Do members need to sign in?

This guide is for club secretaries and volunteers who keep, or wonder about, a sign-in book. A member here means anyone registered with an Australian croquet club, in any state.

The steps below are how clubs record visitors under Croquet Australia's Temporary Member Policy.

How clubs do it

1. Who: Come & Try visitors, beginners at lessons, guests who play at a club hire, and players from overseas.
2. What: full name, club, date, email or phone, and the type of session. Leaders of school and corporate groups give their details. For a club hire, the organiser gives a guest list.
3. When: Come & Try visitors and beginners at the start of their first lesson or session, by Croquet Australia's QR code or written down by the club.
4. How often: up to 6 visits in a calendar year.
5. How long: records are kept at least a year. Hand-kept records go to Croquet Australia each quarter; QR records do not.

Members

The V-Insurance Individuals Summary of Cover 2025/2026 covers registered members during sanctioned croquet activities, for the 2026 policy year (the programme runs to 31 December 2026). On the Personal Accident claim form, the club confirms the person was a registered member and the activity was sanctioned. Neither says a member must be signed in.

The CAQ management committee agreed on 24 March 2026 that "members are covered regardless, when engaged in croquet activities". That is a CAQ decision, not part of the policy; the summary of cover is what sets out who is covered.

Visitors

The Temporary Member Policy (modified 5 May 2025) says: "Insurance will cover only those that are recorded as attending and 'signed in' prior to commencement of the session." The CAQ Club Administration Handbook 2026, s.12, "encourages" clubs to follow the policy, which is softer than Croquet Australia's wording. The V-Insurance FAQ says Come & Try people are covered "so long as the club fulfills the requirements set out by their state association". No public summary says whether signing in first is a policy condition in Queensland; V-Insurance can answer that.

The law

• The Associations Incorporation Act 1981 (Qld), s.69A, and Model Rules r.13 ask for a register of members (names, addresses, dates joined and left), not attendance.
• The CAQ Constitution, cl 7(14) and 7(15), asks for registers of Member Clubs and Registered Players, not attendance.
• Under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld), s.5, a volunteer association that employs no one does not conduct a business or undertaking.
• The Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008 (Qld), ss.45, 46 and 55, asks for evacuation and maintenance records, not a list of who is on site.
• The OAIC says most small businesses (annual turnover of $3 million or less) are not covered by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), though some are, such as health service providers.

Clubs with a liquor licence or permit

This applies only to the few clubs that hold one. Under the Liquor Act 1992 (Qld), a community club licence comes with a register of guests and visitors (s.79). A visitor who comes to play with permission and pays any usual fee is treated as a member for that day (s.77(6)), so does not go in it. The OLGR Statement of Regulatory Intent of 26 March 2026 says the visitor recording requirement "will not be enforced until 31 March 2027".

A restricted liquor permit comes with the same register (s.103M), with no exception for visiting players and no pause, except for members of a reciprocal club who show evidence of membership (s.103M(3A)).

Where this comes from

1. V-Insurance, Individuals Summary of Cover 2025/2026
2. V-Insurance, Personal Accident claim form
3. V-Insurance, Frequently Asked Questions
4. Croquet Australia, Temporary Member Policy (modified 5 May 2025)
5. CAQ Club Administration Handbook 2026, s.12
6. CAQ management committee minutes, 24 March 2026
7. Associations Incorporation Act 1981 (Qld), s.69A; Model Rules r.13
8. CAQ Constitution (registered 3 Dec 2025), cl 7(14)-(15)
9. Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld), s.5
10. Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008 (Qld), ss.45, 46, 55
11. OAIC, Small business; Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), s.6D
12. Liquor Act 1992 (Qld), ss.77(6), 79, 103M
13. OLGR, Statement of Regulatory Intent (26 Mar 2026; re-check after 31 March 2027)