Admin
The following people were elected to the Administrative Committee in 2008:
- Alex Bukarica (Miners, Left)
- Anne Purcell
- Anne Thompson
- Anthony D’Adam (PSA, Left)
- Ben Kruse (ASU)
- Geoff Derrick (FSU, Left)
- Gerard Dwyer (SDA)
- Jan Primrose (AMWU, Left)
- Jenny McAllister (Left, Federal Vice President)
- Jim Lloyd (LHMU)
- Jim Metcher (CEPU)
- Joanne Morris
- John Robertson
- Julie Sibraa
- Kaye Simmons
- Mark Ptolemy (NUW, Right)
- Michael Want (ASU)
- Michelle Rowland (Right)
- Nick Lewocki (RTBU)
- Paul Bastian (AMWU)
- Russ Collison (AWU, Right)
- Sally McManus (ASU)
- Sharon Claydon (Left)
- Tara Moriarty (Junior Vice President)
- Tony Sheldon (TWU, Right)
In addition, there are a number of people who are on Admin because of a position they hold:
- Sam Dastyari, General Secretary, Right
- Chris Minns, Right Asst. General Secretary
- John Graham, Left Asst. General Secretary
- Michael Lee, President
- Michael Williamson, Senior Vice President
- Mark Boyd, Junior Vice President (LHMU)
- Tara Moriarty, Junior Vice President
I have been told that Paul Bastian has since resigned from Admin.
There have been other changes as well, including, I believe, the addition of:
- Kirsten Andrews
- Mark Lennon (Right)
- Rita Mallia (CFMEU, Left)
- Rob Allen
- Sam Moreton
- Tim Ayres
Presumably there have been other departures, but I don’t know who. If you do, or if you want to make any corrections or additions to any of the above, please let me know.
Rules
The following people were elected (unopposed) to the Rules Committee in 2008.
- Amanda Fazio
- Kaila Murnain
- Ken Murray
- Joe Tripodi
- Talal Yassine
- Wayne Meaney
- Jan Burnswoods
- John Graham
- Ashley Hogan
As we know, at least Joe and Amanda are still there.
A number of them are on twitter and facebook.
Our ALP 
Really says it all about the NSW ALP that they would have someone of the likes of Jim Metcher on the Admin Committee. Just go to http://www.austlii.edu.au and search under his name or the name Battese. You will see Jim is well qualified to be part of this group, any person there who is not ethically challenged would do well to steer well clear. You need to amend your entry to include ‘Right’ he is a loyal foot soldier of the ALP Right. Jim may well be coming up in the news a fair bit in the next little while; up to his old tricks it seems.
As one of the so-called “Faceless men & women” listed above I am disappointed this forum seems to be not so much about positive ideas but slagging people (the above comment from “Ali” sets the tone).
One of the most damaging things for any organisations are generalisations and rumour-mongering – it would be refreshing if “our ALP” (as opposed to “THEIR ALP?”) steers clear of the conspiracy theories and name-calling and gets people together for some positive party-building.
Of course, with me signing up for this iste I will open myself up to criticism and snipes, which I don’t really have an issue with as long as any detractors show the courage of their convictions and agree to using their real names.
Hi Mark,
Thanks for joining the conversation. I agree that it’s better to build up than to tear down.
But you do understand why people resort to generalisations and conspiracy theory? And why people feel that we need to fight for our ALP?
Regards, Ben
Hi Ben,
Yes I do understand why people resort to generalisations – having been on the receiving end of a few over the years, I know that a generalisation is an easy option. I also understand the need and right of rank & file members to be part of the process of activism and not simply observers. If we had more involvement from rank & file members and in fact more involvement from trade unionists in the ALP it would be a far more effective force.
However, Party members need to also realise that not all unions and their representatives who sit on the Centre Unity side of the Administrative Committee table are simply nodding dogs to so-called Right powerbrokers. The NUW are in the unusual situation of being Left industrially but also affiliated with Centre Unity politically. We question, agitate and argue issues based upon their merit and how those issues will affect our broader membership. That’s our role and we proudly do that. It would be wrong to brand us as compliant Right Wingers and anyone who did so would not know what they are talking about.
Factionalism exists in every organisation where there are humans and influence. Political parties, churches, sporting clubs, every organised body will have it’s factions. Factions in themselves are not an evil; – they actually promote debate and ideas. The problems arise when the owners of the organisations (ie the members) let go of the reigns of the horse, so to speak and let it run unchecked.
Over the past several years of being a member of the Admin Committee I have not once had any Branch Secretary or member approach me to raise an issue or ask a question about the Committee. Not once. And it isn’t a matter of me being unknown – I live in the Blue Mountains where the Socialist Left of the Party is still quite active. I am also a former Federal candidate having run in an unwinnable seat out of duty to the ALP (well, someone had to do it – it may as well have been me!) I am known (and despised I’m told) by the local Left activists but I’ve never been approached by any local activists about the Party – the Admin Committee or any aspect of the ALP.
So, I hope this forum can exhibit less generalisations and more progressive activism. It is quite a task to move any organisation forward and in the case of the ALP it will take all hands on deck. We’re going through a difficult period but we’re done so before and we will again. The thing is we’ll come out the other end with a better Party and one that can strive to do what it is meant to do – provide better governance for all communities and try it’s best to make the world a better place.
Mark,
I have read some nonsense in my time but your claim that no member questions the Admin Committee is laughable; up until the time that Ben’s diligent investigations uncovered the members names it was indeed the ‘Faceless Committee’.
I for one experienced this when, as a branch Secretary, inquired of ‘Head Office’ who the members of the committee only to be told by a staff member “I know of no such committee, it does not exist to my knowledge”.
This was during our conflict with Sussex Street over the ill conceived 2010 preselection for the seat of ‘Gilmore’.
It was after our meeting with the general secretary regarding the misuse of N40 on this matter that the ‘Reclaim_The_ALP’ movement started to grow.
So take heed the rank & file now know your names.
John McCutcheon
Kiama
John,
If you were not so eager to get angry and actually read through what I wrote properly you’d see that I was referring to the fact that no one has actually asked me any questions about the Admin Committee.
As for the make-up of the committee, I recall back in the late 1990s, when as the Branch Secretary of the Mid-Mountains Branch at Lawson, (this was prior to me being part of the NUW by the way) I called Head Office and was given the names, addresses and conactc telephone numbers of all of the Committee (Left & Right).
Mark, your post of a year ago is certainly a self serving piece isn’t, it is interesting to re read it given the HSU Scandal. I have been trying to get the affiliation rate for unions from Sussex Street for quite sometime so that I can work out who is over affiliating (that would be most of you I would imagine). Needless to say that information is not forthcoming so given you are one of the favoured who has no trouble getting information could you post the last ten years of affiliation fees here. I just need to know for each year from say 2003 to this year what fee was set by NSW ALP and imposed on each union, what was the rate paid per member? Now coming back to some specifics in your post. Why is everyone in the NSW Right now calling it ‘Centre Unity’ is that to avoid the tainted, poisonous NSW Right brand? If you are industrially left why are you aligned with the NSW Right? How does that work? Has the NUW ever voted on any issue with the Left or do you debate, agitate, provide a bit of theatre and then vote with the NSW Right? Self serving again isn’t it to suggest that it is the rank and file members fault that they ‘let go of the reins’, it is more a case of the reins being wrested from them by some very determined, undemocratic people prepared to do ‘whatever it takes’. Unions are full of hacks and people cooling their heels either waiting for a turn at preselection or having lost a seat and not wanting to have to go and get a real job they go back to a union having never worked a day on the shop floor. Everyone knows that the NSW Right is pure cronyism, a patronage machine. Anyone wanting to get on in politics especially in NSW knows whom they have to kiss up to. You keep talking about being progressive and not being negative about others but seriously, referring to someones past actions with evidence is hardly a sweeping generalisation it goes to the heart of the very governance issues of which you speak. What can you say about any organisation that has the likes of Michael Williamson and possibly others like them on boards, or on committees. It is not good enough just to say “we did not know” I don’t think that is going to wash now or in the future. The NSW Right has led the ALP into a terrible dark place that they will be a long time getting out of. It will take true courage and leadership, and it will take selflessness. Telling everyone they should just move on and not examine the past, all of the past, will just lead to more of the same and isn’t that just what the NSW Right wants. More exclusion not less, more patronage, less participation by the rank and file. Tony Abbott says he will be ‘the workers best friend’ when he inevitably gets into office. He will no doubt leverage of the HSU Scandal to have some form of ABCC like enquiry if not an actual Royal Commission, I hope he does and I am an ALP voter and I want to know once and for all why I got a 1% per year pay increase while my union was giving my money to the NSW ALP, I have a right to know just like HSU members have a right to know, and they also have a right to get that money back as well as any board fees and other union rorts that just serve the individual, surely you agree? If I were you Mark I would be out there campaigning for a few things like the right for union members to sue the likes of Williamson for recovery of the millions that he benefited off the backs of workers. I would be out there campaigning for very specific laws that compel appointees to boards to hand the money over to the union. I would be campaigning for yearly audits of union members and any union found over affiliating should be fined and the money returned from the individuals who made that decision. I would also be campaiging for a two yearly poll of members to see if they want to stay affiliated to the ALP. Do you agree with all of that Mark?
Hello “Ali”,
Before I spend time responding to an angry diatribe can you step out of the shadows and tell me your name. I don’t respond to anonymous posts.
Thanks.
My view on why nobody ever contacted you about admin committee Mark is that nobody has had any faith in it, for the longest time. As soon as I saw the name Williamson in that line-up, knowing he was shoring up the right (who dominate decisions anyway), I thought there was no point. Action against him came far, far too late, as Ali here says.
People don’t ask questions if they are not confident of getting an honest answer, or if they think their questions will make no difference. It’s not a reflection on individual admin committee members like yourself to say that. It’s just a fact. And if you are obviously appointed by a right-wing union, and vote with the right, and defend the right’s dominance and tactics, members of the left aren’t going to feel cosy about chatting. I suppose you’ll see that as the left playing factional games?
Can anyone tell me if the ‘I have done nothing wrong’ defence is concocted by ALP Spin Doctors? I think that most people have cottoned onto the fact that this ‘Williamsonesque/Thomsonesque’ line actually does not include the words “I did not do it.’ I take this to mean that the ethics of these people are so far below community standards and the lives of these people so far divorced from their members that they actually may believe that they ‘have done nothing wrong’ even when they clearly have done what it is they are accused of.
http://www.afr.com/p/technology/fwa_probes_union_boss_super_fees_wPBnAXqeUFpSuC0gJkGK3J