Civil Liberty Australia’s electronic Annual General Meeting for 2012 concluded with a 54% ‘turnout’ and a unanimous vote of approval for the annual reports, as well as many compliments for the work of the Board and the organisation.
This is the Report of the 2012 electronic Annual General Meeting of Civil Liberties Australia Inc. A04043. It comprises the ‘minutes’ of the eAGM.
There were 227 electronic voting tokens issues, with 120 members voting for an online voting percentage of 53%. A further 17 postal votes were issued, with 11 members responding via post for a 65% postal voting percentage. Combined, there were 131 votes received from 244 eligible members, for an overall voting percentage of 54%.
Individual results for approving the various formal documents were unanimous:
Approve President’s Report: 131 approve
Approve Annual Report: 131 approve
Approve Treasurer’s Report: 131 approve
Members had the option of commenting, anonymously if they wished, on any aspect of the election or of CLA. Some of the comments received were:
- Good luck – please continue to be my conscience for me – I haven’t got the time.
- Thank you to all official and contributing CLA members for your vigilance and expertise for a very necessary public cause. Many Australians will never know how much they are indebted to you.
- Very supportive of the great and tireless work that CLA is doing.
- I would like CLA to oppose the recommendations of the Finkelstein Report. Whatever the shortcomings of the media (and there are many) a Government body overseeing content is a threat to a free press.
- These reports are a credit to the CLA and its members. Thank you.
- CLA is increasingly more important as the media is becoming so dominant in setting the direction of political debate and in controlling the release of information required for debate. Comment has become fact before we ordinary people know of the event. Errors in comment are not able to be corrected because the next set of comments are already out based on the error and confusion cements the error into belief which, for many, is synonymous with truth.
- Please record my thanks for taking the time to visit the NT. We are swamped with issues in this part of the world and their interest and support was much appreciated.
- I think that the president’s report and CLA’s annual report are excellent. CLA is well run. I find its history intriguing.
- Top marks to the tireless and important work. You certainly raise our awareness of the real state of Australian and world affairs.
- As a proud member of Amnesty International over the decades, an organisation held in high regard throughout the world, I am equally proud of being a member of Civil Liberties Australia. While AI has a membership of three million in 150 countries and CLA has a somewhat smaller membership of some hundreds, both organisations are preforming similar functions in upholding human rights. If eternal vigilance is required to protect hard-won freedoms in our country, then CLA deserves the support of all who live here.
Voting for Board of Directors
CLA members vote for the Board of Directors every second year. There was no vote for directors in 2012.
Declaration:
The above results are ‘declared’ for the 2012 eAGM of CLA.
– Bill Rowlings, Secretary/Returning Officer