Levels of membership

The membership of the College may consist of ordinary members and any of the following members:

1. Fellow members;
2. International Fellow members;
3. Ordinary members;
4. Early Career members;
5. Corporate/Associate members.

1. Fellow and International Fellows membership qualifications

1. Applicants must be approved by the Board of Advisors
2. Minimum 5 years specialist qualification (Medicine, Law, and/or Allied Health)
3. Unrestricted professional registration in Law and or Medicine
4. Attend 1 ACIME education meeting per annum
5. Min 8 hours per week IME consultant
6. Hold Current CertIME Certification

2. Ordinary membership qualifications

1. the person is a natural person:
2. A licensed professional who is actively engaged in the independent assessment of health and function as these relate to impairment and disability.

3. Early career membership qualifications

1. Registrars, Residents or Students in the process of completing their medical, allied health, or law.

4. Corporate/Associate membership

1. Corporate organisation with an interest in the independent assessment of health and function (Medicolegal Group, Law firm, Insurance company)

5. Cessation of membership

A person ceases to be a member of the College if the person:

1. Has unpaid membership fees exceeding 3 month; or
2. dies; or
3. resigns membership; or
4. is expelled from the College.

6. Membership entitlements not transferable

A right, privilege or obligation which a person has by reason of being a member of the College:

1. is not capable of being transferred or transmitted to another person; and
2. terminates on cessation of the person’s membership.

7. Resignation of membership

1. A member of the College is not entitled to resign that membership except in accordance with this rule.
2. A member of the College who has paid all amounts payable by the member to the College in respect of the member’s membership may resign from membership of the College by first giving to the secretary written notice of at least one month (or such other period as the committee may determine) of the member’s intention to resign and, on the expiration of the period of notice, the member ceases to be a member.
3. If a member of the College ceases to be a member under clause (b), and in every other case where a member ceases to hold membership, the secretary must make an appropriate entry in the register of members recording the date on which the member ceased to be a member.

8. Register of members

1. The public officer of the College must establish and maintain a register of members of the College specifying the name and address of each person who is a member of the College together with the date on which the person became a member.
2. The register of members must be kept at the principal place of administration of the College and must be open for inspection, free of charge, by any member of the College at any reasonable hour.

9. Fees and subscriptions

1. A member of the College must, on admission to membership, pay to the College a fee of $1 or, if some other amount is determined by the committee, that other amount.
2. In addition to any amount payable by the member, a member of the College must pay to the College an annual membership fee of the appropriate level of membership or, if some other amount is determined by the committee, that other amount
   i. except as provided by paragraph (ii), before 1 July in each calendar year, or
   ii. if the member becomes a member on or after 1 July in any calendar year – on becoming a member and before 1 July in each succeeding calendar year.
3. All transactions are processed in Australian dollars
   i. International members are responsible for payment of currency exchange fees and charges
4. REFUNDS: Annual fees are refundable if the member sends in a written request to the Secretary of the College describing the details of the refund. Refunds will be processed within 7 business days of the received request to the member.

10. Members’ liabilities

The liability of a member of the College to contribute towards the payment of the debts and liabilities of the College or the costs, charges and expenses of the winding up of the College is limited to the amount, if any, unpaid by the member in respect of membership of the College as required by rule 8.

11. Resolution of internal disputes

1. Disputes between members (in their capacity as members) of the College, and disputes between members and the College, are to be referred to the committee for resolution.
2. If there is no resolution of the dispute referred to in clause 1 by the committee, the dispute shall be referred to a single arbitrator whose decision shall be final and binding on all parties.
3. The single arbitrator referred to in clause 2 above is to be a legal practitioner agreed to by the parties. If there is no agreement as to the arbitrator, then an arbitrator shall be nominated by the President of the Law Society.

12. Disciplining of members

1. A complaint may be made by any member of the College that some other member of the College:
   i. has persistently refused or neglected to comply with a provision or provisions of these rules; or
   ii. has persistently and wilfully acted in a manner prejudicial to the interests of the College.
2. On receiving such a complaint, the committee:
   i. must cause notice of the complaint to be served on the member concerned; and
   ii. must give the member at least 14 days from the time the notice is served within which to make submissions to the committee in connection with the complaint; and
   iii. must take into consideration any submissions made by the member in connection with the complaint.
3. The committee may, by resolution, expel the member from the College or suspend the member from membership of the College if, after considering the complaint and any submissions made in connection with the complaint, it is satisfied that the facts alleged in the complaint have been proved.
4. If the committee expels or suspends a member, the secretary must, within 7 days after the action is taken, cause written notice to be given to the member of the action taken, of the reasons given by the committee for having taken that action and of the member’s right of appeal under rule 14.
5. The expulsion or suspension does not take effect:
   i. until the expiration of the period within which the member is entitled to appeal against the resolution concerned; or
6. if within that period the member exercises the right of appeal, unless and until the College confirms the resolution under rule 14 (d), whichever is the later.

13. Right of appeal of disciplined member

1. A member may appeal to the College in general meeting against a resolution of the committee under rule 13, within 7 days after notice of the resolution is served on the member, by lodging with the secretary a notice to that effect.
2. The notice may, but need not, be accompanied by a statement of the grounds on which the member intends to rely for the purposes of the appeal.
3. On receipt of a notice from a member under clause (a), the secretary must notify the committee, which is to convene a general meeting of the College to be held within 28 days after the date on which the secretary received the notice.
4. At a general meeting of the College convened under clause (c):
   i. no business other than the question of the appeal is to be transacted; and
   ii. the committee and the member must be given the opportunity to state their respective cases orally or in writing, or both; and
   iii. the members present are to vote by secret ballot on the question of whether the resolution should be confirmed or revoked.
5. If at the general meeting the College passes a special resolution in favour of the confirmation of the resolution, the resolution is confirmed.