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1 General Conduct
A. The business of every meeting of the National Executive Committee and National and Special Congresses shall be conducted in accordance with the rules of the Union and these Standing Orders.
B. Any matter not provided for in the standing orders shall be determined by the National President.
C. Any standing order may with the agreement of the meeting be suspended in whole or in part for the duration of the meeting or part of the meeting.
D. The business of any meeting shall be specified in an agenda for that meeting, save that, and with the exception of a Special Congressional meeting, the chairperson may allow additional items of business to be added at the start of the meeting. Agenda items may be taken out of order with the agreement of the meeting.
E. Members are expected to arrive timeously for sessions of any meeting and to avoid disrupting proceedings in session. A member called to order for disruptive behaviour may be deprived of speaking right or be asked to leave the meeting for a set period during, or, for the remainder of, the meeting.
2 Chairperson
A. The person assuming the Chair at a meeting, according to the mechanisms within the Union's Constitution, shall take the Chair at the appointed time.
B. The Chairperson shall be heard without interruption.
C. Members desiring to speak shall address themselves to the chair.
D. The person occupying the chair may at any time during the meeting request any member of the meeting to take the chair temporarily.
E. When more than one member indicates a desire to speak the chairperson shall call upon the member who, in the chairperson's opinion first indicated a desire to speak and indicate the order of any subsequent speakers.
F. The length of time for which any speaker may speak, whether generally, or, in the context of a particular motion, resolution or proposal before the meeting, shall be at the discretion of the chairperson.
3 Motions, resolutions and proposals
A. Motions, resolutions and proposals must be presented in the written format outlined in the Union's constitution. The chairperson cannot, even with the agreement of the meeting, accept any unwritten motion which has not been allocated unique identifier by the National Secretary or the secretary of the meeting in session.
B. A motion, resolution or proposal cannot be amended without a written amended being placed before the meeting with proposer and seconder signatures.
C. A motion, resolution or proposal cannot be withdrawn except by agreement of the meeting and the consent of the proposer and the seconder.
D. The chairperson shall refuse a motion, resolution or proposal which is unconstitutional or the content of which is contrary to law.
E. No person, other than the mover exercising the right of reply, shall speak more than once on any motion, resolution or proposal.
F. A motion, resolution or proposal that has been withdrawn by agreement of the meeting may be made again during the same meeting.
4 Amendments
A. A motion, resolution or proposal that has been presented to the meeting in the proper manner and accepted by the chair may be amended by any other member of the meeting and that person's second, other than the original mover and seconder.
B. Members may speak to the amendment even though they have spoken to the original motion.
C. If the amendment is carried then it shall become part of, and be stated from the chair to
be incorporated into, the original motion, resolution or proposal.
D. No amendment shall be proposed which is a direct negation of the main motion, resolution or proposal before the meeting.
E. Only one amendment shall be considered at one time.
F. No amendment of an amendment shall be accepted by the chair.
5 Voting at Congresses
A. Voting on all motions, resolutions and proposals at a National or Special Congress shall be by ballot as provided in the Union's Constitution.
B. The chairperson shall announce the outcome which shall be recorded in the minutes in the manner prescribed by the Union's Constitution.
C. The chairperson shall have both a deliberative vote and a casting vote in the event of an even vote.
5.1 Voting at other meetings
A. Voting at other meetings shall be by consensus except where a show of hands or a secret ballot has been proposed. Non-voting observers and any member without voting capacity shall not be part of consensus decisions.
B. The chairperson shall announce the outcome which shall be recorded in the minutes in the manner prescribed by the Union's Constitution.
C. The chairperson shall have both a deliberative vote and a casting vote in the event of an even vote.
6 Committee
A. The meeting may at any time resolve itself into a committee of the whole. The meeting in committee shall report to the open meeting which shall forthwith adopt or reject such report by a motion to that effect.
B. The proceedings of any committee of the whole shall not be reported or recorded but any motions, resolutions or proposals arising shall be put to the meeting. Members may not discuss the content of the proceedings in committee with any other person.
7 Points of Order
A. Any person may at any time address the chairperson on a point of order. A point of order relates to a breach of the Constitution or standing orders.
B. A member so wishing to address the chairperson must immediately state that a point of order is being taken and must then confine any observations to the point of order raised.
C.
A point of order shall be taken immediately the breach of order occurs. A speaker called to order should be given the opportunity to explain and the chairperson may give other permission to speak briefly, but new matter must not be debated.
D. The chairperson's ruling on a matter is final and must not be discussed unless the
dissent is moved.
8 Procedural Motions
A. A procedural motion is the only verbally motivated motion allowed and relates to immediately following acts by the meeting or certain objections within the meeting, voting on procedural motions shall be by show of hands with counting to be minuted as votes for, against and abstaining from, the procedural motion. The time of introduction of procedural motions shall be noted in the minutes as will the time of voting on the motion.
B. Debate on a particular matter may be interrupted by proposal of a procedural motion.
C. Procedural motions may not be moved by persons who have already spoken on the motion or amendment under discussion.
D. Procedural motions are
1
"THAT THE MOTION BE NOW VOTED UPON"
a the motion shall be seconded
b the chairperson shall have discretion whether or not to accept the motion
c the motion may not be proposed or seconded by the proposer or seconder of the main written motion or amendment
d the motion may be applied to the main motion and amendments to the main motion jointly
e the motion may be moved while another member is speaking.
f If passed the main motion and / or amendment shall be put immediately
2
"THAT THE MOTION BE PUT ASIDE"
a the motion shall be seconded
b the chairperson shall have discretion whether or not to accept the motion
c the motion may not be proposed or seconded by the proposer or seconder of the main written motion or amendment
d the motion may be applied to the main motion and amendments to the main motion jointly or separately
e the motion may be moved while another member is speaking.
f If passed the main motion and / or amendment shall be put aside immediately
g the main motion or its amended version may be taken up at some later time on presentation of a written motion to do so
3
"THAT THE CHAIRPERSON'S RULING BE DISAGREED WITH"
a the motion shall be seconded
b the chairperson shall, immediately upon the motion being seconded, vacate the chair, and appoint a temporary chairperson
c the mover of the motion to disagree
shall speak to the motion and the chairperson shall reply
d after the chairperson has spoken the motion shall be put to the vote without further debate. The motion shall be "That the chairperson's ruling be upheld"
4
"THAT STANDING ORDERS (OR A STANDING ORDER) BE SUSPENDED"
a the motion may be moved at any time
b the motion shall be seconded
c discussion is permitted through the chairperson
d a time limit for discussion will be set by the chairperson
e the motion requires a two-thirds majority of a quorate meeting of those present and eligible to vote
5
"TO WITHDRAW APPOINTED DELEGATE'S PROXY VOTE AUTHORITY"
a the motion may be moved on return, or arrival, of an appointed delegate
b the motion must be moved between discussions on motions, resolutions or proposals or at the start of a session of the congress
c the motion may not be moved while another person is speaking
d the motion need not be seconded
e the chair shall ensure that the person proposing the withdrawal is indeed an appointed delegate
f the National Secretary shall minute the time and date of the withdrawal
g the appointed delegate shall sign the withdrawal section of the Proxy Vote Authority Form
9 General
A. Any motion, or, question of order of procedure, not provided for, or, not fully provided for, in these standing orders shall be determined by the chair by ruling.
B. The chairperson shall ensure that a quorum in accordance with the Union's Constitution is present while business is being transacted.
C. The chairperson, upon concluding that, or holding the opinion that, any motion, resolution or
proposal is in conflict with any policy already adopted by the Union, shall inform the meeting of this fact.
D. The minutes shall be confirmed at the next meeting of the same nature (ie Congressional, NEC, BEC etc) and having been adopted and signed and dated as correct, including any amendments to previous minutes, by the chairperson shall be conclusive proof of the proceedings described
therein
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