Constitution

The Society shall be called the Astronomical Society of Australia Incorporated.

The objects of the Society shall be promotion and extension of knowledge of Astronomy and related branches of science.

The business of the Society shall be managed subject only to such limitations as may be expressed in this Constitution by a Council consisting of the President, the Immediate Past President, a Vice-President, two Secretaries, the Treasurer and five Ordinary Councillors. The Council may co-opt at most two further Councillors who shall hold office until the succeeding Council takes office. An Editorial Board Chair appointed by the Council shall be ex officio an additional member of Council. All Councillors shall be Full Members or Fellows of the Society.

If the President is absent, the Vice-President, the Immediate Past President, or another Councillor duly appointed by the Council (in that order) shall act as deputy.

A vacancy in the office of a member of Council occurs if the member:

(i) dies;

(ii) ceases to be a member of the Society;

(iii) resigns his or her office by writing under his or her hand addressed to the Council or to the Public Officer;

(iv) becomes an insolvent under administration within the meaning of the Corporation Law;

(v) becomes of unsound mind; or

(vi) is disqualified from office under subsection 63 (1) of the Associations Incorporation Act 1991 of the Australian Capital Territory.

 In the event of the position of a Councillor falling vacant, the vacancy may be filled by invitation by the Council. In the event of the position of Immediate Past President falling vacant the Council may appoint a second Vice-President.

A meeting of the Council shall be convened at such times as the President, or deputy, deems it necessary, or upon request by three or more Councillors. The quorum for a meeting of the Council shall be five Councillors including the President, or deputy, and a Secretary or the Treasurer.

A Council decision may be made electronically or by postal ballot. A council decision may also be made by telephone ballot, but, in this case, Councillors must confirm such votes electronically, by post or at the next meeting of the Council.

The Council may appoint an Executive Committee to conduct between Council meetings normal business of the Society including the election of members and such other business as it directs.

Subject to such limitations as are expressed in this Constitution the Council may make or alter By-Laws and Guiding Principles for the management of the Society and fix the dates on which they become effective. Within six months of their introduction such By-Laws or Guiding Principles or their alteration shall be notified to all members who in the event of objection may act in accord with the provision of Article 31.

The Secretaries shall keep the minutes of the business meetings of the Society, the Council and the Executive Committee, and shall act as custodians of all documents of the Society which do not relate to funds and securities belonging to or held in trust for the Society.

The Treasurer shall collect and receive all funds on account of the Society and shall deposit the sums in banking accounts established in the name of the Society. Payments from these banking accounts shall be made by cheque signed by two out of four Councillors; the latter shall be the Treasurer and three other Councillors appointed by the Council for that purpose. The Treasurer shall be custodian of funds and securities of the Society and of all documents of the Society which relate to funds and securities belonging to or held in trust for the Society and shall keep accounts of money received and expended by the Society and for all matters in respect of which such receipt and expenditure take place. Each year the Treasurer shall prepare a balance sheet for the year ending on the 31st day of March of that year. The Treasurer’s accounts and balance sheet shall be examined annually by Auditors elected by an Annual General Meeting.

The disbursement of funds and the management of the property of the Society shall be vested in the Council.

No funds or property of the Society shall be paid to or distributed among members. This provision shall not prevent reimbursement for expenditure actually incurred with the approval of the Council, or the award by the Society of medals, prizes or grants, or payments in respect of normal business transactions.

Whenever deemed necessary the Council may hold a special postal or electronic ballot of all members entitled to vote. In such cases the closing date for receipt of votes shall not be earlier than 21 days after sending of voting details to members.

Unless otherwise specified in this Constitution, Fellows, Honorary Fellows, Full Members, and Corporate Members shall be entitled to vote at meetings and in ballots and elections of the Society.

Society members may bring any issue concerning the Society to the attention of Council at anytime. Council shall hold a special ballot on a specified question within three months of receiving a written request from at least eight voting members.

The Council shall act in accordance with a direction, consistent with this Constitution, arising from a majority vote of a postal or electronic ballot of members entitled to vote under clause 30 except in relation to amendments of the Constitution in which case Article 37 applies.

Before each Annual General Meeting the Council shall prepare a list of nominations for all positions in the succeeding Council except that of Immediate Past President. The list shall contain at least the number of names as the number of positions to be filled according to Article 14. The President and Vice-President shall not be eligible for re-election for the same office during an unbroken period on the Council. Ordinary Councillors shall be eligible for re-election as such once only during an unbroken period on the Council.

The Council shall have the responsibility of enabling voting members to make additional nominations for any position on the Council and to provide for voting electronically or by post on the full list of candidates.

The election shall be determined by the direct count of the number of votes. Where necessary the President or the President’s deputy, shall have a casting vote.

The newly elected Council shall take office immediately following the announcement of its election at the Annual General Meeting.

Any alteration to this Constitution shall require a majority of three-quarters of the votes cast in a special postal or electronic ballot.

A decision to disband the Society may be made only in a ballot of all Fellows, Honorary Fellows and Full Members.

Rescinded 1993.

In the event of the Society being disbanded any property or funds remaining after satisfaction of all debts and liabilities shall be given or transferred to some other institution or institutions having objects similar to those of the Society to be determined by a postal ballot of all Fellows, Honorary Fellows and Full Members of the Society at or before its dissolution.

The liability of a member of the Society to contribute towards the payment of the debts and liabilities of the Society or the cost, charges and expenses of the winding up of the Society is limited to the amount, if any, unpaid by the member in respect of membership of the Society as required by Article 9 of the Constitution.

The Council shall, within fourteen days after the incorporation of the Society, appoint a member of the Society resident in the Australian Capital Territory to be the Public Officer of the Society and, if the office becomes vacant, shall within fourteen days after it becomes vacant, appoint a member resident in the Territory to fill the vacancy. The office of Public Officer becomes vacant if the person holding that office:

(i) is removed from office by resolution of the Council;

(ii) dies;

(iii) resigns his or her office by writing under his or her hand addressed to the Council;

(iv) becomes an insolvent under administration within the meaning of the Corporation Law;

(v) suffers from mental or physical incapacity;

(vi) ceases to reside in the Australian Capital Territory;

(vii) ceases to be a member of the Society; or

(viii) is disqualified from office under subsection 63 (1) of the Associations Incorporation Act 1991 of the Australian Capital Territory.

The Seal of the Society shall be in the form of a rubber stamp inscribed with the name of the Society encircling the word ‘Seal’. The Seal shall not be affixed to any instrument except by authority of a resolution of the Council and in the presence of at least two members of Council or of one member of Council and of the Public Officer of the Society or such other person as Council may appoint to that purpose and that attestation is sufficient for all purposes that the Seal was affixed by authority of the Council. The Seal shall remain in the custody of a member of the Council specified for that purpose by Council.

(i)  Subject to part (ii) of this clause, the records, books and other documents of the Society shall be open to inspection, free of charge, by a member of the Society. Inspection shall be made by arrangement with the Council officer who has custody of the item in question under Articles 21 and 22 of this Constitution.

(ii)  A request to inspect any record, book or other document of the Society may be refused by the Council if it is satisfied that allowing access to the document would be prejudicial to the interests of the Society.

Notice of each meeting of the Council shall be sent by a Secretary to the usual postal or electronic address of every Councillor and the Student Representative.

Draft minutes of each meeting of the Council shall be sent to each Councillor as soon as practicable after the meeting.

The Executive Committee shall comprise the President, Immediate Past President, Vice-President, two Secretaries and the Treasurer, and, if Council has appointed any other Councillor or Councillors to the Executive Committee in accord with Article 19 of the Constitution, that Councillor or those Councillors. A meeting of the Executive Committee shall be constituted only if attended by three of its members including one among the President the Vice-President and the Immediate Past President, and one among the Secretaries and the Treasurer.

An instruction by the Council to the Executive Committee to carry out any business implies authorization to make the necessary payments. All accounts above $1000, or such other limit as shall be determined by Council from time to time, shall require specific approval by the Council before payment. All accounts above $500, or such other limit as shall be determined by Council from time to time, shall require specific approval by the Executive before payment.

The Executive Committee shall report on its activities at each Council meeting.

The Council shall be deemed to have notified a member of any business if a member of the Executive Committee as defined in By-Law B2 has either handed the notice to the member personally or sent it by post or electronically to the address supplied by the member to the Society.

There shall be a Student Representative elected by the Student Members from their number who shall attend Council meetings as an observer and represent student interests.

Any expenses incurred by the Student representative in attending Council meetings shall be refunded by the Society if not met by the student’s home institution.

The Student Representative will report to Students Members matters of interest or importance to them and seek feedback from them for the Council as appropriate.

The organization of each Scientific Meeting shall be the responsibility of an Organizing Committee appointed by and acting under the general instruction of the Council.

Unless otherwise instructed the Organizing Committee shall be responsible for selecting contributions to be delivered at the Scientific Meeting.

Rescinded 2007.

Rescinded 1994.

Rescinded 1998.

The quorum for an Annual General Meeting shall be fifteen voting members defined under Clause 30 of this constitution.

Rescinded 2013.

Nominations of the Council for the offices in the next Council shall take into account regional representation and gender balance, which may also be taken into account in appointing co-opted Councillors. The list of Council nominations shall be circulated to all voting members of the Society, as defined under Clause 30 of this constitution, not less than 49 days before the date of the Annual General Meeting.

After receiving the list of Council’s nominations any two Fellows or Full Members may nominate any other Fellow or Full Members for any offices of the Council. Each such nomination must be countersigned by the nominee and received by a Secretary not less than 35 days before the date of the Annual General Meeting at which the election is to take place.

In the event of an election being necessary a Secretary shall, not later than 21 days before the Annual General Meeting, post or send electronically to each voting member, as defined under Clause 30 of this constitution, a complete list of the nominations in the form of a ballot paper.

A voting member, as defined under Clause 30 of this constitution, shall vote electronically or by ballot paper in the manner decided by the Council from time to time. Electronic ballots will close at 5 pm AEST on the Friday before the Annual General meeting. Alternatively, a duly completed ballot paper should be sent to a Secretary so that it is received not later than 5 pm AEST on the Friday before the Annual General Meeting or else the ballot paper may be handed to a Secretary at the venue of and not later than one hour before the start of the Annual General Meeting. For a vote to be valid, it must comply with all instructions issued to members with the ballot paper.

Before the start of the Annual General Meeting a Secretary shall hand all ballot papers and a print out of the tallied electronic ballots certified by his or her signature to its authenticity to two scrutineers appointed by the Council. The scrutineers shall be Fellows, Honorary Fellows or Full Members not nominated for election to the Council.

The statement of each Article of the Constitution, By-law or Guiding Principle shall be accompanied by an indication of the date on which it was adopted or last amended except in the case of those approved by the Annual General Meeting in 1967.

There shall be a medal, called The Berenice and Arthur Page Medal, which shall be awarded by the Society for excellence in amateur astronomy in Australia and its Territories. This award shall be made by the Council at appropriate intervals. The prize will include the winner’s choice of Membership or Honorary Associate Membership of the Society, as outlined in the Constitution. Winners who elect to become Members will pay the annual Member subscription from the year following their free Membership year.

There shall be a Public Lecture called the Harley Wood Lecture given by a person of some distinction in astronomy or a related field during or near the time of the Annual General Meeting.

From time to time the Society shall hold a series of lectures, seminars or workshops for the benefit of students of astronomy and called the Harley Wood School of Astronomy.

Rescinded 2007.

The Society may recognize outstanding contributions in astronomy or a related field by the award of Robert Ellery Lectureships.

It shall be the duty of the Council to consider annually the propriety of such an award and, if it thinks fit, to decide upon the award. In determining each award, Council may give particular attention to contributions in, or of relevance to, the field of Southern Hemisphere astronomy. Nevertheless, the award may be made for contributions in any branch of astronomy or a related field.

Each recipient of the Robert Ellery Lectureship shall be invited to present a keynote lecture at or near the time of an Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society, and/or to deliver a lecture on some other appropriate occasion as determined by Council.

The Society shall maintain a fund, known as the Gascoigne Fund. The Fund shall be applied principally to the support of Robert Ellery Lectureships, but it may also be applied to any other purpose decided upon by Council. The Fund shall consist of monies donated by Professor S. C. B. Gascoigne, FAA, for the establishment of the Lectureship, and of other donations or bequests made specifically in support of its purposes. It may also be augmented, from time to time, by the transfer of other monies as determined by Council.

The Council of the Society shall appoint an Editorial Board that shall be responsible for the publication of the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia. The Board shall comprise the Editor-in-Chief who will Chair the Board, the Deputy Editor-in-Chief and other Associate Editors, such that there are at least 5 members of the Editorial Board. In addition, the Immediate Past Editor-in-Chief will serve one consecutive year after their term as Editor-in-Chief ends (ex-officio, if they are available and have not been terminated from their position by the Council).

The Editor-in-Chief shall be the person referred to as the Editor in Article 14 of the constitution and who shall report in writing to each meeting of the Council and to the Annual General Meeting.

Council appointments of teh Editor-in-Chief, Deputy Editor-in-Chief or Associate Editor of the Editorial Board shall be for 3 years or such shorter term as the Council may deem necessary. Consecutive appointments shall be allowed. The Council may extend any appointment if the need arises and may shorten or terminate an appointment in exceptional circumstances.

In making appointments to the Editorial Board, the Council shall take into account fields of expertise encompassed by the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia and shall stagger the appointments to ensure continuity of expertise and familiarity with editorial policy.

The Editorial Board shall be responsible for the peer review of papers and the maintenance of acceptable standards in articles published in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia.

The Editorial Board shall be responsible for the development of policy on publication by the Society and shall recommend policy changes to the Council.

The Editorial Board members shall select referees for submitted papers, make editorial recommendations to the Editor-in-Chief based on referees’ reports, solicit papers for submission, be advocates for the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia and contribute constructively to its editorial strategy.

The Chair of the Editorial Board shall be responsible for all communications with the publishers and shall ensure their adherence to the requirements of the Council.

The Deputy Editor-in-Chief will assist the Editor-in-Chief, including in situations where the Editor-in-Chief is conflicted or unavailable to make editorial decisions.

In appointing the Deputy Editor-in-Chief, the Council will give preference to current or past Associate Editors of the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia who have displayed the required level of competence in their role. The Deputy Editor-in-Chief will be appointed for a length of term commensurate with that of the Editor-in-Chief. The Deputy Editor-in-Chief will usually succeed the Editor-in-Chief when the latter’s term expires.

The Immediate Past Editor-in-Chief will serve (ex-officio as outlined in clause J1) as an experienced Associate Editor, providing advice and guidance to the new Editor-in-Chief and Deputy Editor-in-Chief as needed.

There shall be a prize, called the Bok prize, awarded at the discretion of the Council annually. It shall be for the best thesis accepted by an Australian university in the previous calendar year, in astronomy or a closely related field, produced by an honours or eligible masters student who is studying in Australia. Eligible masters students are those who have entered their Masters degree from an undergraduate degree without completing an Honours year. Accepted is understoon to mean all requirements for the degree have been completed and that the candidate has been admitted to the degree by the appropriate university authority. It is not necessary for the degree to have been conferred. There is no restriction on the nationality of candidates.

Each entry must be accompanied by a statement from the candidate’s lecturer or supervisor indicating the relationship of the submission to the student’s course requirements and a confidential statement on the originality of the submission.

The prize shall consist of a medal plus a cash award of a value to be determined by the Council from time to time and free membership of the Society for the calendar year following the award.

Council shall annually appoint an assessment panel for the award and nominate a Chair. The Chair will report to the Council on the selection process with a recommendation on the award recipient. The panel may recommend not to make an award in any year.

There shall be a prize, called the David Allen Prize, awarded, at the discretion of the Council, every three years. It shall be for the best contribution, or series of contributions, published in the interval since the previous award of the Prize in any form of media that is widely accessible to Australians, which portrays an astronomical theme in an exciting and educative manner and which informs the general public in understandable language, while retaining the integrity of the science.

Eligibility for the prize shall be restricted to Australian permanent residents or Australian based institutions. Previous winners are ineligible to renominate for the award.

The prize shall consist of a plaque plus a cash award of a value to be determined by the Council from time to time.

A Chair and an assessment panel for the award shall be appointed by the Council with wide representation, and may include science communicators, professional and amateur astronomers and the general public. The Chair will report to the Council on the selection process with a recommendation on the award recipient. The panel may recommend not to make an award in any year.

The Society shall maintain a fund, known as the David Allen Prize Fund. The Fund shall be applied principally to the support of David Allen Prize, but it may also be applied to any other purpose decided upon by Council. The Fund shall consist of donations or bequests made specifically in support of its purposes. It may also be augmented, from time to time, by the transfer of other monies as determined by Council.

There shall be a prize, called the Charlene Heisler Prize, awarded, at the discretion of the Council, annually. It shall be for the best PhD thesis, in astronomy or a closely related field, accepted by an Australian university during the previous calendar year. The award will be based on the excellence and originality of the thesis research.

The term ‘accepted’ in article M1 is understood to mean all requirements for the degree have been completed and that the candidate has been admitted to the degree by the appropriate university authority. It is not necessary for the degree to have been conferred. There is no restriction on the nationality of candidates.

Each entry must be accompanied by a statement from the candidate’s principal supervisor outlining the thesis results and why they are exceptional. The statement must also include details of the specific contribution of the candidate to the research.

The prize shall consist of a medal, a cash award of a value to be determined by the Council from time to time and free membership of the Society for the calendar year following the award.

Council shall annually appoint an assessment panel for the award and nominate a Chair. The Chair will report to the Council on the selection process with a recommendation on the award recipient. The panel may recommend not to make an award in any year.

The Society shall maintain a fund, known as the Charlene Heisler Prize Fund. The fund shall be applied principally to the support of Charlene Heisler Prize, but it may also be applied to any other purpose decided upon by Council. The Fund shall consist of donations or bequests made specifically in support of its purposes. It may also be augmented, from time to time, by the transfer of other monies as determined by Council.

The Council may approve the formation of topical astronomical interest groups within the Society to be known as Chapters.

Membership of Chapters of the Society will be restricted to members of the Society as defined under article 8 of the constitution.

A Chapter of the Society must have a constitution or set of guiding principles which must be approved by the Council. Such constitution or guiding principles must be consistent with the Constitution and By-Laws of the Society and any amendments thereof.

A Chapter of the Society will be managed by a committee. The committee chair will be elected annually from the Chapter membership and must be a Full Member, Fellow or Honorary Fellow of the Society as defined by Articles 4 (i), (ii) and 5 of this Constitution. The Council will nominate one of its own number as an ex-officio member of the Chapter committee.

The Council may allocate funds, at an amount to be determined by it from time to time, to a Chapter of the Society for the purposes of the Chapter carrying on its activities.

Chapters of the Society may be disbanded in accordance with their constitution or guiding principles or by the Council.

The Chapters of the Society are:

There shall be a prize, called the Louise Webster Prize, awarded, at the discretion of the Council, annually. It shall be for the best research paper, in astronomy or a closely related field, by a scientist early in their post-doctoral career. The award will be based on the scientific impact of a single research paper, which has the applicant as first author. The prize is intended for work carried out primarily after completion of a postgraduate degree.

To be eligible for the Prize, the applicant must have had their PhD conferred within five years prior to the nomination deadline. The applicant must also have been a member of the ASA for at least two years immediately prior to nomination for the award, taking into account any career breaks.

The applicant must have published the nominated research paper in a refereed scientific journal, appearing in final published form within five years prior to the nomination deadline.

The applicant must be an Australian citizen or resident at the nomination deadline or, if not, the nominated research paper must have been published with affiliation to an Australian institution.

Acceptable leaves of absence from active research will be taken into consideration when determining eligibility.

The prize shall consist of a medal, a cash award of a value to be determined by the Council from time to time and free membership of the Society for the calendar year following the award.

Council shall annually appoint an assessment panel for the award and nominate a Chair. The Chair will report to the Council on the selection process with a recommendation on the award recipient. The panel may recommend not to make an award in any year.

There shall be a prize, called the Anne Green Prize, awarded, at the discretion of the Council, annually. It shall be for a significant advance or accomplishment by a mid-career scientist. The award will be based on a nominated body of work that supports the scientific accomplishment and the subsequent impact of the research. The research can be in any area of astronomy or a closely related field.

To be eligible for the Prize, the applicant must have had their PhD conferred five to fifteen years prior to the nomination deadline. The applicant must also have been a financial member of the ASA for at least the two years immediately prior to nomination for the award taking into account any career breaks.

The nominated body of work that supports the significant advance or accomplishment must have been published in refereed scientific journals, appearing in final published form within 5 years prior to the nomination deadline.

Acceptable leaves of absence from active research will be taken into consideration when determining eligibility.

The prize shall consist of a medal, a cash award of a value to be determined by the Council from time to time and free membership of the Society for the calendar year following the award.

Council shall annually appoint an assessment panel for the award and nominate a Chair. The Chair will report to the Council on the selection process with a recommendation on the award recipient. The panel may recommend not to make an award in any year.

The Council may approve the joint formation with cognate societies, as defined in By-Law A2, of topical astrophysical interest groups to be known within the Society as Joint Groups.

Membership of a Joint Group of the Society will be restricted to members of the Society as defined under article 8 of this constitution or membership of the cognate society as defined in its constitution.

A Joint Group of the Society will be managed by a committee comprising equal numbers of members from each society and jointly chaired by one person from each society. The Astronomical Society of Australia chair must be a Full Member, Fellow or Honorary Fellow of the Society as defined by Articles 4 (i), (ii) and 5 of this Constitution. Where a committee member is from both societies, they must nominate which society has elected or appointed them. Each committee co-chair will be elected annually or biennially, as agreed by both Societies, from the respective society’s membership within the Joint Group. The governing body of each society may nominate one of its own number as an ex-officio member of the Group committee.

The governing bodies of each society may allocate funds, at  an  amount to  be  determined jointly  by them from time to time, to a Joint Group for the purposes of it carrying on its activities.

The Society has established the following Joint Groups with the cognate societies listed.

(i)     Group for Astroparticle Physics (GAP), with the Australian Institute of Physics.

The Council shall maintain a  Code of Conduct and Statement of Ethics that members must adhere  to.

The Council shall appoint an Ethics and Code of Conduct Committee (ECC) to deal with breaches of either the Society Code of Conduct or Statement of Ethics and with conflicts between members.

There shall be an award, called the Roy Allen Medal, given in recognition of exceptional service to the Society.

The award is typically given for Society service over a period of 25 years or more, but ultimately it is awarded at the discretion of the President, Vice-President and Immediate Past President (expcept where one of these is the intended recipient).

There shall be a prize, called the Emerging Leaders in Astronomy Software Development Prize, awarded, at the discretion of the Council, annually.  It shall be made to an early career researcher in a non-permanent position for the development of open-source astronomical software that is vital to the Australian astronomical community. The prize was proposed and initially funded by the Australian Research Data Commons. 

To be eligible for the Prize the nominee must be an early career researcher, defined as a PhD student or postdoctoral researcher who does not have a permanent/faculty position. There is no post-PhD time limit restriction.

The nominee must have produced or contributed to new astronomy software, such as new utilities, tools, applications, libraries, modules or frames. The software must be intended to be used widely and not be limited to project participants or partners and must have been distributed with an open-source license as described at https://opensource.org/licenses.

T4 (2023)

The nominee must have developed the software or made their individual contribution to the software development as part of one specific project with the last five years and must be actively developing or maintaining the software or their contribution to it.

The nominee must be an ASA member and must have been funded or supported by Australian funding bodies or institutions or must have resided in Australia or have been affiliated with an Australian Institute when the software was developed or their contribution was made.

The prize shall consist of a plaque and a cash award of a value to be determined by the Council from time to time.

Council shall appoint an assessment panel for the award and nominate a Chair. The Chair will report to the Council on the selection process with a recommendation on the award recipient.  The panel may recommend not to make an award in any year.