4. Membership qualifications and categories

(1) A person is qualified to be a member if -

     (a) the person is a person referred to in the Act, section 21 (2) (a) or (b) and has not ceased to be a member of the Association at any time after incorporation of the Association under the Act; or

     (b) the person :-
          i) has been nominated for membership in accordance with rule 6; and

          ii) has been approved for membership of the Association by the Board of the Association.

5. Categories of membership

The membership shall consist of:

(a)  Member (active)
Any person who is over the age of 18 years and appears on the CDRLRA register as an Active member, and is currently financial.

(b)  Member (non active)
Any person who is over the age of 18 years and appears on the CDRLRA register as a Non-Active member, and is currently financial.

(c)  Junior members
Any person who is at least 14 years of age and is under the age of 18 years, and is currently financial. A junior member shall be ineligible to vote at Association meetings and be ineligible for election to any office in the Association.

(d)  Honorary members
A person voted as an Honorary Member by the Members at an Annual General Meeting and whose nomination appeared on the Notice Paper for that meeting. This category of Membership applies only until the following Annual General Meeting, does not have voting rights, and cannot stand for any position, but is otherwise bound by the Objects and Rules, and the Code of Conduct.

(e)  Life Member
A person voted as a Life Member by the Members in accordance with rule 8.

(f)  Associate Member
A person who has cause to join the Association by completing a Level One National Referees Accreditation for the purpose of obtaining a Coaching Certificate with the Australian Rugby League. Such member shall be a non-active member and will be ineligible to vote at Association meetings or to occupy official positions.

Any member may not be a member of a District Rugby League Football Club without the approval of the Board.

All members are bound by the Articles of the Association, including but not limited to Objects and Rules, Code of Conduct, Roles and Responsibilities of Officers and Standing Orders.

6. Nomination for Membership

(a)  All persons applying for membership of the Canberra District Rugby League Referees Association shall do so on a form approved by the Board.

(b)  A nomination of a person for membership of the Association—
     (i) shall be made by a member of the Association in writing in the form set out in the Articles of the Association; and

     (ii)  shall be lodged with the Executive Officer of the Association.

(c)  As soon as is practicable after receiving a nomination for membership, the Executive Officer shall refer the nomination to the Board which shall determine whether to approve or to reject the nomination.

(d)  Where the Board determines to approve a nomination for membership, the Executive Officer shall as soon as practicable after that determination notify the nominee of that approval and request the nominee to pay within 28 days after receipt of the notification the sum payable under these rules by a member as the membership fee. The member may request that the Executive approve this fee be deducted from any match payments that they receive.

(e)  The Board shall report to members all applications made and the results of each application at the next General Meeting.

7. Clearance

An eligible applicant for membership under Part 2, transferring from the last Association that he/she was a member of, or the current Association that he/she is a member of; shall be accepted upon presenting a satisfactory clearance with his Application for Membership form.

As soon as is practicable after receiving an Application for Membership and Clearance, the Executive Officer shall refer the nomination to the Board which shall determine whether to approve or to reject the nomination

8. Life Members

Nominees for life Membership must have:

(a) at least ten full years continuous membership of the Association;

(b) been financial at the time of nomination;

(c) performed outstanding service for the Association for most of that period.

The Life Membership Committee will consist of Life Members of the Association. A minimum of three (3) such members are required to form a quorum.

During June each year, the Executive Officer shall supply the Life Membership Committee with the names of all members who have attained 10 full years continuous membership of the Association.

The Life Membership Committee shall recommend none or one of the nominees for Life Membership.

Nomination for election of a member to life membership shall be submitted to the Executive Officer in writing. Such nomination must be proposed and seconded by the Life Membership Committee .

Nomination for life membership shall be dealt with as a special resolution at the last general meeting of the Association held each year.

A member may decline nomination for life membership.

Only one member may be elected as a life member during a financial year.

9. Life Member Privileges

Life members of the Association are entitled to all privileges of the Association as enjoyed by the members. They will be presented with a Life Member Blazer and will not be liable for annual affiliation fees, but will be liable for all other fees & subscriptions.

10. Limited Membership

Where pursuant to

(1) Rule 21 an office holder is removed from office;

(2) Rule 15 a member is expelled or suspended from the Association for misconduct;

that office holder or member, as the case may be, shall continue to have such rights of membership of the Association as are necessary for him to exercise his rights of appeal provided by the Objects and Rules.

(3) A member or office holder who is expelled, suspended or removed from office, in accordance with rule 15 or 21, shall be given limited membership to exercise his right of appeal. This limited membership does not entitle the member or office holder to participate in, or contribute to other association activities or to continue active Board duties, active refereeing, attend any official functions, training or meetings unless requested by the Board.

11. Membership entitlements not transferable

(1)   A right, privilege or obligation which a person has by reason of being a member of the Association:

      (a) is not capable of being transferred or transmitted to another person, and

      (b) terminates on cessation of the person's membership.

12. Cessation of membership

(1)  A person ceases to be a member of the Association if the person:

     (a) dies, or

     (b) resigns membership, or

     (c) is expelled from the Association or

     (d) does not pay their annual membership subscription (if required by their membership status) by the end of the Association's financial year.

(2)  Where a person ceases to be a Member under clause 12(1)(d) above, the person may apply in writing to the Board for re-admission as a non-active member. The Board may re-admit the person as a member, and may determine what fees, if any, are payable for re-admission.

(3)  In considering re-admission, the Board may determine that the membership of the person will be classified as continuous.

13. Resignation of membership

(1) A member of the Association is not entitled to resign that membership except in accordance with this rule.

(2) A member of the Association who has paid all amounts payable by the member to the Association in respect of the member’s membership may resign from membership of the Association by giving to the Executive Officer written notice of the member’s intention to resign. The member ceases to be a member upon confirmation by the Secretary in writing to the member.

(3) If a member of the Association ceases to be a member under clause (2), and in every other case where a member ceases to hold membership, the Executive Officer must make an appropriate entry in the register of members recording the date on which the member ceased to be a member.

(4) Where an oral resignation is tendered to the Association, the Executive will confirm the resignation in writing to the member within 48 hours. The member has seven (7) days from the date of confirmation of the resignation to rescind or confirm, in writing, the resignation. If no notice is received from the member by the end of the seventh (7th) day from the issuing of the Executive Officer's confirmation letter, the resignation shall be deemed to have been accepted. If the member rescinds the purported resignation he/she must provide an explanation for the original oral purported resignation and its subsequent rescission that is acceptable to the Board.

14. Register of members

(1) The Executive Officer of the Association must establish and maintain a register of members of the Association specifying the name and address of each person who is a member of the Association together with the date on which the person became a member.

(2) The register of members must be kept at the principal place of administration of the Association and must be open for inspection, free of charge, by any member of the Association at any reasonable hour.

(3) A member of the Association may obtain a copy of any part of the register on payment of a fee of $1 for each page copied or, if some other amount is determined by the Board, that other amount. Any such disclosure of information is restricted by, and shall remain consistent with, prevailing privacy laws.

15. Disciplining of Members

(1) A complaint may be made by any member to the Executive Officer in writing and personally signed by the complainant alleging that a member of the Association has failed to abide by the Association's Code of Conduct; or

(2) A complaint may be made by any individual or legal entity (whether a member or not) to the Executive Officer in writing and personally signed by the complainant alleging that a member of the Association is guilty of misconduct; or

(3) Where the Board is of the opinion that a member has failed to abide by the Association's Code of Conduct, the Board may raise a complaint.

(4) A complaint must be received within 60 days of the alleged breach to be deemed valid.

(5) The Board must act in accordance with the procedures specified in the Code of Conduct.

(6) The Board may, by resolution, take such action as provided for in the Code of Conduct after properly considering the matter in accordance with the procedures specified in the Code of Conduct.

16. Right of Appeal of Disciplined Member

A member may appeal against a resolution of the Board under rule 15, in accordance with the procedures in the Code of Conduct, and that appeal is heard in accordance with the procedures in the Code of Conduct.

17. Fees and Subscriptions

A member of the Association shall pay to the Association an annual membership fee as determined by the Board and set out in the Schedule of Fees.

Where after 31 May in any calendar year a person is admitted to membership, this person shall pay 50% of the fees as set out in the Schedule of Fees.

17A. Members Liabilities

The liability of a member to contribute towards the payment of the debts and liabilities of the association or the costs, charges and expenses of the winding up of the association is limited to the amount (if any) unpaid by the member in relation to membership of the association as required by section 17.