As mentioned in my previous post, the first meeting of the new Rules Committee was last week, the agenda being to identify the remaining changes needed to produce a new version of the rule book, incorporating the changes made at last year’s State Conference.
The meeting was positive, constructive, and collegiate. It was agreed that proper minutes will be kept. Everyone present seemed to be committed to producing a better, clearer, more useful set of rules.
We sat down with the old rules, the new rules and a list of the differences between the two. Everyone shared the issues they’d found in the draft that had been circulated earlier, and the necessary repairs were discussed and agreed. An updated draft will be circulated, and assuming no major issues emerge, it will be put to next month’s meeting of the Admin Committee to be endorsed as the agreed version of the rules.
There remain issues. Some rules are unclear. Others are contradictory. Except where this was because of a drafting error, there isn’t anything the Rules Committee can do in the short term. To resolve an ambiguity one way or the other, or somehow resolve a contradiction would be to change the rules, and only Conference can change the rules.
What the Committee can do, and has agreed to do, is to prepare a list of issues we have with the rules, and to see if we can agree on how to resolve those issues, a report to be presented to the next State Conference for endorsement.
(It’s not yet clear when the next State Conference will be. For reasons that were not explained, that decision cannot be made until April. There is no obviously good choice. On the one hand, to hold Conference at such short notice would mean compromises in its preparation, and possibly impact the preparation of Federal Conference as well. On the other hand, to not hold Conference means that delegates to Federal Conference, except for those directly elected by FECs, would have to be elected via some other mechanism. One possibility is that they will be selected by the Administration Committee. Another possibility, suggested to me by a Heffron SEC member, is that a postal or internet ballot of Conference Delegates could be held.)
Our ALP 
Hello Ben and as an WA Labor member I`m starved of Party information and any involvement online.
Visiting your site helps me get an understanding as to some things going on because for the life of me I like everyone else know the ALP functions in the modern electronic era because we get the updates like Burke`s 5×5 etc
What we do not have is a liaison of any rank and file or any member information on the Party process.
As with union membership,ALP membership is from many and varied diverse localities.
The internet has enabled members who are regional to be ready for conferences yet Labor does not use the technology.
The lame phone links with the last minute codes changes are pathetic and actually alienate R&F.[also not everyone has a landline these day as they are more and more uncommon like the FAX machine].
Anyway if you or others have views or ideas on this – please do
Well the massive social media army who fight to get Labor elected everywhere is now having massive heart palpitations
We help Labor fight to wins in SA-Victoria and QLD only to see Federal Labor play yet again “team Australia” with the filthy liars who stole the election with Murdoch`s full on assistance.
Also Ben the social media RWNJ trolls have no problem using the “rape” allegation against Bill Shorten as a weapon and just the other day a ticker tape sexual allegation {not his} was screenshot and tweeted as he spoke filmed on the ABC
US rank and file have to fight this stuff on Twitter all the time and now “#metadataBill” has entered the foray
Labor Unity,you have destroyed the PMship of Rudd,you have destroyed the PMship of Gillard you have again used lies in union member numbers to get your man “Shorty”over the line against Albo
Labor Unity,you are wrecking Labor and we see your US complicit actions and corporate cock sucking
It`s out ALP and we want it back
Bloody great isn`t it?
There are social forums to repair Labor and all ignore most of them
local branch refuses to send member monthly meeting minutes by even email…
where is our redress for such
Hi Lionel, I think your best option is I.11(b). “The minutes of the previous meeting may be circulated to branch members by email rather than posted, and must be available for inspection at the meeting prior to confirmation.”
The problem is that circulating minutes, either hard copy or by email, is only an option: I.11(a)(i) “meeting minutes, which can be read or provided electronically or in hard copy prior to the meeting…”