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Scouts Australia
Scouts Australia is a trading name of The Scout Association of Australia, which is the largest scouting organisation in Australia, with over 50,000 Youth Program Participants, and is a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. It was formed in 1958 and incorporated in 1967. It operates personal development programs for children and young adults from 5 to 25 years of age with programs successively opened to girls after 1971.
The organisation's current stated purpose is to "contribute to the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual potentials as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities".
Participation in the organisation's programs declined in the late 20th and early 21st centuries despite opening participation to girls and ever younger children and Australia having a high population growth rate, well above the world average. According to a 2014 media article, "Scouts Australia is hoping [to] arrest a steady decline in membership. In 1979 the organisation had 114,500 youth members, today there are 52,000." According to its own annual reports participation decreased from 84,502 in 2,126 groups in 2001 to 63,200 in 1,836 groups in 2005, while in 2012 there were 49,181 children and youth, 2,587 young adult Rovers and 14,113 adult leaders and support roles in 1,486 groups and, in 2022, there were 48,796 children and youths, 2,792 young adult Rovers and 15,147 adult leaders and support roles in 1,321 groups. The organisation has an exceptionally high number of adults compared to its number of youth participants with a ratio of more than one adult for every three youths.
Scouts Australia is a council which is not elected by, representative of, nor accountable to the Scouts, the adults in Scouting, or Scout groups. The council consists of a majority of members elected by the council itself, office bearers appointed by the council or its national executive committee, state and territory office bearers appointed by the national executive committee, and a smaller number of representatives from state and territory branch councils which are similarly not elected by, representative of or accountable to the Scouts, the adults in Scouting or Scout groups. The council usually meets just once a year. Real control lies with its national executive committee. Its national executive committee sets policy and programs and coordinates its state and territory branches.[citation needed]
The New South Wales, Victorian, and Tasmanian state branches are incorporated under special Acts of the state parliaments. while the Western Australian, South Australian, Queensland, Northern Territory, and Australian Capital Territory branches are incorporated by registration under the ordinary Associations Incorporation Acts. Each state or territory branch maintains its distinct structure, operational methods, and rules. However, all branches operate the same programs for children and young adults under a common uniform and common award scheme structure set by the national executive committee.[citation needed]
The national executive committee appoints the organisation's Chief Scout. In the past, the organisation's positions of chief scouts and state branch chief scouts had usually been held, respectively, by the governor-general or governor of the state. When he was the governor-general from 1989 to 1996, Bill Hayden declined to be the organisation's chief scout. On 15 April 2025 Sam Mostyn, the Governor-General of Australia, was invested in this position.
In 2015, the actor Shane Jacobson was appointed as the Chief Scout of the Victorian branch. The organisation's position of Chief Scout of its Australian Capital Territory branch was allowed to lapse and has been left vacant.[when?][citation needed] In 1942, Sir Leslie Orme Wilson, the Governor of Queensland, resigned as the Boy Scouts Association's Chief Scout of Queensland because of the failure of the Queensland branch to respond to his call for reforms to its centralisation effort that led to the severance of the Mount Morgan Blue Boy Scouts.
For the history of Boy Scouts and the Scout Movement in Australia generally, see Scouting and Guiding in Australia.
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Scouts Australia
Scouts Australia is a trading name of The Scout Association of Australia, which is the largest scouting organisation in Australia, with over 50,000 Youth Program Participants, and is a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. It was formed in 1958 and incorporated in 1967. It operates personal development programs for children and young adults from 5 to 25 years of age with programs successively opened to girls after 1971.
The organisation's current stated purpose is to "contribute to the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual potentials as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities".
Participation in the organisation's programs declined in the late 20th and early 21st centuries despite opening participation to girls and ever younger children and Australia having a high population growth rate, well above the world average. According to a 2014 media article, "Scouts Australia is hoping [to] arrest a steady decline in membership. In 1979 the organisation had 114,500 youth members, today there are 52,000." According to its own annual reports participation decreased from 84,502 in 2,126 groups in 2001 to 63,200 in 1,836 groups in 2005, while in 2012 there were 49,181 children and youth, 2,587 young adult Rovers and 14,113 adult leaders and support roles in 1,486 groups and, in 2022, there were 48,796 children and youths, 2,792 young adult Rovers and 15,147 adult leaders and support roles in 1,321 groups. The organisation has an exceptionally high number of adults compared to its number of youth participants with a ratio of more than one adult for every three youths.
Scouts Australia is a council which is not elected by, representative of, nor accountable to the Scouts, the adults in Scouting, or Scout groups. The council consists of a majority of members elected by the council itself, office bearers appointed by the council or its national executive committee, state and territory office bearers appointed by the national executive committee, and a smaller number of representatives from state and territory branch councils which are similarly not elected by, representative of or accountable to the Scouts, the adults in Scouting or Scout groups. The council usually meets just once a year. Real control lies with its national executive committee. Its national executive committee sets policy and programs and coordinates its state and territory branches.[citation needed]
The New South Wales, Victorian, and Tasmanian state branches are incorporated under special Acts of the state parliaments. while the Western Australian, South Australian, Queensland, Northern Territory, and Australian Capital Territory branches are incorporated by registration under the ordinary Associations Incorporation Acts. Each state or territory branch maintains its distinct structure, operational methods, and rules. However, all branches operate the same programs for children and young adults under a common uniform and common award scheme structure set by the national executive committee.[citation needed]
The national executive committee appoints the organisation's Chief Scout. In the past, the organisation's positions of chief scouts and state branch chief scouts had usually been held, respectively, by the governor-general or governor of the state. When he was the governor-general from 1989 to 1996, Bill Hayden declined to be the organisation's chief scout. On 15 April 2025 Sam Mostyn, the Governor-General of Australia, was invested in this position.
In 2015, the actor Shane Jacobson was appointed as the Chief Scout of the Victorian branch. The organisation's position of Chief Scout of its Australian Capital Territory branch was allowed to lapse and has been left vacant.[when?][citation needed] In 1942, Sir Leslie Orme Wilson, the Governor of Queensland, resigned as the Boy Scouts Association's Chief Scout of Queensland because of the failure of the Queensland branch to respond to his call for reforms to its centralisation effort that led to the severance of the Mount Morgan Blue Boy Scouts.
For the history of Boy Scouts and the Scout Movement in Australia generally, see Scouting and Guiding in Australia.