Clauses the Act now makes compulsory
- The name of the society and its purposes.
- How a person becomes a member, and how membership ends.
- How the committee is elected or appointed, and what disqualifies an officer.
- A dispute resolution procedure meeting the Act’s minimum standards — the clause 1908-era rules almost never have.
- A contact person the Registrar can reach, and how that person is appointed.
- How the constitution itself may be amended.
- What happens to surplus assets if the society is wound up.
Why the old rules will not do
Most 1908 Act rulebooks predate all of this. Dispute resolution in particular is new, and a generic clause saying the committee decides will not satisfy the requirement. The Act sets out what a compliant procedure has to look like.
A template is a starting point, not the answer
A downloaded template still has to reflect how your society actually runs. A constitution describing a committee structure your club does not have creates a governance problem the moment anyone reads it carefully.
Common questions
Can we reuse our old rules?
Only as source material. The old rules tell you the society's purposes and traditions; the new constitution has to be rebuilt against the 2022 Act's mandatory content list.
How many members do we need?
The 2022 Act requires a minimum of 10 members.
Societies this applies to
Real entries from the register, all removed without ever reregistering: