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
- Society Policies
- 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.
Under revised rules, most recently updated by electronic ballot of the members on 13 February 2023 in advance of the 2023 elections, the Council comprises 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, Southern Highlands, and Western NSW branches, six elected Members or Fellows and two appointed members (See Rule 18 that described the transition arrangements in 2023–2024). All Council members must be Members or Fellows of the Society. The Executive Committee comprises 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 2023–24
As of the close of the 2023 Annual General Meeting held on 5 April 2023, the current Council and office-bearers of the Society are:
| Patron | Her Excellency The Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales |
| President | Dr Susan Pond AM FRSN (until April 2025) |
| Vice-President | Emeritus Professor Peter Shergold AC FRSN (until April 2025) |
| Secretary | Dr Donald Hector AM FRSN (until April 2025) |
| Treasurer | Mr Bhavin Raval MRSN (until April 2025) |
| Librarian | Emeritus Professor Stephen Garton AM FRSN (until April 2025) |
| Webmaster | Emeritus Professor Lindsay Botten FRSN (until April 2025) |
| Councillors |
Professor Katherine Belov AO FRSN (until April 2025) |
| Hunter Branch Representative Southern Highlands Branch Representative Western NSW Branch Representative |
Professor Robert Whittaker AM FRSN (until April 2025) Dr James Rowe FRSN (until April 2025) Professor Mark Evans FRSN (until April 2024) |
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.
Information about the Society's Committees for 2023–2024 will become available in coming weeks. Listed below are the Committees for 2022–2023.
2023–24
The current Committees, together with the names of their Chairs and Secretaries, appointed at the May 2023 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 | Secretary |
| Executive | Dr Susan Pond AM FRSN | Dr Donald Hector AM FRSN |
| Awards | Prof. Merlin Crossley FRSN | Emer. Prof. Annabelle Duncan PSM FRSN |
| Fellows and Members Assessment |
Prof. Sean Brawley FRSN | Mr Trevor Danos AM FRSN |
| Library and Assets | Emer. Prof. Stephen Garton AM FRSN | TBC |
| Philanthropy | Dr Susan Pond AM FRSN | TBC |
| Program | Emer. Prof. Christina Slade FRSN | Dr Elizabeth Deane FRSN |
| Publishing | Dr Davina Jackson FRSN | Emer. Prof. Trevor Hambley FRSN |
| RSNSW & Learned Academies Forum |
Dr Susan Pond AM FRSN | Emer. Prof. Lindsay Botten FRSN |
Strategic Plan
The 2021-23 Strategic Plan of the Society, as approved by the Council on 4 February 2021, is now online.
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