Vol 45 No 1 - Australian Fabian Society

PAGE 2Mark LathamSECRETARY’SCOLUMNOLUMNby Race MathewsNational SecretaryThe untimely departure from parliamentof federal Opposition Leader andonetime NSW AFS Branch ChairmanMark Latham – pictured below withnational Chairman Faith Fitzgerald, onthe occasion of his guest of honouraddress to the society’s 2004Remembrance Day Dinner – is a serioussetback for his party and the widerpublic policy community. Mark was athoughtful, forceful and frequentlycontroversial contributor to policydiscourse, whose contributions will besadly missed. The society wishes him aspeedy recovery of his health and anearly return to the service of thedispossessed, disadvantaged andexcluded, whose interests he has soconsistently championed.SOCIETY NEWSWhat’s New?Consequent on the need to free upspace, in particular for responses to therecent AFS/Arena Publications BlueBook, After the Deluge: Rebuilding Laborand a Progressive Movement, SocietyNews as follows is in dot point form:• Thanks to a great surge of renewals andnew applications, AFS membershipfor 2005 is already well past the halfwaymark to its previous year’s level,and the society is thereby theincomparably better positioned toplan and budget ahead and achieve itscurrent year strategic plan target of1000 members. It will be appreciatedif members whose subscriptions arestill outstanding will return theirpayments, along with the invoiceswhich accompany this letter, as soonas possible.• The society’s Victorian, NSW andQueensland branches now have inplace forward programs of events on arolling basis, which will ensure thatmembers in those states have regularaccess to high quality public policyand current affairs discussion.Members in other states and territoriesare encouraged to contact their localbranch convenors with offers of helpout with the introduction of eventprograms at an early date.Australian Fabian NewsJanuary–March 2005• Members may wish to make a diarynote that the AFS will hold a nationalconference on the theme ‘A Fools’Paradise? Economics, Equity and Trustin the 21st Century’, in Storey Hall atthe RMIT University in Melbourne on29 and 30 September.• The AFS Distinguished OverseasVisitors Program and the ALP(Victorian Branch) Agenda Committeejointly auspiced a very special briefingon ‘Getting It Together: PolicyDevelopment, Policies and Outcomes’for society members and members ofstate ALP policy committee members,which was delivered by UK institutefor Community Studies Director andformer Prime Minister’s Policy andStrategy Units Director and founderDirector of the high-profile Demosthink tank, Geoff Mulgan in theTrades Hall Council Chamber on15 February. Geoff’s presentationfollows highly successful earlierProgram briefings, on 29 October byUK Prime Minister’s Policy UnitDeputy Director John McTernan andon 9 December by former ClintonAdministration Secretary for LabourRobert Reich, and the society isseeking further overseas guests.• Former ALP federal MP JohnLangmore has accepted co-option toPhoto: Barbara NormanFormer ALP Leader Mark Latham in happier times, as seen here with AFS Chairman Faith Fitzgerald at the society's 2004 RemembranceDay Dinner.www.fabian.org.au