the Institute who in the opinion of the executive has
been guilty of unprofessional or unethical conduct will be liable to reprimand,
suspension or expulsion, as determined by the Executive. Formal complaints
will be dealt with if submitted in writing, and the member will be provided
with the opportunity to address the matter in camera.
8.0 THE EXECUTIVE
8.1 The Executive will comprise the position of President, Secretary, Treasurer
and Public Officer (where this may be a dual executive role), as a minimum
number of elected members, with other positions to be created as required
and as determined by the members by a majority vote.
8.2 The Executive, and Extra-admissions Criteria Committee positions will
be vacated and held open for election at the first meeting of each calendar
year or, on such other date as the Executive determines, with prior notice
given to all financial members.
9.0 FEES
9.1 Entrance and annual fees will be required for membership as the Executive
may determine. The executive will have the power to waive, increase or reduce
fees if it considers this action to be of benefit to the Institute.
9.2 Annual fees will be due promptly at the commencement of each new financial
year, commencing at 1 July.
9.3 Failure to pay fees within 2 months of the due date may lead to cancellation
of membership.
9.4 Any non-financial member will forfeit all voting rights.
10.0 REVENUE
10.1 Revenue of the Institute will be held in an interest bearing account
for general running expenses of the Institute. Access to this account is
to be by an Executive member/s chosen by the Executive body.
10.2 Establish a scholarship trust and a recipient process for the awarding
of such a grant, and a reporting process for monitoring of progress and
outcomes, when sufficient funds are raised as nominated by the executive
and determined by the members by a majority vote.
10.3 Establish a research trust and a recipient process for the awarding
of such a grant, and a reporting process for monitoring of progress and
outcomes, when sufficient funds are raised as nominated by the executive
and determined by the members by a majority vote.
10.4 In the event that the Institute ceases to operate, all residual funds
not required to finalise business be donated to an industry related association
e.g. LGTRA, or to a university or other research institution to undertake
research into the management of urban trees, as nominated by the executive
and determined by the members by a majority vote.
11.0 POWERS AND DUTIES OF EXECUTIVE
11.1 The Business of the Institute will be managed by the elected Executive
as directed by the majority decisions of General Meetings.
11.2 The Executive will keep record of minutes of all notified meetings
of the Institute, and of all financial dealings concerned with the functioning
of the Institute.
12.0 ALTERATION OF THIS CONSTITUTION AND RULES
12.1 This Constitution and these Rules may be amended only by a Resolution
passed by a two-thirds majority of members present in person or by proxy
and entitled to vote at an Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary meeting
of the Institute convened especially for that purpose.
2002 Incorporated in NSW.
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