Supplemental Royal Charter

Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of Australia and Her Other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, GREETING:

Whereas Your Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second on 16 February 1954 by Royal Charter (here called 'the Original Charter') constituted a Body Corporate and Politic by the name of the 'Australian Academy of Science' (here called 'the Academy') with perpetual succession and a Common Seal:

And Whereas on 8 December 1987 We have assigned to Our Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia all our powers and functions in respect of the issuing of Letters Patent:

and have authorised the Governor-General to exercise any of those powers and functions in Our name and on Our behalf:

And Whereas the Academy has made representation to Us as follows:

That since the grant of the Original Charter the Academy has pursued the aims and objects of the Charter and has sought to promote, declare and disseminate scientific knowledge, establish and maintain standards of scientific endeavour and achievement in the natural sciences in Australia, and has recognised outstanding contributions to the advancement of science.

That it has done so by establishing and maintaining associations and relations between Australian scientists and the International Scientific Unions and other international groups, meetings and unions of scientists, and between Australian scientific activities and the activities of scientists in other countries, by administering or helping to administer funds for purposes of scientific research or projects of a scientific character, by arranging or joining in arranging meetings of scientists inside or outside Australia, holding symposia, and arranging for visits of scientists from other countries to Australia, by correlating and assisting in correlating the efforts of other scientific bodies, by suggesting ways in which scientific projects in Australia may be instituted, carried out or revised, by publishing or assisting in the publication of scientific knowledge, and by providing guidance to sources of scientific information.

That it is the belief of the Academy that certain amendments to its Original Charter would make its laws consistent with Australian law and would also assist in the better administration of its affairs.

And Whereas the Academy has by that representation requested Us to grant a Supplemental Charter for the above-mentioned purposes.

Now Therefore We do, by these Our Letters Patent issued in Our name by Our Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, grant and declare as follows:

1. All of the provisions of the Original Charter, apart from clause 1 of the Original Charter, are hereby revoked, and the provisions of this Supplemental Royal Charter replace those provisions. Accordingly, the Academy shall continue to be a Body Corporate and Politic by the name of the 'Australian Academy of Science' and by the same name shall and may sue and be sued in all Courts and in all manner of actions and suits and shall have power to do all other matters and things incidental or appertaining to a body corporate, including power to take and hold personal property and power to purchase, take on lease and hold lands tenements or hereditaments, or any interest in any lands tenements or hereditaments whatsoever, within Our Commonwealth of Australia for the purposes of the Academy and power to sell, let on lease, alienate or otherwise dispose of the same or any part thereof. Nothing in this revocation shall affect the validity or legality of the Bye-Laws or of any act, deed or thing done or executed under or pursuant to the provisions of the Original Charter.

2. The income and property of the Academy, whencesoever derived, shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the objects of the Academy and no portion thereof shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend, bonus or otherwise howsoever by way of profit to the persons who at any time are or have been members of the Academy or to any of them or to any person claiming through any of them: provided that nothing herein contained shall prevent the payment in good faith of remuneration to any officers or servants of the Academy or to any member thereof or other person in return for services actually rendered to the Academy or for goods supplied in the ordinary way of business nor prevent the payment of interest on money borrowed or the payment of rent for premises let to the Academy.

3. The objects and purposes of the Academy shall be:
   1. To promote, declare and disseminate scientific knowledge, to establish and maintain standards of scientific endeavour and achievement in the natural sciences in Australia; and to recognise outstanding contributions to the advancement of science.

   2. To establish and maintain associations and relations between Australian scientists and the International Scientific Unions and other international groups, meetings and unions of scientists; and between Australian scientific activities and the activities of scientists in other countries.

   3. To administer or help in administering funds for purposes of scientific research or projects of a scientific character.

   4. To arrange or join in arranging meetings of scientists inside or outside Australia, to hold symposia, and to arrange for visits of scientists to other countries to Australia.

   5. To correlate and assist in correlating the efforts of other scientific bodies.

   6. To suggest ways in which scientific projects in Australia may be instituted, carried out, or revised.

   7. To publish or assist in the publication of scientific knowledge.

   8. To provide guidance to sources of scientific information.

   9. To do all such other lawful things as the Academy may think incidental or conducive to the attainment of its objects or any of them.

4. Subject to the Bye-Laws of the Academy the members thereof (except Corresponding Members) shall be designated Fellows. Unless and until such Bye-Laws otherwise provide:
   1. there shall be two classes of members, namely Fellows and Corresponding Members;

   2. Fellows shall be Australian citizens or permanent residents of Australia; and

   3. Corresponding Members shall be persons, not normally resident in Australia, who are eminent in some branch of natural knowledge.

5. Subject to the Bye-Laws, Fellows may be elected annually.

6. Subject to these Presents the qualifications and conditions of election of Fellows, the method of election, the privileges and obligations of Fellows including liability to expulsion or suspension, and the conditions of termination of membership, shall be such as the Bye-Laws of the Academy from time to time prescribe.

7. The affairs of the Academy shall be managed by a body to be called 'the Council' which shall be the governing body of the Academy.

8. Unless and until the Bye-Laws of the Academy otherwise provide the Council shall consist of the President, the Treasurer, the Secretary (Physical Sciences), the Secretary (Biological Sciences), the Secretary (Science Policy), the Secretary (Education and Public Awareness), the Foreign Secretary and ten other members, all elected from the body of Fellows by the Fellows in general meeting. Members of the Council shall not be paid or receive any remuneration or fees for acting as such and no member of the Council shall be appointed to any salaried office of the Academy or any office of the Academy paid by fees.

9. The Council shall have the sole control, management and superintendence of the property, income, affairs and concerns of the Academy and may appoint such secretaries and officers as it deems necessary; and, if not contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Our Charter or any Bye-Laws made hereunder or the laws and statutes of Our Commonwealth of Australia or any State or Territory thereof, may do all such acts as may appear to it to be necessary or desirable for the purpose of carrying into effect the objects of the Academy and in particular and without prejudice to the foregoing powers the Council shall have the following powers:
   1. to accept any gift of property whether subject to any special trust or not for any of the objects of the Academy;

   2. to invest any moneys of or belonging to the Academy in such manner as may from time to time be prescribed by the Bye-Laws of the Academy;

   3. to borrow, raise or secure the payment or repayment of moneys in such manner as it may think fit;

   4. to construct, maintain or alter any buildings or works necessary or convenient for the purposes of the Academy;

   5. to sell, lease, mortgage, dispose of or otherwise deal with all or any part of the property of the Academy.

10. The Council may so far as it deems expedient delegate any of its powers (except this power of delegation) to committees including the Regional Advisory Committees for the time being of the Academy and any other committees established as hereinafter provided.

11. To enable the objects of the Academy to be carried out more effectually:
    1. The Council may establish Regional Advisory Committees. Subject to the Bye-Laws of the Academy, every Regional Advisory Committee shall be composed of Fellows normally resident within the region for which the Advisory Committee is established and such other persons as, by reason of their contributions to the advancement of science, are considered by the Council to be competent to act on the Advisory Committee;

    2. the Council may also establish from time to time such other committees as it thinks expedient;

    3. each Regional Advisory Committee (and each other committee) shall elect one of its number to be its Chairman;

    4. unless and until otherwise provided by the Bye-Laws of the Academy the Council shall appoint the members of the Regional Advisory Committees and other committees and may determine the terms for which the members thereof are respectively to hold office and make such rules for the conduct of their proceedings and otherwise regulate their activities as it thinks fit.

12. Unless and until the Bye-Laws of the Academy otherwise provide, a general meeting, to be called the Annual General Meeting, shall be held at Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory in the second quarter in each year.
    Other general meetings of the Fellows of the Academy, to be called Special General Meetings, may be convened by the Council at any time, and shall be convened by the Council on the requisition of such number of Fellows as the Bye-Laws of the Academy from time to time prescribe.
    Subject to the Bye-Laws the Council may determine any question as to the notice to be given of or to any matter of procedure at any general meeting of the Fellows.
    The Council may submit any question to the vote of the Fellows of the Academy by means of a ballot to be conducted in such manner as the Council (subject to the Bye-Laws) may decide, and the decision upon such a vote shall have the same force and effect as a resolution of the Fellows in general meeting.

13. A majority of not less than three-fourths of the Fellows present in person or by proxy and voting at a general meeting of the Fellows of the Academy specially called for the purpose of which due notice has been given or the like majority of the Fellows voting by means of a ballot as hereinafter provided shall have power from time to time to make such Bye-Laws as shall seem requisite and convenient for the regulation, government and advance of the Academy its members and property and for the furtherance of its objects and purposes and from time to time to revoke or amend any Bye-Laws or Bye-Laws previously made but so that the same be not repugnant to these Presents or to the laws and statutes of Our Commonwealth of Australia or any State or Territory thereof; provided that no such Bye-law, revocation or amendment shall take effect until approved by Our Governor-General of Our Commonwealth of Australia. The Academy shall cause all such Bye-Laws when allowed with the formal allowance to be printed and published in the official Gazette published by Our Government of Our Commonwealth of Australia.

14. Unless and until rescinded, varied or added to in accordance with the preceding Articles, the Bye-Laws appended to this Our Supplemental Charter shall constitute the Bye-Laws of the Academy.

And Lastly We do grant and declare for Us, Our Heirs and Our Successors that this Our Supplemental Charter shall be in all things valid and effectual in law according to its true intent and meaning and shall be taken, construed and adjudged in the most favourable and beneficial sense for the best advantage of the Academy as well in Our Courts of Record as elsewhere by all judges, justices, officers, ministers and other subjects of Us, Our Heirs, and Our Successors any non-recital, mis-recital or other omission defect or thing to the contrary notwithstanding

Michael Jeffery
Governor-General