Civil Liberties Australia’s annual general meeting for 2018, covering the 2017 calendar year’s activities, has concluded, with a positive vote by the majority of the 52% of eligible members who voted.
The percentage who voted is slightly down on 2017, but the number of comments is up.
The individual votes in 2018 on the 2017 year were:
| Approve President’s Report: | Yes: 135 | No: 3 |
| Approve Annual Report: | Yes: 136 | No: 2 |
| Approve Treasurer’s Report: | Yes: 137 | No: 1 |
Three people who voted ‘No’ indicated they were not in favour of “marriage equality”, abortion and a bill of rights for Australia. One member suggested our additions were $390 out in the 2017 Treasurer’s report (we’re double checking).
The Board thanks members for the strong approval indicated by the voting, and for the positive comments many members chose to make. More members made comments in 2018 than in the previous year – thanks to all those members who did. Below is a representative selection.
The 2018 Annual General Meeting is hereby declared closed.
– W.M. Rowlings, Secretary and Returning Officer, 28 March 2018
A representative sample of Members’ comments during the 2018 voting:
I support the aims of CLA and am happy about the manner in which those aims have been pursued and/or supported during the year.
I value the Civil Liberties Organisation and all the work you do.
Pity membership has dropped a little, how is CLA being promoted? (see below)
Should we be concerned about the Ruddock review of religious freedom? Has CLA made a submission? I have not noticed anything in the newsletter but perhaps I have missed it. (Yes, we have: on the CLA website: see article in APRIL 2018 CLArion newsletter).
I value your work for civil liberties, desperately needed in the face of our government’s increasingly draconian and excessive pursuit of security measures.
I will try to become more involved as our politicians are continually eroding our civil rights!
I wish to state how very impressed I am since joining CLA 3 years ago, at its rigorous, dedicated, honest and scrupulously transparent Executive. I have never before been a member of an organisation with such high standards, across the Board, for the benefit of its members. Congratulations.
I’m amazed by what CLA achieves with such limited resources.
Informative reports, covering a broad spectrum of significant issues. Well done.
Keep up the good work. We’re making good progress in Perth and WA.
I voted as I did because I believe the current executive is doing a very good job in a difficult political environment.
I voted YES to all because I trust the CLA and its current leadership. Keep up the good work.
I believe it is urgent for CLA to take a strong stand against the Electoral Funding and Disclosure Reform Bill. This is a dangerous attack on charities, volunteer organisations and other community organisations that make valuable contributions to public discussion. Many of these organisations represent the most vulnerable members of society who otherwise don’t have a say in matters affecting them. Other groups speak up for the wider community. (CLA sub is on our website: it is No 78 on the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters website )
2017’s reports reveal the quality, relevance and timeliness of CLA’s demands and support for better justice. Over 100 years of citizen’s rights have been stolen from us, under the guise of terrorism. In reality, corporate greed and politicians’ incompetence are the culprits. CLA’s executive directors and members are dedicated, accountable and volunteers with integrity. Congratulations.
Keep up the good work! (Note: there were about a dozen comments like this).
I would like to thank all committee members for their hard work. CLA appeals to me because of the professional manner in which it operates in a highlighting miscarriages of justice and seeking redress.
I think CLA is doing an outstanding job, reminding us of repression everywhere and doing something about it on every level. Well done CLA.
Everything looks very much on track and hopefully will go on pushing for changes to keep justice an important part. We hear that the staff looking at the camps on Nauru felt ill because of the mould in the tents but didn’t mention what it was doing to the people living in them. A child has tried to commit suicide recently because of feeling no one cared and she didn’t understand why the government hated her.
Great work. Tough year 2017, with election uncertainty around the place. Let’s hope CLA can nail even more political lies in 2018.
Having been a member of CLA for some years now, I believe it is vital to continue to support such an important organisation. As our rights and freedoms are eroded on a daily basis, CLA is at the forefront of raising awareness and discourages us from sinking into complacency.
I think it is remarkable what you achieve with a voluntary organisation.
The annual reports, statements and general information clearly shows that CLA functions because of the commitment and dedication to CLA by a small number of very active people.
Thank you to CLA committee members for all that you do, and for keeping members informed and up-to-date with regular newsletters.
ENDS COMMENTS
NB: We also received a couple of queries about the financial statements, one about the figures in 2015 (suggesting an error a year or two before then) and another saying that our additions were $390 out for 2017. We’re checking them out. The answer to the question about how CLA is being promoted is that we’re giving much more attention to marketing in the coming 12 months. Members can help by each getting one new member to join – let us know if you’d like some leaflets posted to you for handing out.
NO COMMENT