“Unfair practices” in some community groups may be part of the price we pay for their independence, according to a response in state parliament from Attorney General and Nanango MP Deb Frecklington.
Her comments last week came just before news broke of major ructions in the Noosa Surf Club, which was established in 1930 with volunteer backing from nearby areas, including Cooroy and Gympie.
The Noosa Heads Lifesaving Club, as it later became, was originally called the Cooroy Royal Life Saving and Surf Club, according to its officially recognised history, by Robert Longhurst.
The petition was not connected to any specifics about the Noosa club, which is reportedly now subject to a probe into allegations of a “toxic culture.”
The petition was signed by 495 petitioners seeking legal changes “to restrict unfair practices in some incorporated associations.”
Ms Frecklington acknowledged that behaviour within some groups could be “harmful” but it was “important that the legislation governing incorporated associations balances such concerns against the value of a framework that supports the independence of associations and recognises the rights of members to determine (its) direction.
“Decisions about the best approach for an incorporated association are best left to its members rather than being mandated for them through amendments to the (law).
“In circumstances where the member’s rights as a member of the association are impacted, the Act already provides (at section 71) that the association must follow the rules of natural justice, also known as procedural fairness.”
This required that members be aware of any proposal which could impact them.
