Charter

Purpose

The National Landcare Network’s primary charter is to:

• Foster a cohesive and cooperative forum to collaborate, support, advocate for and add value to Landcare and other community volunteer NRM groups (Landcare, Coastcare, etc) to address strategic and proactive natural resource management and environmental issues.
• Foster strategic partnerships between Landcare groups and the broader Natural Resource Management and environmental stakeholders including, Regional NRM Organisations, Governments, Industry Groups, indigenous authorities and community groups and other non-government community groups.
• Celebrate the achievements of Landcare across Australia and promote Landcare and community based NRM organisations and activities
• Identify, communicate with and represent community based Landcare at the National level to develop and foster ideas, knowledge and resources.
• Speak as the national voice in the development of Landcare and broader natural resource management and environmental policy.

Composition and Committees

The National Landcare Network will consist of two (2) representatives from each State or Territory, from the relevant representative organisation.

The Network may discharge any of its responsibilities through committees as the need arises.

Responsibility of the Network Representatives

All Representatives must comply with their legal, statutory and equitable duties and obligations when discharging their responsibilities as members of the National Landcare Network.

These include:

• acting in good faith and in the best interests of the Network as a whole;
• to report back from the National Landcare Network to their State and Territory representative organisations;
• acting with care and diligence and for proper purpose;
• refraining from making improper use of information gained through their position on the Network; and
• avoiding conflicts of interest wherever possible and where conflicts arise complying with statutory and equitable duties regarding disclosure and voting – re Conflict of Interest.

Role of Chairperson

• providing leadership;
• ensuring the efficient organisation and conduct of the Network;
  chairing meetings;
• ensuring all representatives are briefed on material matters arising at or between meetings;
• promoting an environment of trust, respect and openness to ensure consultative and constructive relationships;
• to represent the Network when communicating in public forums; and
• committing the time necessary to discharge effectively the role as Chairman.

The roles of the Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer shall be separate.

Meetings

All members of the Network, are generally expected to attend each meeting.

The Management Committee may invite such persons as it wishes to attend the meetings.

Conflict of Interest

All Members are required to declare all conflicts of iIterest.
If the Network undertakes discussions or decisions about an issue that a Member does have a potential Conflict of Interest with, even if the Conflict has not been previously declared, then the Member must excuse themselves from the meeting room for the duration of the discussion or voting. The Member must abstain from voting on these issues and must be recorded as doing so in the Minutes of the meeting.