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Local Arts Leaders Reference Group – Terms of Reference

Purpose

The Local Arts Leaders Community Reference Group will provide input into:

  • Council Plan engagement opportunities
  • Arts and Cultural Strategy review
  • Bunjil Place Business Plan
  • Subcommittees, or selection panels as appointed
  • Other relevant arts and cultural strategic planning documents
     

 Objectives

The objectives of the Group are to:

  • Contribute to discussions and the periodic review of Council’s arts and cultural strategies, policies, development of programs and services
  • Raise emerging needs or issues representative of the arts and cultural community
  • Facilitate communication about arts and cultural related matters between community representatives and Council
  • Contribute to the development and enhancement of a strong, recognisable public profile for the arts in Casey

All members represent the community interest and not individual or sectional interests.

Council will ultimately determine the matters having regard to the advice of the Group.

Definitions

Key term

Definition

Council

means Casey City Council, being a body corporate constituted as a municipal Council under the Local Government Act 2020

 

Council officer

means the Chief Executive Officer and staff of Council appointed by the Chief Executive Officer.

 

Group

Means the Local Arts Leaders Community Reference Group

 

Membership and Term of Appointment

Membership shall be as follows:

  • Council Officers
  • A maximum of 12 Community Representative/s from the Local Casey Community reflecting
  • A representative from each of the following organisations:
  • a balance of arts and cultural disciplines, creative expressions and experiences
  • representation of all levels of involvement including recreation and professional
  • the demographics of the municipality
  • the geographic diversity of Casey

Group members will be appointed for a term of 3 years. Any Group member may resign at any time by advising his or her resignation to the Group in writing.  Council will be responsible for appointing any person to fill such a casual vacancy for the remainder of term for the Group.

Council’s will make efforts to ensure Group members can access, understand, and contribute feedback in a way that is appropriate, productive, and respectful.

Reasonable support such as translators, childcare or transportation will be considered when needed to enable participation. Consideration will also be given to time and location of engagement activities to ensure accessibility.

Community Member Selection Process

Community representatives shall be selected through an expression of interest process that is advertised in local newspapers, on Council’s website, Council’s social media and other relevant electronic forums as deemed appropriate, and through networks relating to the Groups areas of interest.

An assessment panel of Council officers will select community representatives to sit on the Group.

Community membership on the Group will be based on the following criteria. Members must:

  • have an association with and understanding of the arts and cultural aspects of the
    Casey community
  • have familiarity with Council’s arts related policies, and a knowledge of Council’s
    current arts and cultural activities and events
  • demonstrate capacity to consider the direction of cultural opportunities in a fair
    and equitable manner
  • be able to work as part of a team.

Membership Voting Rights and Decision Making

For voting purposes, the Chairperson shall accept motions duly moved and seconded by members of the Group, with the vote taken by a show of hands. Council officers and guests do not have voting rights.

A quorum of members is not less than fifty percent of the number of members of the Group who are entitled to vote. If a quorum is not present within half an hour after the scheduled commencement time of the Group meeting, the meeting is to be abandoned.

Consensus decision making is preferred. However, all members are entitled to vote and a matter may be voted upon at the discretion of the Chairperson, who shall have casting vote in the event of an equal number of votes.

Chairperson

The position of Chairperson shall be filled by a Council Officer.

Meetings

Unless otherwise determined the Group shall meet twice a year, approximately every six month with meetings of up to two hours duration. In the circumstance that Council Officers are required to call an extraordinary meeting, all members of the Group will where possible be given two weeks’ notice of the meeting.

Meetings of the Group are restricted to members appointed by Council and Officers, unless otherwise determined by the Group for an appropriate reason.

For voting purposes, the Chairperson shall accept motions duly moved and seconded from members of the Committee and the vote taken by a show of hands.  Council officers and other attendees do not have voting rights.

Sub-committees, Working Groups and Selection Panel Representation

Membership of sub-committees, working groups and selection panel representation is limited to members of the Group. Sub-committee and working group meetings are not minuted, but a report must report to the next Group meeting.

Current subcommittees and Selection Panel Representation

  • Winter Arts Festival sub-committee
  • Art Spaces Exhibition program selection panel – one member representative
  • Arts and Cultural Development Grants selection panel – up to two member representatives
  • Lindsay King Award nomination review and selection – one member representative

Administration, Agendas and Minutes

All secretariat tasks for the Group will be undertaken by Council Officers appointed by the relevant department manager.

Agendas and minutes of previous meetings shall be forwarded to members at least five working days before the meeting.

Volunteers

Committee members other than Council staff are volunteers.

Following appointment committee members, must sign a declaration that they will abide by any guidelines approved by the Chief Executive Officer to cover the conduct of volunteers, including the avoidance of conflicts of interest; and undertake training and skills development as required. Council’s Code of Conduct for volunteers must also be complied with and a copy of the Code must be provided to all new members.

Conflicts of Interest

If a member has a General or Material conflict of interest (i.e. interest by close association, financial interest, conflicting duty, personal gain or loss, or future interest as stated in Section 127 and 128 of the Local Government Act 2020) regarding an item to be considered or discussed by the Group, the member must disclose this to the Chairperson if they are attending the meeting.

Once a declaration of either a direct or indirect conflict of interest has been made, the member must leave the room and remain outside until the conclusion of the relevant discussion.  The time the member leaves the room and returns to the room must be recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

If a member of the Group nominates themselves for Council elections they must stand down from their Group position from the time of declaring the nomination until the result of the election is announced.

Limitations of Authority

The Group has no authority to:

  • Expend moneys on behalf of Council
  • Commit Council to any arrangement
  • Consider any matter outside these terms of reference
  • Direct Council officers in the performance of their duties.

Publicity

Members of the Community Reference Group who are approached to provide comment on the items discussed by the Community Reference Group must make clear their response is a personal view, rather than the collective view of the Community Reference Group.

All media enquiries seeking a formal position of Council should be referred to Council’s Communications and Marketing Department for response at [email protected]

Responsibilities

Who

What

Manager Bunjil Place

Providing administrative support as required

Code of Conduct

All members and guests of the Group are expected to act with integrity, objectivity, openness and honesty. In addition, members are requested to:

• agree to work within the CRG’s Terms of Reference

• arrive on time and stay for the duration of meetings

• commit to attend all meetings or provide advance notice of non attendance

• respect the rights of other members to express their views, even if they are different from their own

• respect the confidentiality of items of business which the group may determine are confidential in nature

• agree to have their details published in materials relating to the CRG

• abide by the CRG’s media and public speaking protocol; and

• abide by Council’s policies if attending a Council site.

Council may terminate the membership of members who do not respect the format, scope or conduct of the Group meetings or renounce their membership and nominate an alternative. 

Breaches

Any breaches of these terms of reference will be handled in accordance with the, Code of Conduct for Volunteers and Staff Code of Conduct

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