Standing Orders of the Southern Cross University Council
1. Agenda Items
Except in emergencies as determined by the Chancellor, notice of items
for discussion shall be conveyed by letter to the Secretary to Council
14 days before a meeting. Such items received from members of the Council,
shall form part of the Agenda. The Chancellor shall have discretion
in determining whether or not submissions from elsewhere shall be accepted
for consideration by the Council.
2. Distribution of Agenda
Distribution of the Agenda prior to meetings shall be restricted to
members of the Council, Cost Centre Heads, Senior Executive Staff and
the Minute Secretary. Observers’ agenda shall be available for
perusal prior to meetings by staff and the media, in the LIC, staff
rooms and the Secretary to Council’s Office, and by students in
the LIC and the offices of student organisations on all campuses.
3. Quorum
A majority of the total number of members for the time being of the
Council constitutes a quorum.
4. Postponement of Meetings
Any meeting of the Council shall be postponed if, one hour after the
time set for the meeting, insufficient members are present to constitute
a quorum. A time and place for the postponed meeting will be set at
which meeting, if a quorum is not present within one hour after the
time set for the meeting, the Chancellor may legally proceed without
the necessary quorum.
5. Observers
(a) Council meetings are open to the public, except
when matters are considered in committee, but shall not be filmed or
otherwise electronically recorded.
(b) A person who is not a member of the Council shall
not be permitted to address the Council unless application is made in
writing and approved by the Chancellor. An application not made in writing
may be accepted by the Chancellor or by the Council by resolution passed
by a majority of the members present.
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6. Order of Business
The business of the meeting shall be considered in the order set out
on the agenda except that the order of items may be changed with the
approval of the Council. Consideration of items on the agenda may be
deferred.
7. Motions
(a) The Chair has discretion regarding the acceptance
of motions. The Chair’s discretionary ruling may be reversed if
the majority of the members present support a motion to this effect.
(b) All notices of motion accepted by the Chair shall
appear on the business paper for the meeting concerned. These motions
shall be given to the Secretary to Council in writing and shall contain
the signature of the proposer.
(c) A motion which is ruled by the Chair to have
the effect of amending or rescinding a previous resolution of the Council
or altering policy shall not normally be accepted except as a notice
of motion for a subsequent meeting.
(d) Except for a motion from the Chair, a motion
must be seconded before there may be any discussion.
(e) A point of order accepted by the Chair takes
precedence over all other discussion.
(f) Amendments shall be considered prior to a vote
on the substantive motion.
(g) All amendments must be relevant to the original
motion and no amendment may directly negate the substantive motion or
the original motion.
(h) Whenever an amendment is moved upon the original
proposal, no further amendment shall be voted on until the first amendment
has been disposed of.
(i) Motions or amendments may be withdrawn by the
proposer with the approval of the seconder and with the consent of the
members.
(j) Though there is a motion before the Council and
whether or not there is an amendment to the motion before the Council,
it may be moved and seconded by persons who have not hitherto participated
in the motion or amendment:
(i) “That the Council does now adjourn”;
(ii) “That the Council proceed to the next business”;
(iii) “That the question be put”, provided that at least
two people have spoken for and two people against the motion.
Such a motion shall not be moved while a member is speaking. It shall
be put to the vote without discussion.
If (i) is carried the Council shall forthwith determine the time and
place for the meeting to be resumed.
If (ii) is carried the matter may not be raised again except as a formal
item of business at a subsequent meeting. If it is lost, discussion
may continue and the same motion shall not be proposed again during
the discussion until a period of 15 minutes has elapsed.
If (iii) is carried the question shall be put forthwith.
(k) The Chair may request the proposer of a motion
to submit the motion in writing.
(l) A motion for making, rescinding or amending a
standing order shall not be made except in pursuance of notice given
at the previous meeting of the Council, or conveyed to the Secretary
to Council in writing within 14 clear days before the meeting, and a
resolution for any such purpose shall require a simple majority of the
members present.
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8. Right to Address the Chair
(a) Prior to the closure of a debate a right of reply
shall be allowed only to a proposer of a substantive motion and such
reply shall close the relevant debate.
(b) Except at the discretion of the Chair a member
other than the proposer of a substantive motion may not speak more than
once to a question before the meeting.
(c) At the discretion of the Chair a speaker may
be asked to yield the floor on a point of information.
9. Voting
Voting will normally be on the voices except that any member may request
a show of hands, and a majority of members present may request a secret
ballot.
Elections for office bearers shall be by secret ballot. Voting shall
be on a “first past the post” basis. Where more than one
position is to be filled, the positions will be voted on seriatim.
A motion shall be declared carried, apart from motions for suspension
of a standing order and continuation of a meeting after 5.00 pm, if
it receives a simple majority of votes cast. The Chair shall have a
deliberative vote and, in the event of a tie, the right of casting vote.
10. Decisions
Decisions of the Council shall be made on the result of a vote on:
(a) a motion prior notice of which has been given
in the business paper; or
(b) a formal seconded motion arising from the business
of the meeting.
11. Suspension of Standing Orders
In exceptional circumstances the Chair may move the suspension of Standing
Orders.
A resolution for the suspension of a standing order shall require
a two-thirds majority of the members present.
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