3   Geographical Names Board

(1)  For the purposes of this Act, there shall be a board which shall be called the Geographical Names Board of New South Wales.

(2)  The board shall consist of 9 members of whom:

(a)  one shall be the person for the time being holding the office of Surveyor-General,

(b)  one is to be the person for the time being holding the office of Director-General of the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources, or an officer of that Department nominated by the Director-General,

(c)  one shall be the person for the time being holding the office of State Librarian, or an officer employed in the State Library of New South Wales from time to time nominated by the State Librarian,

(d)  one is to be an officer of the Department of Lands nominated by the Director-General of that Department, and

(e)  5 people (in this Act referred to as appointed members) shall be appointed by the Governor.

(3)  The Surveyor-General shall be the chairperson of the board.

(3A)  The person referred to in subsection (2) (d) shall be the deputy chairperson of the board.

(4)  Of the appointed members:

(a)  one shall be a person nominated jointly by the governing bodies of the Local Government Association of New South Wales and the Shires Association of New South Wales,

(b)  one shall be a person nominated by the governing body of the Royal Australian Historical Society,

(c)  one shall be a person nominated by the governing body of the Geographical Society of New South Wales, and

(d)  one shall be a person nominated by the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council, and

(e)  one is to be a person nominated by the Chairperson of the Community Relations Commission.

(5)  If within the time specified in a notice sent by the Minister to the bodies or a body entitled to make a nomination for the purpose of paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of subsection (4) a person is not nominated by those bodies or that body, the Governor may appoint any suitable person to be a member of the board in the place of that firstmentioned person.

(6)  Subject to this section the appointed members shall hold office for such period (not exceeding 5 years) as is specified in the member’s instrument of appointment and shall be eligible for reappointment.

(7)  (Repealed)

(8) 

(a)  The chairperson shall preside at all meetings of the board at which he or she is present.

(b)  In the absence of the chairperson the deputy chairperson shall preside.

(c)  If both the chairperson and the deputy chairperson are absent from any meeting of the board the members present shall appoint one of their number to preside at that meeting.

(9) 

(a)  The procedure for the calling of meetings of the board and for the conduct of business at such meetings shall, subject to any regulation in relation thereto and this Act, be as determined by the board.

(b)  At any meeting of the board five members shall form a quorum.

(c)  Every question before the board shall be determined by a majority of the votes of the members present at a meeting of the board.

(d)  The person presiding at any meeting of the board shall have a deliberative vote and, in the event of an equality of votes, a second or casting vote.

(10) 

(a)  The Governor may, for any cause which to him or her seems sufficient, remove any appointed member from office.

(b)  An appointed member shall be deemed to have vacated his or her office if he or she:

(i)  dies,

(ii)  resigns his or her office in writing under his or her hand addressed to the Governor,

(iii)  becomes a mentally incapacitated person,

(iv)  absents himself or herself from three consecutive meetings of the board of which reasonable notice has been given to him or her either personally or in the ordinary course of post unless on leave granted by the board or unless he or she is before the expiration of five weeks after the last of such meetings excused by the board for his or her absence from such meetings,

(v)  ceases to reside in the State, or

(vi)  becomes bankrupt, compounds with his or her creditors or makes an assignment of his or her salary or estate for their benefit.

(11)  If a vacancy occurs in the office of an appointed member, the Governor may appoint a person to the vacant office who shall hold office for the remainder of his or her predecessor’s term of office.

(12) 

(a)  In the case of illness or absence of any member of the board, other than an appointed member, the person who for the time being is performing the duties of the office by virtue of which that member is a member shall be the deputy of that member and shall act in the place of that member during his or her illness or absence, except where that member has approved of another person acting, or nominated another person to act, in his or her place.

(b)  In the case of illness or absence of any appointed member, the board may, by instrument in writing, appoint a deputy to act in the place of such member during his or her illness or absence.

(c)  Any person who is or is appointed the deputy of a member under this subsection may, while he or she acts as such deputy, exercise all the powers and authorities of the member in whose place he or she acts.

(13)  No act or proceeding of the board shall be invalidated or prejudiced by reason only of the fact that at the time when such act or proceeding was done, taken or commenced, there was a vacancy or vacancies in the office or offices of any member or members.

(14)  Each appointed member shall, if he or she is not a member of the Public Service, be entitled to receive such fees for attending meetings and transacting business of the board as the Minister may determine.

(15)  Each member of the board shall be entitled to receive such travelling expenses as the Minister may determine.

(16)  The provisions of the Public Service Act 1902, as amended by subsequent Acts, shall not apply to or in respect of the appointment by the Governor of any member of the board, and no member shall, in his or her capacity as such member, be subject to the provisions of such Act during his or her term of office.