Governance
This page describes the Society’s governance and includes the following matters, accessible from the links below:
- Governance Arrangements
- Council and Office-Bearers
- Council Committees
- Royal Society of NSW Act and Rules
- Strategic Plan
- Recent Annual Reports
Governance Arrangements
The current governance arrangements date from the formal incorporation of the Royal Society of New South Wales by an Act of the New South Wales Parliament in 1881. (For the period from 1821 to 1881, see History.)
The Society is governed by a Council that is elected annually. The Council manages all the Society’s business in accordance with its Act and Rules.
From 7 April 2021, following the election of the Council under the revised Rules (approved at the 9 December 2020 Ordinary General Meeting), the Council will comprise the President, the Vice-President, the immediate Past President (if available, and only for the first year after leaving the role of President), the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Librarian, the Webmaster, the chairperson (or nominee) of each of the Hunter and Southern Highlands branches, and eight elected Members or Fellows. All Council members must be Members or Fellows of the Society. The Executive Committee, under the revised Rules, will comprise the President, the Vice-President, the immediate Past President (if available, for the first year after leaving the role of President), the Secretary, the Treasurer and one Council member appointed by resolution of the Council.
Council and Office-Bearers 2021–22
The current Council and office-bearers of the Society are:
| Patron | Her Excellency The Honourable Margaret Beazley AC QC, Governor of New South Wales |
| President | Dr Susan Pond AM FRSN (until April 2023) |
| Past President | Emeritus Professor Ian Sloan AO FRSN (until April 2023) |
| Vice-President | Ms Judith Wheeldon AM FRSN (until April 2023) |
| Secretary | Mr Bruce Ramage MRSN (until April 2023) |
| Treasurer | Mr John Cameron MRSN (until April 2023) |
| Librarian | Mr John Hardie FRSN (until April 2023) |
| Webmaster | Emeritus Professor Lindsay Botten FRSN (until April 2023) |
| Councillors |
Professor Katherine Belov AO FRSN (until April 2023) |
| Hunter Branch Representative Southern Highlands Branch Representative Western NSW Branch Representative |
Professor George Willis FRSN Mr Mike Jonas MRSN Dr David Nash FRSN |
Council Committees
The President chairs meetings of the Council and general meetings of the Society.
The Council appoints other committees from time to time to attend to specific matters. Committees may comprise both Council members and other Society members.
2021–22
The current Committees, together with the names of their Chairs and Secretaries, appointed at the May 2021 meeting of the Council, are listed below. The link associated with each Committee name refers to the information page for that Committee— providing an outline of the Committee’s role, its Terms of Reference, and its current composition.
| Committee | Chair / Co-Chairs | Secretary |
| Executive | Dr Susan Pond AM FRSN | Mr Bruce Ramage MRSN |
| Awards | Prof. Philip Gale FRSN | Dr Jessica Milner Davis FRSN |
| Bicentennial | Dr Susan Pond AM FRSN | Professor Sean Brawley FRSN |
| Business Operations | Mr John Cameron MRSN | Dr Donald Hector AM FRSN |
| Community Engagement | Prof. Katherine Belov AO FRSN Prof. Eric Knight FRSN |
Mr Trevor Danos AM FRSN |
| Events | Emer. Prof. Christina Slade FRSN | Dr Elizabeth Deane FRSN |
| Fellows and Members Assessment |
Emer. Prof. Brynn Hibbert AM FRSN | Dr Erik Aslaksen FRSN |
| Library and Assets | Mr John Hardie FRSN | Dr Davina Jackson FRSN |
| Philanthropy | Dr Susan Pond AM FRSN | Prof. Robert Clark AO DistFRSN |
| Publishing | Mr John Hardie FRSN | Dr Malte Ebach FRSN |
| RSNSW & Learned Academies Forum |
Dr Susan Pond AM FRSN | Emer. Prof. Robin King FRSN |
Act and Rules
The Act of Incorporation and the Rules, as approved at the 9 December 2020 OGM, are here: Act and Rules (PDF)
Strategic Plan
The 2021-23 Strategic Plan of the Society, as approved by the Council on 4 February 2021, is now online.
Annual Reports
Recent Annual Reports (in pdf format) are available as listed below:
We are a registered charity and very much 