Athletes Advisory Group

AAG Terms of Reference

The purpose of the Athletes Advisory Group (AAG) is to examine all matters of interest to QWA athlete members and to present suggestions or recommendations to the QWA Management Committee (MC) for its consideration.

Queensland Weightlifting Association’s AAG is subject to the MC policies and decisions and has no authority to unilaterally alter, amend, or ignore these policies and decisions, or to directly instruct the QWA Operations Manager to take on any activities.

1.      AAG AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

  • To represent all QWA member athletes, protect their interests and uphold their rights and
  • To promote open communication with, and solicit feedback from, QWA member athletes, giving them a voice within the decision-making process of the MC.
  • Encourage current and former athletes with opportunities to contribute to the continuous development, evolution, and growth of weightlifting throughout Queensland.
  • To raise awareness and educate QWA member athletes on topics of focused concern.

 2.      AAG RESPONSIBILITIES

  • To prepare for the MC, a four-year AAG Operational
  • To implement and evaluate parts of the current 2020-2024 MC endorsed Operational Plan that influences athlete development.
  • To serve as a consultative committee and make recommendations to the MC as
  • Represent QWA member athlete interests in relation to state events, athlete pathway development initiatives and high-performance programs.
  • To seek issues or concerns from QWA member athletes and provide feedback and possible solutions to the MC.
  • To encourage each QWA affiliated club to nominate one male and one female Athlete Advisory Representative (AAR) who can directly liaise with the AAG Chair.
  • Establish an Annual QWA Athlete Awards Program that incorporates all gender and age-group
  • To create, promote and manage initiatives designed to enhance communication and the sharing of knowledge and experiences amongst QWA member athletes.
  • To develop, collate, provide, and promote resources for QWA member athletes on important topics, such as, health and wellbeing, antidoping, integrity, ethics, rules, social media, marketing…
  • To devise alternative competition formats that will enhance and generate excitement to the QWA Events Calendar.
  • To debate the current status and future direction of weightlifting in Queensland, offering insight and feedback, thoughts, and ideas to further our sport to the MC for its consideration.

3.      QWA CONSTITUTION

  • The QWA’s AAG is a “Sub-Committee” as defined in clause 17. (1) of the QWA
  • Under clause (2) (a) (i) – (v) the QWA MC may terminate the membership of any person/s elected to the AAG.

4.      DECLARATION OF INTEREST & CONFIDENTIALITY

  • All members of the AAG must respect the confidentiality of all information they are privy to in their role on the AAG. They must not disclose information to any other person, except for matters requiring attention/discussion with the QWA (Management Committee or Operations Manager). In this case, the chairperson (or a representative standing in for the chairperson) will represent the AAG to discuss the matter and provide feedback to the group.
  • The AAG will collectively agree upon information they wish to seek from or share with the greater athlete body. These interactions must first be submitted to the QWA Committee for pre-approval.
  • Any breach of confidentiality will lead to a suspension of official duties and may result in cancellation of their QWA membership.
  • All members of the AAG must declare any interests that could result in an actual or perceived conflict of interest. In this case, the individual may be excluded from proceedings/voting while the matter related to the conflict is finalised. The individual will be informed of the outcome once the matter is concluded and will return to normal capacity within the group. The AAG must not use their position to seek personal advantage. They must work to represent the views of all athletes, not just their own personal view. Any conflict of interest that is not declared, or any unethical behaviour, may lead to a suspension of official duties. QWA will be responsible for deciding if further consequences are necessary.

5.      AAG COMPOSITION

  • The AAG will be comprised of eight (8) eligible persons
  • In the interest of gender equity there must be a minimum of four (4) females elected to the AAG.
  • In the interest of gender equity there must be a minimum of four (4) males elected to the AAG.
  • A minimum of two elected committee members but no more than three (3) elected committee members will represent age groups 18-23 years (U.23), 24-34 years (Senior) and 35+ years (Masters).
  • The AAG will vote in a Chair and Deputy Chair at its first meeting following the respective election.

6.      AAG MEMBER ELIGIBILITY

Persons may only be nominated for election, and sit on the AAG, if he or she meets the following criteria.

  • Be at least 18 years of age.
  • Be a registered QWA athlete member at the time of the election and for the term of the respective appointment.
  • Not have been sanctioned for a doping offence in their sporting career.
  • Be available to attend (either in person or by phone or other electronic means) a minimum of three meetings per year.

Any elected officer of the AAG who ceases to satisfy the above criteria at any time during his or her term will be asked to step down.

7.      ELECTION TO AAG

  • The election of persons to the AAG will take place
  • Each QWA affiliated Club will be invited to submit the names of four (4) females and four (4) males at a designated time.
  • Elections will be conducted as simple, “first past the post” elections, with the principle being that the highest ranked candidates are elected.
  • The four (4) females scoring the highest number of points that determine overall rankings will be declared elected to the AAG. 
  • The four (4) males scoring the highest number of points that determine overall rankings will be declared elected to the AAG. 
  • The AAG, at its first meeting following the respective election, will appoint a Chair and Deputy Chair. 
  • The AAG Chair will be the AAG’s QWA Management Committee voting In the absence of the AAG Chair the Deputy Chair will have the same privileges.

8.      AAG TERMS AND VACANCIES

  • The term of appointment for AAG Officers will commence on the day of the respective QWA AGM.
  • There will be a staggered rotation of appointments. Two Officers, one male and one female must stand down at the 2025 election, however, they can be re-elected. Two other officers, one male and one female, must stand down in 2027, however they can be re-elected. In 2027, the remaining two male and two female officers must stand down in 2029, however they can be re-elected.
  • Each term of appointment lasts two-years. AAG officers can serve a maximum of three terms of appointment a period of six (6) years.

9.      AAG QWA MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE REPRESENTATION

  • The AAG is represented on the QWA Management Committee by one (1) member, the AAG Chair, appointed by the AAG at its inaugural meeting after the respective election.

10.  AAG REVIEW

  • Any amendments to these Terms of Reference must be ratified by the QWA Management

AAG Officer Election Process

  1. The election, re-election and succession planning process for AAG Officers is to be undertaken in a considered way that satisfies the QWA’s governance obligations.
  2. Voting will take place biennially (2023-2025-2027-2029) via email.
  3. An Expression of Interest Form will be circulated to all QWA athlete members 56 days prior to the respective QWA AGM and must be returned to the QWA via email to qwa@qwa.org no later than 28 Days prior to the respective AGM.
  4. Each QWA affiliated Club will be furnished with details of each AAG Candidate no later than 14 days prior to the respective QWA AGM in the year of the AAG election.
  5. Each QWA affiliated Club is entitled to rank four female candidates and four male candidates against the AAG Officer Position Using the AAG Candidate Voting Forms, the QWA affiliated Club representative must rank both male and female candidates 1, 2, 3 or 4. A Candidate ranked 1 will score 6 points, a candidate ranked 2 will score 4 points and a candidate ranked 3 will score 2 points and a candidate ranked 4 will score 1 point.
  6. The completed AAG Candidate Voting Forms, clearly depicting both the male and female rankings and point scores, must be returned to the QWA via email to qwa@qwa.org no later than 7 days prior to the QWA AGM in the respective election year (2023-2025-2027-2029). Each club will be sent confirmation upon receipt of the correctly completed AAG Candidate Voting Form.
  7. The information contained within each correctly submitted AAG Voting Form will be transferred to the AAG Candidate Tally Sheet that will be used to calculate the overall ranking points.
  8. The four (4) Candidates earning the highest number of ranking points within the stated age categories will be declared elected to the QWA’s AAG.
  9. The four (4) female Candidates earning the highest number of ranking points within the stated age categories will be declared elected to the QWA’s AAG.
  10. In the event of equal scores, additional points will be allocated equated to the number of clubs who nominated the candidate (nominations from 5 clubs =5 points, 4 nominations =4 pts etc.), and if still equal additional points will be given for the level of ranking (a nominee who earns four 1st rankings will get more points than a nominee who earns three 1st rankings).
  11. The newly elected AAG will begin its operational term on the day of the respective QWA AGM.
  12. The AAG, at its first meeting post respective biennial elections, must appoint a Chair and Deputy The Chair will become the voting member on the QWA Management Committee. The Deputy Chair will substitute the Chair during any instance when the Chair is absent and will have the same privileges.
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Isssue Date: 28 March 2023