Minutes/National Council/2017-09-20

Start: 20:52 AEST

End: 23:10 AEST

Attendance

 * Emily Sievers
 * Simon Gnieslaw
 * Miles Whiticker
 * Tom Randle
 * Simon Frew
 * John Jeffery
 * Alex Jago
 * John August
 * Mark Gibbons

Officers and others

 * Ben McGinnes (Conference Liaison)

Absentees
None

Previous meeting minutes

 * https://pirateparty.org.au/wiki/Minutes/National_Council/2017-09-06
 * motion passes

Conduct

 * Emily Sievers provides some remarks on members interaction and conduct between each other.
 * Not directed at anyone, a general reminder on self presentation.
 * We are an official party, to all intents and purposes we present like a business.
 * It is expected that everyone behaves and interacts with each other with decorum and professionalism.
 * Failing at that will only serve to make this party a joke or give us a bad reputation.
 * Emily is now permanently on group chat to, though she should be able to trust this team to be professional behind closed doors, and even more so in public.
 * Emily expects everyone to be good to each other, and be good to everyone else, whether you like them or not.
 * Simon Gnieslaw provides some remarks on his interactions.
 * Acknowledges his behaviour and responses during certain discussions was not the best.
 * Notes National Council members must always act to a higher level of responsibility and conduct.
 * Notes he was trying to raise some personal concerns, but recognises now that he didn't take feedback from others sooner to defuse discussions.

Deputy President and DRC results

 * Tom Randle notes the election results returned for positions of Deputy President and one Dispute Resolution Committee position.
 * Deputy President: John Edward Philip Jeffery
 * Dispute Resolution Committee position: Liam Pomfret
 * Meeting attendees provide general welcomes and congratulations to the election winners.

AEC Audit

 * Tom Randle provides an update on AEC Audit.
 * Alex Jago and Tom Randle wrote to the AEC requesting an extension, it was granted and the audit due date is now the 20th October.
 * Tom Randle is working on changes required for the the audit code in piratedb.
 * Tom Randle would dearly like to not be distracted by other things.
 * Mark Gibbons notes the importance of the audit and helping out.
 * Tom Randle provides an update on member area rollout.
 * All members have been sent their account details now.
 * Any that haven't are because we actually in some cases don't have email addresses for them.
 * Only about ~450 have currently logged in.
 * Donations/renewal fees are heading toward $4,000 now, almost up another $1,000 from last meeting.
 * Simon Frew suggests a recruitment drive.
 * Miles Whiticker suggests an advertising spend.
 * Tom Randle raises the Audit communications plan everyone can be working on.
 * Tom Randle raises an action item: everyone help with communications and campaigns for the audit.
 * Emily Sievers asks that before the next National Council meeting some advertising is looked into.

Emergency National Congress

 * Tom Randle notes he thinks it's time to progress this.
 * Doesn't want to leave it another two weeks.
 * Suggests Sunday 5th November starting at 10am
 * Simon Gnieslaw asks whether other changes to the Constitution should be considered.
 * Tom Randle states he thinks the meeting should only consider what didn't pass from this year's Annual National Congress.
 * Tom Randle considers it inappropriate to raise any business which isn't a clarification to resolve this year's issues.
 * Simon Gnieslaw suggests waiting until after AEC audit.
 * Some discussion about timing of the Emergency National Congress and membership lapse dates.
 * Motion is put and carries.
 * Announcement to be sent out before the end of Saturday 23rd September

PAX

 * Simon Gnieslaw outlines a brief he wrote regarding the PAX panel as he understands it.
 * Discussion to resolve outstanding issues raise by Simon Gnieslaw.
 * Simon Frew notes he doesn't agree with what is in Simon Gnieslaw's brief and interprets it as Simon Gnieslaw refusing to take an obvious no for an answer.
 * Ben McGinnes notes he agrees with Simon Frew.
 * Emily Sievers notes Ben McGinnes has done the Party a favour arranging another panel this year at all. He has had to work through many headaches.
 * Discussion about the panel and format.
 * Simon Gnieslaw outlines a motion.
 * Motion is put and lapses.

General business

 * Tom Randle remarks on how the Agenda for National Council meetings works:
 * The Agenda is collated (and ordered) by the Secretary (Tom Randle) as he sees fit.
 * It is up to the meeting chair, by default the President (Emily Sievers), to call the Agenda items as they see fit.
 * If National Council members want to raise an item, they need to put it on the Agenda pad and place their name against it.
 * Anything in the Items section of the Agenda pad should have a matching Agenda topic, otherwise keep it in your own to-do lists until you've got time to raise it with teams/wgs/committees before National Council meetings.
 * Tom Randle notes he thinks it is late enough to defer other business until the next meeting.


 * Agreement to hold another strategy meeting 8:30 pm Monday 25th September.

Motions

 * MOTION: Accept minutes from previous meeting
 * Put by: Emily Sievers
 * Ayes: 8 (Simon Frew, Miles Whiticker, John August, Emily Sievers, Alex Jago, Tom Randle, Simon Gnieslaw, Mark Gibbons); Nays: 0 ; Abstains: 1 (John Jeffery)
 * Motion carries.


 * MOTION: Hold an online Emergency National Congress on 5th November starting at 10:00am AEDT to resolve Constitutional Amendment Proposals which lapsed at the July 2017 National Congress due to a low quorum during online voting.
 * Put by: Tom Randle
 * Ayes: 9 (Simon Frew, Miles Whiticker, John August, Emily Sievers, Alex Jago, Tom Randle, Simon Gnieslaw, Mark Gibbons, John Jeffery); Nays: 0 ; Abstains: 0
 * Motion carries.


 * MOTION: Should Ben ask his panelists for their views on the compromise as Simon [Gnieslaw] suggested?
 * Put by: Simon Gnieslaw
 * Ayes: 1 (Simon Gnieslaw); Nays: 6 (Tom Randle, Simon Frew, John August, Mark Gibbons, Emily Sievers, Alex Jago); Abstains: 2 (Miles Whiticker, John Jeffery)
 * Motion lapses.


 * MOTION: close meeting
 * Put by: Emily Sievers
 * Ayes: 8 (Tom Randle, Simon Frew, John August, Simon Gnieslaw, Alex Jago, Emily Sievers, Mark Gibbons, John Jeffery); Nays: 1 (Miles Whiticker); Abstains: 0
 * Motion carries.