Structure

The Council, Board, members, staff, volunteers, and branches are all integral parts of the ACF; all contribute to the effective running of the organisation.

Board

Under the new ACF structure adopted in 2006, governance responsibility has been transferred to a Board which is appointed by and accountable to Council. Membership consists of: the President, the two Vice Presidents, four Councillors and up to four co-opted Board members, including the Treasurer. This model ensures that the Board has a majority of directly elected Councillors whilst giving Council the opportunity of appointing some members on a skills and competency basis. Council reviews the performance of the Board through an annual review, and the Board briefs Council on its deliberations at each Council meeting.

The Board meets at least six times per annum. Its principal responsibilities are to ensure effective operational performance (e.g. campaign activity), legal and regulatory compliance, and implementation of the long term strategic plan. Management is directly responsible to the Board for all administrative matters, including finance, and appoints an audit committee chaired by the Treasurer.

Council

The ACF''s 36-member Council is elected by ACF members. Currently, Council meets three times per annum and retains responsibility for the long term strategic direction of the organisation, the development of environmental policy, and building stronger relationships with the “grass-roots” membership (e.g. through State Forums). The agenda and structure of Council meetings is dominated by policy development work, and the four Strategy Policy Committees are as a vital forum for Councillor/staff interaction.

Members

The ACF is a democratic, membership-based organisation. Without its members the ACF would not have the influence it does.

The ACF receives very little support from government and business. Members are its financial backbone.

Members are also vital to the ACF''s campaigning strategies. Lobbying politicians and councils, writing letters, modifying your own behaviour, and discussing environmental issues all make a difference.

Staff

The ACF has approximately 80 staff in five offices: the Melbourne head office, and in Sydney, Adelaide, Cairns and Canberra.

These committed people work in areas such as campaigns, administration, fundraising, communications, human resources, finance, information technology, and customer service.

Volunteers

Volunteering at the ACF is a fulfilling and vital task. Every year many people help the ACF to campaign and run its offices by volunteering their time, energy and skills.

In our Melbourne office alone, 116 volunteers contributed around 8,000 hours of support, which equates to over 4.5 full-time positions!

Branches

ACF''s branches enable members to become involved in environment issues at a local level.

The following ACF branches have regular meetings and activities:

NSW: Central Coast Branch, Shoalhaven Branch, Sydney Branch
ACT: Canberra Branch
VIC: Mullum Branch