Two Queensland Clubs Lose KA Affiliation


  6 March 2017

The Toowoomba and Charters Towers Kart Clubs are no longer affiliated with Karting Australia.

Licenced members of each club received an email from Karting Australia CEO Kelvin O'Reilly on the weekend informing them that their club's affiliation had been terminated (see below).

According to a message published by club President Tom Keneally (see below), the Toowoomba club has refused to directly affiliate with Karting Australia, believing it should only be affiliating with the state body (Karting Queensland), which is its representative member to KA.

Keneally confirmed to KartSportNews that the club had, in fact, paid it's 2017 affiliation fee, which was paid to Karting Qld on 28 February 2017.

"If they've accepted our money, how can we not be affiliated?" he said.

The club did not, however, fill in a new version of the affiliation form, believing the new form was not constitutional and had not been approved by the state body.

Meanwhile, a number of Queensland's other clubs have reportedly offered Toowoomba members "honorary membership".

It should be noted that KA has changed its own ruling to allow existing financial members of Toowoomba and Towers to continue to race KA events at other KA tracks until their membership expires.

Regardless, the Toowoomba club is forging ahead to ensure it's next race meeting at Greer Park on March 19 will go ahead as planned. The event will run outside of KA and KQ jurisdiction.

The club has arranged full insurance cover via Transwest (coincidentally, KA's former insurer) who are happy to insure competitors if they already hold a Karting Australia licence.

"The response and support has been unbelievable" Keneally told KartSportNews.

"We've even had members from other clubs join us over the past 24 hours in support of our stance and to come and race with us on March 19."

 

 

 

taken from the Lockyer Valley & Toowoomba Kart Club website, 6/3/17

NOTICE TO TOOWOOMBA KART CLUB MEMBERS 

All kart licenced members would have received a notice from KQ and KA regarding the decision of KQ and KA removing affiliation of the club with both those entities.

This has come about by the club management refusing to directly affiliate with KA on their (KA) issued affiliation form subjecting the club to more conditions.. The Constitution of KA states that members of the Ordinary Member (i.e.; the Qld Clubs) are affiliated with the State body and affiliated members of KA through that KQ entity.

Extract from KA constitution below

2.3 Associate members are all karting clubs affiliated with the ordinary members, be they incorporated or not, who presently hold a valid track licence. The number of associate members is unlimited. Associate members have no right to vote or beheard at a General Meeting, but may be given notice of a General Meeting.

Policies created by entities cannot override constitutions; as a result we now have KQ disregarding its own constitution even though we have complied with the KQ fees structure to KQ for our annual membership/affiliation.

The KQ management committee has overstepped their authority and the direction is not valid, if it is an issue, it is for the council of clubs to determine.

In regards to the “benefits” that KQ have now removed from the club, our race meeting scheduled on the 19 March will continue to be held, and we ask you to support our stand against being bullied and intimidated in our attempts to ensure that karting’s constitutional rules and objectives are adhered to.

As for other clubs “offering honorary membership” to our members, that is hardly necessary as KA have simply created a new rule, that Toowoomba and Towers kart club members who have licences do not need to be members of an affiliated club until their Toowoomba kart club membership expires as noted in CMS e.g.: 31st December” 

We will make a further announcements regarding insurance cover in the next two days, sit back relax and we look forward to your continued support.

Yours
Tom Keneally
President
T &LV Kart Club Inc.


Above: Toowoomba club's Greer Park Raceway

 

Email to a Toowoomba member from Karting Australia:


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