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The steering pack

Seven documents were written for a steering committee that did not yet exist, so that when it was seated it could function from its first hour rather than spending three meetings inventing procedure.

Five of them are reproduced below in full. Two are not: the authorised-contact script, which is negotiation posture, and the public language sheet, which is published as its own page because it is the most reusable document in the archive.

The pack is included here as governance infrastructure another group can lift. Where a template carries real entries — the source register in particular — those entries are the project’s own, and they show what the discipline looked like in practice rather than in theory.

The first meeting agenda

The agenda for a steering committee’s first meeting, written before the committee existed — including how long to spend on each item and what must be decided before anyone leaves the room.

Bottom Pub Co-op | Internal | Not for public release Date: [TBC] | Venue: [TBC] | Duration: 90 minutes

Before the meeting

Each member should:

• Complete and return the Conflict of Interest Declaration (document 02) before the meeting starts, or bring a signed copy on the day
• Read the one-page public language sheet (document 05)
• Think about which working group lead role they would be willing to take

The convenor should have on hand: this agenda, blank decision log sheets (document 03), the Conflict of Interest declarations, and a printed copy of the public language sheet.

Agenda

0. Arrival & declarations (before formal start — 15 min)

What this is: Administrative, not a decision item.

Collect signed Conflict of Interest declarations from each person present. Anyone who has not signed does not participate in agenda items 2–5 until they do. Record names of those present on the decision log.

Output: A complete set of signed declarations, filed.

1. Welcome, purpose, and ground rules (10 min)

What this is: Discussion.

• Who are we and why are we here? (2 min — no speeches)
• Confirm what Stage 1 means: we are exploring whether this is worth pursuing — not acquiring, not fundraising, not making any offer
• Ground rule: anything labelled ASSUMPTION in our work is unverified and stays internal until checked
• Ground rule: nothing leaves this room as a public statement until the steering committee has approved the language

Output: Shared understanding of Stage 1 framing. No formal decision required.

2. Confirm steering committee membership (10 min)

What this is: Decision point.

The six skill seats to fill:

Work through each seat. For any seat where a candidate has a conflict of interest disclosed in their declaration, resolve that before confirming them (see the conflict of interest protocol in document 02).

If a seat cannot be filled today, record it as vacant and assign a named person to recruit for it.

Output: Named person in each seat (or named recruiting owner for vacant seats), recorded in the decision log.

3. Appoint the authorised contact for the appointed receivers (10 min)

What this is: Decision point — the most time-urgent output of this meeting.

The co-op does not yet exist as a legal entity. Until it does, one named person needs authority to make documented, non-committal contact with the appointed receivers on behalf of the community interest. This is not an offer. It is not a negotiation. It is a single, recorded point of contact.

The authorised contact must:

• Be a member of the steering committee
• Have no financial or professional conflict with the receiver or the property (confirmed by their declaration)
• Agree to work from the approved script (document 06) and not deviate from it
• Log every communication in a dated file

Confirm the authorised contact by committee agreement. Record the name and the scope of their authority in the decision log.

Output: Named authorised contact, decision logged, script (document 06) handed to them.

4. Adopt the public language standard (5 min)

What this is: Decision point.

The public language sheet (document 05) sets the vocabulary every member uses in all public conversations, emails, posts, and handouts.

Read through it together. If anyone proposes a change, record it and decide. Once adopted, it is binding on every steering committee member and anyone communicating on behalf of the project.

Output: Public language sheet adopted (or amended and adopted), decision logged.

5. Adopt the decision log and risk register (5 min)

What this is: Decision point.

• Adopt the decision log template (document 03) as the committee’s running record. Assign one person to maintain it.
• Adopt the risk register (document 04) as the committee’s running risk record. Assign the same or a different person to maintain it.
• Agree: every significant decision goes in the log at the meeting where it is made, not retrospectively.

Output: Both tools adopted, maintainer named, decisions logged.

6. Review working group streams and assign leads (25 min)

What this is: Decision point plus discussion.

Walk through the six working group streams. For each stream, confirm who will lead it and agree the first deliverable.

Dates above are suggested — the committee must agree actual dates.

Note: Stream leads do not work alone. They draw on the wider pool of ~68 EOI volunteers for research tasks. Stream 5 will run a skills inventory to map who can help with what.

Output: Named lead and agreed first deliverable date for each stream, recorded in the decision log.

7. Meeting cadence and next meeting (5 min)

What this is: Decision point.

• Agree: fortnightly check-in, [day of week], [time], [location or video]
• Confirm: next meeting date
• Agree: quorum for decisions (suggested: majority of filled seats, minimum 3)
• Agree: how decisions are recorded between meetings if urgent (suggested: email to full committee, 48-hour objection window, then logged)

Output: Next meeting date, quorum rule, and between-meeting decision process, all recorded in the decision log.

8. Actions and close (10 min)

Review all actions from the decision log. Confirm each has an owner and a date.

Standing action for every member: if you are approached publicly about the project (media, social media, questions at the pub), use the public language sheet and do not speculate beyond what has been decided.

Close meeting.

What this meeting does NOT do

• It does not make any offer on the property
• It does not commit to any capital structure or membership terms
• It does not make any public announcement
• It does not bind anyone financially
• It does not resolve the legal structure question (that is Stream 2’s job)

These are Stage 2 questions. Stage 1 is: is it worth finding out more?

The conflict-of-interest declaration

A form every steering member completed before being seated, in a town where almost everyone has some relationship to a pub.

Bottom Pub Co-op — Steering Committee

Internal document | Complete before taking a seat on the steering committee

Why this matters

The steering committee is making decisions on behalf of the broader community interest — not on behalf of any individual or commercial party. For the community to trust this process, the people running it need to be clear about any interests that could affect their impartiality.

This is not about disqualifying people. It is about knowing what the interests are so the committee can manage them properly. Most interests can be managed by disclosure and recusal on specific decisions. Undisclosed interests cannot be managed at all.

Section 1 — Your details

Full name: _______________________________________________

Role on steering committee: _______________________________________________

Date: _______________________________________________

Section 2 — Financial interests

Answer each question honestly. “None” is a complete and acceptable answer.

2a. Do you have any financial interest in the Commercial Hotel property (2 Mary Street, Cygnet TAS 7112) or the land it sits on?

Examples: ownership stake, mortgage, option to purchase, any agreement with the current owner or receiver.

☐ No ☐ Yes — describe: _____________________________________________

2b. Have you indicated to anyone — publicly or privately — that you intend to invest money in this project if it proceeds?

☐ No ☐ Yes — approximate amount indicated: $___________ (this does not commit you to investing; it is disclosure only)

Note: A person who has indicated willingness to invest should not be the primary designer of the capital structure (the rules for how money is raised, on what terms, and who benefits). You may still participate in other decisions.

2c. Do you have any financial relationship with any party that is likely to supply goods or services to this project?

Examples: a building or construction business, a hospitality supplier, a professional firm that would be engaged as advisor.

☐ No ☐ Yes — describe: _____________________________________________

Section 3 — Professional relationships

3a. Do you have a current or recent professional relationship with the appointed receivers (the receiver), with any agent marketing the property, or with any other party in the sale or insolvency process?

☐ No ☐ Yes — describe: _____________________________________________

3b. Do you have a professional relationship (current or within the last two years) with any person or organisation that has expressed interest in purchasing the property?

☐ No ☐ Yes — describe: _____________________________________________

3c. Do you provide professional services (legal, accounting, architectural, engineering, hospitality consulting) that the project might engage?

☐ No ☐ Yes — describe: _____________________________________________

If yes, you may still participate in the steering committee in your personal capacity, but the committee should seek independent advice on the relevant subject matter and you should recuse yourself from decisions about engaging your own firm.

Section 4 — Personal relationships

4a. Do you have a close personal relationship with any of the following that could affect your impartiality on a specific decision?

Section 5 — Heritage and specialist roles

5a. If you are filling the heritage/building seat: do you have any prior professional involvement with this property (reports, inspections, advice given to a prior owner or buyer)?

☐ Not applicable (I am not in the heritage/building seat) ☐ No ☐ Yes — describe: _____________________________________________

A prior professional involvement does not disqualify you, but the committee should be aware that your prior findings were produced for a different client. Your role is to identify what independent assessment is needed, not to substitute your earlier work for it.

Section 6 — Declaration

I confirm that the answers I have given above are complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge.

I understand that:

1. I must update this declaration if my circumstances change in a way that creates a new interest.
2. If a specific decision arises on which I have a conflict I have disclosed above, I will declare the conflict at that meeting and not participate in the decision.
3. If a specific decision arises on which I have an undisclosed conflict, I will declare it at the earliest opportunity.
4. The steering committee has the authority to ask me to recuse myself from specific decisions or, in serious cases, from the committee entirely.

Signed: _______________________________________________

Date: _______________________________________________

For the convenor: how to handle disclosed interests

When in doubt: disclose, discuss, decide as a committee, and log the decision.

The decision log

The log itself, with its instructions: log it at the meeting where it is made, never retrospectively.

Bottom Pub Co-op — Steering Committee

Internal document | Maintained by: [name TBC] | Last updated: [date]

How to use this log

Every significant decision the steering committee makes goes in this log at the meeting where it is made — not retrospectively. “Significant” means: anything that commits the group to an action, assigns authority to a person, adopts a policy, or could be questioned later.

Small procedural calls (who chairs the next meeting, what time to break) do not need to be logged. If in doubt, log it.

Between meetings, if an urgent decision is made by email: record it here with the method noted as “email decision” and list who responded.

The log is a record, not a justification document. Keep entries factual and brief.

Log

Template for new entries

Decisions that always require a review date

• Any decision made on the basis of an ASSUMPTION (set review date to when the assumption will be verified)
• Any decision that delegates authority to an individual (set review date to next meeting)
• Any decision about what to tell the public (set review date to when the underlying information changes)
• Any decision to spend money (set review date to when the expenditure is complete and accounted for)

Revisions

If a decision is later changed or superseded, do not delete the original entry. Add a new entry referencing the number of the original decision.

Example: “Decision 007 supersedes decision 003 in relation to [specific point]. [Decision 003] remains accurate in all other respects.”

The risk register template

The structure the project’s live risk register was built on.

Bottom Pub Co-op — Steering Committee

Internal document | Maintained by: [name TBC] | Last updated: [date] Likelihood and Severity: H = High, M = Medium, L = Low

How to use this register

Review at every fortnightly check-in. Update status when a risk changes. When a mitigation is put in place, note what was done and who did it. When a risk materialises, record it as such — it becomes a decision log item, not just a register entry.

Add new risks as they emerge. Label any risk that came from an unverified source as [ASSUMPTION] in the description.

Register

Risk rating guide

Status key

• Open — Risk is active; mitigation in progress or not yet started
• Mitigated — Mitigation in place; risk reduced but not eliminated; continue monitoring
• Closed — Risk is no longer active (record reason)
• Materialised — Risk has occurred; record in decision log and note response

The source and document register

One row per source, labelled FACT, ASSUMPTION or PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. A claim could not be used anywhere unless it had an entry here.

Bottom Pub Co-op — Steering Committee | Stage 1: Gauging Interest

Maintained by: [name] | Started: [date]

One row per source or document. Update as new material is relied on. Label every entry as FACT, ASSUMPTION, or PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. A claim may not be used in any public or internal document unless it has an entry here.

How to use

• FACT: independently verified from the named source. Reproducible by another person following the same steps.
• ASSUMPTION: plausible but not independently verified. Must be labelled as such in any document that relies on it.
• PROFESSIONAL ADVICE: provided by a named professional (lawyer, accountant, heritage consultant). Record the professional’s name and their firm.

When a source is superseded or found to be wrong, do not delete it — update the Status column.

Register

Documents relied on