Key Features of the Associations and Co-operatives Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 (WA) for Incorporated Associations

The Associations and Co-operatives Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 (WA) (Bill) has been introduced into the Legislative Assembly and is intended to modernise and improve the operation and effectiveness of the applicable legislation and streamline and simplify the legislative obligations.  

While this summary only relates to that part of the Bill which proposes amendments to the Associations Incorporation Act 2015 (WA) (Act), the Bill also proposes amendments to the Co-operatives Act 2009 (WA) to modernise meeting procedures to explicitly permit electronic signing of documents and clarify aspects of voting by proxy at general meetings.

Key Amendments 

Below is a snapshot of the key amendments included in the Bill. 

Key Considerations for Associations 

Changes proposed under the Bill that are relevant for an Association to consider during the process of reviewing its Rules of Association include the following:

Schedule 1 of the Associations Incorporation Act 2015 

Schedule 1 of Division 1 of the Act outlines the matters to be provided for in the rules of an incorporated association. 

As noted above, the Bill proposes to insert the following additional Schedule 1 requirement:

Upon the Bill being passed, each Association will be required to update their Rules of Association to address the new requirement. 

While the Bill does not contemplate a transition timeframe for Associations to comply with the new requirement, Consumer Protection have advised that upon the Bill being enacted, each Association will be notified of the new requirement and provided with further guidance on the timeframe within which Associations will have to meet the new requirement (such timeframe is yet to be decided). 

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