Annual General Meetings are coming up and it’s time to get involved in your club committee. One other important action can be proposing motions for your club to pass at the AGM. A motion can provide the incoming committee with a mandate to act and advocate in regard to climate change. Some ideas for motions are copied below! Let us know if you cook up any better ones or how you go! Individual Surf clubs need to take action but may be well served by also driving a coordinated approach through state centres and SLSA.
<Surf Club Name Here> recognises climate change poses a threat to club infrastructure and member wellbeing.
<Surf Club Name Here> requests <State Centre name here>
1. Develop a climate change adaptation and mitigation strategy for <your state’s> SLSCs
2. Develop a policy for endorsing only companies whose activities are compatible with minimising climate change related harm to surf life saving.
As a matter of Australian law, surf club directors and boards must actively engage with the impacts of climate change-related risks on their operations and strategy in order to satisfy their duty of due care and diligence under section 180 of the Corporations Act. (Ref: Aust Institute of Company Directors, 2016). The advice goes on to say
“risks associated with climate change have evolved from an ‘ethical environmental’ to material financial issues, and that directors who fail to grapple with them are legally exposed. There is simply no substitute for a proactive, robust governance of the impacts of relevant climate risks in the unique circumstances of each business.”
SARAH BARKER SC, Minter Ellison, published by AICD