Down to Earth Co-operative Society
Motions for Special General Meeting to be held 25th June 2020.
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Motion 1
Motion: That Mark Rasmussen be stood down immediately as from the SGM (Thursday the 25th of June 2020) a Director of the Down To Earth Board pending the resolution of Tania Morsman's complaint. Re: Mark Rasmussen is accusing Tania Morsman of being a thief and a sexual predator to DTE members and volunteers.
Proposed: Tania Morsman
Supporters: Scouse, Denise Banville, Malcolm Matthews
Supporting statement: Currently a complaint is in motion regarding DTE Director - Mark Rasmussen. This complaint is serious and has brought a great deal of emotional unrest in the wellbeing of myself, the complainant DTE member and Volunteer, Tania Morsman 1820. The complaint is in relation to serious accusations by Mark Rasmussen that accuse me of sexual misconduct of a sexual predatory nature with members and volunteers of DTE and also that he claims I am a thief because I stole a boat trailer from Woorooma property. Mark Rassmussen told me personally, that I am having too much sex with volunteers and that the Board received complaints from volunteers that identify I have acted sexually inappropriate to volunteers. I am yet to receive any documentation or warning from the Board to validate these claims. These claims have been told to more than one person and I believe Mark Rasmussen is slut shaming me and vilifying and slandering my good reputation.
Currently there is no complaints process in place to deal with the complaint I have made.
I believe it is a fair request that Mark Rasmussen be stood down as a director pending the complaints resolution.
I also believe that the rules below outline Mark Rasmussens duties as a member and as an officer where he has breached the DTE constitution.
These accusations are false and extremely damaging to my person. I am continuing my complaint and since DTE has not been able to offer any resolution I will continue to research avenues that will assist the complaint into resolution.
9. Expulsion of members
(2) The circumstances in which members may be expelled are:
(d) Where a member engages in any harassment of:
(ii) other members of the Cooperative
(g) If the member as an officer of the Co-operative fails to act honestly in the exercise of his or her powers and the discharge of the duties of his or her office, both in this State and elsewhere.
(h) If the member as an officer of the Co-operative acts with intent to deceive or defraud, in the discharge of his or her duties as an officer of the Co-operative
(i) If the member as an officer of the Co-operative fails to act with the degree of care and diligence that a reasonable person in a like position in a co-operative would exercise
Motion 2
NB This is similar to Motion 18
Motion: That an appropriation of $30,000 is approved for the Organising Committee to last until the September SGM.
Proposed: Kathy Ernst
Supporters: Steve Poynton, Denise Banville
Explanation: The Australian Government has been quite clear that large gatherings such as ConFest will not happen until a vaccine for COVID-19 is available. It is unlikely that we will be able to hold a full scale ConFest next year, with some predictions estimating 5 years before events such as ConFest will be allowed to happen.
We need to set aside $500,000 for a full scale ConFest. $400,000 was appropriated for 2020 Easter ConFest and there was a further motion for $85,000 on the agenda before ConFest was cancelled.
There was also spending from OC budgets to support the Easter ConFest. We can trim some of these costs but also need to be prepared for additional costs due to government requirements for things like increased sanitation.
This allows us about $240,000 to spend over the next 4 years i.e $60,000 per year.
This $30,000 budget will allow DTE to function while adjust our expenditure to sustainable levels that we can afford. It will give groups time to come up with budgets and forward planning so that
ConFest can happen again when restrictions are fully lifted.
A further appropriation should be made at the September SGM based on detailed budget estimates.
Motion 3
NB This is similar to Motion 16
The Preamble: Due to the COVID-19 outbreak DTE has been unable to hold a festival, and is unlikely to be holding a festival in the near future. Hours volunteering at the festival are the most common method for submitting hours for active membership, however this is not possible in the current situation because DTE has been unable to provide the opportunity for many of these members to contribute directly to the festival.
These are not the only hours our volunteers contribute. There are countless hours in planning and discussions and many other areas which are not claimed because of the difficulty of verifying these.
In recognition of the many unclaimed hours that our long term volunteers have submitted over the years, The following motion is designed to protect our membership base from declining due to the absence of a festival.
Motion: That the board automatically accepts that all current members who have been active for 2 or more years, and notify the board in writing that they wish to continue to be involved and they have attempted and been available to satisfy the requirements along with a brief description of their involvement, remain as active members.
Proposed: Steve Poynton
Supporters: Coral Larke, Denise Banville
Motion 4
Motion: That a work group be authorised to review receipts to check compliance with the use of DTE funds for the proposed purpose. to identify items that may qualify as assets of the Co-op. the work group is not restricted to these functions.
The work group will have unrestricted readonly access to the Co-op's XERO cloud accounts.
Appointment to the work group will be from members who can vote in the OC or CC, they may remain in the group provided they continue as active members of DTE Co-op
The work group members are to be appointed by an OC motion
Proposed: David Cruise
Supporters: Steve Poynton, Denise Banville
Motion 5
Motion: Food
That DTE does not pay for any food or drinks.
Proposed: Kathy Ernst
Supporters: Steve Poynton, Don Royal, Tania Morsman, Scouse, Denise Banville, Malcolm Matthews, Bruce (from Arts)
Explanation: With the uncertainty over when we can hold our next large ConFest, DTE cannot afford to continue the current expenditure on food.
DTE’s generosity in providing food has been abused. People have shown that they cannot be trusted to make sensible and ethical decisions about food purchases. For example, a lot more food has been purchased outside gatherings than can be justified as food for meetings, food has been purchased on the way to site in contravention of DTE funding policies, expensive food and alcohol has been purchased.
Examples of food and drink expenditure can be found at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ghf9HxthMs8ChB1Ha3yaIpKcoefnyFnR?usp=sharing
Motion 6
Motion: Travel expenses
That DTE does not pay for any travel expenses including, but not limited to, fuel for personal transport, vehicle hire, taxis, Uber and other ride sharing services, public transport including airfares, parking costs, road tolls, traffic infringements, registration, insurance or maintenance of personal vehicles. Also the use of DTE vehicles for private purposes is to be discontinued.
Proposed: Kathy Ernst
Supporters: Steve Poynton, Don Royal, Tania Morsman, Scouse, Denise Banville, Malcolm Matthews, Bruce (from Arts)
Explanation: With the uncertainty over when we can hold our next large ConFest, DTE cannot afford to continue the current expenditure on personal transport. DTE’s generosity in providing transport has been abused. People have shown that they cannot be trusted to make sensible and ethical decisions about travel expenses. For example, expenditure on fuel for personal transport exceeds that which can be justified by providing transport to working bees or on DTE business and expenses have been paid for personal vehicles.
Examples of travel expenses can be found at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ghf9HxthMs8ChB1Ha3yaIpKcoefnyFnR?usp=sharing
Motion 7
Motion: Camping expenses
That DTE does not pay for any camping or caravanning equipment including, but not limited to, tents, caravans, furniture, bedding (mattresses, pillows and bedlinen).
Proposed: Kathy Ernst
Supporters: Steve Poynton, Don Royal, Tania Morsman, Scouse, Denise Banville, Malcolm Matthews, Bruce (from Arts)
Explanation: With the uncertainty over when we can hold our next large ConFest, DTE cannot afford to continue the current expenditure on such items for personal use.
Examples of camping and caravanning expenses can be found at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ghf9HxthMs8ChB1Ha3yaIpKcoefnyFnR?usp=sharing
Motion 8
Motion: Clothing
That DTE does not pay for any personal clothing, footwear, headwear or sunglasses and that this includes both fashion items and work clothes.
Proposed: Kathy Ernst
Supporters: Steve Poynton, Don Royal, Tania Morsman, Scouse, Denise Banville, Malcolm Matthews, Bruce (from Arts)
Explanation: With the uncertainty over when we can hold our next large ConFest, DTE cannot afford to continue to allow people to purchase clothing and accessories from their DTE budgets.
Examples of clothing expenditure can be found at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ghf9HxthMs8ChB1Ha3yaIpKcoefnyFnR?usp=sharing
Motion 9
Motion: Phone and Internet
That DTE does not pay for any personal phone or internet charges incurred by members, including directors, and that this includes both service costs and the cost of paying off mobile devices.
Proposed: Kathy Ernst
Supporters: Steve Poynton, Don Royal, Tania Morsman, Scouse, Denise Banville, Malcolm Matthews, Bruce (from Arts)
Explanation: Reimbursement of telephone and internet expense was originally intended to cover any additional expense incurred while performing director duties. Currently we are paying the total bills for some members including paying off their phones.
Examples of phone and internet expenses can be found at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ghf9HxthMs8ChB1Ha3yaIpKcoefnyFnR?usp=sharing
Motion 10
Motion: Household
That DTE does not pay for any personal household expenses including rent and utility bills.
Proposed: Kathy Ernst
Supporters: Steve Poynton, Don Royal, Tania Morsman, Scouse, Denise Banville, Malcolm Matthews, Bruce (from Arts)
Explanation: With the uncertainty over when we can hold our next large ConFest, DTE cannot afford to pay household bills for individual members. This undermining the volunteer status of DTE. Also it is unfair to do this for some members but not others.
Examples of household expenses paid on behalf of members can be found at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ghf9HxthMs8ChB1Ha3yaIpKcoefnyFnR?usp=sharing
Motion 11
Motion: Electronic items and accessories
That DTE does not pay for any electronic items (including accessories) for personal use.
Proposed: Kathy Ernst
Supporters: Steve Poynton, Don Royal, Tania Morsman, Scouse, Denise Banville, Malcolm Matthews, Bruce (from Arts)
Explanation: With the uncertainty over when we can hold our next large ConFest, DTE cannot afford to pay for such items. The intention to ensure that members have the necessary equipment to do their job has been abused with expenditure on unnecessary and expensive items.
Examples of electronic equipment and accessories bought by members can be found at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ghf9HxthMs8ChB1Ha3yaIpKcoefnyFnR?usp=sharing
Motion 12
Motion: Reimbursement of DTE funds spent for personal use That any DTE funds spent on personal expenditure is reimbursed to DTE.
Proposed: Kathy Ernst
Supporters: Steve Poynton, Don Royal, Tania Morsman, Scouse, Denise Banville, Malcolm Matthews, Bruce (from Arts)
Explanation: With the uncertainty over when we can hold our next large ConFest, DTE cannot afford to let people pay for their personal expenses with DTE funds. It is also unethical, undermining the volunteer status of DTE and unfair that certain members get away with this.
Motion 13
Motion: That all future budget requests that exceed $500 and are below $4999 need to be submitted in writing and put online in multiple places that are easily accessible to all members , containing a detailed itemized expenditure application form or spreadsheet. At least 48 hours before the beginning of the meeting they are to be discussed at and the membership to by notified of the budget with at least 48 notice also.
That all future budget requests amounts $5,000 or above need to be submitted in writing and put online in multiple places that are easily accessible to all members , containing a detailed itemized expenditure application form or spreadsheet. At least 5 days before the beginning of the meeting they are to be discussed at and the membership to by notified of the budget with at least 5 days notice also.
This includes but is not limited to all budget requests for all committees and sub committee, working groups, directors, infrastructure projects, asset acquisitions, working bees , administration expenditure and any other area of DTE or Confest that requires a budget.
Where budget requests appear to have been broken down into multiple applications to avoid these provisions, then only one of those budgets can be heard and passed at that meeting.
Proposed: Lindy Hunt
Supporters: Tania Morsman, Kathy Ernst, Emma Bennett, Denise Banville, Coral Larke, Malcolm Matthews, Kevin Taylor
Explanations: Examples of easily accessible places to all members are data.dte.org.au, data.coop, oc and c.c mailing list any appropriate forum, sms messages sent out by DTE or phone calls to
members.
When food is an item it is to be broken down into a dollar amount per person per day and how many people are to be feed eg. $7 per person per day for 200 people for 10 day
Or broken down into how much on meat , vegetables, dry goods, dairy and tinned goods .
Example of detailed budget
Open Stage funding app (redacted).pdf
Table
Amount Notice Required
under $500 can be presented on the night of the meeting.
$501-$4999 48 hours notice with a detailed itemised budget required. $5000 and above 5 days notice with a detailed itemised budget required.
Notice must be made accessible to all interested parties through the various media used by DTE to contact and engage with members.
The reason for this motion is that for too long there have been last minute late night budget applications put in for tens of thousands of dollars usually around 10.30 to 11pm at night without any fore warning and little or no documentation. Followed by claims that they have to be passed
NOW!!!! Or the world will stop turning, or confest will not go ahead or the infrastructure project will not happen etc. By this time at night people are exhausted, nor have they had any chance to read the budget or look for alternatives or had a chance to formulate questions.
By having this motion passed members will have the ability to look at budget requests and formulate questions they want to ask at meetings , rather than feeling railroaded into a last minute proposal.
Motion 14
Motion: That OC facilitators are authorised to make payments from their budgets without the need of further control from the Board.
Proposed: Coral Larke
Supporters: Tania Morsman, Malcolm Mathews, Lindy Hunt
Rationale: The Board motion dated 7th May 2020 and passed by circular “that all budget allocations, bill payments, reimbursements or funds transfers from DTE bank accounts allocated to the four standing committees of the Board must not be disbursed until ratified by a motion of the Board and that all DTE bank accounts requiring a minimum of three-signatories be modified to require a minimum of four-signatories.” The Board is making the work of the OC unmanageable and are overreaching their power.
This has caused a management problem for our entire cooperative, we now have work flow problems, uncertainty for our members, invoices and reimbursements are bottlenecked.
Motion 15
Motion: That all Board decisions made by circular are to be scrutinised by the Organising Committee to evaluate if decisions made were urgent. If a motion was not deemed urgent that it be rescinded and represented at a scheduled Board Meeting.
The criteria:
· Would the cooperative have breached its legal obligations had the motion waited for a public scheduled Board meeting?
· Is it evident that any person would have been placed in danger if the board had waited for a public scheduled Board meeting?
Proposed: Coral Larke
Supporters: Tania Morsman, Malcolm Mathews, Lindy Hunt
Rationale: Directors have created a work flow problem and a back log of agenda items due to the new procedure of them authorising preapproved expenditures.
To circumvent the waiting time for their agenda items to be heard in a scheduled Board meetings motions are now being passed by circular, this is in spite of DTE rule 48 that states only URGENT decisions can be made by this method. It also means that 4 directors can approve a motion without any type of discussion or input from the full Board of Directors.
DTE rule 48 If urgent decisions are required they may be decided by telephone or Internet provided that five or more Directors are consulted and four or more Directors agree to the decision. The decision is to be minuted in the minutes of the next Board meeting.
Motion 16
NB This is similar to Motion 3
Motion: That the cooperative shall consider members active for FYE 2020 also active members for FYE2021.
Proposer: Kate Shapiro
Supporters: Kristen Tunney, Troy Reid, Mike Kennedy, Paul Hutchison
Preamble to 3 following appropriation motions: These figures are the result of a detailed analysis of outgoings over the last three years and creation of a minimal operating budget to form the basis of a full year budget and appropriation motions for FYE2021.
Attached is "DTE 5 Year Outlook" demonstrating Worst Case Scenario and Best Case Scenario depending on COVID-19 pandemic outcomes affecting mass gatherings.
“ DTE 5 Year outlook”
Motion 17
Appropriation for Board of Directors
Motion: That an appropriation of up to $25,200 is made available to the Board of Directors for financial year ending 30 June 2021.
Remarks: this amount represents a 28% reduction on the previous year ($35,000).
Proposer: Kate Shapiro
Supporters: Trevor Pitt, Elisa Brock
Motion 18
NB This is similar to Motion 2
Appropriation for Organising Committee
Motion: That an appropriation of up to $120,000 is made available to the Organising Committee for operating expenses for financial year ending 30 June 2021.
Proposer: Kate Shapiro
Supporters: Trevor Pitt, Elisa Brock
Remarks: this amount represents a 60% reduction on the previous year ($300,000) and is based on the following allocations:
Allocation Amount
Accounting & Secretarial Fees 20,000
Audit Fees 5,000
Bank Fees 500
Food & Beverage (Non-gatherings) 4,000
ICT Software & Subscription Services 12,000
Insurance 30,000
Levies 1,200
License & Registration Fees 5,000
Light, Power, Heating 6,000
Machinery Parts and Repairs 500
Motor Vehicle Expenses 500
Office Expenses 3,000
Postage 200
Property Maintenance 1,100
Rates – Council 4,000
Rent 5,000
Telephone &Internet 12,000
Travel – National 6,000
Waste Management 3,000
Water Charges 1,000
Total OC Outgoings 120,000
Motion 19
Appropriation for ConFest Committee
Motion: That an appropriation of up to $18,646 is made available to the ConFest Committee for operating expenses for financial year ending 30 June 2021.
Proposer: Kate Shapiro
Supporters: Trevor Pitt, Elisa Brock
Remarks: this amount represents a 95% reduction on the previous year ($400,000) and is based on the following allocations:
Allocation Amount
Community Grants 11,446
Reimbursements 2,000
Satellite Phone 1,000
Storage Rental 4,200
Total CC Outgoings 18,646
~ End of Motions ~