Mardi Gras Criticised For Limiting In-Person Attendance At AGM

Concerns have been raised about the limited number of members allowed to attend the 2025 Mardi Gras Annual General Meeting in-person, with some worrying that members won’t have an opportunity to be properly represented.

Scheduled for Saturday morning, this year’s AGM will be taking place at Pride Hall in the Inner West Pride Centre. Invitations were sent to members on Tuesday, with the first 100 people to register their in-person attendance permitted to go.

On Thursday, Company Secretary, Steve Hatzipavlis, sent an email informing members that the capacity of the venue had been reached.

“Only those who RSVP-ed as ‘Attending, In Person’ via the Vero Voting platform will be able to enter the venue in-person,” the email read. “For safety reasons, we cannot allow any further attendees.”

In a video posted to Instagram on Thursday evening, former Mardi Gras board director, James Breko, raised the issue of the low capacity venue.

“I think last year’s venue at Sydney Uni takes about 500 so we’re just not sure if it’s a strategic decision or just a genuine mistake,” he said.

“100 people is so low… there’s eight candidates running for election. I know when I ran for election way back in like 2014 and 2016, you bring five friends with you, you attend the AGM together, and you await the result.

 

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“If those eight candidates do that, that’s like, 48 people, plus the remaining board, plus the usual cohort that have the AGM in their calendars three years in advance.”

Significantly reduced capacity

In 2024, the AGM was held at Sydney University’s Eastern Avenue Auditorium and Theatre Complex, which has a capacity of 500 people, while in 2023 it was held University of Sydney Business School, ABS Lecture Theatre, which seats 550.

The switch to the Inner West Pride Centre sees in-person capacity limited to just one-fifth of previous years.

“Whether the capacity issue is a mistake or by design, the 2025 AGM is shaping up to have some controversial motions, and a heated election with the largest amount of proxies ever recorded – so it’s just important to me that those who want to be in the room, to scrutinise, to have their say, are allowed to be,” Breko told Star Observer.

“I think it’s commonsense and the community response to my video overnight confirms a lot of people feel the same way.”

Speaking to Star Observer, a Mardi Gras spokesperson said they hadn’t received any complaints from members about the issue.

“Our review of attendance data from previous years shows that fewer than 100 members typically attend the AGM in person, with the overwhelming majority choosing to participate via proxy or online,” they said.

Members who missed out on attending in-person can watch the meeting online via a Zoom link, and will be able to ask questions through a Q&A tab.

Security have also been organised for the 100-strong meeting, with those who harass members, disrupt proceedings, or breach Mardi Gras’ ICARE values or AGM Code of Conduct asked to leave.