Is Your Club’s Constitution Helping or Hindering You?
The underpinning values of every community club is constructed in their constitution. Yet for many boards, this vital document gathers dust in a filing cabinet, quietly shaping decisions without being actively reviewed. Just like a solid building needs strong foundations, a well-structured Constitution can make or break your club’s future success. The Problem With Too Many (or Too Few) Leaders Imagine steering a ship with too many captains – or worse, captains who change every few months. Many clubs find themselves in this position, and the result is more than just frustration – it can limit growth opportunities and undermine your venue’s success. Too many board members: Decision-making slows, debates drag out, and clear direction gets lost in the noise. Rapid Board turnover: By the time new members find their feet, their term ends. Fresh faces bring new ideas, but also bring constant shifts in priorities, making it almost impossible to deliver long-term strategy. For hospitality venues, where consistency and strategic planning are key, these governance issues can stall growth and create confusion. Finding the Right Balance A strong Constitution strikes a balance: The right board size – big enough for diverse views, small enough for efficient decision-making. Longer, staggered terms – giving members time to make meaningful contributions while ensuring continuity. This structure provides stability, allowing your board to set a clear vision, stick to it, and see results over time. Why Skills Matter as Much as Structure It’s not just about how many people sit at the table – it’s about who they are. A well-rounded board can be a game-changer for your club. Diversity in demographics, open-mindedness and a broad range of skills are key to success. When your Constitution supports the right mix of skills and experience, your board becomes a powerful asset rather than a bottleneck. Time to Review Your Constitution? if your Constitution hasn’t been reviewed in years, it may not only be holding your venue back but also not fully addressing your obligations. A modern, fit-for-purpose Constitution ensures your governance framework actively supports growth, compliance, and long-term success. At DNS Specialist Services, we work with clubs to review, update, and strengthen their Constitutions. The result? A governing document that’s clear, practical, aligned with your goals and protects the organisation. Ready to make sure your club’s foundation is as strong as your future? Let’s chat about a Constitution review today.
Future-Proof Your Club’s Governance: A Smarter Way for Pubs & Clubs to Prepare for the Year Ahead
Looking Back – and Preparing for What’s Next As the year winds down and venues move into another busy summer trading period, club and pub leaders naturally start looking in two directions – reflecting on what’s been achieved and preparing for what’s next. Reflection matters, but in an industry where compliance demands, community expectations, and operational risk continue to rise, preparation matters even more. The Rising Governance Pressure on Australian Hospitality Across Australia, boards and committees in the hospitality sector are facing growing layers of responsibility. Liquor and gaming compliance, harm minimisation requirements, WHS obligations, community contributions, audits, and increased expectations of transparency all place significant pressure on leadership teams. This raises a critical question: are your current governance systems strong enough to support the future of your venue, or are they quietly holding it back? The Risk of Patchwork Governance For many clubs and pubs, governance still operates through a patchwork of disconnected tools and habits: strategic plans stored in folders, policies spread across desktops, outdated versions buried in emails, and meeting papers lost in inboxes. Committee handovers often rely heavily on memory, which introduces further risk and inconsistency. These methods once worked – but they’re no longer fit for purpose. In today’s environment, a single missed update, unclear action item, or documentation gap can cause compliance issues, operational confusion, or reputational damage. A Better Way Forward Imagine your board, management team, and committee members accessing one secure system containing everything that matters – strategic plans, minutes, compliance records, audit documentation, skills registers, incident-related policies, and legislative updates. A system designed specifically for the realities of Australian clubs and pubs. This is exactly what Board360 delivers. Built for the Hospitality Sector Board360 is designed to transform the way venues manage governance by addressing the everyday challenges that slow down decision-making and increase risk. Dynamic Strategic Planning Your strategic plan becomes a living tool, not a forgotten document. With the Strategic Plan Tracker, goals stay visible and progress stays measurable. Fast and Consistent Committee Onboarding Committee turnover is common. Board360 lets new members access the documents, history, and processes they need from day one. Issue a login and onboarding becomes seamless. Streamlined Policy and Procedure Management No more chasing versions or guessing which policy is current. Whether it’s RSA, gaming harm minimisation, WHS protocols, constitutions, by-laws, or incident reporting procedures, everything stays organised and up to date. Smarter Meeting Management Board360 centralises agendas, board papers, minutes, and action tracking. Whether it’s a monthly meeting, AGM preparation, or compliance committee session, you reduce admin time and avoid missed follow-ups. Clear, Confident Compliance Oversight With tools like a real-time Skills Matrix for Boards and Management Teams, transparent decision history, and legislative updates, your venue stays audit-ready and accountable. Solving Real Challenges for Clubs From gaming compliance to liquidity reporting, from incident handling to community contributions, hospitality venues face unique operational pressures. Board360 helps reduce: It turns governance from a stress point into a strategic advantage. Is Your Venue Ready for the Year Ahead? As you plan for the coming year, take a moment to consider whether your current governance systems are supporting your club’s future – or quietly limiting it. The future of governance in hospitality is digital, transparent, secure, and integrated. Venues that modernise now will be best positioned to lead and succeed. Take the Next Step If you’d like to see how clubs and pubs across Australia are using Board360 to simplify governance, strengthen compliance, and support better decision-making, visit https://dnsss.au/services/governance/board360-coporate-governance-portal/ to book a walkthrough and future-proof your venue for the year ahead.
A New Era in Harm Minimisation: DNS Specialist Services and COMS Partner to Deliver Facial Recognition Technology
The gambling and entertainment industry continues to evolve, and with it comes a pressing responsibility: to prioritise harm minimisation and safeguard vulnerable patrons. At DNS Specialist Services (DNS SS), we have long recognised the importance of equipping venues and staff with the tools they need to meet this challenge. Today, we are proud to announce a new partnership with COMS, a trusted leader in operational solutions for the sector, to bring advanced Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) to the market. Why Facial Recognition Technology Matters Facial Recognition Technology has emerged as a critical tool in the global effort to support safer gambling environments. With the ability to identify excluded or at-risk individuals swiftly and discreetly, FRT provides staff with confidence and actionable insights to better manage harm minimisation responsibilities. This is not about surveillance, it is about protection, responsibility, and care. DNS SS and COMS: A Powerful Partnership DNS SS, under the leadership of Managing Director Danny Nixon-Smith who also serves on the Safer Gambling Advisory Committee and represents the industry across multiple jurisdictions brings deep expertise in harm minimisation, regulation, and industry standards. COMS complements this with its reputation for delivering robust, scalable, and user-friendly operational systems. Together, we are delivering solutions that don’t just meet compliance requirements but set new benchmarks for effectiveness and practicality in frontline operations. Supporting Staff in a Changing Landscape The gambling sector is experiencing rapid change, from heightened regulatory scrutiny to growing societal expectations. Staff are at the heart of this change, and they need the right tools to succeed. By integrating DNS SS’s industry insight with COMS’s technology platform, we are empowering venues with advanced, reliable, and ethical tools to meet their harm minimisation obligations head-on. Looking Ahead As this partnership evolves, our shared goal is simple: to continue innovating and supporting venues, staff, and communities in building safer gambling environments. Facial Recognition Technology represents the next step in this journey a step we are proud to take alongside COMS.
When Data Governance Becomes a Boardroom Challenge
In today’s digital-first environment, data is both the most valuable and the most vulnerable asset in the boardroom. Boards are increasingly tasked with overseeing not just strategy and performance, but also the governance of data, its use, security and ethical management. For many organisations, challenges around data significance and confidentiality remain hidden until a crisis emerges: a breach, a regulatory fine or reputational damage. At that point, the problem is no longer technical, it is strategic. Boards suddenly find themselves answering to regulators, stakeholders and the public. Why Boards Struggle With Big Data According to the Data Governance Foundations for Boards report, directors often underestimate the risks. The sheer speed at which data is generated makes oversight complex. Not all data is created equal, but without effective governance, critical data is treated the same as trivial information. Policies and procedures are too often written in response to incidents rather than as a preventative safeguard. On top of this, departing board members may still retain access to sensitive data and reports, exposing the organisation to long-term risks if proper offboarding is not in place. This mindset of “it is not a problem until it becomes a problem” remains one of the greatest challenges boards face. The Case for Proactive Planning A proactive approach ensures that boards do not simply react but lead. This means establishing clear policies and procedures that define roles, responsibilities and accountability. Regular audits should be conducted to identify vulnerabilities before they escalate. A culture of data stewardship needs to exist at both executive and operational levels, and governance must be aligned with both regulatory compliance and community expectations. Just as importantly, sensitive data must be secured during board transitions, ensuring that vacating members no longer retain access to reports, strategy documents or confidential datasets. How DNS Specialist Services Helps At DNS Specialist Services, we specialise in supporting boards to strengthen their governance and oversight. We provide independent data governance audits, assist in writing policies and procedures tailored to your business, and offer practical guidance to directors so that they can meet their obligations with confidence. We also implement secure offboarding protocols for vacating board members, ensuring that confidential information does not walk out the door. We do not just help you “tick the box”. We help you build a governance framework that reassures stakeholders, protects your organisation, and allows the board to focus on strategy with confidence. If your board has not yet addressed data governance at this level, the best time to act is now before it becomes a problem. Contact DNS Specialist Services today to start the conversation.
2025 Vision: Ignite Your Venue’s Success with a Strategic Plan
When was the last time you looked at your strategic plan, or is it tucked away in a drawer somewhere? Think of it as your venue’s annual service – are you ready to tune-up for a winning 2025 and beyond?
The hospitality landscape is a battlefield, with constant shifts in trends, evolving legislation and markets. It’s time to ditch the reactive approach and unite the key stakeholders to actively steer your venue towards prosperity.
Track your Club’s Strategic Plan, Agendas, Minutes & More with Board360
A challenge for many clubs is the lack of process for accountability on Strategic Plans and Corporate Governance. The Strategic Plan sits on a desk collecting dust, or on a shared server waiting to be saved over or accidentally deleted. Worse still, a new Board or Committee are appointed with no record of progress or discussions held.
Proactive Responsible Gambling: A Business Imperative for all Gambling Venues
The Queensland Gambling Survey 2023 reveals a stark reality: while overall gambling participation may be declining, the prevalence of at-risk gambling groups remains a persistent issue. The survey found that 0.64% of Queensland adults are classified as problem gamblers, a significant number who experience serious negative consequences from their gambling. This data emphasises the importance of proactive measures that prioritise prevention and early intervention, rather than simply relying on self-exclusion programs.
Heads Up, Pubs & Clubs: Insolvency Rates on the Rise, What’s the Plan?
The Queensland hospitality scene is known for its vibrancy, but there’s a storm brewing on the horizon. Recent figures from the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) show a worrying trend – insolvency rates across Australia are rising, and that means tougher times ahead for pubs and clubs.
Navigate Your Success: New Corporate Governance Portal for Clubs
Strong corporate governance practices stand as the cornerstone for success and sustainability within the club industry.
With harm minimisation emerging as the number one focus in the industry right now, Club Boards and Committees face escalating pressure to uphold ethical and sustainable practices within the liquor and gaming environment.
Is Your Venue’s Constitution Aligned With The Latest Regulatory Changes?
Maximising the effectiveness of your club’s governance is vital for sustaining growth and ensuring smooth operations and compliance. As you navigate recent changes to the grievance and remuneration policies, it’s crucial to align your constitution accordingly to maintain compliance, transparency, and fairness.