# The Research Software Engineer Australia-New Zealand (RSE-AUNZ)

## Membership and Governance

Last revised date: Jan 25, 2022
Initial Acceptance: TBD

### Organisational Mission

The Research Software Engineer Australia-New Zealand (RSE-AUNZ) Association is an inclusive community that strives to:

* Maintain an active, diverse, sustainable RSE Community.
* Explore the role of RSEs within the eResearch, Academic, and Professional context.
* Form a connection between communities: people and organisations.
* Obtain recognition for RSE-AUNZ and its role.

### Code of Conduct

All members of the RSE-AUNZ community are required to follow the
[RSE-AUNZ Code of Conduct](https://rse-aunz.github.io/code-of-conduct/) in all RSE-AUNZ activities, forums, and communications. As stated in our Code of Conduct, we welcome and encourage members regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religion, or national and ethnic origin.

### Membership

Membership in the RSE-AUNZ community is simply joining the moderated email list. Membership is open to anyone who satisfy the following criteria:

1. identify as an RSE working within Australia, New Zealand or nearby regions without an RSE community
2. some verifiable connection to the research ecosystem

The current Steering Committee reserves the right to limit communication that violates the RSE-AUNZ [Code of Conduct](https://rse-aunz.github.io/code-of-conduct/)], and may temporarily suspend or permanently revoke the membership for offenders.

### Steering Committee Roles and Number

The Steering Committee consists of eight spots with the following kinds of roles:
- two co-Chairs, one each representing New Zealand and Australia
- one Secretary
- five ordinary members

The Steering Committee has the following responsiblities:

* The Steering Committee is responsible for setting the overall policy, activities and the direction of the RSE-AUNZ community
* Members of the Steering Committee have the ability to grant or remove administrative rights for
RSE-AUNZ affiliated accounts and communication channels including but not limited to:

* The RSE-AUNZ google group
* The rse-aunz.org domain and website
* All repositories in the RSE-AUNZ GitHub organisation
* All mailboxes associated with the rse-aunz.org domain name
* Any other official accounts intended to represent the overall organisation, now or in the future (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)

The Steering Committee strives for consensus in its decisions. In the case of a dispute or argument within the community, a majority vote of all of the Steering Committee members will result in a final decision. In the event of a tie, the Steering Committee needs to seek out less fractious options, or wait for another meeting if the voting preferences for *all* Steering Committee members are not known (e.g., some Committee members are absent). At all Committee meetings, quorum is at least one half of the members.

### Steering Committee Elections and Terms

Steering committee members are elected to a 2-year term. To provide continuity, steering committee members will have staggered terms, with four or five members elected each year.

Nominations for open positions will be solicited from all members at least 6 weeks before the election. The list of nominated candidates will be announced at least 3 weeks before the election. All US-RSE members in good standing on the date that the nominations are opened are eligible to be nominated as candidates.

### Voting

When electing Steering Committee members, or when other membership elections take place, each RSE AUNZ member in good standing will be entitled to one vote.

### Steering Committee Meetings and Communication

Steering Committee meetings will take place at a minimum of once per quarter, and typically will be held monthly. All Steering Committee meetings will have notes recorded and made publicly available to the community. The tallies of any votes of the Steering Committee will also be made available.

#### Chairs

The Chairs will set the agenda and preside over Steering Committee meetings or arrange for another Steering Committee member to do so.

[needs checking >> ](/5rks3MyMSbqWGQ5eLZ-Yig)

Who is responsible for ensuring the community is kept informed of Association activities through
regular newsletters, social media posts, etc. In addition, the Vice-Chair will annually prepare a
report of Association activities in the past year.

#### Returning Officer for Elections

The Returning Officer will be responsible for collecting nominations for Steering Committee elections, running such elections, and running other polls as required. The Returning Officer will be appointed by the Steering Committee from an external organisation (e.g., ARDC, NeSI, AeRO).

[needs checking >>](/iooU5ycJRZWuiGYq7j1nLA)
#### Treasurer

The Treasurer will be responsible for the finances of the US-RSE Association. The Treasurer will present an
overall budget for approval by the Steering Committee in advance of the Annual General Meeting, and
then present this budget to the US-RSE membership in the Annual General Meeting.
The Treasurer additionally has the authority to authorize spending (as previously approved in the budget)
of US-RSE funds held by our Fiscal Sponsor, as do the Chair and Vice-Chair.

#### Secretary

The Secretary will be responsible for ensuring that notes are taken in each meeting of the Committee
and published after the meeting. In the absence of the Secretary, the presiding officer of the
meeting will appoint another member to take on this responsibility.

### Resignations

A Steering Committee member may choose to resign by informing the Steering Committee Chair via
email. Additionally, the Steering Committee Chair can resign by informing the full committee via
email. The resignation will take effect at the time specified in the notice, and, unless otherwise
specified, formal acceptance of the resignation is not necessary.

### Removal

Steering Committee members can be removed by a two-thirds (⅔) vote of the full Steering Committee.
In the event that that Committee is considering the removal of the Chair, the Vice-Chair will preside.

### Vacancies

If a seat on the Steering Committee becomes vacant, the remaining members of the Steering Committee may choose to appoint someone to fill the position for the remainder of the term. If the Steering Committee chooses to fill the position, the replacement will be chosen by a majority vote of the remaining members of the Steering Committee. In the event that a majority vote cannot be achieved, the seat shall remain open until the end of the seat's term.

[needs checking](/iC-ETGsgRYyH_zKwE_yQKw)
## Committees, Working Groups, and Community Involvement

Organisational functions of the US-RSE Association will be managed by standing committees that may consist of one or more members of the Steering Committee and interested members of and participants in the Association. These organizational activities include communications (website, social media, etc.), conference planning, and others to be determined by the Steering Committee.

Other activities, events, and efforts that have a fixed end date will be managed by working groups. These working groups can and should be initiated by members at large through discussion with the
Steering Committee to ensure alignment with US-RSE priorities. Working groups should have at least three (3) RSE-AUNZ members as participants.

## Changes to Governance

Minor revisions to this document can be made with the approval of at least two-thirds (⅔) of the current steering committee members. Major changes to the governance structure or this document will requirea vote of the membership directly.

## Ratification

Details and names will appear here after being published.