Democrats Abroad Australia will hold its annual general meeting, including the election of national country committee officers, on Saturday, 18 March in Sydney.  The AGM will be held at the North Sydney Community Centre from 10:00am - 12:00pm (9:30am morning tea and optional post-AGM lunch at a nearby venue).

All DAA members are welcome to attend the AGM, either in person or by remote access through Webex.  All DAA members are eligible to vote in the election, either in person, by proxy vote or remote ballot.  The AGM must have the participation of at least 20 members to meet quorum. Further details about the AGM and voting to be announced shortly.

Nominations for Country Committee Officers Now Open Until 3 March 2017

The following DA Country Committee positions are open:  Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and Counsel. 

Country Committee Officers hold office for two years.  They must be members of Democrats Abroad at the time of the election and for the duration of their two-year term.  The Chair and Vice-Chair shall be of the opposite gender.  Country Committee Officers must meet at least quarterly each year (in person or remotely).  Duties and responsibilities of each officer are listed below. The five officers comprise the DAA Executive Committee.

Members may self-nominate for any of the Officer roles.  Candidate statements are due in writing by 11:59pm, Friday 3 March to the Chair of the Nominations Committee, Todd St Vrain via [email protected].  The candidate statement should be 1 page maximum, highlighting the candidate’s background, relevant skills and experience, motivation and objectives in seeking office, noting any existing involvement with Democrats Abroad or the Democratic Party.  It's helpful to know the amount of time you have to devote to DA Australia.  The candidate statements will be shared with DAA Australia members prior to the election. Candidates are also welcome to submit a video of their candidacy in addition to a written statement.

Those interested to run for office are highly encouraged to contact the Nominations Committee to have a complete understanding of the roles, responsibilities and time commitments.  The Nominations Committee are:

Todd St Vrain (Committee Chair), [email protected]; 0413 722 719 (Sydney-based)
Ersie Burke, [email protected]; 0434 192 810 (Melbourne-based)
Chris Stueckle, [email protected]; 0403 676 439 (Melbourne-based)

None of the Nominations Committee members are seeking elected positions.  In the months following the election of DAA national officers, the Executive Committee will either conduct elections of local chapter leaders or appoint members to serve at the local chapter level.

Executive Committee Roles and Responsibilities

Chair

The Chair shall be the chief executive officer of the organization, shall call and preside at all meetings of members and of the Executive Committee, and shall have responsibility for all activities approved by the organization. The Chair shall sit ex-officio on all committees of the organization including any Standing Committees, with full voting privileges. The Chairperson shall be a member of the Democratic Party Committee Abroad (DPCA).

The Chair must attend either in person or via Webex and vote in the biannual International AGM of Democrats Abroad.  The next DA International AGM will be held in Washington DC 13 - 14 May 2017.  (The Chair may delegate proxy votes if unable to participate).

The Chair is expected to attend (in person or via Webex) and vote in the Asia Pacific regional caucus and the DA Convention in the year of a US general election.  (Proxy voting not allowed).

The Chair is encouraged to attend the monthly DA Asia-Pacific regional phone meeting.  The Chair often serves as spokesperson for DA Australia but these responsibilities can be shared or assigned to other members in Democrats Abroad.

The Chair must not be of the same gender as the Vice-Chair.

 Vice-Chair

In the absence of the Chair, the Vice-Chair shall call and preside at meetings of members and of the Executive Committee. The Vice-Chair shall have such other duties as the Chair shall define. The Vice-Chair shall become Country Chair in case of a vacancy in the office of Country Chair until the next Annual General Meeting at which Officer Elections are held.  The Vice-Chair shall be a member of the DPCA.

The Vice-Chair must attend either in person or via Webex and vote in the biannual International AGM of Democrats Abroad.  The next DA International AGM will be held in Washington DC 13 - 14 May 2017.  (The Vice-Chair may delegate proxy votes if unable to participate).

The Vice-Chair is expected to attend (in person or via Webex) and vote in the Asia Pacific regional caucus and the DA Convention in the year of a US general election.  (Proxy voting not allowed).

The Vice-Chair is encouraged to share responsibility of participating in the monthly DA Asia-Pacific phone meeting.  

The Vice-Chair must not be of the same gender as the Chair.

Secretary

The Secretary shall maintain the member database, minutes of all meetings and all files and administrative records of the organization. The Chair may appoint member Database Manager(s) to fulfil the obligations imposed by the DPCA for the maintenance of the current list of members. The Secretary shall maintain an active correspondence with the Local Chapter contacts.  At meetings requiring a quorum the Secretary shall confirm a quorum of members is in attendance in person or by proxy per the current member database. 

Treasurer

The Treasurer shall manage the finances of the organization, maintain its financial reports to members and prepare such financial reports and submissions as may be required by law. The Treasurer shall prepare and present to the Annual General Meeting of DA Australia a Statement of Income and Expenses based on a fiscal year ending 31 March and a Balance Sheet as of 31 March. The Treasurer shall maintain a full understanding of the laws and regulations of Australia and ensure that financial reports, returns and other submissions required of the organization under the laws and regulations/regulatory bodies of Australia are tendered in full and on time. In association with the Counsel, the Treasurer shall maintain a robust understanding of the regulations of the Federal Election Commission and, to the best of his/her ability, ensure the organization and Local Chapters are operating in compliance with them.  The Treasurer shall have signature power over all bank or other financial accounts held in the name of DA Australia. 

Counsel

The Counsel shall be available for consultation by the Committee or its officers on legal and procedural questions relating to DA Australia and its activities. In association with the Treasurer, the Counsel shall maintain a robust understanding of the regulations of the Federal Election Commission and ensure, to the best of his/her ability, ensure the organization and Local Chapters are operating in compliance with them, liaising with the International Counsel of Democrats Abroad as necessary.

We look forward to everyone's participation in the AGM and election, and receiving nominations for the Executive Committee.

A copy of the DA Australia by-laws is available here.