CREATING STRUCTURES
The Framework for Confident, Coordinated Action
Learn how to build lasting organisations that act lawfully, consistently, and with integrity.
The Creating Structures training provides the foundation for capable, confident organisation.
Centred on the Heritage Australians Constitution Toolkit, it shows how lawful structure, defined roles, and disciplined governance turn shared purpose into coordinated action.
From your inaugural meeting to national coordination, this program explains how every Association can operate transparently, build credibility, and connect with the wider Heritage Australians movement.
How to Use This Training
The Heritage Australians Constitution Toolkit provides model constitutions, by-laws, and practical templates to help members form and manage their Associations.
It contains everything needed to hold meetings, record decisions, maintain registers, and remain compliant with state and territory laws.
This training explains those ideas in a practical and accessible way.
Each module introduces a key element of organisation and shows how the constitutional framework works in real situations.
Together, the Toolkit and this training give you both the understanding and the tools to create a strong, lawful, and enduring Association.
Use this program to understand how capability depends on structure — and how disciplined organisation allows local communities to act confidently, consistently, and in coordination with others.
Together, the Toolkit and this training form the foundation for confident organisation and effective governance across the Heritage Australians movement.
[DOWNLOAD THE CONSTITUTION TOOLKIT]
Your Pathway to Organisation and Governance
This program is a complete learning pathway through the key elements of Association structure and governance.
Each module introduces one of the core systems contained in the Constitution Toolkit and explains how it fits into the wider framework of lawful organisation.
Follow the modules in sequence for a complete understanding, or use them individually to strengthen specific areas of your Association’s work.
Either way, you’ll learn how confident, coordinated organisations are built from clear rules, capable leadership, and transparent processes.
Module Overview
1. Understanding Structure
Why structure matters, how Constitutions and By-Laws work together, and how agreed rules create fairness, clarity, and capability.
2. Defining Roles and Responsibilities
How clear duties and limits of authority turn structure into teamwork, building confidence and accountability.
3. Foundations of Governance
How authority, decision-making, and accountability fit together to ensure lawful action and trusted leadership.
4. Membership and Records
How accurate registers, clear membership systems, and transparent processes build legitimacy and prevent confusion or conflict.
5. General Meetings and Elections
How members exercise authority, conduct annual and special meetings, and renew leadership through transparent elections.
6. Committees and Leadership
How office-bearers share responsibility, practise composure and discipline, and turn decisions into coordinated results.
7. Committee Meetings and Decision-Making
How agendas, motions, and minutes transform collective discussion into organised, accountable outcomes.
8. Financial Management
How sound financial systems, transparent reporting, and accurate records protect integrity and sustain confidence.
9. Governance and Risk
How good governance becomes a culture of accountability and foresight, ensuring credibility and stability.
10. Discipline and Disputes
How fair and consistent procedures protect unity, resolve issues calmly, and maintain trust across the organisation.
11. Growth, Incorporation and Federation
How local capability matures into state and national coordination, using incorporation and cooperation as milestones of growth.
12. The Constitution Toolkit in Practice
How to apply everything learned by using the Toolkit’s templates and calendars for daily administration, continuity, and compliance.
Next Steps
Once your Association is established, continue building capability through the Running Campaigns training program.
Together, these programs form the complete Heritage Australians Training Pathway:
- Creating Structures builds lawful, confident organisation.
- Running Campaigns turns that organisation into effective, coordinated action.
Join Heritage Australians
Take the first step in building representation where you live. By registering below, you will be connected with other motivated Australians in your region who share your commitment to organising and action. Together, you will form the foundation of your Regional Association.
REGISTER INTEREST
Thank You for Taking the First Step
Your registration has been received. You have joined a growing network of Australians who are ready to connect, organise, and build representation in their communities.
A Regional Coordinator will contact you soon with information about others in your area and how to begin forming your Regional Association.
In the meantime, you can explore the Resources and Toolkit pages to start planning your first local steps. Together, we are building a national movement from the ground up.
Please try again later.
What a Local Association Can Do
Local Associations turn shared concern into practical action. They build visibility, pride, and representation by strengthening civic participation and advancing the interests of Heritage Australians in local public life.
Your Association might:
- Meet with councillors, community leaders, and local representatives to ensure fair recognition of Heritage Australians’ contributions and perspectives in community decision-making
- Organise heritage days, cultural gatherings, or history projects, ensuring Heritage Australian representation that strengthens civic pride, historical awareness, and local identity
- Coordinate submissions and petitions to influence planning and policy decisions, particularly around sensitive issues such as high-density development, infrastructure, or heritage protection
- Work with other community organisations to preserve heritage names and sites, increase access to local parks, or create signage that reflects and represents Heritage Australians’ place in the community
- Run information campaigns that highlight local issues and promote active citizenship for Heritage Australians, encouraging engagement in councils, schools, and civic forums
- Support members and families through mentoring, volunteering, and social initiatives that strengthen community connection and mutual assistance
- Develop relationships with media, local businesses, and educational institutions to promote understanding, respect, and inclusion of Heritage Australians’ heritage and values
Each of these actions gives practical meaning to the Association’s purposes to represent, to advocate, and to connect.
They demonstrate that organised communities can create a respected voice in Australian civic life.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Constitutional Toolkit?
It’s a complete package of documents that allows a community group to set up and run an association. It includes a professionally drafted Constitution and By-Laws, plus plain-English guides, checklists, and ready-to-use templates for meetings, forms, and record-keeping.
Who is it for?
The toolkit is designed for ordinary people — community leaders, families, or groups of neighbours — who want to organise locally without needing legal or professional help.
Do I need legal training to use it?
No. The toolkit explains everything in plain language. It includes a Quick Start Checklist and an Explanatory Memorandum that guide you step by step through forming and managing an association.
What can we do with it?
With this toolkit, you can hold an inaugural meeting, adopt a constitution, elect a committee, set membership fees, keep proper records, and begin organising community projects, events, or advocacy. It provides both the rules and the practical tools to administer the association.
Is it legally valid in my state or territory?
Yes. The Constitution and By-Laws have been prepared in line with the associations incorporation legislation of each state or territory. Your group can operate as an unincorporated association at first, and later choose to incorporate under the relevant law if needed.
What are the Appendices?
The Appendices are practical tools — templates for membership forms, nomination forms, AGM agendas, minutes, role summaries, registers, and financial records. They make administration simple and consistent, even for first-time committee members.
Can our group grow beyond the local level?
Yes. Local associations can connect with others across NSW to form a state body, and eventually contribute to a national voice for Heritage Australians. The toolkit is designed with that long-term pathway in mind.
What support does the toolkit give for day-to-day running?
It includes standard agendas, compliance calendars, and record-keeping templates, so committees know what to do and when to do it. It also includes summaries of each office-bearer’s role, so responsibilities are always clear.
How much does it cost to use the toolkit?
There is no licence fee — the toolkit is freely provided for communities to adopt and use. The only costs are your local decisions about membership fees or expenses such as hall hire, insurance, or incorporation fees (if and when your group chooses to incorporate).
How do we get started?
Download the toolkit, gather interested people, and follow the Quick Start Checklist at the front. This will walk you through the inaugural meeting, adoption of the constitution, and election of the committee. From that moment, your association is up and running.