Admission of Observers to Academic Board Meetings Policy

Please note that this policy has not yet been revised or converted to the new format.

Categories of Observers

1. Observers - Individuals who apply to the Academic Board Secretary for a ticket to attend a particular meeting. The number of tickets is limited to ten. Observers in this category must be members of the academic or general staff of the University, students of the University, or members of the Monash University Council.

   Observers in this category are not permitted to speak (except as outlined under the conditions below - paragraph 3) and have no voting rights.
    

2. Invited Observers - Individuals who are invited by the Chair to attend a particular meeting of the Academic Board to be available to speak or answer questions from members of the Board pertaining to an item on the agenda. Members of this category have the right to speak when invited to do so but have no right to vote.
    
3. Ex officio Observers - Permanent attendees approved by the Board. This group will be accorded all the privileges of membership of the board except voting rights; but the Chair will have the discretionary right to rule on their participation in respect of any particular agenda item. Present members of this group are: the four Campus Directors (when not elected as members in their own right); the Directors of the Centre for Higher Education Development and the Distance Education Centre; and the Chief Executive of the Monash Mt Eliza Graduate School of Business and Government Ltd.

Conditions

Meetings of the Academic Board of Monash University shall be open to observers subject to the following:

1. Observers (Cats.1 & 2) will not be admitted until after items on the Agenda classified as 'Confidential' have been dealt with. It is to be noted that the Academic Board may resolve at any time to meet 'in camera'. If such a resolution is carried by a majority of members present, observers (Cats.1 & 2) will be excluded until the meeting has dealt with the business that caused the resolution to be carried.
    
2. To be admitted to the meeting observers (Cat.1) are required to present an observer's ticket, obtainable from Academic Board Secretary. Up to ten tickets will be available from the Academic Board Secretary until two hours before the time appointed for the commencement of the meeting. The Academic Board Secretary will be responsible for issuing tickets to observers. Each ticket will have the name of the person to whom it is issued written on it and will not be transferable. The Academic Board Secretary will keep a list of persons to whom tickets have been issued, showing their staff, student or Council status and, ID numbers and University address where applicable. Final approval for the admission of observers will only be given when it is apparent that sufficient seating will be available. No observers will be allowed to stand at meetings.
    
3. A delegation of a maximum of three observers (Cat.1) may speak on an agenda item of concern to them and respond to questions from Academic Board members provided that: 

• they have the permission of the Chair prior to the meeting in question, and
• Academic Board approves the Chair's decision at the beginning of the respective meeting.

Subject to this, no observer will be allowed to speak, interject, move or second motions or vote at Academic Board meetings. Any observer may be requested by the Chair to leave the meeting.

1. Television, video, other cameras and tape recorders will not be permitted to be brought into the meeting chamber by observers.