AACAI Full Membership Application

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Membership Application Fee

AACAI charges an administration fee of $50, which requires to be paid up-front by the applicant. This goes towards the processing of your application.
Please pay this fee here.
Then, return to this page to complete your application.

Full Membership Overview

Full Members are archaeologists who are competent to work as independent, professional consulting archaeologists. They are entitled to quote membership of AACAI as a professional qualification in the form “MAACAI”. Full Members are included in the Register of Full Members, and their profiles are added to the AACAI website with reference to their current employment, academic qualifications, full time experience and specific fields of arcaheology and special skills as recognised by the Membership Committee.

To qualify for full membership, each applicant shall, in accordance with the AACAI Constitution:

7.1. have an honours degree or postgraduate degree in archaeology or other field of scholarship accepted by the Membership Committee or have such experience in the field of consulting archaeology as is considered sufficient by the Committee for admission as a full member;
7.2. have the equivalent of five years full time experience in the field of consulting archaeology in Australia;
7.3. be supported by references from 2 archaeologists (one of whom must be a Full Member of the Association or in exceptional circumstances another person agreed to by the Membership Committee) each stating that in his or her opinion the applicant is competent in the field of consulting archaeology and setting out the grounds for that belief;
7.4. have demonstrated an ability to conduct archaeological consultancies on his or her own;
7.5. have demonstrated competence in:

7.5.1. survey, identification and recording of sites;
7.5.2. site assessment and evaluation;
7.5.3. recommendations concerning the management of sites;
7.5.4. report preparation and production;
7.5.5. client-consultant relations;
7.5.6. consultant-determining authority relations;
7.5.7. where relevant, relevant community liaison and consultation and documentary and oral research;
7.5.8. any other such criteria as the Membership Committee and National Executive Committee shall determine at their discretion from time to time; and
7.5.9. may be required from time to time assist with any task at the discretion of the NEC

7.6. Eligibility for Full membership in accordance with rule (7.5) of the preceding Rule may be for site survey and recording only. Citation of other skills such as excavation or rock art recording shall require presentation of additional documentation to the Membership Committee for review.

Full Membership Subscription Information

Full Membership Annual Subscription Cost = $200

AACAI runs on the Financial Year (1 July-30 June)

If your application is successful, you will be offered full membership and asked to pay the subscription fee for the current Financial Year.

Note the $50 Application Fee is not included in the Annual Subscription Fee

Application Form

    Required Documentation

    Applicant Information

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    Employment Information

    Academic Qualifications

    Institution 1

    Institution 2

    Institution 3

    Full-Time Experience

    How many years of full-time experience in consulting archaeology do you possess?

    Referees

    Applicants for full membership must include at least one existing AACAI full member as a referee, or, in exceptional circumstances, another person agreed to by the Membership Committee.
    Both referees should be of known professional standing in the field of archaeology.

    Reports Upload

    You must include at least two documents (e.g. reports) for your demonstrated competence in consulting archaeology (and special skills, if any) to be assessed.

    Note that the upload limit is 10MB per document. If you have larger documents to share, a hyperlink via file-sharing e.g. Dropbox, Google Drive, can be selected as an option under each of the Demonstrated Competence criteria below.

    Demonstrated Competence

    Please note that this is a mandatory section of the application. Indicate which document number (or file-sharing link) can be used to assess against each of the following criteria:

    Recognition of Specific Fields of Archaeology and Special Skills

    If you would like your experience in specific fields of archaeology and/or special skills recognised by AACAI and included on your public Member Profile, please indicate which document number (or file-sharing link) can be used to make the assessment. Please note this is not a mandatory section of the application.

    General

    'Note: If your application is successful, you will be added to the mailing list of the relevant AACAI State Chapter in the State/Territory that you primarily work in i.e. if there is one active there.

    AACAI Code of Ethics

    Please read and tick each clause of the AACAI Code of Ethics and the Consulting with Aboriginal Communities AACAI Policy Document to indicate that you have read, understood and agree. All fields below are mandatory.

    1. Foreword

    1.1 Members agree that as archaeologists we have certain responsibilities to the public, our employers and clients and our colleagues, and undertake to abide by the Code of Ethics as set out below to the best of our ability.

    2. Duty to the Public

    2.1 A member should take a responsible attitude to the archaeological resource base and to the best of her/his understanding ensure that this, as well as information derived from it, are used wisely and in the best interest of the public. 2.2 A member shall not recommend or take part in any research, which she/he is not qualified. 2.3 A member shall not recommend or take part in any research, which she/he has good reason to believe, may be sub-standard. 2.4 A member shall ensure that all relevant data pertaining to the resource base should be deposited with an appropriate government authority or archive.

    3. Duty to Certain Groups

    3.1 A member shall be sensitive to, and respect the legitimate concerns of groups whose cultural background is the subject of investigations.

    4. Duty to Informants

    4.1 A member shall offer appropriate remuneration for time, expertise, personal cost and inconvenience incurred in the giving of information, sought by a member of the association.

    5. Duty to the Profession

    5.1 A member shall keep informed about developments in her/his field of expertise and be willing to share such knowledge to improve the general standard of archaeological work. 5.2 A member shall avoid discrediting the profession by knowingly undertaking work beyond her/his competence. 5.3 A member shall respect the professional interests of colleagues as far as is ethical in terms of the interests of the public and the discipline. 5.4 Where a member has been asked for a second opinion, she/he shall advise the first archaeologist that she/he has been so requested. 5.5 A member shall not refuse a reasonable request from a qualified colleague for research data and shall endeavour to pass on relevant information to interested colleagues and appropriate official bodies. 5.6 The consultant should not knowingly compete with another for employment to the detriment of professional standards. 5.7 A member must state clearly the evidence on which the report is based, to what extent it is a matter of personal observation and the qualifications and experience of any co-workers quoted. 5.8 A member shall plan and complete any work as carefully and competently as possible under the circumstances and remembering that the information gained matters in terms of the discipline of archaeology as well as the problems of the employer or client.

    6. Duty to Employer or Client

    6.1 A member shall report on work accurately, promptly and in the manner that best serves the public, the employer or client.

    7. Matters of Fact

    7.1 The consultant's findings, recommendations, etc., shall be based upon professional knowledge and opinion and should avoid exaggerated and ill-founded statements.

    8. Matters of Opinion

    8.1 A member shall not knowingly misrepresent the needs, problems or possible consequences of a project. 8.2 A member shall not attempt to discredit the competence or integrity of a colleague unless she/he considers it is professional or public duty to do so.

    9. Limitation

    9.1 A member shall advise the employer or client to engage other expert consultants for aspects of a project beyond her/his own competence. No concealed fee shall be accepted for such referrals.

    10. Training of Potential Archaeologists

    10.1 A member shall give less qualified co-workers on a project every reasonable opportunity to gain skills and experience and shall negotiate adequate and appropriate remuneration for such work with regard to the skills of the co-worker and requirements of the job.

    11. Credit to Colleagues

    11.1 A member shall give due credit for work done by others (including subordinates) as consultants and/or researchers, and acknowledge ideas and methods originating from other persons unless such contributions have become generally known.

    12. Acceptance of Favours

    12.1 A member shall avoid placing her/himself under any obligation to any person or organisation if doing so could affect her/his impartiality in professional matters.

    13. Confidential Information

    13.1 A member shall not use confidential non-archaeological information acquired during work for an employer or client without due permission from that employer or client. 13.2 A member shall respect such information and ensure that co-workers do the same. 13.3 A member shall not disclose such information unless the law so requires.

    14. Consulting Practice

    14.1 A member shall not be described as or claim to be an archaeological consultant unless she/he can act as an independent and unbiased adviser and has suitable qualifications and experience.

    15. Legal Requirements

    15.1 A member shall take care to know of and comply with all relevant legal requirements. 15.2 A member shall refuse any request from an employer or client or any other persons, which involves illegal or unethical behaviour, such as suppression or misrepresentation of information.

    16. Preference of Employment

    16.1 On any job where a qualified archaeological assistant is necessary or required, a qualified archaeologist who is a member of this Association should be given preference of employment.

    17. Duty to Employees

    17.1 The recommended fee scales of employees shall be regarded as a minimum and shall not be undercut.

    AACAI Policy - Consulting with Aboriginal Communities

    1. The Association recognises that Aboriginal sites are of significance to Aboriginal people as part of their heritage and as part of their continuing culture and identity. 2. The Association recognises that Aboriginal communities should be involved in decision-making concerning Aboriginal sites. Aboriginal opinions, concerns and management recommendations should be presented alongside those of the archaeological consultant. 3. The Association recognises that Aboriginal people have a right to be consulted about the intention to undertake archaeological work, to be consulted about the progress and findings of this work, and to be consulted about any recommendations arising from this work. 4. The Association supports the practice of directly involving Aboriginal people in archaeological work, particularly fieldwork. 5. The Association recognises that work undertaken by Aboriginal people on behalf of any Member of the Association must be subject to appropriate remuneration in accordance with the Association’s recommended scale of fees, or, where appropriate, subject to remuneration above the Association’s fee scale where this has been derived from negotiations between the Member and the Aboriginal community. 6. The Association recognises that the circulation or publication of the results of archaeological work must be sensitive to Aboriginal concerns about the disclosure of confidential information about sites. 7. The Association recognises that assistance provided by Aboriginal people and communities should be acknowledged in subsequent written and verbal reports, publications and presentations. 8. The Association recognises that information and documentation derived from archaeological work should be returned to relevant Aboriginal people and their communities. 9. The Association recognises that consultation with Aboriginal communities should be via land councils, co-operatives or other organizations that are generally recognised as legitimately representing the interests and views of Aboriginal people in the relevant locality, area or region.

    Agreement

    I agree to abide by the Code of Ethics and Policies of the Australian Association of Consulting Archaeologists Incorporated.

     
     
     


    What Happens Next?

    When all of your documentation and the processing fee are received, copies of your application will be sent to the Membership Secretary, who will then advise the Membership Committee to assess.
    The National Executive Committee will vote on the recommendation of the Membership Committee and you will be informed of the result via a letter from the Membership Secretary.
    If your application is successful, you will be offered full membership and asked to pay the subscription fee for the current Financial Year.
    Please note that the review process can take up to several months to complete.

    If you have any questions about the process, please contact the Membership Secretary here.