Incorporating an association |
To incorporate an association in Queensland, you must be a:
- group with at least seven members
- not-for-profit association.
To incorporate, an association needs to convene a general meeting. At this meeting, several decisions must be made. An association must:
- pass a motion to incorporate by resolution
- choose an appropriate name
- adopt a set of operating rules
- elect a President, Secretary and Treasurer (two different people must hold the President and Treasurer positions)
- lodge Association Incorporation Form 1 - Application for incorporation of an association (PDF, 337 KB)
- pay the $124.00 fee
- have an address in Queensland where documents can be personally served.
The normal processing time for an application is 3-4 weeks, unless we need to contact you for more information.
Pass a resolution to incorporate
To incorporate, an association must pass a resolution. The resolution needs a three-quarters majority vote to pass.
Choose a name
Incorporated association names must:
- contain only English characters
- not be easily mistaken for the name of another incorporated association, business name, cooperative name or identical to an Australian organisation name
- have the word ´Incorporated´ or the abbreviation ´Inc.´ at the end of the name.
For restrictions on the use of certain names, see the Associations Incorporation Act 1981 and the Associations Incorporation Regulation 1999.
Adopt a set of rules
All incorporated associations must have a set of operating rules. These rules are sometimes known as the incorporated association´s constitution. This written set of rules outlines the incorporated association´s operations, its members´ rights, how the management committee works and how meetings will be run.
You may use either the model rules or you can write your own rules. The model rules are a standard set of rules that an incorporated association can use instead of writing their own.
If you use the model rules, the only details you can change are:
- the name of the incorporated association
- the name of the unincorporated association
- the objects of the incorporated association
- the financial year of the incorporated association
- the classes of membership.
If your association plans to use the model rules, you must complete Appendix B on the application for incorporation. If your association writes its own rules, you must complete Appendix A.
The rules become effective once your association is incorporated.
Elect a management committee
Your rules must set out provisions for electing the management committee including:
- how committee members are elected and appointed
- terms of office of committee members
- grounds or reasons for which a committee position may become vacant
- filling casual vacancies occurring on the committee.
In accordance with the rules, your association should elect its committee members. The management committee will usually consist of, at minimum, a President, Treasurer and Secretary.
Last reviewed 01/07/2011 |
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