Welcome to the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC) rule book etool.
This rule book etool can be used by:
This rule book etool helps corporations create rules that comply with the CATSI Act and will help them adopt good governance practices.
The rule book etool has 3 main sections:
The main screen shows the whole rule book in one continuous text. The words in bold are headings in the rule book. These headings are the same as the ones in the Headings screen.
The headings screen displays the main headings in the rule book etool. The first heading is Name. The second heading is Interpretation. The third heading is Objectives. And so on.
By clicking on a heading in the headings screen such as rule 12 Secretary and Contact Person, the main screen will display the corresponding rule.
A toolbar is located at the top of the rule book screen. It contains buttons that activate a selection of actions that can also be done using the top menu.
The rule book etool uses a number of icons to represent what kind of changes can be made. Wherever you see blue underlined text in the rule book you can make a change.
When you see this icon it means this rule must be completed. By
double-clicking on this icon, or by clicking on the blue underlined text, a
pop-up screen will appear which will allow you to complete the rule.
When you see this icon it means there is a law or part of a law that you can
change. By double-clicking on this icon, or by clicking on the blue underlined
text, a pop-up screen will appear that will give the options for changing the law
or keeping it as is.
When you see this icon it means the rule can be replaced. By double-clicking
on this icon, or by clicking on the blue underlined text, a pop-screen will
appear that will give the options for replacing the rule or keeping it as is.
When you see this it means the rule is a good governance
idea recommended by ORIC, it can be
kept or deleted. By double-clicking on this icon, or by clicking on the blue
underlined text, a pop-screen will appear that will give the options for
changing, deleting or keeping the rule.
When you see this icon it means that you can read extra information about a
law. By double-clicking on the icon a pop-up screen will appear that contains
the extra information.
When you double-click on an icon, or click on the blue underlined text, a new screen will open called a pop-up screen. This screen will give you the options for what you can do with that rule or law. Below is an example of a pop-up screen.
The main screen shows the whole rule book in one continuous text.
The words in bold are headings in the rule book. These headings are the same as the ones in the headings screen.
The blue underlined text indicates sections of rules and laws that can be changed. By making these changes you can tailor the rule book specifically to the needs of your corporation. Click here for more information about making changes to the rules and laws.
Screen size - Click here for information on changing the size of the screen.
This area displays the main headings in the rule book etool. The first heading is Name. The second heading is Interpretation. The third heading is Objectives. And so on.
By clicking on a heading in the headings screen such as rule 12 Secretary and contact person, the main screen will display the rule. Please see diagram below.
When some rules are selected in the headings screen, that rule plus other rules will be shown.
For example, when you click on rule 3 in the headings screen, rules 3, 4, 5.1 and 5.2 will also be displayed in the main screen. This is because when a shorter rule is displayed there is space in the main screen to display the rules that follow it.
To change the widths of the headings screen and main screen, hover the mouse over the vertical line separating the two areas. The mouse display will change into a double line with two little arrows at either side. Click and hold the left mouse button and drag the line to the left or right.
If you don't want to change the size of the screens you can use the vertical and horizontal scroll bars move the contents of each screen—see the diagram below.
To expand a rule and see its sub-rules, click on the + that appears the left of the rule.
For example, when clicking on the + sign next to rule 10, rules 10.1 through to 10.6 will be shown. When clicking on a + sign next to 10.1 to 10.6, extra rules will also be displayed.
To hide (collapse) the rules again, click on the – sign.
Please see diagram below.
You can add rules by using the options available from your right mouse click. Simply go to the location you want to add a new rule and using the right click on your mouse to bring up a list of options. This list has the same function as what is available in the toolbar. For detailed information on how to add a rule, refer to ‘Making changes’.
A toolbar is located at the top of the rule book etool screen. It contains buttons that activate a selection of actions that can also be done using the top menu.
The top menu displays the menu headings—File, Search, Rule, and Help—which drop down to reveal extra options.
A corporation’s rule book is effectively a contract between:
Under that contract, each person agrees to observe and perform the requirements of the rules.
To adjust the rule book so that it meets the needs of your corporation, you are encouraged to think about each rule and law, and decide whether or not it suits your corporation. The more that you customise the rules and laws, the more useful they will be to your corporation. The rule book etool starts with most of the options that ORIC recommends already selected. This gives your corporation a starting point of good governance that you can build on.
If you believe that all of the rules and laws in this rule book meet the needs of your corporation, the fastest way to complete the rule book etool is to complete the rules that MUST be completed by using the skip arrows. Read more about using the skip buttons.
The rule book contains rules and laws.
1. There are two different types of laws in the rule book:
When you see this icon, it means that you can read extra information
about the
law. By double-clicking on the icon a pop-up screen will appear that contains
the extra information.
In the headings screen, this icon represents a changeable law. By
double-clicking on this icon, or by clicking on the blue underlined text in the
main screen that applies to that law, a pop-up screen will appear.
Your corporation can choose to:
See the diagram below for further explanation.
2. There are three different types of rules in the rule book etool:
In the headings screen, this icon represents a rule that must be completed.
By double-clicking on this icon, or by clicking on the blue underlined text in
the main screen that applies to that rule, a pop-up screen will appear.
See the diagram below for further explanation.
Some of these rules will provide a number of options and you will need to select one. Please see the diagram below as an example.
In the headings screen, this icon represents a replaceable rule. By
double-clicking on this icon, or by clicking on the blue underlined text in the
main screen that applies to that law, a pop-up screen will appear.
Your organisation has two choices:
See the diagram below for further explanation.
In the headings screen, this icon represents a good governance rule. By
double-clicking on this icon, or by clicking on the blue underlined text in the
main screen that applies to that law, a pop-up screen will appear.
You can choose to:
See the diagram below for further explanation.
Changes are displayed
If rules and laws have been modified, the main screen will reflect the changes. Also, the headings screen will display green ticks to show that the rules and laws have been modified.
You can add rules for your corporation which are not already covered in the
rule book etool. Rules can be added at any point in the rule book etool by
selecting a place in the heading screen, then click the add
button
in the toolbar.
Note 1: The added rule will appear at the end of the number that you are up to in the rules. For example, if you want to add a rule as 5.1(c), then you will need to select on rule 5.1 then click add. If you selected 5.1(a) when adding a rule, then the added rule will become 5.1(a)(i).
Note 2: You can also add rules from the heading screen by using the right click option on your mouse. Refer to heading screen for more details.
You can delete a rule by selecting it in the heading screen and then
clicking the remove/delete
button in the toolbar. This will then delete the rule from the rule book etool. A message will
appear to prompt you if you want to proceed to delete the rules and any sub-rule/s
will also be removed.
To confirm you want to delete the selected rule, click the 'Yes' button. The rule will be replaced with the following text:
You can move added rules up and down within their section by using the moving
buttons on the toolbar.
For example, if you add a rule under 5.1, it will become 5.1(c).
By clicking on the 'move up'
button rule 5.1(c) will now become 5.1(b)(I) and will be located
between rule 5.1(a) and 5.1(b). If you were to select the 'move to top'
button this will
move the rule to the top of its section, making it rule 5.1(a)(I) and
the first sub-rule under rule 5.1.
Movement of any added rules will not change the numbering of any existing rules in the rule book etool. Therefore, a capital roman numeral is added to the end of the rule number, for example 5.1(b)(I).
You can also promote/demote any added rules to other positions. This is
different to moving rules up and down within their section, the promote/demote
buttons allow you to move a rule further up or lower down.
Throughout the text in the main section, there are references to schedules.
Schedules refer to extra information provided at the end of the rules. For example, the first schedule (Schedule 1) shows a list of definitions (terms or phrases) used in the rule book.
To have a look at schedule 1, click on Schedule 1 in the headings screen. The schedule will now be displayed in the main screen. To go back to the area that you were working on, click on that section in the headings screen.
Please refer to the diagram below.
Similar to adding rules. You can add to the schedule at the end of the rule book etool by clicking on the button at the desired location in the schedule. You can move and promote/demote the added schedule in the same way that you move rules.
Note: Because the schedules and the rules form different part of the rule book etool, an added schedule or preamble cannot be moved or promoted/demoted to be part of the rules and via versa.
A preamble is an introductory statement or preliminary explanation as to the purpose and principles of the document. Corporations may choose to add a preamble in their rule book. This can be done by selecting ‘rule book’ in the heading screen and clicking the ‘Add’ button in the toolbar. A pop-up screen will appear and you have the options to add a preamble—see screenshot below.
Note: only one preamble can be added to the corporation’s rule book and this will always appear at the top of the rule book above rule 1.
If you do not want a rule in your rule book you can remove it. Rules that must be completed cannot be removed. You need to know that even if you remove a law or replaceable rule it will still apply to your corporation—it just won’t be shown in your rule book.
You can remove a rule by selecting it on the heading screen and then
clicking the 'remove/delete'
button in the toolbar. This will then remove the rule from the rule book etool.
You will be asked you if you want to proceed to remove the rule and any sub-rule/s
attached to it.
To confirm you want to delete the selected rule, click the ‘Yes’ button. The rule will be replaced by the following text:
When you first start saving changes the file will be saved, by default, in My Documents on your hard drive (usually the C: drive). However, if you have selected a different place to save your file, it is important to remember where you have saved it. You will need to send this file to ORIC once you have completed all your changes. A common place to save the file is to your documents or desktop.
The document will be saved as an *.igr file. Your record-keeping will be easier if you save the document in the name of your corporation and draft number, for example, XYZ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation - draft 1.igr
The following step by step instruction will guide you through how to save changes to your rule book and be able to quickly retrieve it when you want to work on it again.
Save your rule book file
In this example we will save the file to C:-drive\My documents\, with the file name 'ABC corporation.igr'.
Note: when you save the rule book it is saved as an .igr file. You cannot change this.
Open your rule book file
In this example, we will need locate the file ‘ABC corporation rule book.igr’. We know it is located in C:-drive\My documents. Once located, simply select the file and click ‘OPEN’.
If you make more changes to your rule book file follow the above steps to save it.
To print the rule book:
A preview screen will be shown.
The following picture describes the information that will be printed.
The print dialog box allows you to choose your printer settings, see below.
You will see there are other print options on the print menu. The print options are:
What to do before the general meeting when the new rules are adopted
The steps will differ depending on requirements in your current constitution and how many members you have, but might include, for example:
What to do at the general meeting
If your current constitution allows you to change your rules by an ordinary resolution:
If your current constitution does not allow you to change your rules by an ordinary resolution:
If the resolution is passed:
What to do after the general meeting
After the members pass the special resolution at the meeting, the corporation must send the Registrar:
Email or send an electronic copy of the completed rule book to the Registrar. It is better to send or email an electronic copy of the rule book. This may reduce the amount of time the office take to process and assess your application.
To send an electronic copy via email, simply attach the saved .igr file to the email and send it to info@oric.gov.au.
Note: To send via email, your computer must be connected to the internet and you much have a valid email account service.
To send an electronic copy using another method, simply save the .igr file (which contains the completed rule book) to a CD and post or lodge in person the CD together with the required documentation to ORIC.
Note: To send via a CD, your computer (PC) and operating system must have both the hardware and software that allows you to record files into a CD, e.g. CD burner (CD-rw) and a Microsoft Windows XP operating system.
Click here for ORIC’s address and contact details.
Decision by the Registrar
The Registrar then decides whether or not to approve the proposed rule book changes as set out in the special resolution and rule book.
IMPORTANT—The changes to the rule book do not become effective until after the Registrar has approved and registered them. Until then, your existing rule book continues to apply.
This rule book:
This rule book also satisfies the requirement in section 72-5 of the CATSI Act for corporations to compile their internal governance framework rules.
However, this rule book does not summarise all the parts of the Act which may affect the operations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations (for example, it does not cover annual reporting obligations or directors’ duties).
Also, if any rules set out in this rule book are inconsistent with the Act, the provisions in the Act override them and apply.
You should also be aware that the Act may be amended from time to time. If you printed this copy of your rule book some time ago, this could mean that any rules set out in this version of the rule book may be out-of-date. Please contact ORIC if you need help in updating your rule book.
Address: 32 Corinna Street, Woden ACT 2602
Postal address: PO Box 2029, Woden ACT 2606
Phone: (02) 6219 7624
Freecall (not from mobiles): 1800 622 431
Facsimile: (02) 6281 2739
Email: info@oric.gov.au
Website: www.oric.gov.au
Page updated: 25 Apr 08
= move selected rule down one position
= move selected rule to the bottom position within its section
= promote a rule up
= demote a rule down.
