AFN vol 44 No 4 Oct-Dec04 - Australian Fabian Society

More documents

Recommendations

Info

PAGE 2 NEWS Australian Fabian News October–December 2004 SECRETARY’S COLUMNOLUMN by Race Mathews National Secretary Secretary’s report to the 57th Annual General Meeting of the Australian Fabian Society, 26 August 2004 The AFS can look back on its 57th year of support for social democratic public policy research and discussion with qualified satisfaction. Membership has continued to increase, new activities have been introduced, networking with other organisations has expanded and become more effective and strategic planning has been placed on a firmer footing. The society is soundly positioned to consolidate past gains and break new ground, subject only to a willingness on the part of more members to involve themselves more actively and thereby ensure a fairer and more effective sharing of its work. In particular, more member support is needed for those of the society’s branch committees in states and territories other than Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania, where the more acceptable levels of branch activity are currently being achieved or are in prospect. Members in states where branches have yet to achieve a firm footing and schedule regular events might be mindful of a lame paraphrase of John F. Kennedy – ‘Ask not what your branch can do for you but what you can do for your branch’. Highlights of the Year Highlights from 2003 – 2004 have included: • Further high profile national events, including a highly successful December 2003 conversazione on ‘Catching the Wave: The Why and How of Social Democratic Renewal’ addressed by Michael Pusey, Lindsay Tanner, Michael Jacobs, Marian Sawer and Fred Argy; Shadow Minister Kevin Rudd’s Guest of Honour At the NSW Branch AFS AGM on 16 June were (front row): Shann Turnbull, Danny Faddoul, Anna York, Richard Fidler and Rodney Cavalier. (Rear row): David McKnight, Mal Bozic, Mark McGrath,Tony Moore, Bob Johnston, David Lewis, Michael Chen and Race Mathews. Speech at the society’s 20th Annual Remembrance Day Dinner and the 2004 Autumn Lectures program on ‘And the Truth Shall Set You Free: Public and Community Television and Radio and the Public Interest’ featuring Donald McDonald, Ken Inglis, Catharine Lumby, Malcolm Long, Jock Given, Kath Letch, Lindsay Tanner, Tony Moore and Guy Rundle. • Successful programs of branch events, including most notably Victoria’s weekly ‘Wednesday Night at the New International Bookshop’ (now approaching the end of its fourth year) and monthly ‘Mietta’s Mondays’ programs and Queensland’s ‘This Month at the Paddington Workers’ Club’ program. The Tasmanian, New South Wales, West Australian, South Australian and Australian Capital Territory branches also held events, but have yet to place them on regular schedules. • Extension of the society’s networking to a range of public policy interest groups, with a view to securing their involvement in projects such as the Victorian Branch’s ‘Wednesday Night at the New International Bookshop’ program, and to embassies with a view to obtaining early notification of overseas visitors of possible interest for society events. www.fabian.org.au • Establishment of closer links with social democratic student bodies with student body representatives filling positions on the National Executive for the first time in more than a decade. As well, representatives of the Melbourne, Monash and La Trobe University ALP Clubs formed the Victorian Branch’s AFS Campus Liaison Group. We ran two very successful on-campus programs: ‘Carmen on Campus’ and ‘Burnside on Campus’ where over a 24-hour period a high-profile speaker addresses lunchtime meetings at two of the participating universities and delivers a formal lecture – to date Carmen Lawrence’s Chifley Memorial Lecture and Julian Burnside’s Jim Cairns Memorial Lecture. • Appointment of a new National Research Committee with Evan Thornley as director and Jane Mathews as secretary, and the establishment of an Economic Policy Research Group as a pilot project for the future conduct of society research. • Social Change Online’s radical upgrading of the society’s website at www.fabian.org.au, the appointment of Donna Benjamin as national webmaster, and the availability through the website of an extensive body of publications including presentations at society events.
Australian Fabian News October–December 2004 •Glenn Patmore’s production of The Vocal Citizen as his fifth – and final – contribution to the society’s longrunning Labor Essays series has negotiated with Pluto Press for future editions of the series to be produced in a new format and more frequently. Negotiations are also underway with Pluto to hand over stocks of past editions of Labor Essays to the society, and with RMIT Publishing to have past editions made available electronically, on an on-line basis. As a consequence of these changes, Labor Essays 2005 is likely to be delayed until well into the new year, and members will be asked to bear with the society until their entitlements to free copies can be honoured. It is envisaged that distribution of future editions of Labor Essays will be on the basis of a voucher system, which will enable members to claim their entitlements and thereby avoid having unwanted copies distributed by default. • Publication of the society’s quarterly Australian Fabian News – edited by Fiona Perry – together with weekly Victorian Branch and monthly national editions of the email, AFS Update. • The addition of three new titles to the society’s long-running pamphlet series in association with the AFS/Arena Publications ‘Blue Books’ Project – No. 61 Responding to the Challenge of Globalisation: The Democratic Imperative (Joe Camilleri); No. 62 Thinking About Privatisation: Evaluating the Privatised State to Inform Our Future (Graeme Hodge) and What’s Wrong with Social Capital (Chris Scanlon). •New fundraising initiatives, including bedding down the society’s new ‘Patron Supporter’ and ‘Supporting Body’ membership categories, with minimum subscriptions respectively of $500 and $250 for an aggregate revenue gain to date approaching $10,000. We also encourage members to remember the society in their wills. • Faith Fitzgerald’s finalisation of the society’s business plan, on the basis of the process originally facilitated by Ryk Blisczcyk and Michael Henry, and with input from Max Dumais’ survey of member opinion and subsequent report. NEWS • Caroline Heath’s completion of her redesign of the society’s membership database, with Les Sherwin taking over its management. Proposed expansion of the database will include data for promotion of society events. Membership As usual, membership numbers are a cause for celebration but also for concern. The upside is that membership as of 30 June was 670, which was a clear 100 more than at the same time last year, and membership now stands at more than 700. The downside is that roughly 100 members who were financial last year and a further 50 who were financial in 2002 are currently in arrears. As usual, the society will be grateful if these outstanding payments can be forwarded at the earliest possible opportunity. Given a reasonable rate of return of the remaining renewals in conjunction with some vigorous campaigning to attract new members, the strategic plan target of a membership of 1000 by the end of the year should be readily achievable, and provide a solid foundation for a further increase to the target of 2000 members in 2005. www.fabian.org.au PAGE 3 Prominent refugee, asylum seeker and human rights advocate Julian Burnside QC delivered the inaugural Jim Cairns Memorial Lecture at RMIT University in Melbourne on 17 August. Acknowledgements The society is again deeply indebted to all those whose efforts contribute so very greatly to its work – to our administrative officer Edna Bartlett and her husband Gordon, to Brian Smiddy and Kevin Davis of the Victorian Branch Committee, who unfailingly collect the door charges and provide the front of house presence at society events, to branch convenors and contacts Alistair Harkness (Victoria), Terry Hampson (Queensland), Paul Smith (NSW), Eloise Haddad (Tasmania), Linda Kirk (SA), John Carey (WA) and Alexa McLaughlin (ACT), and to my fellow National Executive members Max Dumais (Chairman), Alistair Harkness (Assistant Secretary), Jill Anwyl (Minutes Secretary), Bob Smith (Treasurer), Ben Barnett, John Button, John Cain, Faith Fitzgerald, Bruce Hartnett, Brian Howe, Barry Jones, Pamela McLure, Glenn Patmore, Fiona Perry, Justin Randle, Evan Thornley and Sally Young. Race Mathews National Secretary
Page 1: www.fabian.org .fabian.org.au .au N
Page 5 and 6: Australian Fabian News October-Dece
Page 7 and 8: Australian Fabian News October-Dece

AFN vol 44 No 4 Oct-Dec04 - Australian Fabian Society

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?