About the GSA

The Geological Society of Australia was established as a non-profit organisation in 1952 to promote, advance and support Earth sciences in Australia.

 

Mission Statement

Governing Council

The newly formed GSA Governing Council held a strategic planning workshop in Sydney on 11 August 2014.
Members of the Governing Council (at the time of the meeting) are Graham Carr (President), Michelle Cooper (Secretary),
Chris Yeats (Treasurer), Roger Bateman, David Cantrill, Christine Edgoose, Ian Graham, Mike Smith and Ian Withnall.
John Peacock from Associations Forum and NFP Consulting facilitated the workshop.

The framework for the workshop was to support and enable the Governing Councillors develop strategic and
operational priorities for the GSA. The meeting articulated a broad vision and mission for the GSA:

Vision: Earth Science is a driver for a better world.
Description: The Geological Society of Australia represents all Earth Science disciplines.
Mission: The Mission of the Geological Society of Australia is to promote and advance Earth Science.

In order to achieve this Mission, the GSA will:

  1. Promote the understanding and importance of Earth Science, and the status of Earth Scientists

  2. Influence decision-making processes to support geoscience education, research and employment

  3. Provide professional development opportunities

  4. Communicate with and inform the Earth Science community

  5. Practise good governance and management.

As a broadly based professional society that aims to represent all Earth Science disciplines, the GSA attracts
a wide diversity of members working in a similarly broad range of industries. This diversity is one of the great
strengths of the Society, but can also be challenging when it comes to setting priorities for the GSA.
Under the five broad objectives listed above, the Governing Council has outlined the following areas that will be pursued over the next 2 years (2014-2016).

Promote the understanding and importance of Earth Science, and the status of Earth Scientists
(Chris Edgoose and Ian Withnall)

  • Media campaigns (Laurie Hutton)
  • Public forums (Ian Graham)
  • Public Lecture Series proposal and requirements
  • Outreach programs (Ian Withnall, Ian Graham and Chris Edgoose)
  • Awards and Fellowships (Laurie Hutton)
  • Apps for the general public (Ian Withnall)
  • National Rock Garden (Michelle Cooper and Ian Withnall)

Influence decision-making processes to support geoscience education, research and employment
(Graham Carr and Laurie Hutton)

  • Government (Michelle Cooper, Christine Edgoose and Graham Carr)
  • Academia (Ian Graham and Graham Carr)
  • Primary and secondary teaching (Ian Graham and Ian Withnall)
  • Industry (Graham Carr)

Provide professional development opportunities

  • Biennial conference (Adelaide, July 2016) (Mike Smith and Sue Fletcher)
  • National seminars and workshops (Sue Fletcher – usually done by Divisions and Specialist Groups)
  • Divisional and Specialist Group seminars and meetings (Roger Bateman)
  • Produce and sell commercial apps with geological technical information (Ian Withnall)
  • Professional Standards and Code of Ethics (Roger Bateman and Mike Smith)
  • Accreditation (RPGeo) (Roger Bateman and Mike Smith)

Communicate with and inform the Earth Science community (Chris Edgoose)

  • Peer-reviewed scientific journals (Roger Bateman)
  • Periodicals and special publications (Roger Bateman)
  • Website (Sue Fletcher)
  • Online publications and digital resources (Roger Bateman and Chris Edgoose)
  • Social media (Sue Fletcher)

Practise good governance and management
(Chris Yeats, Michelle Cooper, Graham Carr and Sue Fletcher)

  • Strategy to grow and retain membership from a wide range of disciplines (Graham Carr)
  • Management of funds (Chris Yeats)
  • Collaborations with peer societies and peak bodies (Graham Carr)
  • Representatives on the Australian Geoscience Council and on the Australian Science & Technology Council
  • Corporate and institutional partnerships (Graham Carr)
  • Identify operational improvements (Graham Carr)
  • Review GSA staff resources (Graham Carr)
  • Work closely with Divisions, Branches, Specialist Groups and Standing Committees (Michelle Cooper)
  • Develop all-of-GSA budget, including reserve funds (Chris Yeats).

 

The GSA Governing Council will meet, either face-to-face or via teleconference, at least four times a year to assess progress against these objectives.
[reported in the Australian Geologist, #173]

Key strategies are to:

  • cater for a wide diversity of members.
  • influence the decision making processes of government, particularly to support geoscience research and teaching.
  • encourage and promote wider community awareness and application of Earth sciences.
  • provide media and forums for communication in the Earth sciences.

The Society 's members represent all Earth science professions, including geologists, geophysicists, geochemists, palaeontologists, geotechnical and engineering geologists, environmental geologists, and associated professions. Members come from the minerals and petroleum industries, government departments, research and education institutions and consultancy groups.

The GSA is managed by a National Executive, with an administration office in Sydney. Standing Committees provide an important focus for national issues.

The Society has a Division in each state and territory, as well as branches in the Hunter Valley and Broken Hill. Regular meetings are held Australia-wide, at which Members may keep in touch with scientific developments, present the results of their work and contribute to discussions on vocational and scientific topics. Specialist Groups cater to different sectors of the Earth sciences.

The GSA publishes journals and periodicals for Earth scientists and the wider community. AJES, The Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, is the official journal of the Geological Society of Australia, and publishes papers on all aspects of earth science. TAG, The Australian Geologist, is GSA's quarterly member magazine which includes technical and special features, society news, conference details, regular reports, book reviews and other items of interest to Earth scientists. The e-zine, geoz is an Australian Earth sciences news service available free to members and non-members.

The Society encourages and recognises excellence in the Earth sciences through awards such as the WR Browne, Medal, Carey Medal, Joe Harms Medal and FL Stillwell Award, as well as Divisional and Specialist Group awards for outstanding scientific contributions.

We are a member of the Australian Geoscience Council, through which we maintain communication with the Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies, who represent scientific societies to the Australian Federal Government. We also make submissions on national issues on behalf of the Australian Earth science community.