The Committee Room

Ep 17 When Members Call the Meeting

Kate Hartwig + Kate McPhee — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 23:41:30 +0000

A requisition arrives on the Secretary's desk — twenty-two financial members requesting a Special General Meeting. The President's first instinct is to ignore it. The Secretary's first instinct is to panic. Neither is the right move. This episode covers what an SGM is, when members can call one, and how to handle it well.

Show Notes

A Special General Meeting called by members is uncomfortable. It is not the end of the world. How the committee responds in the days immediately after the requisition arrives will determine whether it stays uncomfortable or becomes something much worse. This episode uses the Widget Traders Federation — a case study in exactly what not to do — to show the difference between a committee that fights the process and one that uses it as the accountability mechanism it was designed to be.

In This Episode

What an SGM actually is — and when a committee should call one itself
When members can requisition an SGM and what the rules are — including what the committee's role is once a valid requisition arrives
The Widget Traders Federation: a case study in ignoring a valid requisition and losing control of the process entirely
Why you can't reject a valid requisition because you disagree with the members' concerns or think the motions won't pass
What happens when the committee fails to call the meeting in time — and why the members can then call it themselves
What a good committee does instead: acknowledge within 48 hours, call the meeting, use the notice period constructively
What goes on the SGM agenda — exactly what was in the requisition, no more and no less
The case for an independent chairperson at a member-called SGM — and why it changes the tone of the whole meeting
Why an SGM called by disgruntled members doesn't automatically mean the end of the committee — and how a committee can come through one with its mandate intact

Free Download

An SGM Checklist from the Committee Companion is in the show notes — useful to have in the emergency box before you need it. Download here!

A Note to Listeners Facing an SGM Right Now

If you're listening to this episode because your organisation is currently facing a member-requisitioned Special General Meeting, get advice. The Kates can help as a starting point — but if the situation is complex, get legal advice sooner rather than later. Find the Kates through freshallsorts.com.au.

This Week's Challenges

Two this week — one quick check, one for reflection:

First — does your constitution specify how many members can requisition an SGM and how quickly the committee must call it? If you don't know the answer off the top of your head, look it up today. Not when a requisition arrives.

Second — if members called an SGM tomorrow, how prepared would your committee be to respond? If the answer is 'not very', that's useful information. The SGM Checklist in the show notes is a good place to start.

Got a Question for the Kates?

Get in quickly — the next episode is Your Questions Answered, and there's still time to get your question on the list. Use the contact form at thecommitteeroom.com.au.

About Your Hosts

Kate McPhee has three decades of hands-on experience helping small clubs and associations get more done with less stress. She is the author of Just a Tick, a plain-English governance guide for committees and boards. liquoriceallsorts.com.au

Together they offer governance health checks and practical support through Fresh Allsorts.

This podcast provides general information on best practice governance for small to medium not-for-profit associations. It is not legal advice.

Timestamps

00:02 — An unexpected requisition...

00:58 — Introducing the Kates and this episode on Special General Meetings

01:50 — What is an SGM?

03:25 — When SGMs go bad...

04:12 — How not to receive an SGM requisition

04:59 — Call the meeting, or the members will

05:36 — Don't wing it — prepare a response

06:22 — Call the meeting and use the notice period

06:32 — What a good committee would do

07:58 — What goes on the SGM agenda

08:17 — The benefits of an independent chairperson

09:01 — Rain interlude

09:25 — Engage honestly and provide information

10:16 — SGM is a formal accountability mechanism

10:34 — Recap

11:24 — This week's challenges and next week's episode

Next Episode

Your Questions Answered #2 — the Kates tackle another round of listener questions. Get yours in via the contact form at thecommitteeroom.com.au.

Resources & Links

🎙️ The Committee Room thecommitteeroom.com.au — episode archive, show notes, downloads and contact form

🍬 Fresh Allsorts freshallsorts.com.au — Governance Health Checks and practical support from both Kates

Kate Hartwig Consulting katehartwig.com.au — including the Committee Companion, a head start on good governance with checklists, frameworks and exemplars

Liquorice Allsorts Consulting liquoriceallsorts.com.au — including Just a Tick, Kate McPhee's plain-English governance guide

Facebook: The Committee Room

LinkedIn: The Committee Room

You don't need good luck if you've got good governance.

The Committee Room | thecommitteeroom.com.au

Ep 16 The Big Night

Kate Hartwig + Kate McPhee — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 13:39:02 +0000

Most AGMs bomb not because the organisation is failing but because the preparation wasn't done. The wrong people didn't know their roles. The constitution hadn't been checked. The annual report was written the week before by one person. Other Business opened and the meeting went off-script for forty minutes. None of that has to happen. In this episode, the Kates use the theatrical metaphor to show that a great AGM is a production — and like all great productions, the work is almost entirely done before anyone in the audience takes their seat.

In This Episode

The production schedule — why five months goes faster than you think, and why great AGMs start the moment the financial year closes
The Production Manager (your Treasurer) — what they need to do before anyone sees the numbers, including prescribed association status and the mandatory independent audit threshold
The Stage Manager (your Secretary) — the constitution as production bible, notices, quorum, nominations and what happens when the legal logistics go wrong
The Programme (your Annual Report) — the centrepiece the audience takes home, why it deserves better than two pages of dense text, and what a great one looks like
Nominations from the floor — why they're a recipe for chaos and how to close the loophole in your constitution
Opening night — the Chair's job as Director, keeping pace, managing the critics and not allowing ad-libbing
Other Business — not an agenda item, not a thing, and why a good chair doesn't put it on the agenda, ask for it, or allow it
What a five-star review looks like — and what a bad review looks like, and why bad reviews last

Free Download

An AGM Preparation Checklist from the Committee Companion — a production schedule you can use to work backwards from your AGM date. Download here!

Want to Go Further?

If your AGM could use some backstage support — or if there are other governance challenges you'd like a fresh pair of eyes on — that's exactly the kind of work the Kates do through Kate Hartwig Consulting, Liquorice Allsorts, and Fresh Allsorts. Find out more at freshallsorts.com.au.

This Week's Challenge

Pull out the minutes from your last AGM and ask three questions: Was quorum confirmed and recorded before business started? Were nominations closed and candidate statements in members' hands before the night? Would a new member reading your annual report understand what your organisation achieved this past year? If the answer to any of those is no, start your next production schedule now. The AGM Preparation Checklist in the show notes is your starting point.

Got a Question for the Kates?

Use the contact form at thecommitteeroom.com.au. The Kates love a curly question — and there's another Your Questions Answered episode coming up very soon.

About Your Hosts

Together they offer governance health checks and practical support through Fresh Allsorts.

This podcast provides general information on best practice governance for small to medium not-for-profit associations. It is not legal advice.

Timestamps

00:03 — AGM disaster...

01:24 — Introducing the Kates and this episode on AGMs

02:33 — Your AGM production schedule

03:43 — Backstage crew

03:59 — The Treasurer — Production Manager

05:30 — The Treasurer's report

06:25 — The Secretary — Stage Manager

08:11 — The governance team and the Annual Report

09:58 — Nominations from the floor — and why they're a bad idea

11:46 — Opening night — your AGM

13:33 — Other Business — a lucky dip that's seldom lucky

15:05 — How to get a five-star review — or not

16:27 — Recap

17:11 — This week's challenge and next episode on Special General Meetings

Next Episode

Special General Meetings — what they are, when and why they can be called, how to call one properly, and what to do if disgruntled members call one against the committee.

Resources & Links

🎙️ The Committee Room thecommitteeroom.com.au — episode archive, show notes, downloads and contact form

🍬 Fresh Allsorts freshallsorts.com.au — Governance Health Checks and practical support from both Kates

Kate Hartwig Consulting katehartwig.com.au — including the Committee Companion, a head start on good governance with checklists, frameworks and exemplars

Liquorice Allsorts Consulting liquoriceallsorts.com.au — including Just a Tick, Kate McPhee's plain-English governance guide

Facebook: The Committee Room

LinkedIn: The Committee Room

You don't need good luck if you've got good governance.

The Committee Room | thecommitteeroom.com.au

Ep 15 Writing it Down

Kate Hartwig + Kate McPhee — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 03:09:28 +0000

Show Notes

Most committees treat minutes as an afterthought. Someone volunteers to take them, types up a rough summary, emails it around before the next meeting, and hopes for the best. But minutes are a legal document — and failing to keep proper ones is an offence under Australia's various Associations Incorporation Acts. This episode covers everything from what minutes actually are and where the term comes from, through to who should be taking them, how to handle corrections, and what role AI tools can appropriately play.

In This Episode

What minutes actually are — a legal record, not a summary, not a newsletter, not a transcript — and why that framing matters
Where the word 'minutes' comes from (hint: it's Latin, and nothing to do with time)
The proper header every set of minutes needs — and why apologies and absences are not the same thing
What the right level of detail looks like — with a good example and a bad example side by side
When to attribute comments to individuals — and when not to, and why individual attribution chills debate
How to record resolutions properly — and why a report with recommendations framed as motions makes your secretary very happy
The action list: how to turn good minutes into good governance
Timing, signing, storage and corrections — the procedural details most committees get wrong
Who should take the minutes — and why it shouldn't be the chair or the most senior person in the room
Practical tips to make the job easier — including templates, preparation and a note-taking approach that works
AI as a tool, not a substitute — what AI transcription tools can and can't do for your minutes

Free Download

We have a minutes template from the Committee Companion. Download it and adapt it for your organisation.

This Week's Challenge

Pull out the minutes from your last three committee meetings. Are they good enough to settle a dispute about what was decided? Do they have a proper header? Are resolutions recorded clearly with mover, seconder and result? Is there an action list? If the answer to any of those is no — that's your starting point. The minutes template in the show notes will help.

Got a Question for the Kates?

Use the contact form at thecommitteeroom.com.au. Someone else will be glad you asked.

About Your Hosts

Together they offer governance health checks and practical support through Fresh Allsorts.

This podcast provides general information on best practice governance for small to medium not-for-profit associations. It is not legal advice.

Timestamps

00:03 — Minutes, not memories

00:40 — Introducing the Kates and this episode on minutes

01:24 — Clarification on terminology — Iced Vovos and Bex

03:01 — What are minutes?

04:08 — Where does the term 'minutes' come from?

04:54 — What goes in the minutes?

06:21 — When to attribute comments and when not to

06:55 — How to record resolutions

08:06 — Action list

08:42 — Minutes are an official legal record

09:02 — Timing

09:24 — Signing and storage

10:17 — Corrections

11:26 — Who takes the minutes?

12:06 — Tips to make life easier

12:40 — AI as a tool, not a substitute

13:39 — Recap

14:28 — This week's challenge and next week's episode

Next Episode

Next episode the Kates tackle the Annual General Meeting — what must be on the agenda, what the legal requirements actually are, and how to make sure your AGM is a night worth showing up for rather than one to endure.

Resources & Links

🎙️ The Committee Room thecommitteeroom.com.au — episode archive, show notes, downloads and contact form

🍬 Fresh Allsorts freshallsorts.com.au — Governance Health Checks and practical support from both Kates

Kate Hartwig Consulting katehartwig.com.au — including the Committee Companion, a head start on good governance with checklists, frameworks and exemplars

Liquorice Allsorts Consulting liquoriceallsorts.com.au — including Just a Tick, Kate McPhee's plain-English governance guide

Facebook: The Committee Room

LinkedIn: The Committee Room

You don't need good luck if you've got good governance.

The Committee Room | thecommitteeroom.com.au

Ep 14 Making the Call

Kate Hartwig + Kate McPhee — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 22:37:22 +0000

Most committees don't avoid decisions because they're lazy or incompetent. They avoid them because they want consensus, they don't want conflict, and they keep hoping that if they wait long enough, everyone will come around. They won't. And in the meantime, the issue gets bigger and harder to deal with. This episode covers both sides of the decision-making problem: why committees avoid making calls, and how to make good ones when they finally get there.

In This Episode

Why committees keep having the same discussion without reaching a resolution — and what's actually driving it
The ceiling panel that fell during grand final celebrations — and what a sporting club learned about the cost of deferral
Legitimate deferral versus avoidance: the one thing that separates them
The five principles of good decision-making — the practical application of the legal duties covered in Episode 4
Representatives: why you can't be directed by your home committee about how to vote
How to protect your committee when a decision goes wrong — and why documenting the process is your protection, not a perfect outcome

Free Download

A decision-making checklist from the Committee Companion — five questions, one page. Keep it handy at your meetings and run significant decisions through it before the vote. Download here.

Want to Go Further?

If your committee has been workshopping the same decision since forever, the Kates can help. Find out more at freshallsorts.com.au.

This Week's Challenge

Is there a decision your committee keeps finding reasons not to make? Name it. At your next meeting, put it on the agenda with a specific commitment: either we decide at this meeting, or we set a deadline and name who's responsible for the information we need. No more kicking that thorny issue down the road.

And next time you're about to vote on something significant, run it through the five principles first. The checklist in the show notes is a one-page version you can keep with your meeting papers.

Got a Question for the Kates?

Use the contact form at thecommitteeroom.com.au. Someone else will be glad you asked.

About Your Hosts

Together they offer governance health checks and practical support through Fresh Allsorts.

This podcast provides general information on best practice governance for small to medium not-for-profit associations. It is not legal advice.

Timestamps

00:04 — Decisions, decisions...

00:46 — Introducing the Kates and this episode on making decisions

01:31 — The first rule of decision-making — make decisions!

03:53 — Deferral, not avoidance

04:38 — Principles of good decision-making

05:00 — Principle 1 — Reasonable care

05:15 — Principle 2 — Good faith

05:44 — Principle 3 — Avoid influence from personal interests

06:12 — Principle 4 — Reasonable enquiry

06:58 — Principle 5 — Rational belief

07:48 — Peak body representatives

08:51 — How to protect your committee decisions

10:30 — This week's challenge and next week's episode

Next Episode

The decision's been made. Now it needs to be recorded properly. Next episode, the Kates cover what goes in the minutes, what doesn't, why the minute book is a legal record, and why 'the committee discussed the matter' is never good enough.

Resources & Links

🎙️ The Committee Room thecommitteeroom.com.au — episode archive, show notes, downloads and contact form

🍬 Fresh Allsorts freshallsorts.com.au — Governance Health Checks and practical support from both Kates

Kate Hartwig Consulting katehartwig.com.au — including the Committee Companion, a head start on good governance with checklists, frameworks and exemplars

Liquorice Allsorts Consulting liquoriceallsorts.com.au — including Just a Tick, Kate McPhee's plain-English governance guide

Facebook: The Committee Room

LinkedIn: The Committee Room

You don't need good luck if you've got good governance.

The Committee Room | thecommitteeroom.com.au

Ep 13 Running the Room

Kate Hartwig + Kate McPhee — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 23:04:46 +0000

Show Notes

You can have the best-prepared agenda in the world and still have a terrible meeting if nobody's running the room well. The chair's job is active, skilled and often underappreciated — and it's not just about following the agenda. This episode covers start to finish: from the two non-negotiable basics (start on time, finish on time) through the chair's three core jobs, the formal rules of debate, and the five elements that make a committee decision legally safe.

In This Episode

Start on time, finish on time — why it's a form of respect, not just a preference, and what you're actually training people when you don't
The chair's three core jobs: drawing out quiet voices, redirecting the loud ones, and keeping discussion focused on the issue not the personalities
Purpose, process and pace — why the chair should never be focused on the content, and what happens when they try to do both
The formal rules of debate: what they are, when to invoke them, and why just knowing they exist is usually enough
Through the chair: what it actually means, how to signal you want to speak, and why nobody listens to a meeting bully however good their ideas might be
What makes a committee decision stick — the five elements of a safe decision and what happens if you miss any one of them
Why vigorous debate inside the room and one voice outside it matters every day of the week, not just on meeting night

Free Download

A plain-language summary of the basic rules of debate — what they are and when to use them, whether you're in the chair or an ordinary committee member wanting to get home on time. Download it here.

Want to Go Further?

If every meeting in your organisation feels like a battle, that's usually a sign of something deeper going on — culture, structure, or both. That's exactly the kind of thing the Kates work on directly with committees through Fresh Allsorts. Find out more at freshallsorts.com.au.

This Week's Challenges

Two this week, one for chairs and one for everyone else:

If you're the chair — at your next meeting, identify the one or two people who tend to say the least and make a point of directly inviting their contribution on at least one agenda item. Don't ask the whole room. Ask them. See what comes back.

If you're not the chair — notice how decisions are being made. Is every decision a properly moved and seconded motion with a clear vote and a clear record? If not, that's a conversation worth having with your chair and secretary. The rules of debate guide in the show notes is a useful starting point.

Got a Question for the Kates?

Use the contact form at thecommitteeroom.com.au. Your question could be the inspiration for a future episode — including the next Your Questions Answered special, where the Kates will be tackling the question of a chairperson who regularly moves and seconds their own motions.

About Your Hosts

Together they offer governance health checks and practical support through Fresh Allsorts.

This podcast provides general information on best practice governance for small to medium not-for-profit associations. It is not legal advice.

Timestamps

00:05 — The never-ending meeting

00:42 — Introducing the Kates and this episode on running a meeting

01:32 — Start on time, finish on time

02:33 — The chair's real job

04:17 — Purpose, process and pace

05:34 — Formal rules of debate

08:02 — Making decisions

08:19 — Requirement for a formal decision

09:04 — Recording your decision

09:36 — What makes your decision stick?

10:28 — Recap

11:19 — This week's challenges and next week's episode

Next Episode

Decisions have been made. Now you need to record them properly. Next episode, the Kates cover what goes in the minutes, what doesn't, and how to write a record that's clear, useful, and won't come back to haunt you.

Resources & Links

🎙️ The Committee Room thecommitteeroom.com.au — episode archive, show notes, downloads and contact form

🍬 Fresh Allsorts freshallsorts.com.au — Governance Health Checks and practical support from both Kates

Kate Hartwig Consulting katehartwig.com.au — including the Committee Companion, a head start on good governance with checklists, frameworks and exemplars

Liquorice Allsorts Consulting liquoriceallsorts.com.au — including Just a Tick, Kate McPhee's plain-English governance guide

Facebook: The Committee Room

LinkedIn: The Committee Room

You don't need good luck if you've got good governance.

The Committee Room | thecommitteeroom.com.au

Ep 12 Before You Sit Down

Kate Hartwig + Kate McPhee — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 23:56:26 +0000

Show Notes

All the good governance in the world only comes to life if your meetings work. And the work that makes a meeting run well happens days before anyone walks in the room. This episode kicks off the Smarter Meetings series with everything that needs to happen before the meeting starts — from the agenda structure that puts important things where they get proper attention, to the report format that makes your secretary very, very happy.

In This Episode

The two groups who need to prepare for every committee meeting — and what each of them needs to do
Why papers need to go out five working days before the meeting — and what's going wrong if that's not happening
Reading the papers is not optional: it's a baseline legal responsibility and the thing that makes good questions possible
The four-section agenda structure that puts important matters where they get proper attention — and what to do about general business (delete it)
The difference between an apology and an absence — and why unexplained absences should be reported at your AGM
Why strategic matters belong at the start of the meeting, not squeezed in at the end when everyone wants to go home
Reports taken as read: why Dave does not need to read his report out to the meeting
The one-page report template that brings consistency to reports written by different people — and how framing recommendations as motions makes everyone's life easier

Free Downloads

Two templates from Kate H's Committee Companion:

Four-section agenda template
Standard report template

This Week's Challenges

Two this week — both high impact, both low effort:

First — does your agenda follow the four-section structure? Formalities, strategic discussion, reports, management items. If not, redesign it before your next meeting. It's one of the highest-impact, lowest-effort changes you can make. The agenda template in the show notes will get you there in under an hour.

Second — does your committee have a standard report template? If not, create one and introduce it at the next meeting. One page: date and author, for information or for action, a two-sentence overview, key messages as bullet points, and recommendations framed as motions. Also in the show notes.

Got a Question for the Kates?

If you've got a governance question you'd like the Kates to tackle on the show, or a situation you're not sure how to handle, use the contact form at thecommitteeroom.com.au. Somewhere out there someone has the exact same question and will be very glad you asked.

About Your Hosts

Together they offer governance health checks and practical support through Fresh Allsorts.

This podcast provides general information on best practice governance for small to medium not-for-profit associations. It is not legal advice.

Timestamps

00:05 — What happens to committee meetings when you don't prepare

01:03 — Introducing the Kates and this episode on meeting preparation

02:05 — Building the meeting

03:19 — Individual committee members' role

05:10 — The agenda — your key to a successful meeting

09:09 — Section 2 — Strategic discussion: the heart of the meeting

10:35 — Section 3 — Reports

11:50 — Section 4 — Management items

12:34 — Report formats

14:57 — Recap

15:43 — This week's challenges and next week's episode

Next Episode

The preparation is done, the papers are read, and everyone's in the room. Now what? Next episode, the Kates tackle what happens inside the committee room — chairing well, managing discussion, keeping topics and people on track, and why starting and finishing on time is a form of respect.

Resources & Links

🎙️ The Committee Room thecommitteeroom.com.au — episode archive, show notes, downloads and contact form

🍬 Fresh Allsorts freshallsorts.com.au — Governance Health Checks and practical services from both Kates

Kate Hartwig Consulting katehartwig.com.au — including the Committee Companion, a head start on good governance with checklists, frameworks and exemplars

Liquorice Allsorts Consulting liquoriceallsorts.com.au — including Just a Tick, Kate McPhee's plain-English governance guide

Facebook: The Committee Room

LinkedIn: The Committee Room

You don't need good luck if you've got good governance.

The Committee Room | thecommitteeroom.com.au

Ep 11 Bastille Day Special

Kate Hartwig + Kate McPhee — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:40:11 +0000

Show Notes

Succession planning and performance review sound like the kind of governance topics that get added to the agenda and then quietly moved to next meeting. This episode makes the case that they're not optional — and uses the most dramatic governance failure in European history to prove it. The good news is that the practical tools are straightforward: a skills matrix, an anonymous survey, a bit of honest self-reflection, and a frank conversation over coffee. Considerably less messy than the alternative.

In This Episode

Why the French monarchy is the ultimate case study in failed succession planning — and what Louis XVI's 59-year-old grandfather has to do with your committee
What succession planning actually is — and what it definitely is not (installing your allies, making sure everyone thinks like you)
L'État, c'est moi: the fastest route to a committee that has completely lost touch with its members
The skills matrix: how to map what your organisation needs and make your gaps immediately visible
Robespierre as a cautionary tale about what happens when someone decides their interests and the organisation's interests are one and the same
Why subcommittees and working groups are an excellent proving ground for future committee members — far more democratic than hereditary monarchy
The Committee of Public Safety: 12 members, enormous powers, zero accountability — and what followed
A simple three-part performance review process: anonymous survey, self-reflection and a one-on-one with the president
The question every long-serving committee member needs to ask themselves honestly
Plus: the case for recruiting firefighters onto your committee 🚒

Free Downloads

Two templates from Kate H's Committee Companion are in the show notes:

This Week's Challenges

Two this week, in the spirit of revolutionary ambition:

First — does your committee have a skills matrix? If not, that's your Bastille to storm. A rough first version mapped out in a single meeting is infinitely better than nothing. The template is in the show notes.

Second — when did your committee last review its own performance? If the answer is never, put it on the agenda now and commit to a date. The performance survey template in the show notes will take you most of the way there.

Got a Question for the Kates?

If you've got a governance question you'd like the Kates to tackle on the show, or a situation you're not sure how to handle, use the contact form at thecommitteeroom.com.au. No question is too basic — and the feedback mechanism is considerably gentler than Madame La Guillotine.

About Your Hosts

Together they offer governance health checks and practical support through Fresh Allsorts.

This podcast provides general information on best practice governance for small to medium not-for-profit associations. It is not legal advice.

Timestamps

00:00 — In celebration of Bastille Day — lessons in governance from the French Revolution

01:13 — Introducing the Kates and this episode on succession planning and performance review

02:28 — Succession planning

03:56 — What succession planning is not

04:34 — The skills matrix

05:08 — Robespierre — a cautionary tale

05:51 — Subcommittees and working groups as a proving ground

06:18 — The ideal committee member?

07:48 — Performance review

08:53 — Simple three-part process

09:16 — 1 — The survey

09:58 — 2 — Self reflection

10:18 — 3 — One on one with the president

10:40 — Time to move on?

11:25 — Recap

12:15 — This week's challenges

12:43 — Skills matrix and performance survey templates

12:55 — Ask Us Anything!

13:15 — Wrap-up and next episode

Next Episode

The Smarter Meetings series begins. The hard work of a good meeting is done well before anyone walks in the room — next episode, the Kates tackle everything that needs to happen before you sit down.

Resources & Links

🎙️ The Committee Room thecommitteeroom.com.au — episode archive, show notes, downloads and contact form

🍬 Fresh Allsorts freshallsorts.com.au — Governance Health Checks and practical services from both Kates

Kate Hartwig Consulting katehartwig.com.au — including the Committee Companion, a head start on good governance with checklists, frameworks and exemplars

Liquorice Allsorts Consulting liquoriceallsorts.com.au — including Just a Tick, Kate McPhee's plain-English governance guide

Facebook: The Committee Room

LinkedIn: The Committee Room

Liberté, égalité, bonne gouvernance.

The Committee Room | thecommitteeroom.com.au

Ep 10 Your Questions Answered!

Kate Hartwig + Kate McPhee — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 22:44:20 +0000

Show Notes

The questions that come up in committee rooms are remarkably consistent across organisations of all kinds. The secretary who takes biased minutes. The quorum that can never be reached. The long-serving leader who's not doing a bad job but nothing ever changes. In this episode, the Kates answer eleven listener questions directly — the situations people are navigating right now and aren't sure how to handle. If your question isn't here, submit it for the next round.

Questions Covered in This Episode

Our club secretary takes the minutes but he's also the one who gets into the most arguments at meetings. The minutes never quite reflect what actually happened. What can we do?
One of our committee members never reads the agenda or papers before the meeting and asks the same questions every time. Can we actually require people to prepare?
We passed a motion three months ago and the chairperson hasn't acted on it. He says he disagrees with the decision. Can he do that?
Our constitution states we need a quorum of seven for committee meetings, but we can barely get five people there. Are our decisions legal?
A candidate has refused to supply a candidate statement. Can we reject the nomination?
A committee member has been sharing confidential information with members outside the committee. What are our options?
We've been running a fundraising raffle for twenty years. Someone has just told us we need a licence or we're breaking the law. Do we?
Someone has nominated for the committee but half the current members don't want them elected because of a personal conflict from a few years ago. Can the committee reject the nomination?
Our treasurer has just resigned with no notice. They're not even coming to the next meeting. We have no idea what's in the accounts or where anything is. What do we do first?
How do you move a club forward without offending the past?
We've had the same president for eleven years. She's not doing a bad job, but nothing ever changes. How do we move her on without causing a war?

Got a Question for the Kates?

There are more Your Questions Answered episodes to come. Submit your question — however basic it feels — via the contact form at thecommitteeroom.com.au. If you're wondering about it, someone else is too. Your question might shape a future episode.

Mentioned in This Episode

Fundraising Directory fundraisingdirectory.com.au — state-by-state rules for running raffles and other fundraising activities in Australia

Want to Go Further?

If your committee is stuck in the situation Simon described — long-serving leadership, nothing changing, hard to move forward — a governance health check from an independent consultant can be the circuit breaker. Find out more at freshallsorts.com.au.

Kate H's Committee Companion and Kate M's Just a Tick between them cover most of the situations raised in this episode in practical, plain-English detail. Both are linked at thecommitteeroom.com.au.

About Your Hosts

Together they offer governance health checks and practical support through Fresh Allsorts.

This podcast provides general information on best practice governance for small to medium not-for-profit associations. It is not legal advice.

Timestamps

00:31 — Question 1: Taking accurate minutes

03:34 — Question 2: Meeting preparation

04:34 — Question 3: The chair acting independently of committee decisions

07:18 — Question 4: Quorums

08:50 — Question 5: Nomination requirements

11:25 — Question 6: Confidentiality

12:30 — Question 7: Raffles

14:21 — Question 8: Disallowing nominations for personal reasons

15:38 — Question 9: Treasurer resigns without notice

19:56 — Question 10: Changing the future without offending the past

23:32 — Question 11: Terms of office

25:12 — Wrap-up and next episode

Next Episode

The Great People, Great Committees series wraps up in style — with a trip to Revolutionary France! Episode 11 is the Bastille Day special, and the Kates promise that heads may roll.

Resources & Links

🎙️ The Committee Room thecommitteeroom.com.au — episode archive, show notes, downloads and contact form

🍬 Fresh Allsorts freshallsorts.com.au — Governance Health Checks and practical services from both Kates

Kate Hartwig Consulting katehartwig.com.au — including the Committee Companion, a head start on good governance with checklists, frameworks and exemplars

Liquorice Allsorts Consulting liquoriceallsorts.com.au — including Just a Tick, Kate McPhee's plain-English governance guide

Facebook: The Committee Room

LinkedIn: The Committee Room

You don't need good luck if you've got good governance.

The Committee Room | thecommitteeroom.com.au

Ep 9 Who Can Do What?

Kate Hartwig + Kate McPhee — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:42:44 +0000

Show Notes

Clarity about who can decide what isn't bureaucracy — it's how committees avoid expensive mistakes and missed opportunities in equal measure. A delegations register doesn't have to be complicated. It just has to exist, be accurate, and be known. This episode covers what goes in one, why the things that can't be delegated matter just as much as the things that can, and how to start if your committee is working from nothing.

In This Episode

The two ways unclear delegations damage organisations: overreach and analysis paralysis — and why both are equally costly
What a delegations register covers: decision-making authority by role, financial authorisations, binding contracts and what only the full committee can decide
How tiered financial authorities work in practice — and what the thresholds should look like for a small to medium association
Why listing what can't be delegated is just as important as listing what can
Clarity builds confidence: how a subcommittee chair who knows their authority can move fast — and why one who doesn't keeps interrupting the committee
The review cycle: when to update the register and what changes should trigger an immediate review
How to start from scratch: the three most consequential delegations to get written down first

Free Download

This week we have a delegations register template — from Kate H's Committee Companion. Download it and build it out from there.

This Week's Challenge

Does your committee have a delegations register? If yes — when was it last reviewed? If no — this week, write down just three things: who can approve membership applications, who can approve expenditure and up to how much, and who can enter into binding contracts. Three lines. That's your starting point. The template in the show notes will take you the rest of the way.

Got a Question for the Kates?

The Kates want to hear what keeps you up at night — the situations you're navigating, the things you're not sure about, the topics you'd like them to tackle on the show. Use the contact form at thecommitteeroom.com.au. No question is too basic. If you're wondering about it, someone else is too — and your question might shape a future episode.

About Your Hosts

Together they offer governance health checks and practical support through Fresh Allsorts.

This podcast provides general information on best practice governance for small to medium not-for-profit associations. It is not legal advice.

Timestamps

00:03 — You did what?

01:15 — Introducing the Kates and this episode on delegations

02:18 — Overreach or analysis paralysis

02:57 — Ambiguity is the problem

03:16 — The delegations register

03:32 — Authority by role and function

03:52 — Financial authorities

04:41 — Binding contracts

05:03 — Items reserved for the committee

05:55 — Clarity builds confidence

06:22 — Review cycle

07:45 — How to start

08:15 — Recap

08:49 — This week's challenge

09:16 — Delegations register template

09:40 — So far this series...

09:55 — Ask Us Anything!

10:17 — Wrap-up and next week's episode

Next Episode

The first of The Committee Room's Your Questions Answered specials — the Kates tackle the governance questions listeners have been sitting on. If you've submitted a question, it might just be answered next week.

Resources & Links

🎙️ The Committee Room thecommitteeroom.com.au — episode archive, show notes, downloads and contact form

🍬 Fresh Allsorts freshallsorts.com.au — Governance Health Checks and practical services from both Kates

Kate Hartwig Consulting katehartwig.com.au — including the Committee Companion, a head start on good governance with checklists, frameworks and exemplars

Liquorice Allsorts Consulting liquoriceallsorts.com.au — including Just a Tick, Kate McPhee's plain-English governance guide

Facebook: The Committee Room

LinkedIn: The Committee Room

You don't need good luck if you've got good governance.

The Committee Room | thecommitteeroom.com.au

Ep 8 Many Hands Make Light Work

Kate Hartwig + Kate McPhee — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 23:16:06 +0000

Show Notes

Committee overload is one of the most common problems in volunteer organisations — and the answer isn't working harder, it's building smarter structures. Portfolios, subcommittees and working groups are three tools that every committee can use to share the workload, draw on skills from across the membership and free up committee meetings for the governance conversations that actually matter. This episode covers all three: what they are, how they work, and critically, where the boundaries are.

In This Episode

Portfolios: giving every committee member a specific area of strategic ownership — and why it puts an end to seat warmers and passengers
What portfolios should cover and how to match them to the skills already around the table
Subcommittees: formal, ongoing groups that do the detailed work between meetings — and who can sit on them
The governance principle that's critical but often misunderstood: delegation, not abdication
Terms of reference: what they must cover and why defining what's NOT delegated matters just as much as defining what is
Subcommittees as a talent pipeline — and what to do when someone turns out to be a nightmare to work with
Working groups: the flexible, time-limited tool for specific tasks — and why they attract people who'd never join a subcommittee
How to mine your membership for hidden gems — accountants, lawyers, marketers and IT specialists hiding in plain sight, waiting to be asked

Free Download

A terms of reference template is in the show notes. You'll be able to download it and use it as your starting point.

This Week's Challenge

Look at your current committee. Does every member have a portfolio? Are your subcommittees working from clear and up-to-date terms of reference? When did you last think about a working group for a specific task? Pick the gap that matters most right now and close it. The terms of reference template in the show notes is a good place to start.

And if you haven't yet surveyed your membership for hidden gems — that's a worthwhile afternoon's work right there.

Got a Question for the Kates?

About Your Hosts

Together they offer governance health checks and practical support through Fresh Allsorts.

This podcast provides general information on best practice governance for small to medium not-for-profit associations. It is not legal advice.

Timestamps

00:04 — Sharing the load — or not

00:56 — Introducing the Kates and this episode on portfolios, subcommittees and working groups

02:02 — Portfolios

02:46 — What should the portfolios be?

03:09 — Portfolio leaders

04:30 — Match skills to portfolios

05:08 — Subcommittees

05:44 — Who sits on a subcommittee?

06:37 — Delegations

07:57 — Terms of reference

08:59 — Standing subcommittees

09:15 — Subcommittees as a talent pipeline

10:05 — Working groups

11:40 — Mine the membership for hidden gems

12:31 — Recap

13:17 — This week's challenge

13:36 — Terms of reference template

13:55 — Ask Us Anything!

14:37 — Wrap-up and next week's episode

Next Episode

Once you've built the structures — portfolios, subcommittees, working groups — how does everyone know what they're actually authorised to do? Next episode, the Kates tackle delegations: the difference between 'I wasn't sure if I was allowed to' and 'I didn't realise I couldn't', and why both are governance failures.

Resources & Links

🎙️ The Committee Room thecommitteeroom.com.au — episode archive, show notes, downloads and contact form

🍬 Fresh Allsorts freshallsorts.com.au — Governance Health Checks and practical services from both Kates

Kate Hartwig Consulting katehartwig.com.au — including the Committee Companion, a head start on good governance with checklists, frameworks and exemplars

Liquorice Allsorts Consulting liquoriceallsorts.com.au — including Just a Tick, Kate McPhee's plain-English governance guide

LinkedIn: Kate Hartwig | Kate McPhee

You don't need good luck if you've got good governance.

The Committee Room | thecommitteeroom.com.au

Ep 7 Bringing People In

Kate Hartwig + Kate McPhee — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 22:32:20 +0000

Episode Description

You can run the best election process in the world and still have new committee members who are still finding their feet six months later. The difference between a new member who contributes from day one and one who takes half a year to get up to speed usually comes down to one thing: induction. Not a pile of documents — a proper process. In this episode, the Kates walk through what good induction actually looks like, from the nomination pack to the first informal coffee to the dedicated induction meeting that sets the tone for the whole year.

Show Notes

Handing someone a 100-page manual and a thumb drive is not an induction. It's a pile of reading material with good intentions. Real induction is about people, not paper — and it starts earlier than most committees think, well before the AGM. This episode covers the full induction process: what goes in the manual, who's responsible, what the personal touch looks like in practice, and why that first committee meeting deserves a very different agenda than every meeting that follows.

In This Episode

Why the induction manual matters — and why it's not enough on its own
The complete list of what should be in a new committee member's manual, and why each item is there
Why induction starts before the election, with a nomination checklist that sets expectations from the start
Who's responsible for making induction happen — and the personal welcome letter that sets the tone
The pre-meeting coffee: where induction really comes alive
The dedicated induction meeting: why the first committee meeting after the AGM deserves its own agenda
Why reviewing foundation documents together isn't just for new members — it's a useful annual reset for the whole committee

Free Downloads

Two resources from this episode to get you started:

Induction checklist
Manual contents list

For the full list of foundation documents every committee should have, Kate McPhee's Just a Tick covers all of them. Find it at liquoriceallsorts.com.au. And if you want checklists, guides and exemplars, Kate Hartwig's Committee Companion might be the head start you're looking for. Find it at katehartwig.com.au.

This Week's Challenge

Have a good look at your current induction process. Is it a process, or is it just a pile of documents? Pick one thing to add or improve before your next AGM — just one. Maybe it's a welcome letter from the chair. Maybe it's a pre-meeting coffee with the president. Maybe it's finally organising that shared drive so new members can actually find what they need. The induction checklist in the show notes is a good place to start.

Got a Question for the Kates?

If you've got a governance question you'd like the Kates to tackle on the show, or a situation you're not sure how to handle, use the contact form at thecommitte

Ep 6 Questions are Gold

Kate Hartwig + Kate McPhee — Tue, 05 May 2026 07:45:28 +0000

Episode Description

Most committees have a story like this one — the meeting where everyone noticed something and nobody said a word. In this episode, Kate H and Kate M tackle the governance failure that hides in plain sight: the question that didn't get asked. They dig into why people stay quiet, what they should actually be asking across finance, risk and strategy, and how to build a committee culture where hard questions are welcome before they become hard problems.

Show Notes

Asking questions is how a committee does its job. Not asking is a governance failure — not because people are lazy or malicious, but because there are very real human forces that keep people quiet in committee rooms. In this episode, the Kates name those forces, work through what good questions actually look like across finance, risk and strategy, and tackle the thorny question of how to ask in a way that gets you information rather than defensiveness. They also take on the quiet meeting — the one where every agenda item sails through without a single question — and explain why that is not the sign of a well-functioning committee.

In This Episode

The four forces that keep committee members silent — and why none of them are good governance
Why silence in the face of something that doesn't add up is a transfer of responsibility, not neutrality
Groupthink: how the duty of care fails not through malice but through everyone assuming someone else has checked
The baseline financial, risk and strategic questions every committee member should feel comfortable asking
How to frame questions that get you information rather than defensiveness — including the phrase that does a lot of heavy lifting
The quiet meeting: why a committee where nobody asks anything is a warning sign, not an efficiency win
What a good chair does to make asking questions normal — and what happens to the committee member whose hard question gets shut down
The elephant question: the one sitting in the room that nobody's asking — and why being the person who asks it is governance, not troublemaking

Free Download

The Questions Are Gold checklist is in the show notes — a one-page reference with the most useful questions from today's episode that any committee member can keep with their meeting papers. Download it at thecommitteeroom.com.au.

This Week's Challenge

At your next committee meeting, ask one question you've been holding back. Just one. You don't need to set the room on fire — just ask the thing you noticed and didn't say. See what happens.

Got a Question for the Kates?

Kate H and Kate M want to hear from you. If you're dealing with a governance situation you're not sure how to handle, or there's a topic you'd love them to cover, use the contact form at thecommitteeroom.com.au. No question is too basic — if you're wondering about it, someone else on a committee somewhere is wondering about it too.

About Your Hosts

Kate Hartwig has spent forty years working in and around not-for-profit and membership organisations — as a CEO, director, and independent consultant. Her Committee Companion is a head start on good governance with checklists, frameworks and exemplars for committee members. The annual general meeting. Four usual suspects nominate each other, a hand shoots up from someone nobody recognises, and seven people are declared elected to enthusiastic silence. Sound familiar? In this episode, Kate and Kate explain why nominations from the floor are one of the worst things you can do for your organisation — and walk through the eight-step election process that actually gets the right people in the room.

Show Notes

A good committee starts with a good election process. Not the hands-up-at-the-AGM approach that most associations still rely on, but a proper process where candidates are informed before they nominate and every member gets a genuine opportunity to vote. It's more work upfront — but the Kates have seen what happens when you skip it, and it's a lot more work to fix. This episode covers everything from the nomination pack to term limits to what to do when a president doesn't want to let go.

In This Episode

Why nominations from the floor at the AGM feel democratic but aren't — and what to do instead
The eight steps of a best-practice election process, from nomination pack to announcement on the night
Why a candidate statement isn't too corporate for volunteers — and what it tells you before anyone's elected
The returning officer: who they are, what they do, and why they matter
Staggered terms, term limits, and why one bad AGM can cause organisational amnesia
Why a clean break when leadership changes is better for everyone — including the outgoing president

Free Downloads

We mentioned two resources in this episode. Download them at thecommitteeroom.com.au:

Election process checklist
Candidate statement template

Kate McPhee's book Just a Tick has more on running a great AGM — find it at liquoriceallsorts.com.au.

This Week's Challenge

Have a good look at how your organisation runs its elections right now. Is it a proper process, or is it still the hands-up-at-the-AGM approach? You don't need to change everything overnight — just identify one thing you could improve before your next AGM and do it. The election process checklist in the show notes is a good place to start.

About Your Hosts

Kate Hartwig has spent forty years working in and around not-for-profit and membership organisations — as a CEO, director, and independent consultant. katehartwig.com.au

Kate McPhee has three decades of hands-on experience helping small clubs and associations get more done with less stress. She is also the author of Just a Tick, a plain-English governance guide for committees and boards. liquoriceallsorts.com.au

This podcast provides general information on best practice governance for small to medium not-for-profit associations. It is not legal advice.

Timestamps

00:00 — How to ruin a perfectly good AGM

Ep 4 Care, Loyalty and Obedience

Kate Hartwig + Kate McPhee — Tue, 05 May 2026 07:44:58 +0000

Episode Description

Care. Loyalty. Obedience. Three words that sound a bit like an old-fashioned wedding vow — but it turns out they're the foundation of every committee member's legal duties. In this episode, Kate and Kate unpack what those duties actually mean in practice, what happens when they're ignored, and why the reasonable person test is both the standard you're held to and genuinely your best protection.

Show Notes

From the moment you're elected to a committee, you carry legal responsibilities — whether anyone told you about them or not. Most people join a committee because they care about the organisation. Very few of them have ever had anyone sit them down and explain what they've actually signed up for. This episode does exactly that, in plain English, without the jargon.

In This Episode

Why the duty of care is about being engaged and diligent — not about being an expert
Groupthink: how good committees fail not through malice or laziness, but through nobody wanting to be difficult
Why 'I assumed someone else had checked it' is not a defence
The duty of loyalty — what it means to put the organisation first, always
How to handle a conflict of interest properly (and why the appearance of a conflict matters just as much as an actual one)
The duty of obedience — following the rules, and changing them properly when they don't work
The reasonable person test: the standard you're held to, and why it's more reassuring than it sounds

Free Download

📥 The Three Duties — Quick Reference Card Care, Loyalty and Obedience — the three legal duties every committee member carries. Print it out and share it with your committee.

Download your free copy

This Week's Challenge

Ask yourself honestly: has your committee genuinely met all three duties? Not to beat yourself up — just to have an honest look. Think about care: are members actually reading the papers and asking questions when something doesn't look right? Think about loyalty: are decisions being publicly supported once they're made? Think about obedience: are you following your constitution and your legal obligations, or quietly working around the bits that are inconvenient?

The committee that asks this question is already ahead of most.

About Your Hosts

Kate Hartwig has spent forty years working in and around not-for-profit and membership organisations — as a CEO, director, and independent consultant. katehartwig.com.au

This podcast provides general information on best practice governance for small to medium not-for-profit associations. It is not legal advice.

Timestamps

00:05 — Knowing what you're getting into — or not

00:52 — Welcome and intro

Ep 3 What’s your job, exactly?

Kate Hartwig + Kate McPhee — Tue, 05 May 2026 07:44:34 +0000

Episode Description

You've been elected to the committee. You're keen. You turn up to the first meeting. And then... nobody really explains what you're supposed to do. In this episode, Kate and Kate unpack what it actually means to be a committee member — the three dimensions of responsibility, why confidentiality matters more than most people realise, and why a job description isn't too corporate for volunteers. It's just common sense.

Show Notes

Being on a committee involves a lot more than turning up and having a vote. There's an organisational dimension, a cultural dimension, and a group dynamics dimension — and understanding all three is the foundation for everything else. This episode also covers the practical tools that make expectations clear from the start: job descriptions for every role (yes, including the general committee member) and a code of conduct that's actually worth having.

In This Episode

The three dimensions of committee responsibility: organisational, cultural and group dynamics
Why the 'fish rots from the head' — and what that means for committee culture
The Vegas rule: what happens in the committee room stays in the committee room
Why speaking with one voice doesn't mean pretending you agreed
Job descriptions for volunteers — why they're not too corporate, and what they should cover
What makes a code of conduct genuinely useful (hint: aspirational words on a laminated poster don't count)

Free Download

📥 Committee Member Role Description Template We mentioned this in the episode — here's a simple template to get your committee started. Adapt it to suit your organisation.

Download your free copy

Kate McPhee's book Just a Tick covers job descriptions in detail — find it at liquoriceallsorts.com.au.

This Week's Challenge

Two things this week. First: does your committee have a written job description for every role, including the general committee member? If the answer is no — or you're not sure — that's your starting point. Links in the show notes.

Second: pull out your code of conduct if you have one (or honestly acknowledge that you don't). When did anyone last actually look at it? Put it on the agenda for your next meeting — not to rewrite it, just to read it out loud together and ask: is this still us? Does it match how we actually operate? You might be surprised by the conversation it starts.

About Your Hosts

Kate Hartwig has spent forty years working in and around not-for-profit and membership organisations — as a CEO, director, and independent consultant. katehartwig.com.au

This podcast pr

Ep 2 Who’s in the Committee Room?

Kate Hartwig + Kate McPhee — Tue, 05 May 2026 07:44:08 +0000

Episode Description

You know that committee where half the people have been there for decades and nobody can work out why the whole thing feels stuck? In this episode, Kate and Kate tackle the question most committees have never really answered: who should actually be in the room, and why does it matter? From committee models to the right size to the kind of diversity that leads to better decisions — this is the episode to share with your whole committee.

Show Notes

Before you can govern well, you need the right people around the table. That sounds obvious — but most committees are structured the way they are because that's what the constitution says or that's how it's always been done. In this episode, the Kates unpack the three committee models, make the case for getting size right, and explain why genuine diversity of perspective isn't a nice-to-have — it's the thing that stops groupthink in its tracks.

In This Episode

Why most committees are structured the way they are — and why that's not a good enough reason

The three committee models: representative, skills-based and hybrid — and when each one makes sense

Why seven to nine is the sweet spot for committee size (and why odd numbers matter)

How executive committees tend to create more problems than they solve

What genuine diversity of perspective actually looks like — and why a committee where everyone agrees is a warning sign, not a success

This Week's Challenge

Look around your committee table — literally or in your mind's eye. What mix do you see? What's missing? Is there a skill that's been quietly absent? A perspective that's never been represented? You don't need to solve it today — naming the gap is always the first step to filling it. Have that conversation. It might be more interesting than you expect.

About Your Hosts

Kate Hartwig has spent forty years working in and around not-for-profit and membership organisations — as a CEO, director, and independent consultant. katehartwig.com.au

Kate McPhee has three decades of hands-on experience helping small clubs and associations get more done with less stress. She is also the author of Just a Tick, a plain-English governance guide for committees and boards. liquoriceallsorts.com.au

This podcast provides general information on best practice governance for small to medium not-for-profit associations. It is not legal advice.

Timestamps

00:00 — Setting the scene

00:50 — Introduction to the Kates

01:25 — Great People, Great Committees

01:47 — Getting the right people around the table

02:09 — What does your committee look like?

02:32 — Committee models

04:44 — Committee size

05:42 — Terms of office

06:40 — Diversity — not just a box-ticking exercise

09:12 — Summary

09:40 — This week's

Ep 1 Governance – The Big Picture

Kate Hartwig + Kate McPhee — Tue, 05 May 2026 06:55:03 +0000

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

It's 8pm on a Tuesday. The meeting started late, Dave hasn't read the agenda, and three decisions in you already know you'll have to reverse two of them next month. Sound familiar? Welcome to The Committee Room. In this first episode, Kate Hartwig and Kate McPhee — yes, they're both called Kate — cut through the jargon to answer the most fundamental question in governance: what is it, and why does it matter? Spoiler: it's eight words, and everything else is detail.

SHOW NOTES

If you've ever sat in a committee meeting wondering whether any of this is actually worth it, this episode is for you. In Episode 1, your hosts Kate Hartwig and Kate McPhee introduce themselves, the podcast, and the single most important concept in governance — doing the right things and doing things right. Simple in theory. Here's how to make it work in practice.

In this episode:

Why governance matters even when everything seems fine

The difference between strategy and process — and why you need both

Why every committee member is responsible for the whole organisation, not just their own corner

Good governance as an insurance policy — and why the premium is worth paying

What's coming up in The Committee Room over the season ahead

This week's challenge: At your next committee meeting, ask just one question: do we actually understand what good governance really is? You don't need to answer it at the meeting. Just ask it and see what comes up.

About your hosts: Kate Hartwig has spent forty years working in and around not-for-profit and membership organisations — as a CEO, director, and independent consultant. Kate McPhee has three decades of hands-on experience helping small clubs and associations get more done with less stress. She is also the author of Just a Tick, a plain-English governance guide for committees and boards.

This podcast provides general information on best practice governance for small to medium not-for-profit associations. It is not legal advice.

Timestamps: 00:07 - The chaos of a typical community hall committee meeting 01:02 - Introduction of the hosts and their backgrounds in governance consulting 02:38 - Defining governance: the importance of structures, procedures, and stakeholder expectations 03:10 - Simplifying governance: "doing the right things and doing things right" 04:05 - Why does governance matter?04:42 - Governance as an insurance policy 05:25 - The cost of ignoring governance 05:44 - What's coming up in future episodes: committees, meetings, documents, finance, and more 07:21 - The challenge: ask your committee, "Do we understand what good governance is?" 07:51 - Wrap-up and encouragement to subscribe and share

Resources & Links

The Committee Companion Essentials — practical governance for committees starting out: katehartwig.com.au/essentials

Just a Tick — Kate McPhee's plain-English governance guide: liquoriceallsorts.com.au/just-a-tick

Fresh Allsorts — good governance for associations of all sorts: freshallsorts.com.au

Kate Hartwig Consulting: katehartwig.com.au

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