By CroquetClaude · 6 min read
The Model Rules: what they say
What Schedule 4 of the Associations Incorporation Regulation 1999 sets out, rule by rule, and what it doesn't cover.
The Model Rules are Queensland's standard rules for incorporated associations, set out in Schedule 4 of the Associations Incorporation Regulation 1999 (Qld).
They cover membership, grievances, the secretary, the committee, general meetings, money and records, and winding up.
The president chairs meetings. A tied committee vote fails; at a general meeting the chair has a casting vote.
A general meeting needs at least 14 days notice (r.35).
This is the reference guide for committee members who want to find what a Model Rule says. Whether a club adopts them is in Why adopt the Model Rules. What the Act itself requires is in The Associations Incorporation Act.
How clubs do it
- Check the club's registered rules to see whether it runs on the Model Rules, the Model Rules plus club rules, or its own constitution.
- Open Schedule 4 of the Regulation (link in the sources below).
- Find the topic in the index below and go to the rule number.
- If the club's own rules say nothing on a matter, the Model Rule on it applies anyway (Act s.47).
Where the Model Rules sit
The Model Rules are not an Act. They are a schedule to a Regulation made under the Associations Incorporation Act 1981 (Qld). The rules run to rule 51. That is the last number, not a count: rule 44 is repealed, and some rules are lettered (12A to 12F and 31A).
The rules by topic
| Rules | Topic |
|---|---|
| rr.1 to 14 | Basics and membership: definitions, name, objects, powers, classes of members, joining, fees, when membership ends, appeals, the register of members (r.13) |
| rr.12A to 12F | Grievance procedure, in force since 1 July 2024 (inserted by 2023 SL No. 59) |
| rr.15 to 17 | The secretary: appointment, removal, functions |
| rr.18 to 29 | The management committee: members, elections, vacancies, meetings, quorum, minutes, subcommittees (r.27), resolutions without a meeting |
| rr.30 to 41 | General meetings: AGMs, AGM business by club size (rr.31A to 34, inserted by 2022 SL No. 99), notice, quorum, procedure, voting, special general meetings, proxies, minutes |
| rr.42 to 48 | Administration: by-laws, changing the rules (r.43), funds and accounts, safe custody of documents (r.47), financial year |
| rr.49 to 51 | Winding up: what happens to surplus assets |
The rules committee members look up most
| Question | What the rule says | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Who chairs committee meetings? | The president. If the president is not there within 10 minutes, the members present choose a chair. | r.23(8), r.23(9) |
| Tied vote at a committee meeting? | Decided in the negative: the motion fails. | r.23(7) |
| How is a committee meeting called? | In the way the committee decides. | r.23(3), (4) |
| Committee quorum? | More than half of the elected committee members. | r.24 |
| Committee minutes? | The secretary keeps them; the chairperson signs them. | r.26(1), r.26(2) |
| Notice of a general meeting? | At least 14 days, stating the business. In writing when a special resolution is to be decided. | r.35(2), (5), (6) |
| General meeting quorum? | The number of committee members plus 1. | r.36 |
| Who chairs general meetings? | The president, or a member the meeting elects if the president is absent. | r.37(3) |
| Tied vote at a general meeting? | The chairperson has a casting vote. | r.38(2) |
| General meeting minutes? | The secretary keeps them; the chairperson signs them. | r.41(1), r.41(2) |
| Changing the rules? | By special resolution. | r.43 |
What sits outside the Model Rules
The Model Rules do not deal with court bookings, events, grants or competitions, and they do not set what a club's fees should be. Clubs handle these by their own added rules or by committee decision.
Some common points come from the Act, not the Model Rules: what a special resolution is, a member's right to a copy of the rules, the minimum committee, and the officer duties. These are in The Associations Incorporation Act and Committee: Shared Legal Duties.
Where this comes from
- Associations Incorporation Regulation 1999 (Qld), Schedule 4 (Model Rules), including r.12A, r.13, r.23, r.24, r.26, r.35, r.36, r.37, r.38, r.41, r.43, r.47, r.51
- 2023 SL No. 59: inserted the grievance procedure, in force 1 July 2024
- Associations Incorporation Act 1981 (Qld), s.47: the Model Rules fill gaps in a club's rules
Last fact check: 23 September 2026
Comments
Ask a question or tell us what worked at your club. Replies show under your comment.