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A usttzalian Svstematic Bottlhlf Societl( NewslettEar No. 104 SEPTEMBEFl 2000 Pric:e : $5.00 ISS N 1034-1218 • AUSTRALIAN SYSTEMATIC BOT ANY SOCIETY INCORPORATED Office Bearers President Vice President Dr B.J. Conn Bill Barker Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney Plant Biodiversity Centre Mrs Macquaries Road Dept for Environment, Heritage & Aboriginal Sydney NSW 2000 Affairs tel: (02) 9231 8131 Hackney Road fax: (02) 9241 2797 Hackney SA 5069 email: [email protected] tel: 08 82229303 Secretary fax: 08 82229353 email: [email protected] Mrs R.M. Barker Plant Biodiversity Centre Treasurer Dept for Environment, Heritage & Aboriginal Affairs Elizabeth Brown Hackney Road Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney Hackney SA 5069 Mrs Macquaries Road Sydney NSW 2000 tel: 08 82229348 email: [email protected] .au fax: 08 82229353 email: [email protected] Councillor Councillor Kristina Lemson Dept of Botany Bob Makinson University of Western Australia Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Nedlands, WA 6907 CSIRO, GPO Box 1600, Canberra, ACT 2601 email: [email protected] email: [email protected] Affiliate Society Papua New Guinea Botanical Society Australian Botanical Liaison Officer Public Officer and Membership Officer Dr R. Chinnock Mr A. Lyne Herbarium Australian National Herbarium Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB GPO Box 1600 England Canberra, ACT 2601 tel: 44-181-3325270 tel: (02) 62465508 fax: 44-181-3325278 fax: (02) 62465249 email: [email protected] email: [email protected] ASBS Web site: http:/ /www.anbg.gov.au/asbs Australian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter 104 (September 2000) ASBS INC BUSINESS Minutes of the 22nd Annual General Meeting of the Australian Systematic Botany Society, Inc. Held on Thursday 9th June, 2000 in Caley Seminar five months of the end of the financial year. Room, National Herbarium of NSW, Royal Botanic Unfortunately, this requirement means that the last Gardens, Sydney. seven AGMs were not constitutional. Therefore, ever since we were incorporated in 1993, the Meeting opened at 6.05 p.m. The President welcomed Society has not held constitutional AGMs. Since we the 13 members present. are a small Society, with members scattered throughout Australia and Overseas, it has proved Apologies very difficult for us to satisfy this legal requirement. Joy Everett, David Morrison, Barbara Wiecek, Murray Henwood, David Mabberley, Kathie There is also a legal requirement for the audited Downs, Bryan Simon, Surrey Jacobs, Elizabeth accounts of the Society to be lodged with the Brown, Kristina Lemson, Alex George. Registrar-General (in the A.C.T.) within 6 months of the end of the financial year. As a consequence of Minutes of the 1999 Annual General Meeting the AGMs being regarded as the deadlines, our It was proposed that the minutes of the 21st Annual failure to submit the audited accounts on time General Meeting (as published in the Australian results in the Society incurring a late-fee. The Systematic Botany Society Newsletter Number 101) penalty is currently set at $200. be accepted. Proposed: Tim Entwisle; seconded: Jenny Hart. Carried. The Society is also non-compliant with the Constitution in the area of categories of membership. Business arising from minutes The Society has created "Institutional" and "Retired There was no business arising from the minutes. and unemployed" member categories but these have not been defined within the Constitution. President's Report Since the current council of Australian Systematic Council has agreed to review the Society's Botany Society Inc. was appointed in December procedures and protocols as defined by the "Name, 1999, this President's report covers less than six Object and Rules of the Australian Systematic months. I would like to acknowledge the Botany Society Inc.", in association with the outstanding work of the last Council and sincerely "Associations Incorporation Act 1991" and other thank each of them for the significant contribution legislation referred to by this Act. It has been agreed that they have made. The current Council members to complete the following actions by the end of look forward to assisting in the growth of the December 2000: Society. Building on the achievements of previous 1. To complete the review of the Constitution Councils will do this. 2. To comply with the Act 3. To develop guidelines for Council and A review of the Society's Constitution has subcommittees appointed by Council highlighted a problem that requires resolution as 4. To present recommendations to the Membership soon as possible. In particular, the Council has recognised that the Society is not meeting its Although the above issues are legally serious, I obligations under its "Name, Object and Rules of the would like to stress that all previous Councils have Australian Systematic Botany Society Inc." (namely, been extremely diligent in applying the spirit of the Constitution) or the "Associations Constitution in all matters. Our aim is to satisfy the Incorporation Act 1991" (namely, the Act). Constitution and the Act while ensuring the future development of the Society. One of the important areas where the Society has failed to meet the requirements of the Constitution and the Act is that we have to hold the AGM within 1 Australian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter 104 (September 2000) Treasurer's Report In view of the increased Newsletter costs the Bill Barker presented the Treasurers Report in Treasurer recommended that subscriptions be Elizabeth's absence. increased to $40 and $20 for regular and student membership respectively. Peter Wilson asked whether we needed to reapply Proposed: Bill Barker. Seconded: Karen Wilson. for tax deductibility. Treasurer to check. Carried unanimously. Karen Wilson pointed out the need to take out GST Treasurer's Report for the 12 Months ended 31 ~ the Eichle: awards and suggested talking to the Lmnean Soc1ety of NSW about this. She also December 1999 intimated that there would be some money donated to the Eichler Research Fund from the Monocot Presented to the Annual General Meeting, Conference proceeds. Sydney, 9th June 2000 Peter.Wilson asked a?out the strategy for managing Introduction the E1chler Fund, which could not be answered in My apologies for not being present to personally the absence of the treasurer. Karen Wilson pointed deliver this report. Unfortunately I was committed out that the Linnean Society of NSW in the face of to a trip to Lord Howe Island long before the date falling numbers and hence subscriptions, took out a for this meeting was decided. Bill Barker agreed to fee from the Research fund for its administration. give the report on my behalf. Peter Jobson asked whether all merchandise had I would like to thank the previous treasurer, John now been written off. This was thought to be the Clarkson, for his magnificent work during his case, but to be checked with John Clarkson. period as treasurer. It is quite obvious, looking at the figures, how the finances of the Society have There seemed to be a mistake in the figures improved whilst in his care. We have experienced concerning the Conifer Books ($20 return in 1999 some difficulties in the handover between seems odd in view of the $60 price tag for this book). treasurers, the most significant being the auditor To be brought to the notice of the Treasurer. retaining all the books for a period of nearly six months (and the bank's inability to change Discussion centred about the increased costs of the addresses despite repeated requests). r:e"':sletter, the figures for 1998 for 4 issues being s1rrular to those of 1999 for only 3 issues and the The finances of this society are run on the calendar 2000 figures for 3 Newsletters already exceeding year so the figures being presented to you are for the those of both 1998 and 1999. year 01 Jan 1999 to 31 Dec 1999. Membership Fee Full Concessional Gratis Total Ordinary 219 (71) 40 (9) 0 259 (80) Student NA 47 (29) 0 47 (29) Institutional 11 (1) NA 15 26 (1) Life NA NA 1 1 Total 230 (72) 87 (38) 16 333 (110) Table 1. Membership of Australian Systematic Botany Society 01 June 2000 (unfinancial members in brackets). 2 Australian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter 104 (September 2000) There has been a small increase in new members for GST. This was done on the basis of advice from (seven, four of them students) and two members have an Australian Tax Office official who stated quite resigned to go to other countries. Approximately clearly that he was not allowed to advise us not to one third of members are still unfinancial half way apply for registration. The gist of his advice was through the year. So late payment remains a that while registration would allow us to reclaim problem, as does the static membership number. the increased costs of postage and printing of the newsletter we would also have to charge GST on General Fund membership fees, student grants, workshops and Income grants to conferences etc. It doesn't take much The amount of interest the Society received in 1999 financial acumen to realise we would paying out was significantly better than in 1998. As people more tax than we were gaining in tax relief. will be well aware, rates have increased over the last 6 months and we can expect further The situation will be kept under review. improvement in 2000. Current Assets in the General Fund The trading statement for 1999 has shown a modest The Society held at the close of 1999 assets of profit as the Society continues to divest itself of it's $37,589 ($36,569 in cash, $1,040 in books). stocks of books and merchandise. Research Fund Expenditure The Research Fund continues to show healthy When looking at the expenditure it should be noted growth.