Terms of reference

The following updated Terms of Reference came into effect from 1 January 2022. The changes allow for the inclusion of New Zealand members.

Objectives

The objective of the AARC is to provide a regular and organised mechanism to:

  • consult on the state of autism research in Australia and New Zealand (community-led);
  • identify priorities for autism research in an Australia and New Zealand context;
  • report on priorities for autism research in Australia and New Zealand;
  • inform funding strategies for autism research in Australia  and New Zealand.

As the core principle for operation of the AARC, the delivery of these objectives will be community-led – by autistic individuals, their families and allies who provide services and support – for the benefit of those communities and the Australian and New Zealander community as a whole.

Membership

The AARC will be composed of no less than 10 and no more than 15 members. Members must be aged 18 or over and reside in Australia or New Zealand.

Council membership is intended to be representative of the key stakeholder communities and will comprise:

  • At least 3 autistic individuals;
  • At least 1 nominee of the Autism CRC Board;
  • At least 1 parent or carer of a person on the autism spectrum;
  • At least 1 representative of an autistic or autism community advocacy organisation;
  • At least 1 representative of a service organisation to the autistic community;
  • At least 1 representative of the Australian or New Zealand autism research community;
  • At least 1 representative of a Commonwealth Government and New Zealand national government department or agency delivering services to members of the autistic community, preferably with a broad portfolio view, e.g. disability, education and health.

All positions will be filled subject to their being suitable nominees. If there are not suitable nominees for a given position, that position will remain vacant until at least the next period of member nominations.

In addition to the above there should be at least 2 representatives from Australia and New Zealand respectively. Representatives from each country should include at least 1 individual who is either an autistic person or the parent or carer of a person on the autism spectrum.

The membership term will be 2 years. Subject to the membership terms below, a member may be re-appointed to the Council for a further term.

Auspicing and Administration

The AARC will operate under the auspices of Autism CRC.

Management and operational support will be provided by Autism CRC, including the provision of the services of a Secretary to the Council.

Co-chairs

Two members of the Council shall be appointed as Co-Chairs of the Council by the Council, that appointment subject to the ratification of the Board of Autism CRC.

At least one of the Co-Chairs is to be a member of the autistic community.

At least one of the Co-Chair positions is to be filled by an existing Member who has served at least 12 months on the Council.

Member guidelines

The first iteration of the AARC was via invitation by an AARC Executive Committee established by the Autism CRC Board. Membership of subsequent Councils is appointed following an open nominations process.

An AARC Nominations Sub-Committee comprised of 4 members of the AARC, including the co-chairs, will be appointed by the AARC members and responsible for shortlisting candidates and making recommendations for discussion by the AARC. Ordinary members appointed to the Nominations Sub-Committee must have been members of the AARC for at least 9 months and not be intending to renominate as part of the current process.

Nominations shall be called for by no later than 15 October of the year prior to the January from which the new Council is to be appointed.

At least half of the membership positions on the AARC are to be called for nomination each year, including the positions of all members whose current terms are due to expire. Members from those positions can renominate, however at least half of the positions called for nomination should be filled by new candidates.

An invitation to membership of the AARC is made to persons on an individual basis. While an individual might be nominated by an organisation, membership is granted to the individual not to the organisation that nominated them. If that individual ceases to be a member, then the membership position will be dealt with as a casual vacancy (as described below).

Members of the AARC are unable to nominate a proxy to attend meetings on their behalf.

The Board of Autism CRC has the right of refusal over the proposed appointment of a member of the AARC.

A member may:

  1. resign from the AARC by notifying the Co-Chairs of the AARC in writing; or
  2. may be removed from the AARC by a unanimous decision by the other AARC members, or by a resolution of the Board of Autism CRC, if that member is deemed to be impeding the achievement of any of the AARC objectives, which may include their not participating in AARC activities for an extended period, creating a casual vacancy.

Subject to Autism CRC being notified and not having refused a proposed appointment, the Council may invite an individual to fill a casual vacancy according to these Terms of Reference.

Voting

Quorum for a Council meeting is half the number of members to the nearest whole number, plus 1.

The Council’s major output, a report on current priorities for autism research in Australia, requires written approval of at least 75% of the full membership of the AARC before submission to Autism CRC for publishing.

Council Meeting Protocol

The Council shall implement a meeting protocol that maximises the opportunity for members to participate, accounting for scheduling difficulties, and social and communication preferences. This protocol shall provide for:

  1. a detailed meeting agenda available via an online forum for access and contributions to be made by Council members, such as a message board;
  2. the online meeting forum should be open for sufficient time to allow member contributions on agenda items, for example one week;
  3. during the period that the online meeting is open, a real-time virtual meeting (e.g. videoconference or teleconference) should be held for those members wishing to contribute to the meeting considerations by that means, the proceedings of such being recorded and subsequently made available to all members through the online meeting forum;
  4. At the completion of the meeting period, contributions to and outcomes on agenda items by Council members, received by any of the means provided, shall be collated as a record of the meeting and posted via a web link accessible by Council members.

Council discussions are deemed confidential in nature.

Full meetings of the AARC will take place at least 3 times each year, up to a maximum of 5 times. In addition to full meetings of the AARC, members may also be invited to additional optional meetings relevant to any project work being undertaken on behalf of the Council. Matters may also be considered out of session via electronic means (e.g., email or online polls).

Any formal external communications of AARC outputs will be agreed by the Council in accordance with the Terms of Reference.

Reporting

The Council shall publish a report or update in November each year on autism research priorities relevant to the Australia and New Zealand context. This report shall build on the foundation of the Council’s previous report and will use a consultative process with the community to review and revise the outputs of the Council. That process should include:

  1. Seeking public feedback on the previous year’s report and autism research priorities;
  2. Canvassing international trends in autism research priorities;
  3. Summarising advances in autism research;
  4. Updating and reporting on autism research priorities in Australia and New Zealand, including gap analysis.

Reports generated by the AARC shall be published by Autism CRC and be subject to the guideline principles applying to Autism CRC publications.

Autism CRC Board may refuse publication if the output is deemed to be inconsistent with the AARC objectives or the vision and mission of the Autism CRC. In such circumstances, Autism CRC will return the proposed publication to the AARC for further consideration and revision.

Review

These Terms of Reference will be reviewed annually by the Council and any revisions submitted for approval to the Board of Autism CRC.