ASHM AGM 2007
ASHM Annual General Meeting 2007
The ASHM Annual General Meeting was held on 18 October 2007 at the Stamford Plaza Hotel in Double Bay, Sydney, prior to the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research (NCHECR) Combined Working Group Meetings Dinner. Normally our AGM is held in conjunction with our Annual Conference. However, the ASHM Annual Conference was held with the International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference in July this year, which was too early to hold our AGM.
At the AGM, outgoing ASHM President Sharon Lewin announced the retirement of two Board Members, Elizabeth Dax and Kath Fethers. Kath Fethers joined the Board when she was working in Alice Springs in sexual health. Sharon thanked Kath and noted that she bought an intimate understanding of indigenous health issues to the Board and also provided an insight into the difficulties of working in the HIV, viral hepatitis and sexual health area in a remote or isolated location. Kath has recently moved to Melbourne where she is studying for her PhD.
Liz Dax has been on the Board since 1999 and held positions of President, Vice President and Treasurer. Sharon thanked Liz for her continuing contribution to ASHM through the International Division and also through all her work in policy and governance. Sharon described how Liz has been there for the Society over a period of considerable change and development, and provided great support to the Board and the Secretariat.
There were 13 nominations for 14 Board vacancies, so those nominees were elected unopposed. They are:
Jonathan Anderson President
Greg Dore Vice President
Edwina Wright Secretary
Joe Sasadeusz Treasurer
Sharon Lewin Immediate Past President
Darren Russell Ordinary Members
Stephen Lambert
Alan Pithie
Mark Boyd
Philip Cunningham (who is new to the Board)
Garry Trotter
Nick Medland
John Dyer
There was no nomination from South Australia or the Northern Territory, which are viewed as one state for the purposes of representation on the Board. The Constitution requires the casual vacancy be filled from SA/NT first, and nominations will only be sought from other jurisdictions if a SA/NT nominee cannot be found.
A nomination from Russell Wardell for this casual vacancy was received and he was elected as an ordinary member of the Board at the AGM.
Other Motions
There were two motions on notice debated at the AGM. The Board had previously decided not to put any substantive business at the meeting, feeling that its out-of-the ordinary status would restrict attendance. But the Board also wanted the Secretariat to progress in getting recognition for ASHM as a non-self accrediting Higher Education Provider and a Registered Training Organisation (RTO).
The Secretariat has been working on achieving this RTO status and was advised that the requirements for accreditation include provisions that our organisational rules (or constitution) explicitly indicate we support "free intellectual enquiry" and that the ASHM Board would be the authority within the organisation which awards any qualification.
The first Motion on Notice was aimed at changing our objective in Clause 2 (f) in our Constitution from:
'To foster education for health professionals and the general public'
to:
'To foster education for health professionals and the general public through the provision of higher and vocational education courses (and any other continuing education courses) which encourage free intellectual inquiry'.
The second Motion on Notice was to add to Clause 2 (d) in Powers of the Board to read:
'12 (d) will award any higher education qualifications that ASHM is approved for and keep a register of such awards'.
After a lively discussion of the merits and potential pitfalls of ASHM's move to achieve RTO status, both Motions on Notice were passed unanimously.
The last matter for discussion was the setting of membership fees for the Society for the 2008 membership year. The following schedule was discussed and approved:
Ordinary Members $100
(Ordinary Members are medical graduates or non-medical graduates who have worked in the HIV sector for at least three years. They have full membership rights, including the right to vote at meetings and in elections, and to hold office)
Associate Member $100
(Associate Members may be any person who does not meet the criteria for ordinary membership but agrees with the Society's objectives and is interested in furthering them. Associate Members receive all of the benefits of membership apart from the right to vote at meetings and in elections or to hold office)
Students, trainees, people new to the field (less than three years) and Retired Member $60
Individual Sustaining Member $100
Sustaining Membership is open to any person, position, society, organisation, company or instrumentality which supports ASHM's objectives. A sustaining member does not have the right to vote at meetings or in elections or to hold any office, but Sustaining Membership can be transferred between individuals or held by a position, eg the Executive Director. The specified sustaining member will receive all other benefits of membership.
Next year's AGM will be held in conjunction with the ASHM Conference, which will take place from Wednesday 17 to Saturday 20 September 2008 at the Perth Convention Centre in Western Australia.
