Code of conduct
The CAWA Code of Conduct establishes the standards that all climbers in the State of Western Australia are required to adopt in regard to their climbing activities
Mar 2009
The CAWA Code of Conduct establishes the standards that all climbers in the State of Western Australia are required to adopt in regard to their climbing activities
CAWA acknowledges and respects the Traditional Owners, including Elders, of land and waters throughout Western Australia, and recognises their continuing connection to such land and waters.
CAWA acknowledges that Aboriginal cultural heritage (ACH) may exist in places where climbing takes place in Western Australia and that climbers must comply with the laws of Western Australia that relate to ACH.
For the purposes of this Code, ACH is defined as any object or place of cultural significance to Aboriginal people, including Aboriginal ancestral remains.
It is important for climbers to accept that climbing is a privilege and not a right, and that access to climbing areas can easily be taken away, even if laws concerning ACH are complied with. This has happened at Walcliffe, and in Victoria (Grampians and Mt Arapiles).
With that in mind this Code of Practice sets out standards for all climbers in Western Australia in relation to ACH:
and new route development
The CAWA Code of Bolting establishes the standards required to be adopted in Western Australia in regard to developing and bolting rock climbing routes. This code applies to bolting and re-bolting, and the term ‘bolting’ includes re-bolting.
CAWA is committed to ensuring that everyone involved with climbing is treated with respect and dignity and is protected from abuse, bullying, harassment, sexual misconduct, unlawful discrimination, victimisation, and vilification.
This Policy seeks to ensure that everyone involved in climbing is aware of their rights and responsibilities. This Policy sets out the standards of behaviour expected of those involved in climbing and the behaviours that are not acceptable (Prohibited Conduct).
This Policy applies to members of CAWA, and CAWA in all its functions, activities and operations.
In this Policy:
Abuse means any type of abuse (including physical, emotional, psychological, sexual, and inappropriate use of power) that has caused, is causing or is likely to cause harm to a person’s wellbeing, whether in person or as the result of a publication viewable by any other person by any means.
Bullying means a person or group of people repeatedly and intentionally using words or actions, or the inappropriate use of power, against someone or a group of people to cause distress and risk to their wellbeing.
Harassment means any type of behaviour towards a person that they do not want and that is offensive, abusive, belittling or threatening and is reasonably likely to cause harm to the person who is the subject of the harassment.
Policy means this Member Protection Policy including Schedule 1.
Sexual Misconduct means:Victimisation means subjecting a person, or threatening to subject a person, to any unfair treatment because the person has made, or intends to pursue their right to make, a complaint or lawful disclosure, including under applicable legislation or this Policy, or for supporting another person to take such action.<.p>
Vilification means a public act, conduct or behaviour that incites hatred, serious contempt for, or revulsion or severe ridicule of, a person or group of people because of a particular characteristic they hold, as covered by applicable legislation, including their race or religion, or homosexuality, transgender, or HIV/AIDS status.
See Schedule 1 below for examples of the above definitions.
CAWA and its members must not engage in Prohibited Conduct, namely:
Any disputes concerning an alleged breach of this Policy, or alleged Prohibited Conduct shall be resolved in accordance with Rule 10 [Resolving Disputes] of CAWA’s Rules, as if Rule 10 applied to a dispute arising under this Policy.
The objectives of this policy are to:
This Policy provides overarching Child Protection direction for CAWA and represents the minimum standard required.
In this Policy:
“Adult” means any person who is 18 years of age or older, who is a Member of CAWA or other person who, from time to time, assists CAWA in some way.
“Child” or “Children” means Youth Member(s), and any other person who is under 18 years of age.
“Child Abuse” means an act or omission that endangers a Child’s physical or emotional health, well-being or development and can occur as a single incident or multiple incidents over time. See section 4 for Child Abuse types, indicators and behaviours.
“Child Safe” means an environment that has an open and aware culture, which understands what Child Abuse and risks look like, is bound by a well-known Child Protection policy and framework, gives a voice to Children, manages risks associated with Child Abuse, and where everyone is encouraged to report all allegations, disclosures or concerns.
“Youth Member” means any Member of CAWA who is under 18 years of age (as per Rule 4.6(a)).
CAWA has a duty of care to Youth Members to provide a safe environment and protection from harm, including Child Abuse. All Adults are required to fulfil this responsibility on behalf of CAWA at all times.
CAWA is committed to an environment of ZERO TOLERANCE toward bullying, neglect and emotional, physical, psychological or sexual abuse of any kind. Abuse takes many forms and can be perpetrated in many ways, as such CAWA requires all Adults and Youth Members to be aware of Child Abuse as outlined in this Policy and comply with the requirements of this Policy at all times. When an incident does occur, CAWA’s priority is to ensure the immediate safety and welfare of the Youth Member.
All Adults must report any conduct directly seen or suspected that does not comply with this Policy. Without fail, Adults must immediately report any disclosure, allegation or suspicion of abuse of Children in accordance with this Policy.
Children are also to be encouraged to report any conduct that does not comply with this Policy and are to be regularly reminded/informed of their rights to feel safe and what action they can take if they do not feel safe.
Responding to allegations of Child Abuse must be undertaken with the utmost sensitivity and confidentiality. The welfare of Children is of paramount importance. Accordingly, CAWA is to terminate the Membership of (or the contract/ employment of) any Adult where an allegation or suspicion of abuse has been proven through a court of law. CAWA may also terminate the Membership of any Adult even if a Child Protection matter is not concluded or ultimately resolved with certainty. Additionally, CAWA is to automatically suspend the membership of an alleged abuser until the matter is resolved by the appropriate authority. CAWA is not to proceed with an application for Membership if there is any doubt concerning suitability.
THE MOST IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION IS ALWAYS THE IMMEDIATE SAFETY AND WELFARE OF THE CHILD.
This Policy applies to all Adult and Youth Members of CAWA, staff, other employees and consultants/contractors, in addition to any Adults who may assist CAWA from time to time.
Regardless of ‘Membership status’ in CAWA, this policy applies to any person who may have contact with Youth Members (or has access to their records).
The following types of Child Abuse are not exhaustive and do not limit the types of abusive behaviour covered by this Policy.
The following indicators of Child Abuse are not exhaustive and do not limit the indicators of abusive behaviour covered by this Policy:
The list below sets out behaviour and characteristics that often apply to a person who is engaging in, or who intends to engage in, Child Abuse. Child Abuse can be intra-familial (perpetrated by a family member) or extra-familial (perpetrated by another known person).
Note that perpetrators can be of any social group or behavioural type (eg. extrovert, introvert, married, single, old, young, rich or poor). While the majority of abusers (95%) are male, females also perpetrate abuse against Children.
Note also that one or two of these behavioural characteristics on their own do not necessarily indicate that a person is an abuser or a potential abuser. Behaviour that involves several characteristics together or ongoing behaviour might provide reason for concern. Such a person should be observed closely, but discreetly, for a brief period before reporting the concern, if the concern remains.
Behavioural Indicators | ||
Extra familial abuse (perpetrated by a non-family member) |
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Intra familial abuse (perpetrated by a family member) |
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‘TWO DEEP’ leadership means that when Adults are supervising and conducting climbing activities involving Youth Members, at least two Adults must be present, except in unexpected, unusual and unforeseen circumstances such as an emergency.
While the ratio of Adults to Youth Members will vary from activity to activity, a minimum of two Adults is always required, and is to be the first consideration when planning any climbing activity. The failure to achieve this standard should not preclude the climbing from occurring but, every effort must be made to achieve the standard before commencement.
Note that in light of the ‘burden of proof’ for legal proceedings involving Child Abuse, this mandated TWO DEEP policy may be the primary, and could be the only, method of proving that Child Abuse could not have occurred. Accordingly, TWO DEEP is a vital precaution against any misconceived conduct on behalf of Adults, and for protecting the legal position of CAWA.
There are numerous situations involving sexual relations with Youth Members and each must be dealt with differently as follows:
The purpose of this policy is to outline the collection, use, storage and disclosure of personal information about CAWA Members.
This Policy applies to CAWA in all its functions, activities and operations.
CAWA is committed to protecting the privacy of individuals, including members and customers. CAWA abides by the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). The APPs regulate the way certain entities handle personal information. Privacy of your personal information is important to us and we conduct our organisation with the highest standards of personal and corporate integrity. We aim to provide the best possible service, whilst ensuring you are aware of how your personal information is used within CAWA. By providing your personal information to us, you agree to our collection, use and disclosure of your personal information (including sensitive information such as health information) in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
Personal information is information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable:
(a) whether the information or opinion is true or not; and
(b) whether the information or opinion is recorded in a material form or not.
We will always be open and honest in our dealings with you and will only collect information about you that we believe is necessary to undertake our legitimate activities. The nature of the personal information we collect will be dependent upon your chosen level of interaction with CAWA, and the degree to which you utilise the broad range of CAWA benefits, products and services. Generally, the personal information is comprised of your name, gender, address, date of birth, and telephone and email contact details. Further specific details may be required for different types of transactions and membership interactions (i.e., attendance at events/activities that require medical/contact information). CAWA also retains transactional histories of your usage of CAWA services for audit purposes and to assist in understanding your circumstances, preferences and service needs.
For employment applications, we collect your name, address, contact details, current and past employment information, educational qualifications and professional associations. We also collect information about and proof of your residency status, the name and contact details of your referees and other information required for recruitment purposes. Where we seek your consent to conduct a background check, we also collect details of your proof of identity from you.
We may hold your personal information in a number of ways, including:
We may combine personal information we receive about you with other information we hold about you. This includes information collected for different products and services. We may hold your personal information as long as we need it for any purpose for which we may use or disclose it, or longer if required by law.
Generally, we collect personal information necessary to validate your identity and to ensure your request or enquiry can be actioned efficiently and effectively. Collection of personal information is necessary to undertake many of the broad range of transactions offered by CAWA, including:
In most cases, we only collect information about you directly from you either in person, in writing, email, through our online services and by telephone. However, there are circumstances where this is impractical such as a parent providing information on behalf of a Youth Member. In some circumstances, we may also collect your personal information from:
Unless we are required or permitted by law to collect sensitive information about you, we will only do so after obtaining your consent. If you provide personal information about a third party individual to us you need to ensure that the individual is aware of, understands and agrees to the collection, use and disclosure of his or her personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
We only collect information that we believe is necessary to undertake a specific transaction or function. Therefore, refusal to supply requested details may delay or prevent us from satisfying your request, be it a Member application, or application for one of our other services.
Any personal information collected, held or used by CAWA is kept strictly confidential and is only accessed by authorised CAWA members, agents, contractors or service providers in the course of them undertaking their legitimate duties in providing a given product or service and managing our organisation. Only information necessary for the particular function is shared with the relevant service provider. Member or customer information will not be given, rented, sold or traded to any external third party organisation and will only be made available to a third party:
Reasonable steps are taken by us to protect personal information we hold from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
CAWA aims to ensure the personal information it collects, uses and discloses, including the personal information of its Members, is accurate, up to date, complete and relevant. If you would like to access your personal information or feel that the information we currently have on record is inaccurate, irrelevant, out of date of incomplete, please contact us on cawa@climberswa.asn.au. We will need to verify your identity before giving you access. We will comply with any such request except where the Privacy Act 1988 or Australian Privacy Principles allow us to refuse to do so. There is no fee for making such a request. We will endeavour to respond to such a request within 14 days.
If you have a problem with how CAWA has used your personal information or are concerned about any aspects of CAWA’s Privacy Policy, we want to hear from you. The Secretary of CAWA has authority to deal with any privacy matter and will be able to explain your rights and any referral that may be necessary in order to resolve the matter. Any formal privacy complaint will be dealt with by the CAWA Secretary, or if necessary, may be referred to the President, who has the appropriate authority to deal with disputes. Privacy-related comments and complaints may be lodged online. Our contact details are as follows:
Email: cawa@climberswa.asn.au
In the unlikely event that your complaint is unresolved, you are unhappy with the resolution of your complaint or with the way CAWA has handled your complaint, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner which may investigate your complaint further. However, they will only become involved when all internal avenues have been exhausted. Their contact details are as follows:
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 2001
phone: 1300 363 992
www.oaic.gov.au
This Privacy Policy may change from time to time. Any revised version will be posted on the CAWA website.
CAWA’s Secretary is responsible for establishing the governance accountabilities for the privacy and security of data held by CAWA.
The Secretary is responsible for:
The purpose of this policy is to set out a framework outlining CAWA’s commitment and approach to inclusion and diversity in climbing.
In this Policy:
“Inclusion” and “inclusive” refers to ensuring that individuals have equality of opportunity in climbing without any barriers or obstacles as a result of their race, colour, physical features, sex, sexual preference, lawful sexual activity, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, family responsibilities, pregnancy, breast feeding, carer responsibilities, religion, political opinion, national extraction or social origin.
“Diversity” refers to the visible and invisible differences that exist between individuals including (but not limited to) race, colour, physical features, sex, sexual preference, lawful sexual activity, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, family responsibilities, pregnancy, breastfeeding, carer responsibilities, religion, political opinion, national extraction or social origin.
This Policy applies to CAWA in all its functions, activities and operations.
People are at the heart of climbing and CAWA’s aim is to ensure safe, respectful, and inclusive climbing events and activities where diversity is valued, providing a foundation where people can fully participate in and contribute to the climbing community, realise their climbing potential, and succeed in their climbing goals.
Accordingly CAWA will:
The Committee is responsible for:
Every incorporated association must, amongst other things, have a set of rules, often known as a constitution.
The rules largely govern how an association operates. The committee and members of an incorporated association should comply with these rules unless they are inconsistent with the law.
Members decide the rules that will apply to their incorporated association, its committee of management and themselves. The Associations Incorporation Act (1987) sets out some basic requirements with which all associations incorporated in WA must comply.
The current version of the CAWA Constitution, approved at AGM on the 21st of Jun 2017, can be viewed here.