General Service Structure

Responsibility for All Our Services

The primary purpose of the AA Group is to carry the AA message to those alcoholics who haven’t heard it yet.

Since much of this task is beyond the capacity of the individual Group, all the Groups co-operate with one another to set up various means for reaching the suffering alcoholic in the community.

Declaration of unity

AA Australia Service Structure:

In Australia, there are two separate arms of service: Central Service (CSOs) and General Service (Area, Districts) (See Figure 1: AA in Australia).

These two separate but vital service structures have different functions and must coexist in mutual co-operation and harmony to the benefit of the entire Fellowship.

Central Service Structure: The primary purpose of CSOs is to carry the message of recovery to the alcoholic TODAY within a local region. CSOs ensure Group and personal recovery.

General Service Structure: The primary purpose of the General Service is to ensure the future of AA TOMORROW. The General Service Structure connects AA Groups to AA as a whole and ensure Bill’s vision for the Groups to be in charge outlined in Concept 1 and Tradition 2.

General Services Structure
Figure 1: AA in Australia

Concept 1:
“The final responsibility and the ultimate authority for AA World Services should always reside in the collective conscience of our whole Fellowship.”

Tradition 2:
“For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority – a loving God as he may express himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants … they do not govern”

The General Service Structure allows all the AA Groups in a Region or Area to communicate with the General Service Board and General Service Office on matters affecting AA as a whole.

These matters include AA policy on:

  • AA Conference-Approved literature.
  • AA Public Information.
  • AA’s relations with professionals in the field of alcoholism.
  • AA institutions activity.
  • AA finances.
  • The “AA Around Australia” Bulletin.
  • The election of Trustees to the AA General Service Board.

This video provides a general outline of how the AA Australia Service Structure works… in under 3 minutes!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgMYYRdsCfs

For more information about the AA Service Structure see: https://aa.org.au/members/helpful-links/structure/

General Services