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Statute 8.2 - Elections to Faculty Boards

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(1) The Executive Dean of the relevant Faculty shall appoint from time to time a suitable person (hereinafter referred to as the "Electoral Officer") to have the management and supervision of all elections of:

  1. the Academic Staff members elected by and from Level D and E academic staff of the Faculty (excluding those academic staff who are members of the Faculty Board ex officio) to hold office as a member of the relevant Faculty Board under clause (4)(e) of Statute 2.6 - Governing Bodies: The Faculties; and
  2. no more than two Academic Staff members elected by and from Level A, B and C academic staff of the Faculty to hold office as a member of the relevant Faculty Board under clause (4)(f) of Statute 2.6 - Governing Bodies: The Faculties
and the person so appointed shall to that end have and exercise all the powers and duties of a returning officer.

(2) The Electoral Officer shall not during the period of their appointment as such be eligible to stand for election to the relevant Faculty Board.

(3) The electorate for an election of Academic Staff members referred to in clause (1)(a) shall consist of all continuing and fixed term full-time and part-time academic staff employed at Level D and E in the Faculty for which elections are taking place.

(4) The electorate for an election of Academic Staff members referred to in clause (1)(b) shall consist of all continuing and fixed term full-time and part-time academic staff employed at Levels A to C in the Faculty for which elections are taking place.

Election Procedures

(5) When a vacancy occurs for a position on a Faculty Board requiring it to be filled by election pursuant to clauses (4)(e) and (4)(f) of Statute 2.6 - Governing Bodies: The Faculties, the Electoral Officer shall:

  1. prepare a timeline of not less than five (5) weeks in total including:
    1. a period to call for nominations (not less than two (2) weeks);
    2. one week for the preparation of a ballot; and
    3. a period of not less than two (2) weeks to conduct a ballot (the Election Period); and
  2. call for nominations of members of the relevant Academic Staff Electorate, by a notice published not less than five (5) weeks before the last day of the Election Period or such longer period as determined by the Electoral Officer.
  3. the call for nominations will specify the closing date and time in Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) or Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) and be communicated to the relevant electorate in the manner determined by the Electoral Officer.

(6) Nominations:

  1. must be made by the staff member who wishes to be elected via self-nomination;
  2. must be in the form or to the effect of Schedule A: Nomination Form;
  3. may be transmitted electronically in accordance with any directions contained in the call for nominations; and
  4. be received at the office of the Electoral Officer not later than the time and date specified in the call for nominations being a day at least three (3) weeks before the last day of the Election Period.

(7) If the number of qualified persons nominated (less any who withdraw or cease to be qualified) does not exceed the number of vacancies:

  1. the Electoral Officer shall declare those persons duly elected; and
  2. a Faculty Board may resolve to appoint qualified academic staff members, on the recommendation of the Executive Dean, for the stated terms of office to fill remaining vacancies; and declare those persons duly elected.

Elections (ballots)

(8) If the number of qualified persons nominated exceeds the number of vacancies, the Electoral Officer shall conduct a ballot. If, before the beginning of the Election Period, a person so nominated withdraws their nomination or ceases to be qualified then in either case the Electoral Officer shall remove the name of that person from the ballot.

(9) The Electoral Officer shall issue a Notice of Election in the form or to the effect of Schedule B: Notice of Election not less than two (2) weeks before the last day of the Election Period or such longer period as determined by the Electoral Officer (stated in AEST or AEDT).

(10) Any Election Notice required by this Statute shall be issued:

  1. by email to members of the relevant electorate(s);
  2. published by such additional means as determined by the Electoral Officer.

(11) The voting system will be full preferential and voting will be conducted on an anonymous basis.

(12) A ballot paper shall be in the form or to the effect of Schedule C: Ballot Paper with the names of candidates listed in alphabetical order by last name.

(13) The Election Notice may include a biographical statement (candidate statement) of not more than 250 words for each candidate.

(14) A candidate may provide a suitable photograph to accompany their candidate statement.

(15) The election may be conducted electronically or using ballot papers.

(16) If the election is conducted using ballot papers, the election period referred to in clause (5) will be the date specified for the receipt of the ballot papers.

(17) Subject to clause (18), no vote cast after the Election Period shall be examined or counted.

(18) Should any two of the Chancellor, the Pro-Chancellor, the Vice-Chancellor and President or the Electoral Officer form the opinion in respect of a particular election that the operation of any Section of this Statute has been affected by any strike, lockout or similar action, they may direct that votes cast up to a time nominated by them, being no more than seven (7) days after the Election Period, may be examined and counted in the election.

(19) The manner of counting the votes shall be as follows:

  1. If no candidate has more than half of the votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is excluded. This candidate's votes are transferred to the other candidates according to the second preferences of voters for the excluded candidate. If still no candidate has more than half the votes, the candidate who now has the fewest votes is excluded and the votes are transferred according to the next preference shown. This process continues until one (1) candidate has more than half the total number of formal votes and is elected.
  2. If no candidate receives more than half of the votes, all preferences are counted and the candidate with the most votes is elected.
  3. If the election is for more than one position, the process of distributing preferences is continued in accordance with (a) and (b) until only the number of candidates required to fill the vacancies remain,
  4. If there is a tie and the number of tied candidates is greater than the number of vacancies remaining unfilled, the numbers allocated to each such tied candidate shall be compared and the tied candidate with the greatest number of first preferences awarded shall be elected, or if no one tied candidate has a greater number of first preferences awarded than any other tied candidate then the tied candidate with the greatest number of second preferences awarded shall be elected; and so forth until candidates are elected.

(20) In the event that the foregoing counting of votes shall fail to result in the election of a candidate, the Executive Dean of the relevant Faculty shall at their sole discretion select one among the tied candidates and the person so selected shall be deemed to have been elected under this Statute.

(21) The Electoral Officer shall declare the result of the election to the relevant electorate once the result of the ballot is determined.

(22) When a casual vacancy occurs in respect of elected positions on a Faculty Board, the following process is to be followed:

  1. Where possible, a casual vacancy will be filled by the staff member who, in the immediately preceding election, polled the next highest number of votes to the staff member to be replaced;
  2. If the casual vacancy is not able to be filled through application of clause (22)(a), the Faculty Board may resolve to appoint a qualified academic staff member to fill the vacancy, on the recommendation of the Executive Dean, for the remainder of the stated terms of office.
ORIGINATED BY SENATE RESOLUTION: 91/83
DATED: 29-30 October 1991
AMENDMENT NO: 7
SENATE RESOLUTION: S 2023/038
DATED: 2 November 2023