ASE: 2025 AGM & Legends of 2015

ASE 2025 AGM AND LEGENDS OF 2015

Join us before this year’s AGM on Zoom at 2 PM, to hear Dr Karen Pearlman ASE speak with 2015 Accreditee: Mark Warner ASE

They’ll do a deep dive into the past ten years of Mark’s career as an acclaimed Editor.

Please stay with us for our Annual General Meeting.

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF AUSTRALIAN SCREEN EDITORS GUILD INC.

to be held via Zoom on Saturday 15th of November 2025 at 3PM AEDT

Please rsvp here if you wish to attend.

A Zoom link will be sent out a week prior to the meeting.

AGENDA

  • Confirmation of minutes of the Annual General Meeting 2024

Copy of minutes of the last AGM are available at this link.

  • Annual Report

2025 Financial year statement is available at this link.

  • Election of Executive Committee and office bearers

  • Vote on new constitution

Copy of the new constitution is available at this link.

  • Q&A on the new ASE membership database

  • General business to be put to the floor.

AGM REGULATIONS

The Annual General Meeting may be attended by all current members (including Associate and Student members), retired members and former members. A quorum for the AGM is deemed to be 9 full members.

Only financial FULL or ACCREDITED members are entitled to stand for positions on the committee.

Only financial FULL and ACCREDITED members or RETIRED FULL or RETIRED ACCREDITED members are entitled to vote on resolutions and in elections.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

The Executive Committee meets one evening a month via Zoom and is responsible for determining Australian Screen Editors Guild policy and overseeing its financial and operational management on behalf of its members.

Committee members actively contribute by volunteering their time, including working on Sub-committees which range across the teams responsible for organizing the annual Ellie Awards, other major events, training & workshops, diversity/accessibility/mental health initiatives, the mentorship program, Guild publicity, sponsorship, organizing member networking events and film screenings.

Committee members are required to make reasonable efforts to attend the monthly meetings (not missing more than two consecutive meetings) and to be available to participate promptly in email discussions between meetings where required.

Nominations from financial Full and financial Accredited members are invited for the following positions on the Executive Committee:

– President

– Vice President

– Treasurer

– Secretary

– Up to 11 other Committee members

You may be nominated, or you may nominate yourself.

Nominations must be received in writing by midday Saturday November 15th, 2025

Please submit your nomination at the RSVP LINK here

Vote on Updated Constitution and Standing Orders

We have undertaken an update to the ASE Constitution. This was undertaken for the following reasons:

  • Fix references to outdated laws.

  • Include wind up clauses so that the Executive can apply for charity status.

  • To be able to remove persons from the membership or Executive Committee who don’t act in the guilds best interests.

  • Make it easier to read and understand.

  • Make it easier for the Guild to adapt and change.

There are many reasons for the Guild to become a charity. We are already a not for profit entity and charity status gives us the following benefits:

  • Massive discounts for software services from Microsoft and other providers.

  • Free google advertising.

  • Tax Free Status.

  • The ability to accept tax deductible donations.

The new constitution has been written by a qualified lawyer who also drafted the Australian Writers Guild constitution.

In order to change our constitution it must be voted in by the membership at an AGM and a copy must be provided 30 days in advance. You can read the proposed constitution here

Fundamentally this new constitution does not change the nature of the ASE or it’s purpose. Instead it provides a more robust set of tools to provide more transparency and greater set of protections.

Part of this process has been the formation of The Standing Orders, a second document that works alongside the constitution. It contains operational clauses that details procedures for how the guild should operate. The Standing Orders can be changed by the Executive Committee and give it more flexibility to shape the guild over time as it changes. The Constitution is harder to change as it can only be changed by a vote by the members at an AGM. You can read the proposed standing orders here.

As a helpful guide here is what has changed/been added.

Constitution:

  • Various clauses referencing outdated laws have been replaced to reflect the current law

  • The format of the constitution has been changed to make it easier to read.

  • A glossary reference key terms has been added

  • The accredited membership tier has been removed. It is now referred to as a status to full membership.

  • Retired and honorary membership tiers have been removed as they are not used.

  • Added clause that details how the assets of the guild are distributed in the event of its dissolution.

  • Added clause with the emeritus president status.

  • Added clause so that the executive can waive the requirement of membership fees at its discretion.

  • Added clause giving indemnity to members of the NEC.

  • Added clause that gives a framework for discipling members and removing NEC members who either break the constitution or who act outside of the best interests of the guild.

  • Details limits of liability of members

  • Added clause for declaring a conflict of interest

  • Added clause to use technology to hold meetings

  • Added clause to prevents changes to the constitution if it results in the guild no longer being a charity

Standing Orders:

  • Details for forming and running State committees have been added to the Standing orders

  • Standing Orders detail the process for how the Executive Committee functions

  • Process details for accreditation have been moved to the Standing Orders and reflect latest practices

  • Standing Orders states membership fee structure

VOTING BY PROXY

Members may vote by proxy.

Each financial Full Member is entitled to appoint another financial Full Member as proxy by notice given to the Secretary no later than 24 hours before the time of the meeting in respect of which the proxy is appointed.

Please submit your proxy forms at the RSVP LINK here

To vote by proxy, the proxy form must be completed and signed by the member, assigning his or her vote to another financial Full member or committee member in attendance, and received by 4PM Friday November 14th, 2025.