In Australia, a Company Constitution includes crucial information about how your business operates. When drafting it, here are the key rules you must outline.
1. Sole member/sole director
If your company is a sole member/sole director proprietary company, then you won’t need to hold meetings. Instead, resolutions are passed when the sole member signs a record in the company’s minute book. In that case, the replaceable rules in the Corporations Act do not apply and you don’t need to outline any of the rules listed below.
2. Quorum
A quorum is the minimum number of shareholders present or the percentage of voting shares required to be represented at a meeting before that meeting can proceed.
Generally, when setting a quorum, it’s smart to select a percentage that effectively represents the desired cross-section of shareholders. For example, if one shareholder owns 66 percent of the corporation, setting the quorum percentage below 66 ensures that one shareholding is a quorum. Alternatively, setting it at 67 percent or more ensures at least another shareholder needs to be present.
If your bylaws don't address what forms a quorum, then a majority of the shareholders present at the meeting is a quorum.
3. Remote communication
There may be instances where it’s more practical for shareholders to attend a meeting remotely. If your Company Constitution allows remote communication, a shareholder can attend a meeting by phone or video conference.
4. Voting trusts
A voting trust occurs when a shareholder temporarily gives their voting shares to a third party known as a trustee or proxy. This third party is usually obligated to vote in accordance with the shareholder’s instructions, which are outlined in a proxy form or voting trust agreement.
Voting trusts are useful when a company has minority shareholders with limited interest or voting strength. They can also help resolve conflicts of interest, retain majority control, and prevent hostile takeovers.
5. Cumulative voting
When electing directors, cumulative voting allows minority shareholders to concentrate all their votes on a single director candidate.
For example, suppose a corporation holds five elections for five potential directors, and a minority shareholder has two votes in each election (ten total votes). In that case, cumulative voting allows the shareholder to apply their combined ten votes to a single director's election.
Cumulative voting can help prevent a majority shareholder from choosing all the directors of a company.
6. Meeting notice periods
When a special meeting is called, the Company Constitution should state how much notice is required. LawDepot’s template provides three options: reasonable notice, a number of hours, or a number of days.
What qualifies as reasonable notice is up for interpretation and depends on the established business practices within the company. Select a different option if you prefer more definitive notice for directors’ meetings.
7. Conflict of interest
Your company may find it appropriate to stop a director from voting on issues where there is a potential conflict of interest.
A conflict of interest occurs when a director’s personal interests clash with the company’s interests. This is a problem because a director must act in the company’s best interest.
8. Officer structure
When drafting your Company Constitution, you will be asked to choose between a simple or complex officer structure.
A simple officer structure consists of a president, a treasurer, and a secretary. A complex officer structure can consist of a CEO, COO, CFO, president, and a number of vice presidents.