Lobby to change leadership

The Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby is set for a change of leadership tonight, with candidates vying for convenor roles that have been vacant for more than a year.
As well, the committee hasn’t been able to make a decision or approve memberships since August after volunteer numbers dropped below the required quorum of eight people.
The instability couldn’t come at a worse time with the federal election just five weeks away and equality for gays and lesbians a striking point of difference between the potential governments.
“The annual general meeting (AGM) is a vote for the board and a report back to members on the inner workings throughout the year; not quite to the level of a public meeting but certainly it’s open to the public,” Lobby policy and development coordinator Ghassan Kassisieh said.
In the year without convenors, Kassisieh has been one of two paid employees at the organisation, ostensibly to provide advice on policy issues, but also serving as decision-maker and spokesman.
“At this stage there doesn’t seem to be much contentious to discuss. This one seems to be pretty smooth sailing so far,” he said.
For the upcoming federal election, the Lobby plans to hold a beach picnic in the electorate of Wentworth and hand out pamphlets detailing each party’s policies on same-sex issues.
“We will be needing to brief quite a lot of volunteers for the day in November. It’ll be a day event rather than a prolonged opportunity to volunteer,” Kassisieh said.
But volunteers have been left wondering if the Lobby really wants them at all. An application submitted by SSO eight months ago has not been responded to.
The last two committee members to resign did so because there was little for volunteers to do, but nobody was appointed to replace them.
Eight-year veteran of the Lobby committee in the 1990s and current SSO board member Henry Collier said he was re-nominating because, without elected convenors and a quorum, the organisation had been operating against its constitution.
“Some of us old farts let it slide. The turnover has been high,” Collier said.
“We didn’t realise until later and by then the committee had finally lost enough members that they were really in trouble.”
Kassisieh said  because no new memberships have been processed since August, paid renewing members at tonight’s AGM could approve new memberships before the board vote.
The Lobby’s AGM will be held tonight 18 October, 7pm at ACON headquarters in  Commonwealth St, Surry Hills.